Sheikh Without a Heart

“Good,” she said coolly. “I thought I was going to have to waste time searching for you.”

“May I come in?”

“I don’t see any reason for it. What I have to say will only take a minute.” She paused, told herself it was important to sound determined. “I want to see Ethan.”

“He’s asleep.”

“I want to see him, Karim, and I’m not going to take no for an answer.”

A wave of despair shot through him.

Despite everything, he knew he would miss Rachel. In his bed, yes. But this—this might be what he would miss the most. Her spirit. Her courage. Her determination.

Her eyes were red, as if she’d been weeping; she’d pulled her T on backwards—he could see the tip of the label peeking out of the neckline—so perhaps she wasn’t quite as contained as she sounded.

He hoped so.

A woman who lied to a man, who let him think she was what she was not, should have at least some regrets …

His heart hardened.

And what kind of fool was he, to think he would miss anything about her?

As for regrets … Of course she had them. She’d lost a big ticket item when she lost him.

“Did you hear me? I want to see—”

“I heard you. The answer is no.”

Rachel put her hands on her hips.

“I’m not leaving until I’ve seen him!”

Karim laughed. It was not a pleasant sound.

“You’ll leave when I say—and that’s twenty minutes from now.”

“I demand—”

“Demand?” he said, his tone silken. “You’re not in the position to ‘demand’ anything.”

“Karim. If you ever—if you ever had any—any feelings for me—”

She cried out as he clasped her by the elbows and lifted her to her toes.

“Don’t you speak to me about feelings,” he growled. “You don’t know the meaning of the word.”

“I loved you.” The words she’d promised herself she would never speak again tumbled from her lips. “I loved you so much—”