Read Online I Married a Sheik by Sharon De Vita - Free Book Online Page A

man's loin's ache.
    Her hair was down tonight, falling free and wild in a riot of fiery curls that caressed the beautiful, feminine curve of her shoulders, framing her face like a rich, amber halo.
    He couldn't take his eyes off her. And neither, apparently, could Aaron.
    Or his hands.
    As they turned, Ali caught a glimpse of Faith's face as Aaron began to paw her on the dance floor. She was white, with twin spots of color on her cheeks, and her eyes were wide.
    Ali's vision hazed as he felt a hand of anger clutch his gut. He'd never considered himself a jealous man; he'd never had the opportunity to experience the emotion. But now it seized him by the throat, nearly knocking the wind out of him.
    He had learned from his father how to control his emotions, to behave in the respectable, gentlemanly fashion befitting his position.
    The emotions tearing through him right now were neither respectable nor gentlemanly.
    Without taking his eyes off them, Ali crossed the dance floor toward them.
    "May I cut in?" Although his voice was low and polite, it vibrated with anger as he clamped a hand down hard on Aaron's shoulder.
    "Go away." Aaron didn't even bother to glance at him, but kept his attention on Faith, who was now openly struggling to free herself from Aaron.
    Still smiling, Ali tightened his fingers on the man's shoulder until he winced.
    "Hey, this is my dance and I'm not done." Aaron's words were slightly slurred as he tightened his arms around Faith, dragging her closer. "Get lost!"
    "Aaron!" Pressing her hands to his chest, Faith tried to arch away.
    Ali didn't wait. With one quick movement of his hand, he knocked Aaron's arms away from Faith, then moved between them, sweeping her into the protective embrace of his arms, putting his body between her and Aaron.
    "Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Aaron's voice rose in the crowded room; thankfully it was drowned out by the strains of the song. He reached for Ali, who whirled on him.
    His face was a fiery mask of venomous rage. "You're drunk, Aaron. Go home while you can still walk of your own accord." Ali grabbed the lapels of the man's tux and dragged him closer, nearly lifting him off the floor.
    Aaron's eyes bulged in their sockets, and his Adam's apple danced up and down.
    "One more word out of you and I regret to say you will need an ambulance to take you home." Ali's voice was low and controlled so as not to alarm the other guests. A scene would only further embarrass Faith. "Now get out of here."
    Ali released the man so abruptly, he stumbled. Then Aaron scrambled off the dance floor, pushing his way through other couples.
    "Are you all right?" Ali asked, gently taking Faith in his arms again and smoothly leading her around the dance floor as if there had been no incident.
    "Ali." Her voice held a bit of relief as her arms instinctively went around him. She nearly sagged against him. "Thank you. I'm fine, really."
    He drew back to look at her, his face concerned. "You're trembling." He could easily thrash Aaron Josslyn without a second thought. The man was a barbarian.
    "I—I know." She glanced at up him, surprised by how relieved she was to see him. "I'm all right, really. I was more angry than frightened. He's an idiot, but I didn't want to create a scene." Discreetly she glanced around, relieved to see no one seemed to be paying the least bit of attention to her.
    Ali smiled. "Yes, I understand." He held her lightly, gently, but beneath his hands he could feel the warmth of her skin beneath her gown, feel the press of her curves against his chest.
    His blood stirred, heated at her closeness, at the knowledge of her body pressed so closely, so intimately against his.
    She was close enough now that he finally caught a brief hint of her scent. It was something incredibly feminine and subtle, something familiar, yet he could not put a name on it.
    It was not an expensive French perfume, for he recognized almost every one of the overpowering scents of the