The Sheik and the Bought Bride Read Online Free PDF Page B

eyes burning, but she refused to look away or back down.
    Kateb sucked in a breath. “I am Prince Kateb of El Deharia. How dare you accuse me of such things?”
    “It’s actually pretty damned easy. You won me in a card game and now you’re dragging me into the desert to be your mistress for six months. What am I supposed to think?” She glared at him. “Don’t you dare tell me not to be upset. I would think, under the circumstances, I get to be a little nervous.”
    He grabbed her arm. “Stop.”
    A single tear escaped. She wiped it away and was still.
    “I will not hurt you,” he said quietly.
    “How do I know that?”
    Their eyes locked. She wanted to see something on his face, something yielding or gentle. There was only the darkness and the sharp edges of the scar. Kateb turned and left.
    She stood alone in the center of her tent, not sure what to think. Exhaustion made her sit on the edge of the cot. Now what?
    Before she could figure out what to do next, he returned carrying a plate along with a bottle of water and an odd-shaped black box. It was about the size of a small loaf of bread.
    “You must eat,” Kateb told her, handing her the food. “You don’t want to get sick.”
    The scent of meat and vegetables made her stomach growl, but she was too afraid to eat.
    “What’s that?” she asked, pointing at the box.
    “A battery-pack converter.” He turned it so she could see the shorter side. When he lifted the flap, there was a plug, just like a regular outlet. “For your curling iron.” He set it on the floor of the tent.
    She couldn’t believe it. “Really? I can curl my hair?”
    “You seem to find that very essential.”
    She was still afraid, but didn’t seem so desperate now. Her stomach growled again, and she thought maybe she could eat. Answers continued to elude her, but for now, that was all right.

Chapter Three
    B y day three, they had settled into a routine. One Victoria found easy to deal with as it mostly involved Kateb ignoring her. While he was in the camp and occasionally spoke to her, he’d had her ride in a different vehicle and acted as if she were just one of the guys. That allowed her to relax a little and ignore their destination.
    The desert had a unique beauty, she thought when they stopped for lunch. She accepted a bowl of stew from the cook and smiled her thanks. The dry air meant good hair days, although she was dying for a shower. At this point she was desperate enough to be willing to give up her favorite leather jacket for fifteen minutes of warm water and a bar of soap.
    She sat in her usual place, at the back of the camp. This time there weren’t cliffs behind them, but more of the trucks. While no one walked around with a rifle, she knew that the men were always aware of the surroundings. Kateb more so than any.
    He watched the sky, scanned the horizon. She suspected he would be able to tell her if there was a rabbit or fox within five miles. Or something more dangerous.
    She liked how he was with the other men. He commanded their respect without being pushy about it. They looked to him because he was naturally their leader.
    Her gaze returned to the scar. What had happened to him? She wanted to ask, but they weren’t speaking that much and it didn’t seem like a good conversation starter. There was a sort of truce between them she didn’t want to disrupt. Last night he’d brought her a lantern, so she could read if she wished. Not exactly the actions of a savage madman.
    So maybe the mistress thing wouldn’t be too horrible. He was intelligent and strong. He joked with the other men. She liked the sound of his laugh, not that he ever laughed with her.
    When she finished her lunch, she carried the bowl over to the wash bucket and cleaned it. When she straightened, Kateb stood next to her.
    She jumped. “Why do you have to be stealthy?”
    “We are close to the village. It’s less than twenty miles by horseback, although nearly fifty in the truck. The