Read Online The Oil Tycoon and Her Sexy Sheikh by Ros Clarke - Free Book Online Page A

occurred to him, except that when his father had mentioned marriage, it was her sweet face with its pretty blush that shot into his mind. It was her sleep-filled eyes, begrudgingly smiling up at him when he’d woken her too early. Her reddened cheeks and bright eyes when they were together on the exposed deck of the rig.
    One night and one morning. That’s all it had been. She shouldn’t have been able to get under his skin in such a short time. And yet here he was, waiting for her at the airport because he needed to see her again. He needed to talk to her. Not to kiss her, nor even take her hand in his. Not to smell her rose scent and gaze into her blue eyes once more. He had come simply to ensure that they would have a few moments of privacy in the back of his car before they arrived at the palace.
    They had arrived at the VIP car park. Khaled checked his watch and nodded to his driver to wait. He ran a finger under his collar to loosen it and cleared his throat.

    Olivia nodded politely to the customs officer and stepped into the airport, pulling her suitcase behind her. Khaled had assured her that a car would be sent to meet her, so she scanned the chauffeurs waiting with name cards upheld.
    “Hello.”
    She couldn’t mistake that voice.
    “Khaled?” She turned in surprise and delight, a wide grin sweeping her face. “What are you doing here? I thought you were sending a car.”
    He shrugged. “I decided it would be polite to meet you myself.”
    He indicated something to one of the uniformed security guards behind him, and the man stepped forward to take Olivia’s luggage.
    “Thank you. And thank you,” she added to Khaled. “It’s nice to see a familiar face in an unfamiliar place.”
    He smiled briefly. “It’s good to see you, too. Will you come out to the car? I thought we might take a brief tour of the city before we go to the palace.”
    Olivia frowned a little, wondering at Khaled’s excessive formality and stilted tone, but she followed him willingly enough. Maybe this was how it would be in Saqat. He had warned her things would be different. I’m not even sure we can be friends, he’d said.
    Once they were seated in the back of the luxurious car, Khaled pressed a button. Olivia watched as a screen slid up, separating them from the driver.
    “He can’t hear us now,” Khaled muttered.
    “How is your father?”
    His face froze. “Not well.”
    She reached out a hand to offer comfort, then remembered, stopped, and awkwardly withdrew the gesture. “I am so sorry.”
    “Thank you,” he said dispassionately.
    “It’s good to see you.”
    He made a sharp gesture with his hand. “I am sorry, Olivia, but I thought I had made it clear that what we had together was finished.”
    “Yes, you made that quite clear. However, we are here to do business and I believe we will need to be able to communicate civilly for that to happen.”
    Khaled took in a deep breath. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. There was no need for me to speak so harshly. As you say, we must be able to continue working together during your stay.”
    Olivia murmured her assent.
    “I am afraid, however, that it will not be possible for us to visit the research center until the weekend. I have duties that require my presence in the city for the next few days.”
    “That’s fine.”
    “If you like, I will arrange for someone to show you the city. And of course you will have whatever facilities you need to ensure that you can continue with your work.”
    “Thank you. When can you schedule a meeting with me? We need to finalize details of the contract before you sign it.”
    “I haven’t yet agreed to sign anything.”
    “But you will.”
    He glanced out of the window, in the direction of the sea. “I will mention the meeting to my secretary and he will find a suitable time.”
    Olivia nodded and turned to stare out the window on her side of the car. She’d known this would be hard, but she hadn’t realized it