To Touch a Sheikh. Olivia Gates

sensation spread inside her. She would have been the one fearing for her safety, or at least feeling uncomfortable, with any other man. But with Amjad she felt totally safe, totally at ease.

      She blew into her simmering spoon, licked at its surface. She groaned as the complex flavor hit her taste buds. She hoovered the rest, yelping as it scalded her, then did the same thing again and again.

      After a moment of watching her ravenous demonstration, he said, “It’s nutmeg, chives, garlic, lime shavings and sumac. But you’ll understand if I don’t reveal the exact ratio.”

      “What good would that be, if I don’t know the counter-concoction?”

      He gave her a mock-conceding nod, began to eat.

      She’d attended banquets he’d organized in the past, forgetting to eat as she lost herself in the pleasure of watching his feline focus and fastidiousness. She suspected he used the absorption in his meal to discourage interaction.