The Sheikh's Pretend Bride (Qazhar Sheikhs series Book 2) by Cara Albany

you normally indulge in?" Ella asked.
    "I don't enjoy drinking alcohol. Apart from which, our family doesn't really approve."
    Ella lifted the glass and sipped the water, the bubbles tickling her nose. "Lovely water," she said.
    Raz smiled and took a sip from his glass. "Very nice." She knew he was probably teasing her, but this time she found she didn't disapprove so much.
    They worked their way through the various courses, each one more tasty and mouthwatering than the last. There were specially prepared vegetables with spicy dips; baked fish which tasted like it had just been plucked from the sea outside the palace that very day; and finally a delicately prepared sweet made from fresh fruits encased in soft pastry.  
    By the time she finished eating, Ella felt fuller than she had felt in a long time. Raz was a pleasant conversationalist. He amused Ella with some stories about his life as a sheikh. It was a world she knew nothing about, except what she read in the media, and what she had seen on her brief visits. He made it all sound so appealing, an existence entirely alien to Ella, one that she knew she would never be a part of.
    After the meal was finished, they both went to the sitting room. Ella joined Raz on the long sofa in front of the fireplace. A servant brought them a special cocktail made solely from fruit juices. After the sweetness of the meal, it set Ella's tongue alight, and cleansed her palate all at the same time.
    It felt good to be sitting next to Raz in the quiet of the sitting room. Ella truly felt like she had entered a fairy tale world of opulence and grandeur. It was Raz's world; the sheikh's domain.  
    Raz sat close to her, and Ella was acutely aware of his body, his little subtle glances toward her. Nevertheless he seemed to be restraining himself, holding back from getting too close.  
    Raz held his glass and stretched an arm along the back of the sofa. His eyes were suddenly piercing into her. "Did you enjoy that?" he asked.
    Ella smiled. "It was wonderful. Compliments to your chef," she replied.
    Raz looked pleased. "I'll be sure to pass that on. They don't usually like staying up past midnight. But, this is a special occasion."
    Ella looked quizzically at him. "Really?"
    Raz took a sip of his drink and nodded. "Of course it is," he said. "It's not every day I bring someone truly special to this place."
    "I didn't realize I was that special," she said. "I thought you brought lots of women here."
    Raz frowned suddenly, and Ella knew she had overstepped an unspoken boundary. "Why do say that?" he asked sounding hurt.
    "You're a rich oil sheikh," Ella said. She glanced around the room. "This is like something out of a dream." She smiled at him, suddenly determined to rebuild the distance between them both, regain the polite formality. "The handsome prince always has a bevy of beautiful women at his beck and call. Isn't that right?" she said.
    Ella saw Raz's brows furrow, and there was a sudden darkness in his gaze. "That's quite an assumption you're making there."
    "What? That you have an endless supply of beautiful women available to you?"
    Raz shook his head and leaned closer to her. He was so close that she caught the aroma of his exotic, intoxicating scent, a primal mixture that almost made her gasp.
    "What makes you think I need a beautiful woman?" he murmured.
    Ella's throat tightened slightly. She felt a heat rise to her cheeks. "Isn't that what sheikhs want? A beautiful trophy on their arm?" she said.
    Raz's arm slid closer to Ella, almost touching her shoulder. "And you're not a beautiful trophy, Ella?" he asked.  
    Ella frowned. "Me? A trophy? That's the last thing I'd want to be."
    "Not even if the man on whose arm you leaned thought you were the most amazing woman he'd ever met?"
    Ella drew in a sharp, involuntary breath. Had he just said that? Was he referring to her?
    Ella took a rapid sip of her drink and wrenched her gaze away from Raz. The room seemed suddenly quieter. In the