The Sheik's Scandal (The Raminar Family Book 3) Read online

  Talia was so stunned that she’d said that, she couldn’t lift her eyes from the floor.

  There was a long, tense silence following her outrageous admission. Finally, he growled, “Come to my room. Let’s explore this, Talia.”

  To his room? No! She couldn’t do that! “I can’t! I just…I wasn’t raised to…!” She closed her eyes, trying to pull herself together. When she opened her eyes again, she looked up at him, needing him to understand. “I don’t have casual sex.”

  He smiled slightly and she wished she understood what that smile meant.

  “I doubt there will be anything casual about it when we finally make love.” He pulled away, giving her a bit of space. “But for now, we will slow down. I will give you the space you need.” He took her hand, heading for the lobby. “Until then, I will drive you home. And I will know that you arrived at your destination safely.”

  She pulled him to a stop and looked at him with pleading eyes. “Please, Santos. I don’t live in the city. I’m staying here with one of my older brothers. He’s ridiculously overly protective, and I can’t be seen with you.”

  He frowned thoughtfully, his hands tightening on her fingers. “Then I will see you to your hotel,” he replied. “Is that a fair compromise?”

  Her shoulders sagged with relief. “Yes. That will work.” She beamed up at him. “Thank you.”

  He tucked her hand onto his arm. “Good. And tomorrow, will you meet me for lunch?”

  She smiled, her whole body singing with anticipation. “Yes,” she replied, because there was nothing else she could say. She couldn’t even contemplate the idea of not seeing him again.

  “Excellent!”

  It was a short ride back to the hotel since the streets were quiet at this time of the night. Unfortunately, the ride was too short, she thought when the limousine pulled to a smooth stop outside of her hotel. Looking out the window of the limousine, she stared up at the doorman, wishing that they had a few extra minutes.

  “Well, I guess I’d better…”

  She stopped when he took her hand and turned her into his arms. This time when he kissed her, it wasn’t a soft, gentle kiss. This was real. This was torrential desire sluicing through her. She clung to him, trembling as she returned his kiss, his mouth teasing hers until she opened for him. She shivered as she moved closer, needing more but vaguely aware that they couldn’t do anything more than kiss.

  When he finally lifted his mouth, his arms still wrapped around her, she stared up into his eyes. How she’d turned and was now lying across his lap, she wasn’t completely sure, but it certainly felt good!

  Sitting up, she pushed the skirt of her dress back down, touching her hair to make sure that she didn’t look as completely kissed as she felt. “Do I…?”

  “You look beautiful,” he replied.

  Talia knew that he hadn’t answered her question, but the way he’d said those words, she didn’t care. Beaming, she turned and pushed the door open, stepping out of the limousine.

  She took a great deal of pride in the fact that she walked into the hotel with dignity, without looking back over her shoulder at him. Just one more glance, she thought, but didn’t do it. She’d already kissed him, already been too honest with him about last night and her lack of sleep. Turning now would only give the man more power over her.

  Stepping into the elevator, she finally was able to turn and look out through the glass doors of the hotel. As soon as she did that, Talia realized that his limousine was still parked right in front. Normally, the doorman urged visitors to keep moving. But the doorman probably sensed the same thing about Santos that she felt. The man was powerful and…different.

  Chapter 5

  Santos sat on top of the picnic table instead of on one of the benches, waiting impatiently for Talia. He glanced at his watch again. It was time for her to be here. Was she late? Was she going to bail on him? He sensed a shy spirit inside of her, but there was something else, something that wanted to challenge that timidity. He appreciated her intelligence and had thoroughly enjoyed talking with her last night. Santos couldn’t remember the last time he’d had such an enjoyable conversation, much less with a woman. Normally, his interactions with women were more along the lines of sexual advances.

  What was it about Talia that called to him? Perhaps it was that latent spirit hidden behind her shy nature. Or maybe it was the fact that she ignored her shyness when she was passionate about something, like she had been last night. He’d loved debating with her, seeing her eyes light up when he challenged her. And he had to admit, some of her ideas were truly interesting. He wondered if she’d ever implement them.

  And where would she implement her ideas? Where was she from? Instinctively, he knew that she wasn’t American, although her English was perfect. There was a slight accent, as if she’d learned British English at some point, but had learned to temper the accent.

  That thought only increased his curiosity. Where the hell would a woman go to learn English as a second language, and then have to temper her British accent when speaking that language? She was a “riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside of an enigma,” he thought, mentally quoting the great Winston Churchill. Yes, that was his Talia. She was sweet and shy, passionate and cautious, fascinating and curious. Everything about her appealed to him, even the mystery surrounding her.

  When a taxi stopped at the curb, Santos stiffened, then relaxed when Talia stepped out of the taxi. She bent to pay the man through the window and Santos couldn’t help but admire her sexy derriere in the soft, linen slacks. She was so damn beautiful! He wanted to scoop her up and take her back to his penthouse so that he could make love to her, explore every inch of her soft, creamy skin. He wanted to see what she looked like when she climaxed in his arms. He wanted…He wanted all of her, damn it!

  But he knew that he couldn’t have her. Not the way he really wanted her. Damn, he needed to get his security team to figure things out! If he was ever going to move forward with his plans for Padar, he needed a stable government! Not one where things went missing and people changed their minds. Something was going on and he had to fix things!

  Feeling out of control, and hating it, he met Talia halfway. He’d intended only to take her hand, but she smiled up at him, the May sunshine lighting up her beautiful hazel eyes. Normally, he was more cautious about public displays, but he kissed her. Right there in the park where anyone could see them and he didn’t care. Not at all.

  When he felt her trembling eagerness, Santos could barely breathe. Pulling her closer, feeling her arms slide up around his neck, he knew that he wanted her in a different way than he had any other woman. He wanted to know her secrets, discover her mysteries.

  Sighing, he pulled back and stared down at her, feeling a huge sense of ownership when he saw her full, swollen lips. He’d done that. Not just that, she’d loved it.

  Beaming up at him, he felt her hesitation at leaning into him and wrapped his arms around her slender waist. “You look lovely today,” he said. And it was the truth. The linen slacks were a pale tan and she’d matched it with a blue silk blouse.

  Sensing that she needed a moment to breathe after that kiss, Santos stepped back and took her hand as he led her over to the picnic table where a lunch packed for them by the hotel chef waited. His guards had found a table that was tucked back into the trees and, as he looked around, he realized that it looked very romantic. He’d already spread out the tablecloth and pulled out the crystal wine glasses.

  “Wine?” he asked.

  “That would be wonderful,” she replied, sitting down across from him at the picnic table. “This is amazing,” she said, looking at everything spread out on the linen tablecloth.

  As he poured the wine, he glanced at her curiously. “Will you tell me more about yourself?”

  She lifted the glass to her lips and tasted the white wine, appreciating the crisp flavor as well as the man sitting across from her. “What would you like to know?” she asked when she set the
glass down on the table.

  “Everything,” he admitted. He started plating the food. “Where are you from, first of all?”

  She hesitated. “I can’t tell you that,” she told him. “Especially being here.”

  His hands stilled. “Why is that?”

  She peered into the enormous picnic basket. “Well, because I’m doing something that I shouldn’t.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Being here. Alone with you. My family would disapprove.”

  “Then why are you here?” he prompted, continuing to set out cheese and crackers, sliced green apples, cold chicken, and several side dishes.

  “I guess…” she paused and tilted her head slightly, unaware of the sunshine glinting off of her dark tresses. “I suppose I’m trying to channel my older sister.”

  “What is your sister’s name?”

  “Orella. She died about a year ago. It was…” she blinked, fighting back the tears. “It was a pointless accident. Orella was so full of life. She was so much older than me, the oldest of all of my siblings. And she seemed to rebel against my parent’s rules more than the rest of us.”

  “Your parents were very strict?”

  She laughed, nodding her head. “Oh yes! Extremely!”

  “How so?”

  “Well, we were what most people would call home-schooled. Private tutors and such. My parents had very high standards for our studies. We all had to learn multiple languages, in addition to the normal math and sciences. Politics and diplomacy are very important skills that my parents also demanded that we master. We were also taught global and local economics in addition to several other subjects that most people don’t get into until they reach college, and even then they are specialized fields.”

  He nodded, thinking her education sounded similar to his own. “I studied most of those subjects as well.” He told her several stories about the trouble he gave to his tutors, how he tricked his younger sister into doing things with him that got her into trouble. “I wasn’t a very nice brother,” he admitted.

  She laughed. “I’m sure that you were a horrible brother. Just like mine. They tortured me at every opportunity and never let me play with them. But by the time I came around, Orella had already chosen where she’d go to college. My next oldest brother was much more serious, always studying. But he and Orella challenged each other, competing for the best grades. Finally, I think that Orella just had enough and she…left.”

  “Just walked out?”

  Talia blinked, shaking her head. “No, she went to college, but never finished, which infuriated my parents. But their frustration was about more than just her leaving school. She left university in the middle of the semester and just trotted around Europe, looking for adventures.” Talia sighed. “She’d send us pictures of her scuba diving adventures off the coast of Australia or sky diving in Colorado, skiing surrounded by friends, mostly male.” She smiled at the memories. “Orella never stayed on the intermediate ski slopes either, even though her skill was probably closer to that level. Nope, she’d head on up to the hardest slope and would just fly down the side of whatever mountain she’d decided to tackle that day.” Talia nibbled at an apple slice. “I remember one time, we got a phone call that she’d broken her leg and two ribs the first time she’d gone down a diamond or double diamond or…whatever those slopes are called. My parents flew out to be with her in the hospital, leaving me and my brothers back home. We were all worried, but she healed. Then went right back on the slopes and broke her other leg.”

  “What did your parents do?”

  She put the apple down on the plate. “They came home. I remember my mother crying, begging my father to let her go to Orella again. But he said no. That Orella had done this to herself.”

  “Did she recover?”

  “Oh yeah. She was fine, although she was in a cast for about eight weeks. That at least slowed her down, although I heard my father mention that she was recovering on some guy’s yacht in the south of France.”

  “She sounds selfish.”

  Talia blinked, startled by his words. She opened her mouth to argue that Orella wasn’t selfish. She was beautiful, wonderful, and fabulously happy with an adventurous spirit. But then she thought of her nieces, Elsa and Ellora, who had been devastated by the news of Orella’s death, and further traumatized by her sister’s harsh and thoughtless words.

  “Yes. She was very selfish,” she finished. “She died in a car accident, leaving two darling daughters behind.” Talia shifted on the bench. “Despite her faults, I’ve always wanted to be more like Orella. She fascinated me, probably because I was the youngest, but also because she was my only real role model. At least, she was the only role model that I wanted to emulate. My mother was beautiful, but so careful and cautious. She never stepped out of line and always agreed with my father. At least, publicly.”

  He smiled slightly. “What about privately?”

  She grinned crookedly. “Privately, she’d argue with him vehemently if she thought he was doing something wrong.”

  He laughed. “She sounds like a very good woman.”

  “Yes,” Talia replied, thinking fondly of her mother. “She was pretty great. She died of breast cancer about ten years ago.”

  “I’m sorry,” he replied, taking her hand and squeezing gently.

  She took a deep breath and looked at him. “I’m so sorry,” she murmured. “I didn’t mean to turn this beautiful lunch with you into a maudlin review of the deaths in my family.”

  “You didn’t,” he replied. “You gave me a glimpse into what makes you who you are. That’s never maudlin.”

  Peering into the basket, she said, “I wonder if there’s anything for dessert in this thing.”

  Santos watched her, understanding that she wanted to change the subject. He suspected that she felt as if she’d revealed too much. But he’d…enjoyed was such an odd word to use about discussing family members that had passed away.

  “I’m honored that you would share your story with me, Talia,” he said. His words drew her eyes back to his. “It sounds as if you haven’t really talked to anyone about your feelings about your sister’s actions.” She pulled away from the basket and he reached in, taking out the small pies that the hotel chef had included. “Why not?”

  She shrugged, taking the fork and cutting into the small dessert. “I don’t know. I guess because my brothers have their own burdens to deal with. I don’t want them to have to cope with mine too. They would worry more about me if they knew how I felt.”

  “Isn’t it their job to worry?”

  “No,” she laughed. “Trust me, my brothers have too many responsibilities already.”

  He shifted, cutting into his own pie and offering her the bite since she didn’t seem to be interested in her own. “Then let me put it a different way, perhaps your brothers feel the same way and it would lighten their burdens to know that you’ve felt it too.”

  She chewed and swallowed. “That’s exactly what Harper, my future sister-in-law, explained to all of us recently. But I don’t think my desire to be more adventurous like my sister would fall into that category.”

  Sensing her withdrawal, he decided to change the subject. “So, tell me what you’d like to do to become more adventurous.”

  Talia laughed and he noticed again the way her hazel eyes sparkled. She truly was a gloriously beautiful woman, he thought.

  “My presence here right now is pretty adventurous for me. Normally, the men I meet are much less dangerous and…!” She stopped abruptly. “I didn’t mean that like…I’m not…!”

  Santos chuckled. “I understand what you meant, Talia,” he assured her. “Fortunately, I’m not quite the bad-boy that you might think.”

  She stared down at her plate. “I don’t want a bad boy,” she admitted quietly. “It’s just that, well, you have a sort of presence about you, a powerful aura that warns people off.” She peered up at him through her lashes. “I think that you’re the most d
angerous man I’ve ever met.”

  Dangerous. He tossed the word around in his mind. But he didn’t want her to be frightened of him. Nor did he want to be considered her first foray into adventure. It angered him, thinking she was only with him because she considered him to be dangerous. “And this excites you?’

  She cocked her head to one side. “At first,” she replied. “Now, I’m attracted to you simply because you are you. I think that you have a strong moral character. That you will fight for your honor and that of others. That’s a rare quality. Most of the people that I meet are very self-centered. They aren’t particularly aware of others, while you are very aware of everything, aren’t you?”

  That was an insightful comment and he warmed to her even more. “I have to be.”

  She tilted her head slightly. “Why is that?”

  He offered her another bite of the dessert. “Because I protect those I care about. Fiercely.”

  Santos wanted her to know that she was one of those people. In a very short period of time, this woman with her long lashes and shy looks that were countered by her passion and determination, had gotten under his defenses. He didn’t say anything though, not wanting to scare her.

  He knew that he was more predator than gentleman. And he already felt as if Talia were his woman. He knew that they couldn’t have a future, but he was determined to ensure her safety and happiness.

  “Come. Let’s walk,” he offered. They meandered along the pathways, circling the pond, over the bridge, and through the tall trees and rock formations that made up Central Park. If one went by the television crime shows, a lot of bad stuff happened along these pathways. But right now, standing next to Santos as they talked and laughed about life and childhoods and just anything that popped into their minds, Talia thought that this relatively small park in the middle of a concrete jungle was pretty idyllic. Perhaps it was the spring sunshine or maybe it was the man beside her. It might even be the gentle way that he touched her. She didn’t know and didn’t care. As far as she was concerned, this day and this park was paradise!