The Sheik's Beautiful Intruder (The Friendship Series) by Elizabeth Lennox Page A

driving him hard.  And also a need that he had to hold back on.  She was scared of what was going on and he had to be patient. 
    When he had himself back under control, he looked up, prepared to walk her back into the palace.  But she was gone! 
    “Where did she go?” Nazar demanded of one of his guards. 
    Yousef stood up straighter and bowed slightly.  “She went inside the palace, Your Highness.”
    “Is she okay?” he couldn’t believe he’d been so focused on getting his lust back under control that he hadn’t even noticed the woman leaving the stables.  What was she doing to him? 
    Ah, but it would only be that much stronger when she actually relaxed her guard and they could be together.  The little lady was his, he knew that.  But how long could she hold out?  Perhaps that was the question he needed to whittle down. 
    “She is heading towards her rooms, Your Highness,” Yousef said after asking the question in his microphone. 
    Nazar nodded his head, accepting that she was safe.  “Be sure she doesn’t get lost,” he told his body guard.  “She needs to be protected from herself as much as the outsiders who might try to harm her.  See to it,” he told him.
    Yousef completely understood the message and lifted the hidden microphone to relay the message.  The palace guards would be rearranging several schedules with that one command, but they were also relieved to have the decision made, even if they were still smarting from the woman in question getting past their defenses. 
    Nikki hurried through the beautiful, elaborate halls, finally finding her way back to the room she’d been in last night.  She wasn’t sure why she went there, but as soon as she closed the door, all she wanted was a shower.  She smelled like horse and, although it wasn’t a horrible smell, she needed to wash it off quickly. 
    Stepping into the shower, the hot water melted away the tension she’d been feeling after her latest encounter with Nazar.  She closed her eyes, wishing his hands were back on her body.  When she started to get out of control again, she ruthlessly turned the water to cold, thinking a cold shower might calm her down.  But when the freezing water splashed onto her body, she yelped and jumped out.  Okay, cold showers were not the answer!  Why would anyone do that? 
    She grabbed a fluffy white towel and dried herself off, then wrapped it around her, not sure what she could wear.  But as soon as she opened the closet, she saw all the other clothes.  There were beautiful slacks and bright shirts and sweaters, lovely suits and skirts…and evening gowns!  She’d never had a reason to wear an evening gown, not even in high school because she, Brianna and Rachel had pooled all their money for Rachel to invest so they hadn’t wanted to pull it out to buy prom dresses.  The evening of their prom night, they’d hidden out at Rachel’s house, going down to the creek and talking about how much happier they were not going to the prom, lying through their teeth.
    Looking at all of the lovely colors, her fingers slid over the dresses, feeling the exquisite fabrics and loving all of them.  She couldn’t believe all the colors and creative designs, thinking she might have died and gone to heaven. 
    And then reality hit her.  There was no way these clothes were meant for her.  They were lovely, but she wouldn’t be here long enough to wear any of them.  She found a pair of slacks that didn’t look too expensive, as well as a plain shirt that fit her perfectly.  She glanced longingly at the other outfits, but firmly closed the closet door on the beautiful clothes.  She was here for only a few days.  The owner of these clothes would want them back as soon as Nikki vacated the room. 
    Which brought another issue to mind.  Whose room was this?  It was amazingly lovely, but obviously someone lived here, otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many clothes in the closet. 
    She shrugged her