The Sheik’s Vow (The Billionaire’s Club #13)

Chapter 5

Kaia had to have misheard him. Staring up at him, looking into those dark eyes, she nearly burst out laughing.

"Excuse me?" she forced out, her fingers tangling with the woven cord dangling from the strap of her backpack. If she pulled the cord, the strap would tighten on her shoulders, pulling the pack snugly against her body.

The gold and cream shades of the room’s décor faded away, nothing else existed beyond his eyes.

"Marry me, Kaia. Let me protect you. Let me help you defeat your monsters."

The laughter, like an uninvited guest, escaped her control. It erupted from her, an explosive release in the tension-filled room. The force of her laughter bent her over slightly, and she shook her head, the sound reverberating with a mix of disbelief and nervous energy.

It wasn't the proposal itself that struck her as funny; it was the audacity of the offer, the surreal quality of the situation. Her mind raced, grappling with the absurdity of the moment while her laughter echoed through the room.

As she straightened, Kaia found him watching her with an unwavering gaze. The air hung heavy with uncertainty, tension threading through the silence that followed her laughter. He waited silently for her to collect herself.

In that awkward pause, Kaia realized the weight of his offer. The proposal wasn't a whimsical gesture; he was serious. A strange mixture of amusement and apprehension filled the air, turning the room into a crucible of conflicting emotions.

Their eyes locked, a silent exchange carrying the unspoken tension between them. The woven cord in Kaia's hand seemed to tighten, mirroring the intricate knot of emotions tightening within her. The laughter had vanished, leaving a lingering unease in its wake, like the aftershocks of an unexpected quake.

“Are you seriously proposing marriage?” Surely, she’d misunderstood.

“Absolutely.” He took a step closer and she forgot to breathe for a long moment. Her mouth hung open as he began to plead his case. “You are a lovely, intelligent woman who has survived things I can only imagine. Your compassion and your determination to fight and protect are alluring character traits.” He stepped even closer, his dark eyes flashing with an inner determination. “Kaia, you are the woman that I have been searching for. You are the lioness that I want by my side.”

His words were genuine and his eyes seemed to almost glow with a heat unlike anything she’d ever seen.

Even more powerful, he called her a “lioness”. The feeling that washed over her was one she had never felt before. Her feet took a small step forward without her realizing it. “You think I’m a lioness?” she whispered.

She’d been called pretty, even beautiful. She’d been whistled at and catcalled. Some had even groped her, telling her that she had a “great ass” or “beautiful breasts”. Men had tried to entice her into their beds with sweet words and promises. But none had ever touched her soul.

She found herself yearning to believe in his perception of her, to embrace the notion that she wasn't just a survivor, but a fierce and powerful force. The room, once fraught with tension, now held a glimmer of something new—hope.

For a moment, the weight of her past, the shadows that clung to her, felt lighter. His words, like a gentle breeze cutting through the stifling air, hinted at the possibility of a different narrative—a narrative where she wasn't defined by her traumas, but celebrated for her strength.

In that fragile moment, the room transformed. The gold and cream colors regained their luster, and the air, which had been thick with uncertainty, now bore the promise of something more. Hope, like a resilient bloom breaking through concrete, sprouted within Kaia. It was a sensation she hadn't anticipated, a tender shoot of optimism threatening to grow against the odds.

Lioness. The word meant she was fierce. The description meant she was a predator, not prey.

And the look in his eyes conveyed his seriousness. He wasn’t just offering her pretty words. He truly believed she was a lioness!

Then she realized what she was about to say. Surely, she couldn’t agree to his request! She didn’t know him, nor did he know her.

“You don’t know me, Your Highness.”

Riaz stepped closer, the tension building. Her gaze dropped from his eyes to his lips. What would it be like to kiss him? His lips were thin and firm. Would he be tender? Or fierce?

“I don’t know the details of your past or the inner workings of your thoughts, Kaia. But I can feel the gentle woman underneath the determined exterior.” He took her hand, placing it on his chest. Her first thought was that the man was hot. Literally, he was really warm. She could feel the heat of his skin against her palm. He was burning up! The next thought was that his heart, the soul of this man, pounded under her fingers. She didn’t understand why that was so…exhilarating! Feeling the vitality that drove him…was heady. She could curl her fingers into his skin. She could scratch him, claw at his chest.

Instead, she soothed his skin, running her fingertips over his chest. The movement caused her whole body to tighten. She stepped closer.

“I can’t marry you, Your…” she stopped because he kissed her. It wasn’t a hard kiss as she’d half expected. And even more, it wasn’t an invasive kiss. He didn’t crush his mouth against hers as she’d seen so many people do. Even better, he didn’t shove his tongue down her throat. She’d seen one man do that and had been disgusted.

No, this man teased her lips, moving his mouth over hers, tempting her to do the same.

For a moment, she almost did. In fact, she pressed her lips against his, exploring for a brief, delicious moment. But she quickly caught herself and pulled away. She stared up at him, wondering why he’d kissed her.

“Now, you must use my first name,” he growled.

Like a lion.

A lion to her lioness!

Kaia realized in that moment that, not only was she gripping his massive shoulders, but his hands were around her waist. Even more astonishing, she found she enjoyed being held like this. Instead of the terror that would happen when she was in a man’s arms, she felt…safe. Yes, there was the sexual pull that couldn’t be ignored. However, Kaia sensed that he…she still couldn’t think of him by his first name…would protect her. Maybe even…cherish her?

The thought was so enticing, she pulled away out of reflex. Her fingers touched her lips where the sensations continued to echo. Kaia imagined she could feel the imprint of his lips on hers.

That was silly though! And Kaia was not a silly person. She couldn’t afford to be silly. She was practical and a survivor!

“Marry me, Kaia,” he repeated, his voice lower. Huskier .

“I can’t.”

“Why not?” he asked, his tone not angry, just curious. “Your sister married Zayed. She’s safe now.”

Kaia smiled, but turned away…almost tripping over her backpack which had fallen from her shoulder, sitting in a lump on the floor. With a heavy sigh, she hefted the bag back onto her shoulder, wondering at the magic he wrought that managed to make her forget her precious life preserver, if only for a moments.

“I urged Tara to apply for the assistant’s position to get her out of the United States. Elijah, the man who tried to attack Tara after her wedding, and Ethan Howell, a man you don’t ever want to meet, were getting too close and I knew that Tara was tired of running. She found a safe place here.”

“Here?”

Kaia nodded. “Yes. Here in Pitra. She needed a place to hide that was out of the country. The fact that it took her to a different continent was even better. The job as Zayed’s personal assistant gave her a bit of breathing room.” She chuckled softly, unaware of the soft smile playing across her lips. “I had no idea that she was falling in love with her boss. Every time we spoke on the phone, I could hear the growing happiness in her voice, but I thought that was because she’d finally found a place where she could relax and maybe enjoy her life a little.” She let out a breath of air and ran her hands down her denim covered thighs. “Until I arrived to warn her about Elijah’s presence, I had no idea how intense her feelings for Zayed had become.”

“Your brother-in-law is a very charming man.”

Kaia nodded, still surprised by the events of the last week. “Yes.” She thought of the pure joy that had constantly emanated from Tara since she’d married her husband. She was truly in love with Zayed. Blissfully in love!

Then Kaia sighed softly. “Tara is madly in love with Zayed. And he, apparently, feels the same. So, when he proposed, it wasn’t to protect Tara, although I know that he will protect her with his life.” She shrugged, the material of her soft, well-worn tee-shirt shifting with her gesture. “Marriage between them made sense. Marriage between us,” she waved her hand in the space between them, “would be two strangers making a mess of things.”

Riaz eyed her intently as he attempted to decipher not just her spoken words, but also the unspoken sentiments beneath them. It wasn't merely the verbal exchange he wanted to comprehend; it was the silent discourse concealed within her gaze and gestures.

The absence of certain words stung him, revealing a painful truth—that Kaia harbored doubts about her own lovableness. Her unspoken narrative echoed in the subtle nuances of her expressions, a silent symphony of hesitations and well-guarded emotions.

His understanding of Kaia's past was limited to broad strokes. He knew that she’d been raised in a deeply religious community and that both sisters bore the scars of their abuse, both externally as well as internally.

The weight of Kaia's unspoken pain tugged at him, an invisible thread connecting the dots of her untold story. With each passing moment, his desire to unravel the layers of her past intensified, motivated by an empathetic yearning to heal the wounds that he knew lingered beneath the surface.

But now that he was here, now that he’d met Kaia, he wanted to know more. He sensed that she needed him, which was a powerful aphrodisiac. Yes, Kaia needed him for the protection he could offer, the same protection that she’d rejected. However, what she felt towards him was something more, something fundamental.

Moreover, he entertained the suspicion that his growing need for her surpassed mere physical desires. While the cravings for her body and touch were undeniable, there existed a profound yearning that transcended the realm of the physical. As they stood together, the palpable sense of connection he felt with Kaia surpassed the boundaries of mere physical proximity.

He made a snap decision. “Since you won’t marry me and let me protect you as a husband, then I’ll find another way to protect you. ”

He watched her stiffen. It wasn’t from anger though. No, her not-so-subtle body language practically screamed anxiety and fear. For him?

Damn, that felt good! Not that Riaz wanted her to fear for him, but because he watched her eyes and saw her protective instinct kick into high gear. And he knew that Kaia was immediately protective of…him!

“You must stay out of this mess!” she whispered.

He glanced down, smothering a smile at the way her hands were clenched into fists, her whole body braced for a fight. Damn, she was beautiful.

His lioness!

“You can either allow me into the secrets of your past and let me help you defeat your monsters, Kaia,” he warned her softly, moving closer. “Or I will discover those monsters on my own and will crush them for you.” He shrugged, trying to appear as if her response didn’t matter to him, when in reality, it mattered a great deal.

“You can’t!”

“I can,” he countered. “And I will.” He took her hand, slowly, gently, uncurling her fingers. Lifting her hand to his lips, he kissed the center of her palm, then nipped at the tip of her thumb. She gasped at the sensation.

Riaz knew that he needed to take this slowly. Scaring her away with the intensity of their attraction wasn’t going to work. But Riaz knew that he was an expert at temptation. He would need something that fascinated his kitten, but nothing too big or his ferocious kitten would dart away, hiding underneath a sofa.

“How about this,” he offered, keeping her hand as he pressed her fingers against his chest again. He enjoyed the sensation of her fingers against him. The way her fingers curled, almost as if she couldn’t stop herself from touching him back, entranced him further. “You need a place to hide. Why don’t you come back to Bidar with me? I can sneak you onto my plane. No one will know that you are traveling with me, other than your sister, your brother-in-law, and my staff. And my staff are very discreet.”

Those pretty eyes narrowed, shimmering with doubt and wariness. “Why would I go to Bidar?”

“So you can utilize my security team’s resources.”

Her chin lifted suddenly, eyes flashing. “I don’t need your resources. I have my own.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “You will have the entire force of my security department at your disposal. I guarantee that I have certain…items…that will assist you in defeating your monsters, Kaia.”

Riaz knew that he’d dangled the appropriate enticement in front of his lioness’ nose when she bowed her head in a futile effort to hide her smile. As she lifted her head once again, he saw the light of angry determination in her pretty, green eyes. “Yes. I’ll accept your offer, Your…” she paused when he lifted an eyebrow. “Riaz.”

“Excellent!” he replied, then tucked her hand into his elbow. “We’ll leave immediately.”

She pulled back, gesturing towards the door. “Don’t you have that meeting with Zayed? Isn’t that the whole reason for your trip here to Pitra?”

He chuckled. “I signed a treaty with Pitra earlier this morning. I told Zayed about my plans to help you. Both he and your sister are fully on board with my plan.”