I Married A Sheikh. Sharon De Vita

      It angered him, and yes, hurt just a bit because it mattered what she thought of him and he had no idea why.

      “What kind of man do you think I am?” He parroted her question back to her, his voice filled with the emotion he was struggling to contain.

      Faith merely blinked at him, trying not to respond to his closeness, his temper, his presence. In spite of her anger at him, he was a powerful man, and that blatant power radiated from him like sun off a sidewalk.

      If she was a woman who could be intimidated, she’d be quaking in her shoes right now. A host of conflicting feelings battered her, but anger and disappointment ruled.

      Ali nodded. “I see.” He held up his hand as she opened her mouth to speak. “I believe your eyes tell me all I need to know.” He hesitated, letting his gaze travel over her face, seeing the sadness, the tears in her eyes.

      Though her words had been sharp, her face was pained. Something inside of him reacted instinctively.

      She was angry, but she was also hurt. At the moment, she did not look strong and capable, but fragile and more than a little vulnerable. It tugged at something deep inside, making him want to comfort her, to ease whatever ache had put that pain in her eyes.

      What had caused such despair in her, he wondered idly.

      “I am sorry, Faith, that your opinion of me is so low.” His words softened and his gaze stayed on hers. “It is most regrettable.” He took a slow, deep breath. “But since you obviously have such a low opinion of me, perhaps you would prefer that I hire someone else to complete this job?”

      Panic clutched her heart, sweeping away other emotions. She was counting on the funds this job would bring in, and cursed her tongue.

      Mentally, she gave herself a shake. What Ali did and said to his friends and clients was none of her concern. If he wanted to lie until his nose grew so big he had to back into a room, that was his business. Not hers.

      She was supposed to remain detached from him, and her own emotions.

      But from the moment she’d laid eyes on him she knew he’d had an uncommon effect on her both physically and emotionally.

      Who he was, what he represented to her had caused her to react emotionally in a way that was so unlike her.

      The impact he had on her, the reaction he caused, the feelings and emotions he aroused on a totally different plane—on a man-to-woman level—terrified her in a way nothing had in a long, long time.

      Perhaps that was why she had such a difficult time remaining detached.

      She knew these things, and had hoped that she could simply ignore them and go about her business without letting them interfere.

      She’d been wrong.

      She’d promised herself she’d stay uninvolved and unemotional. She’d just broken her own rules, and now it might cost her this job.

      “Are you firing me?” she asked carefully, cursing the small catch in her voice.

      Consciously, she forced herself to take a deep breath and to relax, uncurling her fists. She was suddenly so tense, the muscles in her neck were cramped.

      “I am not.” His gaze never left hers. She could not read the emotion that darkened his eyes. “I am merely asking if perhaps you would prefer not to work for me because I am obviously so…repugnant to you.”

      Guilt washed over her like a steady rain, and Faith immediately felt contrite. “I’m sorry.” With a weary sigh, she pushed a few strands of hair off her cheek, struggling for control. “I don’t find you repugnant, Ali.” Her voice was soft and she realized she spoke the truth. “And I apologize if I gave you that impression. It’s really none of my concern how you run your business.”

      “True.”

      “It’s just…” She paused, at a loss to explain her feelings.

      “Sometimes, Faith,” he said softly, unable to resist stroking a finger down her cheek, brushing aside a wayward strand of hair, “a lie is not necessarily a bad thing.”

      The impact of his words, words she’d heard so many times as a child had her insides trembling.

      So he admitted he didn’t think lying to someone he cared about was a bad thing. His words merely confirmed her worst fears about him.

      Raw disappointment etched a place in her heart, right alongside the one her father had carved so many years ago.

      It was none of her business, she reminded herself firmly. It was no concern of hers what he did or who he hurt or who he lied to. She needed this job, and she had no desire to anger him further.

      “Well, if there’s nothing else, I’d better get back to work.” She wanted to get away from him, to forget the scene she just witnessed. To put him and his damning words and deeds out of her mind.

      Realizing that he could say nothing further on the subject, Ali nodded in agreement. “Thank you for bringing me up to date. I will have Kadid make certain you have everything you need in order to get started first thing in the morning.”

      “Fine.” She stepped around him, went to the table and gathered her notes, then walked toward the doors. She didn’t look back at him, she couldn’t. She didn’t want him to see the tears she couldn’t hold back any longer.