The Sheik's Pregnant Lover (Love By Accident) by Elizabeth Lennox Page A

silence.
    Sidra jumped at the sound of his deep voice, but then got herself under control.  “I’ve been fine.  Thank you very much.  And you?”  Professional, she reminded herself.  She could do this, just one moment at a time. 
    He shrugged, his eyes drinking in her soft skin along with the gauntness about her cheeks.  “Except for being furious with you?  Fine.”
    Gone were all of her professional thoughts with that opening salvo.  She swung back to glare at him.  “Furious with me?  What did I do?”
    His blue eyes darkened with his anger.  “You left that weekend and didn’t tell me where to reach you.”
    She snorted, a very unladylike sound and she regretted it immediately.  “As if you would care!”  She turned back away from him, then sighed.  “That was unprofessional of me.  I apologize.  Would you care to see the preliminary plans I’ve drawn up?”
    He considered her overly thin face and the dark circles under her eyes. “I’d like you to eat something.”
    Sidra looked over at the food.  There was colorful fruit and pastries and something inside of chafing dishes that smelled delicious, but she shook her head.  “I’ll have something later,” she promised, hoping that her stomach would settle down now that the initial confrontation with Rashid had happened. 
    The massive plane was leveling off slightly and a bell chimed in the distance.  “Have some coffee or tea.  It looks like you haven’t slept at all.”
    She sighed and smoothed her hair back nervously.  She was prepared for angry Rashid but this kind Rashid wasn’t helping her with her equilibrium.  “Coffee would be nice.”
    “What time did you finish working last night ?” he asked as he stood up to get her a cup of coffee, pouring the hot liquid into a delicate china cup. 
    She bent down to look through the papers in her briefcase, not wanting to look at him and remember how tall and powerful he was underneath those tailored clothes.  She didn’t want to think about all those moments she’d been allowed to touch him, to revel in the strength of his body and how feminine he made her feel when he held her in his arms.  “My boss and I went over the plans you left until late.”
    He handed her the cup and stood over her, his blue eyes assessing her carefully.  “How late?”
    She took the cup but as soon as she smelled the brew she had to push it away, almost spilling it on her hand as the smell started to make her gag.  “Please, I can’t handle this right now,” she gasped and handed it back to him. 
    Rashid looked down at her as he held the cup away.  “Are you okay?” he asked.   Her face was pale and even her lips had turned white.  He was immediately concerned and bent down low to look into her eyes. 
    Sidra took a deep breath, grateful that there wasn’t the scent of coffee to invade her nostrils.  She felt marginally better, but still wasn’t ready for the coffee once again.  “Yes.  I’m sorry, I’m perfectly fine.  Just no coffee.  Please, can you push it away?”
    Rashid put the cup back onto the table with the other food, then came back to stand in front of her.  “What time did you get to sleep last night?” he demanded.
    Sidra took a deep breath and relaxed, forcing her body to stop reacting so oddly.  She ignored Rashid’s question in an effort to calm down and close her eyes.
    “Answer me!” he growled, bending low and placing a hand on either side of her chair.  His face was at her eye level and she gasped with the closeness, her fingers curling into fists so she didn’t reach up and touch him as she so desperately wanted to.  Three weeks ago, she felt as if she could touch him in any way she wanted.  He even encouraged her that last morning and she’d reveled in the freedom to explore the hard planes of his body.  But she didn’t have that pleasure now and she had to pull back, be careful about what she wanted.  This man was off limits to her