Sheikh's Hired Mistress by Sophia Lynn, Ella Brooke Page A

respect to do her damn job properly.
    After getting off the phone with her father, Laine took a tour of the rooms that were under construction. She made lists of everything that was yet to be done. For the past several days, she had been focusing all of her energy into the renovations, not going out, and resembling her stubborn, New York–self a bit.
    It beat trying to think about the awkwardness at the end to their trip to the Tree of Life. Regardless, Aziz seemed rejuvenated by the trip, and he’d spoken of it fondly at dinner the next day. Laine decided to try to be happy for him. She knew what it was like to want to find meaning in the world, having had a brush with death herself.
    Laine found Aziz in his study, peering at his computer with a frown on his face. She took a moment to just watch him as he worked. His brows knit together in a line, and he rubbed his finger over his lip slowly. Then he straightened slightly and started to type.
    She waited a few minutes to disturb him. She found, embarrassingly, that sometimes she was content just to watch him, whatever he was doing. Licking his lips, working, sleeping. It was less than dignified, but just the sight of him sent her heart into her throat at times.
    Eventually, she broke her gaze and sneaked up behind him. It wasn’t hard to do, as his office was so spacious. He had a couch and a coffee table in there.
    “Ah!” Aziz gasped as she circled her arms around his shoulders. “You!”
    “Now who’s working too much?”
    Aziz let his head fall back and smiled. “Someone has to pay for these expensive renovations!”
    Laine chuckled and kissed his upside down lips. “Wanna see the latest addition?”
    Aziz raised a brow and swiveled around in his chair. “You have something special for me?”
    “Something I think you’ll really like,” she teased.
    Aziz followed her down the hallway to the west wing. There were several large rooms in this area, and while they hadn’t gotten around to all of them yet, Aziz had expressed a preference for work to focus on one room that would be in use for social functions. It had large transom windows facing west, and currently only a few pieces of covered furniture. The crew had painted that morning, and Laine was extremely pleased with the result.
    “We did a light blue on the side walls.” Laine pointed to either side. “The floor has been refinished, much needed…”
    Aziz nodded, looking at everything she pointed to.
    “And on the back wall, catching the light as the sun sets…” Laine turned.
    “Oh my!” Aziz leaned over with a short bark of laughter. “You painted the Tree of Life!”
    Laine sputtered. “ I didn’t paint it. I would need three years of painting classes to even get close to this. No, I had someone paint it.”
    “This is gorgeous. This is…I didn’t know how much I needed a room like this. We’re having a gala here in a month, and this will be absolutely perfect!” Aziz pulled her close and kissed her cheek.
    “I thought you would like to be able to reflect on it whenever you liked. Especially without your entourage of bodyguards following you. Plus, I think the artist did a lovely job of capturing the tree and the way the colors of the sky spread out.”
    “Someday you must paint me something,” Aziz murmured into her ear.
    “Again, years of classes…”
    “I could arrange that.” Aziz reached around her and caressed her breasts.
    With a soft laugh, Laine guided his hand down her belly and into her slacks. He grinned, rubbing his hand over her mound in a circular motion as he met her lips with a firm kiss. She began to pant with excitement, feeling lit up by his seemingly tireless desire to touch her.
    Over the past few days, it had seemed like the only room in which Aziz might not be interested in pursuing her was her own, and perhaps only due to his promise never to go in there without her permission. Now, she felt him growing hard against her already and the needy throbbing