Read Online Claimed by the Sheikh by Rachael Thomas - Free Book Online Page B

make Claude well. That was all that mattered right now and she’d do well to remember that when her heart hammered as soon as he came close.
    â€˜At least we both know where we stand now.’ His voice was harsh and he looked away from her, giving her the opportunity to study him. The wild ruggedness she had fallen for when she’d first met him wasn’t so apparent now, as if abandoning the desert sands to rule his country was slowly taming him.
    The lift doors opened onto the busy hotel lobby and she almost ran out, still desperate to put as much distance between them as possible. Everything about him was messing with her emotions. ‘I’m not exactly going to run out on you. A young boy’s health is now dependent on me going to Barazbin—and on you keeping your word.’
    Kazim studied her for a moment and she watched a muscle flicker as he tensed his jaw, his lips pressed into a thin line of annoyance. She raised her brow at him, sending him a challenge despite knowing she shouldn’t. Just what was it about him that made her act so—irrationally?
    â€˜Do not argue with me, Amber.’ His firm words irritated her and she glared at him. ‘I
am
coming with you.’
    She sighed in resignation, which earned her a questioning look. Determined not to show him just how much he was getting to her on every level, she waltzed out of the hotel. Within seconds, just as he’d done in Paris, he fell into step beside her. She scanned the boutiques of the affluent street, knowing they would be too far out of her price range. She was certainly in the wrong part of London for her current budget.
    â€˜Kazim,’ she said, stopping in the street so suddenly other pedestrians would have collided with her if he hadn’t pulled her close. Flustered, she looked up into his eyes, as dark as ever, but, instead of the usual hard and passionless depths, they blazed with something so intense it echoed deep inside her. As if, with that one look, he was claiming her as his.
    â€˜What is it now?’ A smile teased at the edges of his lips and her heart jumped then raced erratically, his change of mood confusing her, disarming her.
    She swallowed hard, not wanting to admit anything to him but she had no choice. ‘I can’t afford to shop here.’
    â€˜We’ll go to the next one then,’ he said without taking his eyes from her face. Heat was spreading from his touch and the world around them stopped, blurred into oblivion, ceasing to exist. The hum of the traffic slipped away and it was just the two of them.
    Mentally she shook herself, trying to clear her head, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. ‘What I mean is I can’t afford anything, not from this street.’
    He let go of her so abruptly she almost stumbled and the noises of the traffic rushed at her as if someone had suddenly turned the volume back up.
    * * *
    Kazim kept a tight rein on his temper. She certainly knew how to infuriate a man. He had no idea why he’d even decided to go with her. Shopping in any form was something he just didn’t do. But he’d glimpsed a hidden part of her as she’d studied the view from the suite earlier. He’d seen vulnerability as she’d stood at the hotel window. Vulnerability he was now compelled to protect.
    Of course his security team would have discreetly followed her, just as they were doing now, but she’d stirred in him an old need to protect and, along with it, bad memories from his childhood.
    He took her hand and the moment of hesitation in the soft brown of her eyes almost made him waver. ‘In here,’ he demanded roughly, not comfortable with the direction of his thoughts as he imagined her dressed for dinner in a sexy figure-hugging dress. ‘Get what you need for tonight and a further two days. I will attend to the bill.’
    Her hand loosened within his as he strode into the nearest boutique. He glanced down at her;