The Sheik's Sensuous Trap (2 page)

Rashid waited on the sidelines, watching his prey as she talked and laughed.  Patience was all that was needed, he knew.  With patience, an opportunity would present itself.  It always did. 

His
opening
came sooner than he’d hoped.  A man
walked up to their group and introduced him
self
, then turned to face Alea, obviously asking her to dance.  She shook her head to decline, but her friends all overcame her objections, literally pushing her out onto the dance floor with th
e strange man
. 

The music was loud and the bass thumping so powerfully it could be felt in the beaten wooden floor under his feet.  He watched them for a moment, his eyes cold with fury as he
noticed
the man move closer than what she was comfortable with. 
The stranger
didn’t take the signals she sent off too well either. 

It was odd that he was so possessive of a woman.  Especially one he’d never met before.  No female had ever engendered those feelings in him
prior to now
.  Women were soft and lovely, but had a very specific place in his life.  That place definitely didn’t include emotional commitment.  But then, no other woman would factor in his life as this tiny one would be doing, very soon. 

Regardless of the reasons for his anger, he was determined to resolve the cause in the most expedient way possible. 
He
put his drink down on the low table and moved in, his eyes glowing with fury
when the
strange
man
began
touching what
Rashid
already considered to be his.  He had no doubt in his mind that Alea would be his by the end of the night.  He was a man used to strategy and had never lost when his goal was determined. 

Alea wiggled and turned, trying to make a little space between herself and the obnoxious man she was dancing with.  Eric, he’d said his name was.  But this mighty Eric was just a boor and she was about to step painfully on his foot in an effort to get his hands off her.  She was raising her foot to do exactly that when a deep voice interrupted her, mid stomp. 

“Perhaps I might be of assistance,” the man beside her said.  “I’m probably more effective than that foot which will only irritate the man.”

Both Alea and the obnoxious Eric turned to face the deep voice. 
“Who the hell are you?” Eric said belligerently
, his chest already puffing up in the “fight” stance
. 

Rashid turned to look down at the man who was several inches shorter than he was.  “I’m the man who is going to save you from a lot of pain.  If you’ll excuse me,” he said and took Alea’s hand gently in his own and swirled her efficiently out of the man’s reach. 

He continued to hold her hand as he danced her farther away
, putting her back toward the body guards who immediately moved in to intercept and subdue Eric and his need to throw a punch
.  She smiled up at him and he forced himself to smile back.  “I hope you don’t mind,” he said softly, pulling her along in his wake but keeping his hands to himself after that. 

Alea was relieved to be away from Eric’s annoying hands but trying not to show how awestruck she was by this amazing specimen of
masculinity
. 
“Not at all
,” she said a little breathlessly
. 
Smiling in an effort to hide her nervousness, she asked, “
How did you know I was about to inflict my heel on his toe?”

Rashid laughed softly
, enjoying the way her pretty brown eyes kept drifting lower, obviously trying to look at his body without him realizing it
.  “I saw your intention in your eye a moment before your leg moved.  Putting two and two together, I figured he didn’t deserve to be standing next to such a lovely lady if he was going to abuse her trust, so I stepped in and rescued both of you.”

She laughed herself.  “Very perceptive of you, sir.  I’ll consider you my
k
night in shining
armor
,” she said and gave him a mock curtsy. 

“My name is John,” he
lied
, putting out his hand to shake hers. 

“Alea,” she replied, placing her small
er
one in his. 

Rashid smiled as he felt the shiver travel up her arm.  Good.  The chemistry was not one sided, he said to himself.  It would be so much easier that way. 

“
Y
ou don’t seem like a ‘John
’
to me,” she said, tipping her head back and looking directly at him.  “In fact, you seem vaguely familiar.”

Rashid instantly shook his head, dispelling the possibility that
she might remember him from
a news broadcast or any other point during their two countries’ violent, past relationship
.  He didn’t want her remembering past pictures, which she probably had seen of him.  He was in the news often, not to mention official photographs which had been taken over the years and published. 
“I don’t think we’ve ever met before.  I definitely would have remembered you.”

Alea agreed with him.  He was too large and definitely too gorgeous for someone to be banished to the back of one’s memory.  No, if she’d met him previously, she definitely would have remembered him.  She shook the odd feeling aside, assuming it was just her imagination. 

They didn’t talk any more, the music too loud to even shout over.  But they moved to the beat, swaying and dancing, each of them seeming to synchronize without talking.  When he moved to the right, Alea was already moving to the left, their bodies barely touching but the slightest feel of his hard, muscular body sent a shiver through her each time.  The feelings were more enticing probably because they were so slight.  As if they were teasing each other with the
wisps of touch. 

Alea looked up into his gorgeous features.  He was tall, well over six feet.  Probably several inches, she thought, noting how he was at least half a head taller than all the other men around them.  His face looked hard, unyielding as did his dark, black eyes.  His hair was just as black with soft waves that were cut short, barely even touching the collar of his shirt.  His jaw was square and firm,
“
unrelenting
”
popped into her mind as she surveyed his features. 

Her fingers itched to touch him more thoroughly but she didn’t dare.  She was wondering if his chest was as muscular as it seemed underneath his shirt.  His forearms, which were visible to her
hungry eyes
,
revealed
muscles on top of muscles, which fascinated her. 
Most of the men of her current acquaintance were soft, too busy studying or partying to worry about their physical fitness.  This man obviously worked out a great deal. 

She’d never been someone to date men who were much taller than her and definitely not someone who was overly packed with muscle.  She’d always thought of muscular men as ignorant.  But this man, John, looked like he could read her thoughts
and intelligence was definitely one of this man’s strengths
. 

She smiled, and knew that his eyes were watching her.  If he was able to read her thoughts, he’d probably run for the hills.  This man, with all of his bulk was incredibly graceful on the dance floor.  Sexy, she thought.  And she wanted to touch him more than anyone she’d ever come across.  This man was the first one who had ever tempted her to go beyond the good night kisses she’d experienced with her previous dates.  Her mind wandered as the music played.  Would he be a sensitive lover?  Or would he be aggressive, demanding
?
  Would he be slow or fast? 

Each time she looked at him, peering through her hair as she swirled or twisted to the music, another sexual thought occurred to her and her mouth was actually dry, her body
tightening
in anticipation. 

Could she do it?  Could she ignore all the teachings of her upbringing and see what this man was like in bed?  No, she told herself, blushing and grateful for the dim lights of the dance floor.  She’d never do something like that. 
Goodness!  What would he think?  They had barely exchanged names and she was already wondering what he would be like as a lover. 

Rashid noted the soft color entering her creamy cheeks and wanted to know what she was thinking.  He could guess, based on the fact that he could see the aroused tips of her breasts through her shirt.  His body was already semi-aroused thinking about how perfectly they would fit together.  He wanted to take her out of here now, but knew he’d have to take it slow, not scare her off. 
“You look thirsty.  Can I buy you a drink?” he asked, leaning forward so he could be heard above the music.

“I’d love it,” she smiled, grateful that he had offered.  She was painfully thirsty but that was more because of him than the music or the atmosphere. 

He took her hand in his large one and led her off the floor.  There was a huge crowd at the bar but somehow, the mass of bodies moved out of the way and he was served almost instantly, bringing her another martini and a beer for himself. 

Once they had their drinks, he pointed to the back room of the club where sofas and low tables were set up.  The noise wasn’t as loud in this room and they were able to find a pair of chairs in the back, out of the way of prying eyes. 

“So what are you and your friends doing here tonight?” he asked, settling down with more than enough space between their bodies.

Alea was a bit disconcerted by the space but she ignored it, accepting that he just wasn’t interested
in her that way
.  Sighing, she looked up and smiled. 
She’d just have to accept that he was her knight in shining armor and leave it at that. 
“We’re just out to relax and have a good time,” she lied. 

The way she wouldn’t hold his eye contact told him that there was much more to the story than she was revealing.  Interesting, he thought. 
“That wasn’t what it looked like to me,” he said.  “It looked like everyone was toasting you earlier.  What was that about?”

Alea shifted uncomfortably.  “Well, maybe they were toasting a milestone,” she said, looking down at her drink. 

“What milestone?  Is it your birthday?” he asked, knowing that wasn’t the situation
but hoping to give her enough of an idea that she might open up to him
. 
 

“Oh, no.  Just
girl
stuff,” she replied airily.  “What do you do, John?” she asked, trying to
change the subject and
move his attention away from her. 

He knew exactly what she was doing but wouldn’t be a gentleman and play along.  For some reason, he wanted to know everything about this woman.  Telling himself it was because of his plans for her, he said,
“Right at the moment, I’m trying to find out what you’re afraid to tell me
.”  H
is eyes searching her face for the truth.  “You’re too beautiful to have any problems so what’s the night
on the town
about?”

Alea laughed, flattered despite herself.  “
Nothing, really,” she said.  Getting into her
imminent departure
would raise all kinds of questions, like
where she might be going
.  That would only lead to more lies and she didn’t want to lie to this man.  She didn’t think she could, in any case.  Those black eyes looked like they could see into her soul. 
Of all the things she wanted to talk about, her
political family
, was not one of her favorite subjects. 

Thinking he might come around to the mystery of her night out a little later, he changed the subject. 
“What are you studying
in school
?” he asked.

She blinked, surprised at his question. 
“How did you know I was a student?” she asked, casually taking a sip of her drink.

“Educated guess,”

“
N
o pun intended?” she teased.