Desert Sheikh vs American Princess Read Free Page B

head, the nearly full moon sailed past the tallest turret of the palace. The one that stood so much higher than any other tower.
    This is kind of... exciting , she admitted to Bonnie.
    I knew you'd come around. Yarrgh!
    Yarrgh , she agreed, smiling like an idiot as she moved herself lower.
    She was actually going to get away with this. Her imaginary friend from childhood would get her out of the biggest jam of her life.
    The arrogant sheikh who had thought he could keep her prisoner was going to get a big surprise. She could only imagine the look on his handsome face as he realized that she had gotten the better of him.
    Well, okay, so the look on his stony face wouldn't change at all, but she could just imagine what he'd be feeling behind that superior mask of his. Maybe he'd break something. No, he'd probably just adjust his tie.
    She could go back to her life, the pirate princess could go back into her box... and just maybe, her dad would be proud of her for once.
    Out of nowhere, something warm and firm wrapped around her waist. The rope swung perilously, threatening to rip out of her fingers, no matter how she clamped them.
    She gave a strangled cry. Oh God, she was going to fall to her death, smashing against the stone courtyard. The sheikh would bury her in a corner of his garden and no one would ever hear from her again.
    "Let go of the rope, Miss Oldrich," a familiar gravel-edged voice ordered.
    Then she did the one thing she knew she shouldn't do. She looked down.
    Right into the eyes of the blasted sheikh.
    She'd made it to the ground. The cobblestones lay just below her feet. Another couple of hands down, and she'd be able to run.
    Except for the fact that the sheikh was now supporting her, holding her up by her waist.
    She'd been seen. And reported. No less than twenty guards circled the two of them--her and the sheikh. Escape was not happening tonight.
    Oh hell.
    She let go of the rope, letting her full weight drop into Sheikh Walid's hands. He lifted her down easily, placing her feet on the ground and giving her a chance to steady herself before taking away the support.
    In the full moonlight, no way could he miss the hot blush creeping up her neck. The rest of the guards watched her with looks that mixed interest and humiliating concern for her safety.
    "You will come with me, Miss Oldrich," he told her, his tone all business. "We have much to discuss."

    *****

    This was supposed to be simple, Sheikh Walid al Kalam reminded himself. Invite the American heiress to stay in his palace for a few days. Encourage her father to pay the massive debt he owed to Askar, which any honorable man would have already paid. Return the man's precious daughter when the money was safely where it belonged. Use the money for the fast approaching expenses of the Nahr pipeline that would run along the Askar-Zallaq border.
    This way, he could avoid contacting the sheikha for her assistance. More importantly, his brother would never have to know how badly Askar's finances had been mismanaged.
    The incident would all be over in less than a month. In twenty-one days, in fact, as that was the due date of the fifty-million-dollar payment that he did not currently have. No. As it was after midnight, the deadline was now only twenty days away.
    Of course, the idea of holding any person against their will went against all he believed in. To mitigate his guilt, he had removed every discomfort, and ensured that his guest's stay would be as pleasant as possible.
    Despite all his efforts, Miss Noelle--emphasis on the No --Oldrich stood before him in sweaty workout clothing, having thrown herself out a window in a useless effort to get away from him. And something inside him had wished to cheer her on.
    A pinprick headache threatened to explode behind his eyes.
    "What would possess you to put yourself in such danger?" He strained the limits of his self-control to keep his tone below ear-splitting . "You are under my protection. If you had died, I