Read Online The Sheikh's Island (Sheikh's Wedding Bet Series Book 4) by Leslie North - Free Book Online Page A

me."
    His tone was terse and abrupt, and she whipped her head around so quickly she was afraid she'd have whiplash. She'd heard about the robberies, but it hadn't even occurred to her that it might be dangerous. Still, what did she expect? It was the city. Needing something to do with her hands, she grabbed the coffee pot and ran it under some water to rinse it out.
    "I wouldn't want to take up your time," she said carefully. "I could rent a car."
    "Do you have any experience driving in the city?"
    Silently, she shook her head. "Coffee," he said suddenly.
    "What?"
    "Your coffee is brewing."
    "Oh!" Whirling around, she grabbed the coffee pot and shoved it back in place. Coffee had already covered the warming plate beneath and it sizzled and burned.
    "It's dangerous to drive in the city if you're not familiar with it, and I don't want you to use public transportation after dark. My job is mostly mobile, so I don't mind, and if I'm not available, I'm sure Haris could take you."
    His voice strained at the end, and Wynifred couldn't help but smile. "Things must be improving if you're willing to let Haris drive me around," she teased.
    "You shouldn't be in the middle of this. Haris should never have hired you," he said quietly. "But while you are here, you are under our protection. The city isn't safe for a single woman."
    Turning her back to him, she busied herself with pulling the cups down from the cabinet and pouring the coffee while she tried to get her emotions under control. The pleasure at the thought that Rameez cared had quickly soured. It was starting to sound like she was a burden to him more than anything else.
    "Fine," she muttered as she handed him his coffee. Looking him square in the eyes, she forced a smile. "At least that means you'll have to spend some time with me, and that can only mean we'll get to the bottom of this faster."
    "You're the one ignoring me right now," he pointed out.
    Biting her bottom lip, she nodded. "You're right, and I apologize for that. I acted unprofessionally the other night, and I needed some time to find my center again. I assure you that nothing like that will happen again."
    "Nothing like what?" he asked in a dangerously low tone. "Nothing like dancing with me? Being alone with me? Kissing me?"
    "All of the above," she snapped. "I mean, not that I can't be alone with you because I can. We will be alone, like now, because it's necessary, but we won't be alone like we were alone the other night. Not that we were alone, because, you know, there were musicians and the waiter, but we were still alone."
    She was fully aware that she was babbling, and a small smile played on his gorgeous lips. "I think we both made some mistakes that night," he said carefully. "I won't let my temper get the best of me again. In the meantime, I think I know what Haris is up to."
    "Excuse me? Why do you even think Haris is up to anything?" Wynifred stumbled over her words. The change in subject was abrupt and obviously deliberate.
    "Haris is always up to something. I told you, he only thinks for himself. While you might think that he cares for my aunt, the truth is that he only cares for himself. My sources tell me that he recently ran into some financial troubles. I have a feeling that he's holding out until I'm desperate enough to give him money. I'm not really interested in playing his game, so ask him how much he wants so we can put this whole thing behind us."
    Shocked, she set her coffee down and stared at him. "Rameez, I'm here to bring a feud to an end, not to orchestrate a payment for you to get what you want. Paying him isn't going to solve anything, and I don't think that Haris wants anything like that from you. Just because he's having issues with money doesn't mean that he expects you to bail him out."
    Rameez sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Wynifred, the faster you realize that you can't solve our problems, the quicker we can end this. If Haris didn't want anything from me, he