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miscalculation on his part. He had not anticipated his body’s reaction to such a simple thing. He had far too much experience for a mere kiss to fire his blood.
    And yet kissing Isabella had done just that. His body was still hard, and a dark, physical need was gripping him. There was no denying that in a physical sense he desired her. And she was the one woman he was forbidden to touch.
    But it was a simple matter of control. And once he had made his decision he would not deviate from it. He never did.

CHAPTER THREE
    I SABELLA surfaced quietly the next morning, creeping out of the sparsely furnished bedroom and into the main living area. Her eyes were puffy from crying and from lack of sleep. But the moments of indulgence had been worth it in a way. And now she was done with feeling sorry for herself.
    She pulled her thick hair up into a ponytail and walked through the expansive living room and into the kitchen. She took an apple out of a fruit bowl on the counter and sat down at the small dining table.
    Adham strode into the room a moment later, his crisp white shirt open at the collar, revealing a V of golden muscular chest. His black hair was wet and curling around the neck of his shirt. He smelled fresh, clean and wholly male, his natural scent spiked with a hint of sandalwood—exotic, spicy, and completely erotic. She couldn’t remember ever noticing the scent of a man before. Her father’s cologne, her brother’s aftershave, but never the scent that was beneath the product. She noticed it now. It made her lungs feel tight, as if she couldn’t bring in enough air.
    She placed the apple on the table. “Good morning.”
    He gave her a skeptical look, one that told her he quite plainly disagreed, and jerked the refrigerator dooropen, turning his attention to hunting for food. “Have you eaten?”
    She shook her head mutely, before realizing that he couldn’t see her. “No. I just got up.”
    “Late nights prowling the street do tend to make one tired.”
    She gritted her teeth to bite back all the angry words that were swirling in her head, all the justification and excuses. None of it would matter to him. As far as he was concerned she was simply a package for him to deliver. “So I’m discovering.”
    He closed the fridge abruptly and straightened, training his dark, impenetrable gaze on her. “Never endanger yourself like that again, Isabella. You do not understand how dangerous the world is. How can you?”
    “I live surrounded by bodyguards. I understand that life is dangerous.”
    “Do you? Because you did not seem like a woman who understood that last night.”
    “I didn’t really imagine that the neighborhood around your upscale penthouse would pose a danger.”
    “Danger can be anywhere. Even in the most luxurious surroundings. Especially there.”
    The dark note in his voice told her he spoke from an experience she couldn’t begin to understand. His scars ran deep. Those on the surface were only a glimpse of what was beneath. But it didn’t repel her. It only made her curious about the man who was the Sheikh’s most trusted employee. The man who seemed to have no fear for himself, yet feared for her safety.
    He took her apple from its spot on the table and placed it back in the fruit bowl. “Let’s go to a café. You can see more of the city.”
    Wariness along with a small surge of hope flared to life inside her. “I thought you didn’t babysit.”
    “I don’t. Consider this your guided tour of life.”
    “What changed your mind?” she asked, apprehension combining with excitement now, and her stomach tightening with anticipation.
    “It has nothing to do with me. It’s what Hassan wants. If it were up to me you would be on a plane to Umarah right now and would no longer be my problem. But your future husband has seen fit to allow you to have your
life experiences.
Within reason, of course.”
    She imagined it was what prisoners might feel like when they found out that their