Read Online To Tempt a Sheikh by Olivia Gates - Free Book Online Page B

thing clear, Talia. I was not a party to what happened to your brother. So I have no more to say on this matter. And nothing to apologize for.” Satisfaction surged as he saw that sense of fairness of hers flickering in her gaze, admitting his point. “So, until I’m in a position to learn more, and do something about it, I won’t let you bring it up again. The subject of your brother is closed for now.”
    He held her eyes until she gave him a resentful if conceding huff.
    He gave her an approving nod, as if sealing their treaty.
    Then he said, “Now, to the only subject we should concern ourselves with for the duration. Our survival.”

Five
    â€œW hat do you mean our survival?”
    Harres frowned at Talia’s glower. His was of confusion. Hers seemed to be equal measures that and a revival of anger.
    â€œWhat kind of a question is that? We’re in the middle of nowhere, as you pointed out. The most hostile nowhere on the planet.”
    â€œYeah, sure. So?”
    He shook his head, as if it would shake her words into making sense. “You were worried about getting out of this alive. I thought you understood the danger we’re in.”
    â€œI thought I was in danger. The only danger I thought I was in was human-induced.”
    His exasperation rose to match hers. “You mean me- induced.”
    She shrugged, unfazed by his displeasure. “Yeah, you-induced. I was thinking you’d use my being out here withyou as the only way of rejoining humanity, as…persuasion to get me to spill. And that once you were certain I wouldn’t give you anything, you wouldn’t be too gung ho about my well-being, maybe even my survival.”
    Blood bounded in his arteries until he felt each hammer against the confines of his body.
    He forcibly exhaled frustration before he burst with it. “I thought we got this ridiculous—and let me add, most dishonoring, injuring and aggravating—misconception out of the way.”
    Her eyes seemed to be giving him a total mind-and-psyche scan before she gave a slow nod. “I guess so. But since that only happened in the past few minutes, I had no time to form an alternate viewpoint. I sure didn’t consider for a second that you were in any danger. After the escape, the gunshot and the crash, that is. After you survived all that in one glorious piece, I thought you were home free.”
    â€œHow is it even possible you think so?”
    â€œOh, I don’t know.” Her voice drenched him in sarcasm. “Maybe my first clue was how glib about the whole situation you were. You know, being so cheerful and carefree that you spent most of the past hour laughing and lobbing witticisms in between pestering me for my gender, interrogating me for my agenda and trying to deluge me with testosterone.”
    And he had to. He laughed again. “It’s your effect on me. You make me cheerful and carefree, against all odds.”
    Her lips crooked up in a goading smile. “Next you’ll say I made you kiss me.”
    â€œIn a fashion. You made me unable to draw one more breath if I didn’t. You made me thankful. That I found you, that I saved you, that you saved me, that you exist and that you’re with me. And you did make me do it in the most important way, the way all of the above still couldn’t have made me. Because you wanted me to.”
    She gave her lips, which had fallen open, an involuntary lick, her eyes glittering as if she felt his there, tasted him. Then she gave a smothered, chagrined sound before her eyes sharpened again and she thrust both hands at him in a fed-up gesture. “See? Is it any wonder I couldn’t even conceive that you had anything to worry about? Who talks like that if he’s in any kind of danger, let alone a potentially life-threatening situation?”
    He sighed, conceding her point. “Apparently, I do. With you around. But when you talked about my