The Return of the Sheikh Read Online Free PDF

charge of running the household while waiting for my opportunity to raise another generation of Mehdi children.”
    Madison didn’t quite see Zain as father material, an opinion she’d keep to herself. “I’m sure you gained invaluable experience with Prince Zain.”
    “Yes, yet clearly I failed to impress upon him the merits of self-control when it comes to the opposite sex. Otherwise, he would not be interested in your undergarments.”
    They shared in a brief laugh before Madison revealed her opinion on the subject. “I assure you, Prince Zain will not be commenting on my personal effects if I have any say in the matter.”
    Elena presented a sly smile. “A word of advice. Prince Zain is a good man, yet he is still a man. What he lacks in restraint, he makes up in charm. Stand firm with him.”
    With that, she walked away, leaving Madison to ponder exactly what the future king might have up his sleeve when he’d told her the incorrect time for dinner. She highly doubted he’d forgotten standard palace protocol in spite of his lengthy absence. Perhaps he was simply trying to throw her off balance in order to be rid of her.
    Too bad. She would definitely stand her ground with him from this point forward. And as far as dinner went, she’d ignore his edict and show up when she darn well pleased.
    *
    She was fifteen minutes late, yet Zain wasn’t at all surprised. Madison Foster possessed an extreme need to be in control. Granted, he had the means to break down her defenses, and he was tempted to try. Nothing overt. Nothing more than a subtle and slight seduction designed to make her uncomfortable enough to bow out and return to the States where she belonged.
    However, she could very well turn the tables by responding to his advances. Possible, but not likely, he decided when she entered the dining room wearing a slim black skirt that came right above her knees, conservative heels and a simple white blouse. A blouse sheer enough to reveal the outline of an equally white bra, most likely in an effort to prove her point. But he knew better. That professional, prim and proper persona only served to conceal the daring beneath her cool exterior. He’d wager the kingdom she had on a pair of brightly colored panties. Red panties.
    A richly detailed fantasy assaulted him, one that involved sitting beside her and running his hand up the inside of her thigh and—
    “Where would you like me?”
    He thought of several answers, none of them appropriate. He chose the least suggestive one. “Are you referring to the seating arrangements, or do you have something else in mind?”
    She approached the table and sent him a false smile. “Let me rephrase for the sake of clarity. Where do you want me to be seated?”
    Zain gestured to the right of where he was positioned at the head of the lengthy table. “Here.” He waited for her to slide into the chair before he launched into his reprimand. “You’re late.”
    She made an exaggerated show of checking her watch. “Actually, I’m fifteen minutes early, since it seems, according to Elena, dinner is and always has been at six.”
    He’d been betrayed by his former governess and longtime confidante. “Now that I will soon assume my rightful role as king, dinner will be at five-thirty.”
    She folded her hands atop the table, her gaze unwavering. “I suppose having your first royal edict involving dinnertime is preferable to, oh, say, changing the entire governmental structure.”
    “That will be my second royal edict.”
    She looked sincerely confused. “Are you serious?”
    He smiled. “Not entirely, but I do plan to implement some much-needed change.”
    “Change cannot occur until you are officially crowned, brother.”
    Zain pulled his gaze from Madison to see Rafiq claiming his place at the opposite end of the table. “As disappointing as it might be to you, brother, that will happen in a matter of weeks. In the meantime, I plan to outline those changes to the