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I’m not excited to see him again. I tried to convince myself of this, but even to my ears it sounded like a blatant lie. As I made my way to the sheikh's study, I found myself constantly worrying about my appearance.
When I passed by a gilt-edged full-length mirror along the way, I couldn’t resist the temptation. I backtracked and paused before it.
A small curvy woman stared back at me, her honey blond hair up in a simple chignon, her gray eyes sparkling, and a rosy tint to her slightly rounded cheeks. Her skin was fairer than usual, but the dark purple dress complemented it, making her complexion look like ivory rather than sallow. The gown had a high waistline, emphasizing the fullness of her breasts, while its flowing skirt made her legs look longer.
Was I pretty enough for the sheikh? The question popped out of nowhere, and I flushed at the thought.
No, drat it.
I didn’t want to be pretty. I just wanted to be...presentable. That was all I cared about, and I was still trying to convince myself of this when I reached the sheikh's study.
"His Highness is already expecting you, milady."
"Thank you, Charles."
I stepped inside, and Charles quickly pulled the door closed behind me.
The sheikh was seated behind his desk, a document in his hand, and just like that my composure fled.
How had I forgotten how beautiful he was?
His dark hair shone under the light and even with his head bent, his attractiveness was undeniable, his powerful aura unmitigated even when he wasn’t standing to his full height.
The sheikh suddenly looked up, catching me staring at him.
Again..
Tearing my gaze away, I sank to a curtsy, muttering, “Your Highness.” I wasn’t so stubborn to repeat the same mistake again.
“Lady Ella.” When I straightened, I found the sheikh on his feet, and he looked even more commanding, more gorgeous this way that I found myself gulping.
And that’s normal, I told myself. He was inhumanly attractive. It was normal for anyone to be affected this way.
“Please sit down, my lady.” He gestured to the seat across his desk.
I thought about telling him I wanted to stand, saw the glint in his eyes, and knew the sheikh was just waiting for me to disobey him.
Since I wasn’t sure I was up to a spanking right now, I said promptly, “Thank you, Your Highness.” I took a seat as ordered.
“Good girl,” the sheikh murmured.
The words should have made me bristle but instead my stupid body heated up, as if the sheikh's approval was something it longed for.
“Congratulations on completing the course,” the sheikh continued. “I have taken that one as well, and I know it is not easy for a foreigner to finish.”
I mumbled my thanks. It was so unusual and awkward to receive such a straightforward compliment when we had mostly been sniping at each other like cats and dogs.
“However...”
I should have known there was a catch.
The sheikh clasped his hands behind his back. “I would like to know how you learned about the internship.”
Oh. Even as I wondered why it had to matter, I nevertheless told him about the Sheikh of Layla, who had spoken to me several times during his official visit last week. He had been very friendly and when I mentioned about my interest in history, he told me about the joint project his kingdom had with Kivr.
“And this internship, you will be under whose supervision?”
“The Sheikh of Layla, Your Highness.”
“I see.”
I frowned at the ambiguity of his answer. “So...do you approve?”
“No.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Why not?” Wasn’t this what he wanted? For me to do stuff that was “worthy” of daughters of the royal family?
The sheikh shrugged. “It is enough that I said no.”
Now I wasn’t just confused but suspicious, too. “I don’t get it,” I declared bluntly. “Last time we talked, you told me you want to be more involved with royal duties and now that—-”
His voice chilly, the sheikh demanded, “Do I have to remind you my word is law, milady?”
Bastard, I thought. But then something occurred to me, a painful but possible truth, and I asked tightly, “Is it because you’re afraid I’d end up embarrassing you if I do something wrong, and your precious royal family would be a laughingstock?”
“Those are your words,” the sheikh said icily, “not mine.”
Those are your words, not mine. I mimicked his words out of pure spite, and I made a face at him, too. I knew I was being childish, but I couldn’t help it. Anger was my only defense to keep myself from dwelling on the hurt. More and more I was beginning to believe I had hit upon the truth the first try.
The sheikh didn’t believe in me.
“You are bordering again on disobedience, Lady Ella.”
“Yeah, well, what’s new?” I muttered.
His jaw clenched. “When are you going to stop—-”
“Stop being what?” I said nastily. “Stop being myself?” Self-disgust filled me. God, I had been so excited to see his reaction at my accomplishments, so excited at the thought that today might just be the day he’d...
Shit.
I jumped to my feet. “Forget it.”
“Lady Ella, calm yourself.” The sheikh's voice held a note of warning.
“Go to hell.” I was done with this, done with him.
I stomped towards the door, but halfway across the room, the sheikh said behind me, “Be reminded that disobedience and defying my will is also equivalent to treason in this kingdom.” A dangerous pause. “And in the mood I am in, you will not want to dare me.”
I froze, tears of helpless rage burning in my eyes.
I heard the sheikh's footsteps, but even though I saw him stop in front of me, I didn’t look up.
I didn’t want him to see me crying.
“You are overly emotional, milady.”
True enough, but since I didn’t want him to be right, I remained mutinously silent, glaring down at the hapless floor while I fought back tears.
“It is not right for you to be under the supervision of another sheikh when you are a member of my family.”
My head shot up at his words.
“That is the reason of my refusal. That alone and nothing like the nonsense you started spouting the moment you came to my study.” The sheikh's tone held a note of censure as he said, “The chip on your shoulder is too big, milady.”
Head still reeling at what I thought he was saying, I ignored his last insult and focused on the most important fact. “Then...you don’t mind if—-”
His face softening marginally, the sheikh said, “I will be proud to have you speak about the kingdom’s history to those who wish to learn it, but only—-” The sheikh's voice became hard. “And I do mean only under my supervision. It is my only condition, and if you agree, I shall inform the head of the project about your intended involvement.”
“Of course I agree.” I shook my head incredulously. “I can’t believe that’s what you were objecting to. It’s crazy. You know that, right? You just want to be the one who orders me around and not other people?”
The sheikh shrugged.
A choked laugh escaped me.
His eyes blazed.
I stopped laughing, asking nervously, “W-what is it?”
“That’s the first time I heard you laugh.”
I froze.
“Do it again.”
And because it was such a silly command, I ended up laughing again, a little more nervously than before. “You’re crazy,” I told him. Did he really think people could laugh at command?
“That is the second time you’ve called me crazy,” the sheikh murmured lazily. “You know I’ve sent men to the execution block for far less than that?”
My jaw dropped not because I was seriously scared but because I couldn’t believe he could be that petty.
The sheikh suddenly laughed.
My eyes widened. “You were lying!”
“And you fell for it,” he said with a smirk.
My head reeled even more, and I almost wanted to pinch myself just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. The sheikh was always serious as hell. Always. And somehow, I had just heard him laugh! I had made him laugh.
“Lady Ella?” As he spoke, the sheikh tipped my chin up, making me jerk at the suddenness of his touch.
When our eyes met, I found my throat turning dry, the brightness of his gaze doing strange things on my body—-
Oh no, no, no—-
Please don’t—-
But it was too late.
I was wet again.
Impossibly, undeniably wet, and even as I pressed my thighs together under my skirt, there was no stopping it, the moisture soaking my panties in a moment.
The sheikh's nostrils flared, as if he, too, knew of his effect on my body. “I need you to answer me honestly, ukhayyah.”
The last word sounded so beautifully exotic on his lips. It wasn’t the first time he had called me that, and wetting my lips, I asked tremulously, “W-what does it mean?”
“Little sister.” The sheikh's lips twisted in a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
Oh.
It worked like a bucket of ice-cold water, reminding myself of the painful reality of my life, and that was that I had no business feeling like this about him of all people.
“I need to go.” I tried to pull away, but the sheikh's grip only tightened.
“Not until you answer me.” He didn’t wait for me to speak and went straight at it, his voice turning abrupt as he asked, “Have you ever been kissed by a man?”
My eyes widened. That was one question I had never expected him to ask.
“Have you?” the sheikh insisted.
I shook my head.
“Good.” His eyes blazed with such intensity, that I became all the wetter for it. “Another question, ukhayyah.”
“You said just one,” I protested unevenly.
“This will be the last,” he promised huskily.
My toes curled at his tone. A small sensible voice told me that this was getting onto dangerous territory again. But with the sheikh looking at me like I was the most beautiful girl on earth, I couldn’t help it.
Throwing common sense out of the window I asked, “What is it?”
“Would you like to claim your reward?” His lips dropped an octave. “Would you like me to have your first kiss?”
Oh. My. God.
There was only one answer to that.
“Yes—-”
And before I knew what he was planning, the sheikh had bent his head and kissed me.
Even though I expected it, I still stiffened in shock, a part of me wondering if this was all a dream.
The sheikh's lips brushed against mine, over and over until my lips started to part. His tongue immediately slid in, taking advantage. It was strange and incredible, the feeling of his tongue inside my mouth. When I whimpered, the sound seemed to trigger something inside of him, making the sheikh deepen the kiss. His tongue stroked mine more boldly and explored my mouth more thoroughly.
When the sheikh released me, I gasped for breath as I stumbled back.
Had we really just kissed? Was it really the sheikh's mouth on mine?
My gaze flew to him, but he looked so composed it was as if I had only imagined what happened.
“Wh-wha—-”
The sheikh didn’t let me finish. “You may go.”