Chapter 1
The harsh sounds of multiple cars crashing and glass breaking pulled his eyes away from the report he’d been reading. Looking out the window, Sheik Zantar Al Abouss glanced around, feeling the sudden tension of his guards as they all went on high alert, trying to figure out why traffic had come to a sudden halt. His armored SUV was not part of the accident, but there were four cars ahead that were badly mangled.
“I’ll see what’s going on,” one of the guards said, stepping out of the vehicle. The man stepped onto the sidewalk and looked around, moving several feet down the road.
Once again, Zantar looked out the window and…couldn’t believe his eyes! A woman was on the beach in the most bizarre pose he’d ever seen. In fact, he wasn’t even sure how she’d gotten her arms and legs into that pose! Her legs were in the air, her hands down in the sand. Her head was…he wasn’t sure. Slowly, her long, sexy legs lowered to the sand and she stood up, her very delectable derriere leading the way.
The guard who had stepped out of the SUV to investigate the traffic jam came back with an irritated huff. “It’s the woman!” he snarled, jerking his thumb towards the woman behind him. “She distracted the drivers up ahead. In fact, the four drivers of the crashed vehicles are standing on the side of the road, watching the woman.” The guard huffed and looked over his shoulder, even tilting his head slightly as the woman in question moved into a different yoga position. “What the hell is she doing?”
Zantar threw back his head, laughing at the beautiful scenario. The woman was merely exercising, completely oblivious to the chaos around her. She had no idea that the relatively conservative country of Skyla wasn’t ready for a woman in skintight clothing to be moving in that manner. His country of Citran was a bit more liberal, but the woman’s figure was enticing enough that the men in his country would probably have the same reaction.
Even as he watched, the woman centered herself, put her hands in front of her chest, palms together, eyes closed and went very still. No one moved. It seemed as if no one even breathed as everyone watched…silently waiting. A brief moment later, the lovely woman sighed and nodded, her hands lowering to her lap.
Entranced, Zantar’s laughter was long forgotten as the woman stood up, lifted her face to the early morning sunshine, and smiled! A second later, she threw her hands up in the air as if she were somehow trying to hug the sunshine! Or the waves? He wasn’t sure. Maybe both.
A moment later, she turned and his breath caught in his throat as he stared at her lovely face. She pulled the band out of her hair and the ocean breeze pulled the strands higher, lifting the soft, brown locks into the air, swooping it all around her face. She wasn’t bothered. The woman simply pulled her hair out of her eyes and bent down, picking up a long skirt. She wrapped it around her tiny waist, then rolled up her yoga mat, stuffed it into a bag and walked up the beach to the sidewalk.
Zantar was captivated. Completely enraptured by the beauty of the woman. No, not just her beauty. He’d been with many beautiful women over the years. It wasn’t just her full, soft lips or the delicate line of her jaw. It wasn’t her now-covered derriere or her full breasts, hidden by a loose shirt, yet still visible when she bent down to slide sandals onto her feet.
There was something more, something different and alluring about the woman. He wanted her. Zantar knew that his desires were impossible. He was only here visiting Sklya because of some mysterious issue that the Sheik of Skyla and the Sheik of Silar needed to discuss with him. The fact that both men had asked him to visit and that the meetings would include three of the most powerful leaders in their region was enough for Zantar to realize that something significant was happening.
Pulling his eyes away from the woman, Zantar tried to focus back on his reports. He didn’t bother to glance at his watch. He didn’t have time, and yet, a moment later, he reached for the door handle and stepped out of the vehicle. His guards instantly moved to surround him but he waved a hand, silently telling them to spread out as he moved towards the woman walking along the beach. It wasn’t as if his guards could move the SUVs. The four-car pileup ensured that the people on the street weren’t going anywhere. The traffic was completely snarled now. It was going to take several tow trucks and the police taking statements to get this situation cleared out before he could be on his way. He might as well put the delay to good use.
“Good morning,” he called out.
Instantly, the woman stopped, her loose-limbed walk halting as she stared up at him from six feet away.
“Who are you?” the woman demanded, squinting up at him now that the sun was higher over the horizon.
“You may call me Zantar,” he replied, sliding his hands into his pockets to keep them from reaching out to pull her closer. She was even more stunning close up. Her light blue eyes were surrounded by thick, dark lashes. Her skin was tanned, but he suspected that was due to the sun rather than heredity. And her lips…damn her mouth was full and sensuous, wide and curving up at the corners even as she looked at him warily.
She hesitated for a moment, her mouth opening slightly as if she were as caught up in the awareness of him as he was with her. Good, he thought, even more intrigued.
“Good morning, Zantar,” she said softly. She took another step closer, then halted. “You’re very tall!”
He lifted a dark eyebrow. “And you’re very dangerous,” he replied.
Her eyes widened. “I am?” Those lips curved into a smile. “I think I like the idea of being dangerous.” She stepped closer again. “How am I dangerous? Do I look mysterious?”
He chuckled, shaking his head, but he pulled one hand out of his pocket as he pointed behind her at the crash site, two of the men still standing on the sidewalk watching her.
She looked over her shoulder, then her head swiveled back to him. “The accident?”
“Yes, eazizi,” he replied, his voice deeper now, as he realized that she was unaware of the impact she had on men. On him!
Her head tilted slightly and it seemed as if she were concentrating. “That means…” she pressed her lips together for a moment, then shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’ve only started to learn your language. I’m not familiar with that word.”
His lips curled slightly and he was suddenly startled to discover that she was American. They’d been speaking in English this whole time but he’d been so distracted by her mouth and those blue eyes, he hadn’t even realized it. He should have assumed her country of origin based on the casual style of her hair and the loose feel of her clothing. Perhaps he would have noticed those details, but her eyes…they were quite startling. And her mouth was wide and full and…luscious.
“Where are you off to?” he asked, ignoring her question about the translation. He’d called her “my dear”, and even he was surprised by the intimacy implied by that term.
Her confusion dissipated and her features brightened as she smiled up at him. “I’m going to grab a cup of coffee at that small coffee shop over there,” she explained, pointing towards the corner shop with green umbrellas and metal chairs. “And then I have to hurry off to work.”
He contemplated her for a moment, his eyes glancing behind her once again. There was no movement at the crash site, so he made a snap decision. “I will join you for coffee,” he announced.
The woman’s body seemed to jerk slightly, but her smile brightened even more. “You will? Well, I’m so glad that I invited you to join me then!” she replied with a teasing smile.
Zantar grunted slightly, not sure how he felt about her teasing. For some reason, he liked it. But he didn’t want to like it. She was…cute. And sexy. And enticing. It was startling that she already felt comfortable enough to tease him. Or was that just part of her personality? For some reason, he didn’t like that thought. He preferred thinking that this fascinating woman…what? Was his? He’d just met her!
However, when she started walking again, her stride long and confident and her blue eyes twinkling up at him, he felt a possessive surge rise up inside of him.
It was just coffee, he reminded himself. And yet, when she stepped closer as they walked along the sidewalk, his hand moved to the small of her back.
Faye felt his hand and looked up at him, startled by the intense heat emanating from the man. His hand scorched her skin through her shirt but…that was impossible, right?
“I’m Faye, by the way,” she told him.