The Sheik's Ruby Read Free Page B

when she was nervous?
    “Thank you for the invitation.” He inclined his head forward. “I would be delighted to go snowmobiling with you.”
    If she didn’t know better, she would have thought he was being cynical. Or maybe that was just his formal way of speaking. “We’re meeting at the Canyon Rim Lodge at nine-thirty, day after tomorrow. You can bring Nasir, too.”
    “Thank you.”
    The last lift line was nearly as empty as the first had been. Shelby found a trail through the trees with small jumps.
    At the end of the run, they continued down the slope, past the lifts.
    “The parking lot is totally out of your way. Aren’t you staying at the lodge?” she asked.
    “It is not far. I will see you safely to your vehicle.”
    Shelby raised her eyebrows, touched by his chivalry. “Thanks.”
    After taking off their skis, they walked the short distance to her compact car in silence. Shelby rested her skis and poles against the driver’s side door and removed her gloves. Hakim helped her strap the equipment to the ski rack on the roof of the red car. She popped the trunk, then grabbed her sneakers and hopped for a few steps while she replaced her ski boots. Shelby fished her keys out of her pocket and turned toward him.
    He clasped her hand in both of his.
    “So, I’ll see you Thursday, right?” Shelby asked.
    “Yes. Until Thursday, Shelby Jo Walker.”
    “Until Thursday, Hakim.” She climbed behind the wheel. As she drove into the winter evening, her hand continued to feel the warmth of his touch.

Chapter Two
    Hakim watched Shelby drive away and considered what intrigued him about the American woman. He was astonished to realize the answer—she simply treated him as a friend. He tried to remember ever being treated that way before. There had been tutors and playmates, under obligation to associate with him. Later, college classmates and women sought his attention and attempted to impress him. None of them ever regarded him as an equal.
    That was the curse of his birthright—the inability to fully trust any relationship. The fact that this confident, lively woman was the only person who had befriended him without knowing the truth amazed him. For the first time in his life, someone knew him as Hakim, the man , instead of Hakim, the prince . He wondered how she would act if she knew his true identity. Selfishly, he hoped she would never find out.
    Still lost in thought, he walked toward the resort, hardly noticing Nasir waiting at the edge of the parking lot. Both men re-attached their skis and made their way to the special lift that would take them back to the lodge.
    The lift swung into the air. Hakim knew by Nasir’s silence he disapproved of the prince spending the day with a stranger. At lunch, Nasir had tried to convince Hakim that Shelby was a safety risk. How could they be sure she was who she claimed to be?
    Hakim had insisted he was safe, but Nasir had still tried to persuade him to follow procedure which involved a background check, extra security, and perhaps even a polygraph test. Hakim had flatly refused.
    Nasir had left the restaurant after giving his word not to let the prince out of his sight.
    Hakim rubbed his palm over the back of his neck, bending his head from side to side. His frustration continued to build. He knew Nasir was only doing his job, but Hakim disliked being treated like a child, unable to make his own decisions and constantly suffocated in the name of safety.
    “Nasir.” Hakim let out a cold breath as he turned to the larger man. Without the sun, the breeze had a distinct chill. “I have accepted an invitation from Miss Walker to accompany her on a snowmobile excursion Thursday at the Canyon Rim Lodge. Please see to the necessary arrangements.”
    “Your Highness, this leaves me only one day to plan for your security. I need to organize an advance reconnaissance investigation at the Canyon Rim Lodge and the surrounding area. I will also need to run complete background