To Tempt a Sheikh by Olivia Gates

down, as if looking for the origin of the flush that rose to take over her neck and face.
    And that was before he added in a will-numbing whisper, “All of them.”
    She stared at him, at a loss for the first time since she’d seen him. This was the last thing she…she…
    Then his lips twitched, one corner twisting up devilishly, belying the seriousness in his voice when he elaborated, “If you don’t, you’ll sweat liters we can’t replace.”
    Oh. Of course. She bit her lower lip, nodded, dispersing the ridiculous alarm and temptation that had slammed into her.
    Problem was, in a usual “all of them” clothes-removal scenario she would have kept her underwear on, which would have amounted to a conservative bikini. But with only a man’s undershirt over her now undone corsets, she’d be down to her boxer shorts. And she didn’t know what mortified her more. That he’d see her topless, or that he’d see how ridiculous she looked in them.
    Oh, right. And that was grounds for risking dehydration?
    She nodded, exhaled a tremulous breath. “Any hope you’ll turn your back?”
    He gave her a mock-innocent look. “Why?”
    Then he began to take off what little clothes he had left. He started with yanking off his boots, then straightening to undo the fastening of his pants. Her eyes were glued to his every move, her tongue darting to moisten suddenly desiccated lips. It was only when she realized her eyes were sliding lower with her mouth open as she anticipated the bigrevelation that she felt fury spurt to douse her mortification and abort her daze.
    She met the master-tormentor’s gaze defiantly, then started to undress herself. If he thought she’d swoon at the sight of his endowments, that she’d turn around for modesty or try to shield her nudity with virginly arms, he could think again!
    As she prepared to yank off the short-sleeved undershirt, Harres stretched and manipulated something at the ceiling. A heavy cloth partition snapped down between them.
    She froze, staring at the opaque surface inches from her eyes, until his amused drawl from the other side roused her.
    â€œI did say ‘quarters,’ plural.”
    And she cried, “You…you…weasel!”
    â€œNow we move from the farm to the animal kingdom at-large.”
    The mixture of relief and chagrin choked her as she threw off the rest of her clothes to the sound of his teasing chuckles and tackled her thin matttress as if it were him.
    But if she’d thought she’d toss and turn with him inches from her with only flimsy fabric between them, she was mistaken. She felt nothing from the moment she became horizontal, to the moment she came to. To his caresses.
    She blinked up in confusion. He was kneeling beside her, running his hands gently over her hair and face and arms.
    For a long moment she could only think what a wonderful way this was to wake up.
    Then the wonder factor rose exponentially when he smiled down at her. “I called. And called. I even poked you through the partition, to no avail.”
    She blinked again, looked down, found herself covered in a light cotton blanket. But since he was the one who’dcovered her, he must have seen everything. Still, he had covered her so that he wouldn’t infringe on her. She struggled with the urge to throw her arms around him and bring him down to her, thank him for being so thoughtful. And more.
    Instead, she croaked, “What time is it?”
    â€œSunset.”
    She jackknifed up in alarm. “But we were supposed to move out two hours ago!”
    â€œYou needed to rest. Now we’ll move faster.” Before she could reprimand him for not sticking to their schedule on account of her alleged delicacy, he ruffled her hair and winked. “Hop to it, my dewy doc.”
    She huffed as her heart fired against her ribs. He was suddenly treating her like his kid sister. And it