Sheikh's Command by Sophia Lynn

different people …”
    He looked her right in the eyes, his gaze so dark and intense that she stammered to a stop.
    “They have raised a daughter with skill and honor, though from what you have told me, you are simply a miracle rather than the result of any effort of theirs. They should be proud of you, and if they are not, then that is their loss.”
    Unaccountably, she felt tears prickle at her eyes. Olivia blinked furiously and dug into her omelet, unwilling to give in to those emotions in front of this man. When she had taken a few bites, she felt better able to speak with him without bursting into tears.
    “So you said we'd talk today.”
    He sighed, almost comically. She had thought that he was a handsome man when she had first seen him in the street. He certainly was beautiful when he was naked. However, there was something strange about seeing him in the bright morning sunlight, drying hair revealing a slight surprising curl in its length, and barefoot eating his breakfast. He was still handsome, but more than that, there was something strangely touchable about him. There was something about Makeen in this mode that made her want to walk over and plant a kiss on his cheek.
    “I did say that, didn't I? Very well, Olivia, … what do you think you are doing here?”
    She blinked at him. Of all things, she figured that they had at least covered that one. “I came here to save my brother. I'm meant to be doing whatever you tell me to do.”
    He flinched a little at that, making her think of how he had looked the night before. Before she could shrink into herself, however, he reached across the island and squeezed her hand.
    “I am here because a beautiful woman made me an offer,” he said softly. “I'll admit, I am just a man. When you offer me anything I want … there is a place that my mind goes. However, no matter what you might say to the contrary, that is not something I can indulge in right now.”
    Olivia bit her lip. “Why not?” she asked.
    “Because when I agreed, I should have been playing the long game. I … I don't want you to lie in bed, your eyes closed and thinking of anything to remove yourself from the situation. I want you to be there with me. I want you to breathe us in and to truly feel what I feel when we make love.”
    His words took her breath away, and in that moment, it was all she could do not to simply take his hand and take him to bed. However, he wasn't done yet.
    “And the entire time we have known each other, we have been running. We have been scheming and moving and learning and there has been no time at all to simply stop. To learn each other. That is what we need, and that is what I want this month to be about. Do you think that that is something you could give to me, Olivia?”
    She hesitated. He was asking for a great deal more than simply her body in his bed. Somehow, the idea of giving him her body was far less frightening than the idea of giving him what he was asking for now. He wanted something deeply personal, something that wasn't just her body, but her. She had never given that to another person. She wasn't sure she could.
    Olivia started to tell him so, but then she met his eyes. She had always thought that they were black, but with the morning sun, she could see that they were actually the deepest velvety brown. There was something frankly pleading there, and it was not within her ability then to deny him.
    “All right,” she whispered. “I … I will try. I can't promise you anything …”
    He broke into a wide grin. There was something boyish about it that touched her heart. Suddenly it felt as if a great weight had rolled off of her shoulders. Something that had been sitting dark and grim on her for years suddenly disappeared.
    “All I ask is that you try,” he said. “That is all I wish, I swear.”
    “I'll try,” she repeated, and for the first time, she thought that there might be something between them that was more than just