The Sheik's Desires Boxset Read online

  It felt good to be back here after her night in Najid’s arms. She couldn’t believe what she’d done! She’d made love…well, had sex…with the Sheik of Safir! How crazy was that? She had acted completely out of character!

  But that was over, she told herself, taking several deep breaths. It was in the past, she could push it out of her mind. And she wouldn’t ever need to see Najid again! Ana ignored the pain in her chest at that thought. It was a pointless emotion. Ridiculous even!

  No, there really was no reason why he would venture down to the security office. She’d worked here for almost a year and she’d never seen him before, she would be perfectly happy if she went another several years without seeing him again.

  Or maybe she should just find another job. A job far away from here where she’d never risk running into the man of her dreams again!

  That thought hurt more than she’d thought possible. Never see Najid again? She leaned over her desk, bracing her hands against the metal in an effort to stave off the pain. Breathing slowly and deeply, she focused on her numbers. Formulas. She could do this, she thought as her eyes slowly focused back on her white boards.

  Would she leave the palace? At least if she was here, she could be near him, even though she’d never see him again.

  What a conundrum, she thought as she scribbled through several equations that didn’t make any sense. A first year math major wouldn’t have made such a ridiculous error, she thought with irritation and leaned her head against the board, eyes closed.

  Breathing in and out, trying to calm herself down again, she opened her eyes and focused once more on the numbers and equations. After several minutes, she was able to ease into her math world and soothe her confused mind.

  She’d just gotten her mind back in gear and was working through a formula when the hairs on the back of her neck tickled. A moment later, the door slammed open and Najid stood in the doorway, dressed only in a pair of soft jeans and nothing else. He hadn’t even bothered to put socks on!

  Oh my, that chest, she thought as her eyes wandered down his body. That chest was simply magnificent!

  “You left,” he growled as he walked into her office, slamming the door once he was inside.

  Ana swallowed, not sure what to think about this man. He was gorgeous, powerful and sensuous and now she knew what his hands and his mouth could do to her. Well, and that other part of him, she thought with weakening resolve.

  “I had work to do,” she finally said, backing up against her desk.

  “We weren’t finished,” he told her firmly, his hands moving to her jeans and pushing them down her legs.

  It took her a shocked moment to realize what he was doing. Unfortunately, by then it was too late but she still tried to get away from him. “What are you doing?” she demanded, but he was faster and stronger. He was touching her, those hands and fingers stroking over her body like he’d done last night and that same weakness invaded her mind and limbs. A moment later, she was plunked down on top of her desk, leaning back as he pushed his way between her legs.

  Every muscle in her body was primed and aware of Najid now. Every cell in her body wanted him to continue, but her mind was shying away from any further increase in intimacy with this man. She was already in too deep.

  “You’re scared,” he said, correctly reading the look in her eyes.

  Ana’s shoulders jerked higher. “I’m not afraid,” she argued, even though she was completely, thoroughly and insanely terrified.

  His thumb ran down the side of her cheek, resting against the pulse beating frantically at the base of her neck. “You know I won’t hurt you, right?” he asked softly, still stalking her backwards.

  Yes, she knew that. At least, he wouldn’t hurt her physically. But she’d known this man for less than twenty-four hours. As impossible as it seemed, this man could hurt her very badly in ways she didn’t want to contemplate.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, changing the subject and not answering him. Her question seemed ridiculous since it was pretty obvious what was going to happen.

  “I’m going to make love to you.”

  She shook her head as her hands jerked from her desk to his shoulders, trying to push him away. The effort was halfhearted though. His magic was already spinning her body’s reactions to need instead of fear. “I’m not going back to your bedroom, Najid.”

  He smiled slightly. “I hadn’t planned on it either.”

  Her eyes turned confused. “Then what…”

  He put a hand to the sensitive skin on the backs of her knees and pulled her forward, making her gasp in both outrage and desire. “Here.”

  “On my desk?” she gasped out, horrified by the thought. And so turned on she could barely form the words. Her eyes glanced behind him to the doorway, then back up to his heated gaze.

  “Absolutely,” he told her as he picked up her arms. Her hands were clenched into fists but he didn’t care. In a moment, she’d be just as frantic as he was. “Right here. So tomorrow, when you’re trying to work, you’re going to remember what we did. And you’re going to think about me.”

  She tried to push him from between her legs but he didn’t mind. He only leaned forward, causing her to fall backwards. When she was lying on her desk, he smiled, a wicked expression if she’d ever seen one. “You’ve gotten into my head, Ana. I think it’s only fair that I get into yours.”

  And with that, he bent and kissed her neck, sucking at the tender skin on her collarbone before moving lower. The shirt was so large, he could move the material out of the way and gained access to her breasts, but his fingers were working the buttons, pushing the material further from his view. When he looked down, she was splayed out on her desk, her hands gripping the edge but her eyes were hot, her hips shifting as if calling out for attention.

  With a growl of supreme satisfaction, he bent lower and kissed her stomach, moving lower until she gasped when his mouth covered her core. His tongue, fingers and mouth were touching her, moving inside of her and making her crazy. This man was going to be the death of her, she thought before her body exploded into a climax so intense, she might have passed out for a few moments.

  When she opened her eyes again, he was looming over her, his hard body right there at her entrance. “You’re mine, Ana,” he said as he pushed himself into her heat.

  Ana gasped, lifting her legs to better accommodate his size. “Does that mean that you’re mine as well?” she asked. But he moved inside of her and she closed her eyes, unable to see his nod of assurance.

  Ana thought she’d died and gone to heaven when his body pressed into hers one more time and she exploded again, the waves so intense, she couldn’t feel her toes or fingers.

  “You’re all mine,” he groaned several minutes later, his strong arms tightening around her ever so slightly.

  Ana couldn’t argue with him. Nor could she fight him when he lifted her up into his arms, covering her with his shirt one more time as he carried her back to his suite. Laying her in the bed, he followed her down, pulling her close as they both drifted back to sleep.

  Chapter 4

  Ana paced back and forth through the room, wondering what she had to be worried about. She’d been with Najid for the past thirty days. She’d basically moved into his private suite and, since she spent every night in his arms, she had gotten to know the man.

  And love him. Oh goodness, did she love him! She loved even his arrogance and his dominating nature. She loved him, the man. Not the sheik, the ruler. As a ruler, he was tough and commanding. He showed mercy when he needed to but refused to allow any of his people to be victimized in any way. Companies wanting to do business in Safir needed to prove that they would protect the land and heritage of Safir, as well as pay their employees a living wage.

  As a man, he was gentle and kind, he was so attentive during the evenings and concerned about her, wanted to hear about her day and she was always fascinated when he discussed the business of Safir with her. And the
n he’d take her into his arms and he would no longer be gentle or kind. He was demanding and wicked and…goodness, he made her body sing in ways she’d never dreamed possible!

  So where was the man now? Why wasn’t he here? He was always here when she finally knocked off from her work! Which seemed to be happening earlier and earlier lately because Ana just wanted to be with him instead of her formulas. When she needed comfort, she turned to Najid, not her formulas any longer.

  So why wasn’t he here now? What was going on?

  Not even Jual could be found and Jual protected Najid all the time!

  Something was wrong! She just knew it! Najid was in danger!

  Going over to the door, she opened it and spotted two bodyguards standing sentry. But that didn’t make any sense either. The guards were supposed to be watching out for Najid. Why weren’t they out there, protecting him from whatever danger was there? And yes, she instinctively knew that her man was in danger.

  A danger she didn’t understand.

  “Where’s Najid?” she demanded of Murad. The bodyguard stiffened to attention and almost bowed. “He is…” he heard something in his earpiece and Ana waited as patiently as possible. When he nodded, indicating acceptance of whatever the person was saying in his ear, Ana somehow knew that the orders which had just been relayed were about her.

  “He is fine,” Murad replied carefully with another one of those strange bows.

  Ana’s eyes narrowed on the man, not believing him for a moment. “Where is he?” she demanded, wanting to see him and verify his “fine-ness” herself.

  Murad shook his head. “He is on his way, but not able to see you right at this moment.”

  Ana didn’t like that answer. Everything inside of her was telling her that something was wrong.

  “Where’s Jual?” she asked, crossing her arms over her stomach. Jual was Najid’s brother and would know more. Jual was a prince and no one would dare to hide any information from him!

  Murad was looking decidedly uncomfortable. “He is out of the palace at the moment,” the man finally replied.

  Ana’s eyes widened. “He’s not here? Where is he?” she demanded. Jual never left the palace unless Najid was gone as well. And Najid went to Jual for advice. It was almost as if the two of them ruled the kingdom together, although the responsibility for the success of Safir was ultimately on Najid’s shoulders. Nevertheless, Jual protected his family and Najid was his only family!

  The fact that both weren’t in the palace meant that her instincts about the danger were right.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked in a strangled voice. “Where is Najid? I need to see him!” She wanted to yell at the man, but her voice was choked, her body trembling with fear. Normally when Najid was around, she was a bundle of trembling anticipation. But this was completely different. He was in danger!

  Murad simply lifted his hands, trying to placate her. But Ana didn’t want to be placated. She wanted answers! She wanted to see Najid and know that he was okay!

  “You won’t tell me? Fine!” she said and closed her eyes, gathering her control around her as if it were a warm blanket. She wasn’t helpless. Far from it! She wouldn’t stand for this kind of blindness. She would find out what’s going on, one way or another. She had ways to get information. She refused to sit around and wait like a defenceless female!

  Najid was not going to keep her in the dark!

  She walked into the security offices and headed back to her personal space. She pressed a few keys and started up her computer. Typing in a code word and password, her fingers flew over the keyboard, her eyes watching the data on the screen as her mind worked through the complicated coding that would give her access to the information she needed. If people weren’t going to tell her what was going on, she was going to find out herself. She didn’t care that she could be fired for doing this, she was going to make sure Najid was safe!

  And then she was going to quit her job. It was the not knowing that was killing her. She couldn’t stand to think of him hurt or even in danger. She felt nauseous and furious, resentful that his guards weren’t telling her what was going on. So if he wasn’t going to give her the courtesy of information, then she was gone! She wouldn’t stand for this! No way!

  Her fingers were flying over the keyboard and she was unaware of the tears in her eyes or the way they were falling over her cheeks. She had to know that he was safe!

  She’d just gotten through the firewall and was about to delve into the secret files when she heard a voice behind her. “What do you think you’re doing, Ana?”

  Ana spun around, her eyes wide as she took in Najid as he stood inside her doorway.

  “You’re okay!” she gasped and threw herself against his hard body. She felt his strong arms close around her and he even lifted her up slightly. He was hugging her tightly but she didn’t care. She didn’t need oxygen, she just needed him to be safe. “Don’t ever do that to me again!” she told him, sobbing and angry that he’d reduced her to this level.

  Pulling back, she looked up at him. It was only then that she realized that he had blood over one eye and a bloody tear in his shirt. “What happened to you?” she gasped, furious that he wasn’t in the palace clinic getting cleaned up. “You need to see a doctor!”

  “I’m fine, Ana. But why were you hacking into the palace security system?” He fisted his hands on his lean hips and glared down at her. “Do you know how many alarms you’ve set off? Jual is furious with you at the moment.”

  Ana glared right back at him, her own fists clenching by her sides. “Tell me what happened! Tell me why you have blood on you!” she came right back, not intimidated at all.

  Najid looked down at his chest and muttered a curse. As soon as he’d come back to the palace, he’d needed to find Ana, to hold her. His convoy had been attacked and all he’d wanted was to get back to her. He hadn’t realized that there was evidence of the attack or he would have stopped to clean up before coming to her.

  Trying to brush off the incident as minor, he lifted a shoulder in what he hoped was a casual shrug. “We had a threat. It is gone. Now answer me!”

  She poked him in the chest, unaware of the tears slipping over her long, dark lashes and streaming down her pale cheeks. All she knew was the memory of that fear, of her absolute certainty that he was in danger and she couldn’t get to him, couldn’t help him. “You weren’t here with me! I knew something was wrong and no one would tell me what was happening! I was scared!”

  The anger in his body seemed to disappear with her words. “You were scared? My little Ana? My tigress?” He smiled and put his hands on her tiny waist, pulling her against him.

  Ana almost growled at the heat that entered his eyes. He was turned on? She was trying to come down off of a terror worse than anything she’d ever experienced and he was hot and bothered? No way!

  “Stop it,” she came right back. “What was going on and why did you not tell me something bad was happening?”

  He sighed, but didn’t let her move away from him. He wanted, needed, to feel her against him. Looking down into her beautiful features, he knew that he couldn’t hide the truth from her. Nor did he want to belittle what she was feeling at the moment. So honesty, complete honesty without any partial explanations, was his only option. “Because I didn’t want you to worry,” he told her.

  Ana was stunned. “You didn’t want me to worry and so you just…left the palace without a word?”

  “I thought I’d be back before you knew I was gone.” He slid his hands up her back, pressing her more intimately against him. He was feeling very amorous now that he knew that she cared. She was such a little thing but with a huge personality. She was a brilliant mathematician and a sensuous lover beyond anything he could have ever wanted. When he took her into his arms at night, she seemed to come alive, on fire for him.

  He wanted her forever. Unfortunately, until this moment, he’d had no clue what she was feeling towards him other than intense desire. She wa
s such a mystery to him. Unless he had her in bed, she pulled back, hiding something from him. He hadn’t been able to break through and find out what she really thought of him. Yes, she was in his bed every night, but it wasn’t enough. He wanted all of her, every moment of her day. And he wanted to understand her.

  Her green eyes surveyed his features while her agile mind filled in the details on what he wasn’t telling her. “You thought you’d be back before I knew that you were in danger, so you just left, without any word to me. You didn’t care how I might feel if anything happened to you, is that it?”

  He was startled by the way she’d phrased the question, but he suspected she might have a point. “I didn’t think there would be danger, Ana.”

  Ana looked up at him and something clicked in her mind. She jerked out of his arms, backing up so that she was on the opposite side of the room.

  “I told you that I was bad luck!” she said and shifted towards the doorway. Her hands flew to her head as she realized what she’d done. That this was all her fault! “I knew that something horrible would happen to you and look! You’re covered in blood and you’re wounded!”

  Najid couldn’t believe where her mind had taken her. She had no idea that things like this happened on a recurring basis because he’d kept the truth from her, not wanting her to worry. The world in which he lived was not safe and easy. It was dirty and dangerous. He tried hard to protect his people from the bad side of the world, but every once in a while, the evil crept in. He and Jual dealt with it, eliminated the threats to their country.

  “Ana, you’re not bad luck,” he told her, trying to be soothing but there was a strange gleam in her eye that made his gut tighten with dread.

  “I am! I’m bad luck and you’re in danger because I’m here.”

  “Ana, you’re being ridiculous,” he growled.

  She slipped past him and started walking down the hallway, lifting her hand up as if to stop his words. “No, it’s true and you know it. I’m a danger to you and if something were to happen to you, then the people of Safir would be in danger because you’re good for them and I’m bad for everyone. I have to…”