The Tycoon's Captured Heart (22 page)

“We’re going to be learning about…” and she started the class, focusing all of her energy on teaching the kids.  It was a challenge though.  The pink roses kept catching her eye, distracting her.  Just as memories of the man had done all night and all morning.  When she walked by her desk, she could smell the delicate scent and the color continuously caught her eye, luring her closer.  She resisted the urge as much as she could, but it was a challenge. 

By the end of the day, after her last student had gone home, her classroom cleaned up and lessons prepared for the next day, she was exhausted.  All she wanted to do was get home, curl up with a cup of tea and watch a movie.  Something non-romantic so that she wouldn’t even think about the man from the previous night or the way his eyes had shouted out a warning.  A warning that her body had certainly understood!  Was her body heeding that warning?  Absolutely not!  Nor had her mind stopped thinking about the note attached to the flowers. 

She’d peeked but it hadn’t proven anything.  All that had been written was, “Beautiful flowers for a beautiful woman.”  Nothing else, no name, no initials, not even a clue as to who might have sent them to her.

But she knew.  She hadn’t gotten a name from the mysterious man last night, but she knew the pink roses were from him.  She knew it and her heart thundered with that knowledge. 

The man didn’t play fair, she thought as she pulled her brown coat on, slid her hands into her worn out, leather gloves and grabbed her heavy tote bag filled with papers that she needed to grade tonight.  Sending anonymous flowers was cheating, she thought.  If she hadn’t been so fascinated by the man, she might think that the gesture was a bit creepy.  She should probably think it was creepy.  After all, there was no note, no name.  A little stalkerish. 

But her heart throbbed with awareness of the man and his power over her mind even from a distance. 

It was time to move on, she told herself firmly.  She should throw the flowers away.  As her hand fluttered over the light switch to her classroom, she considered doing exactly that.  But in the end, the pink roses were simply too beautiful to destroy.  And since she was never going to see the man again, what was the point? 

She flipped the light switch off and walked out of the building, waving goodbye to the other teachers who were still finishing up in their classrooms. 

She headed down the street and turned right onto Rue Sherbrook, pushing harder and making her feet walk faster.  She refused to linger over the window displays today even though the weather was nicer, the wind not nearly as sharp as it had been the day before.  When she started to approach the store that she loved so much, she slowed and bit her lip.  She should…

Instead of going straight, she turned right and headed over to Rue Sainte-Catherine where there were more stores as well as small shops and restaurants.  One of her favorite chocolate shops was over on that street as well but she ignored the call of a warm cup of hot chocolate, pushing forward to get home instead.  This street reminded her of any other metropolitan city except there were lovely old churches hidden away among the tall buildings.  If she’d turned left, she could have lost herself in McGill University, but there were more hills that way as the streets led pedestrians to the Parc du Mont-Royal, the highest point in the city.  She was already out of breath from walking so quickly.  She didn’t need to head uphill and make her trek even worse.  All she wanted to do was avoid the man in question and pretend that the stimulating interlude yesterday hadn’t happened. 

When she finally came to her apartment, which was located in one of the older homes that had been converted to smaller units a few decades ago, she breathed a sigh of relief.  And disappointment? 

No, she thought as she unlocked her door.  That was ridiculous!  She wasn’t disappointed that she hadn’t run into her stranger.  Good grief, she’d gone out of her way to make sure that she didn’t see the man! 

Her apartment was located in one of the older buildings near the Station Place-des-Arts.  Every time she walked by the swings with the musical chimes playing, she smiled, thinking how wonderful it would be to bring her own children there one day.  The chimes only played when someone swung on the swings so on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon in the spring or fall, it was like a musical heaven as all the swings were filled up with either laughing children or even adults interested in making the chimes ring. 

She climbed the stairs to her apartment, wondering what the man was doing tonight.  Was he sitting in some elegant restaurant, negotiating a huge deal for whatever company he worked for?  Or had he found a sophisticated woman with sexy legs and blond hair, sipping a glass of wine with her?  She banished that possibility, not liking the idea of her stranger with a blond woman.  Or any woman for that matter. 

Flicking on the lights, she came to a full stop for the second time today.  She’d gotten one beautiful bouquet of pink roses at her school but…wow!  The one bouquet was nothing compared to the sea of pink she was now viewing as she stood just inside the doorway.  Her tiny apartment was completely filled with pink roses!  They were everywhere!  She couldn’t even move into her apartment because the hallway was blocked by all of the vases filled with amazingly beautiful blooms.  Her apartment smelled better than a perfume counter! 

The burst of laughter that escaped her mouth was startling in the silence.  She’d dated a few guys in the past.  No one could ever call her a player in the dating world, but she’d had a flattering number of invitations. 

But no man had ever come close to this.  No man had ever done anything so outrageously extravagant. 

Carefully, so that she didn’t tumble any flower-filled vases over, she set her tote bag down and moved into her apartment, looking around in wonder and awe.  Peering into the kitchen, she realized that there was no space on the counters.  There were even bouquets of pink roses on top of her fridge.  Moving deeper into the apartment, she looked at her bedroom and blushed because, sure enough, there were pink roses on every flat surface and several on the floor.  Obviously the delivery person had run out of places to set the vases because there were about twenty of them on the floor of her den area. 

This was crazy, she thought, covering her mouth with her hand to stop herself from smiling like a loon. 

She wasn’t going to question how the man had found out where she lived.  That might be a bit too weird.  Obviously, he had resources but she hadn’t gotten the serial killer or rapist vibe from him last night.  Of course, her senses might have been off kilter because of the electricity she’d felt coming from his light touch, but she was going with her gut on this man.  He was dangerous, but not in the normal criminal manner. 

When the doorbell rang, she knew exactly who it was.  She didn’t even consider not opening the door this time.  Of course, having a huge number of roses delivered to one’s house did not make the man un-dangerous.  Not in any way.  But there was just something about the gesture that called to her.  She wanted to see him, wanted to understand what kind of man would do something so crazy. 

Sure enough, as soon as she opened the door, her eyes looked upwards to find the man’s dark eyes looking down at her. 

“Vous etes un fou,” she told him without thinking.  She couldn’t wipe the silly grin from her features even as she called him a fool in French. 

One dark eyebrow went up in reaction.  “Excuse me?” he prompted and leaned forward, handing her a single pink rose. 

She blinked and realized that she’d spoken in French instead of English and shook her head.  “Sorry.  I said you’re a fool, sir.”

His eyes lightened and she felt the temperature in the apartment increase by about twenty degrees.  “Ah, you speak French when you’re flustered.”  He moved closer.  “I think I like that about you.  Very sexy.”

Mia realized she was holding her breath and filled her lungs.  Unfortunately, the air was filled with his scent which was spicy and inviting and oh-so-alluring.  “What are you doing here?”

He smiled slightly.  “I came to see if you’d gotten my message.”

Her eyes laughed even though she wouldn’t allow herself to do the same.  She felt a girlish giggle starting to bubble up but she tamped it down mercilessly.  “That you’re insane?” she asked, gesturing behind her at all of the flowers.  Everywhere! 

His deep chuckle did something deep inside of her.  Something sinful and sexy and her body wanted to just curl up around this man and his scent as well as that shocking laughter. 

“That I would like to take you out to dinner tonight.”

She pulled back, surprised that he looked serious.  “Really?”

His hands moved up to turn her ever so slightly towards the banquet of roses.  “It was in the note.”

She was confused and looked back up at him.  “The note?” Why couldn’t she stop staring at him?  He was a devastatingly handsome man, but that shouldn’t mean anything to her.  She should be looking inward, towards who he was as a person.  Was she truly so superficial?

“There was a note,” he confirmed, nodding his head slightly. 

She sighed.  “You’ve got to be kidding, right?  I just got home and saw all of this.  There’s no way I would be able to find a note in this gesture.”

Ramzi watched the beautiful woman carefully, enjoying the way she blushed when he moved closer, sighed when he stepped slightly away from her and lowered those long, dark lashes when she tried to hide both reactions from him.  She was right here with him, her attraction just as strong as what he was feeling towards her. 

For the first time, he looked in at her apartment and noticed the sea of pink.  He’d been so intent on watching her animated features that he hadn’t noticed the insane number of flowers.  Her apartment was indeed filled to the brim with flowers.  “I didn’t realize that your home was so small,” he explained with another deep chuckle.  He stepped past her and glanced around.  When he found what he was looking for, he lifted the small, white envelope out of the bouquet and handed it to her. 

“I believe this will explain.”

Mia’s eyes filled with amusement but she accepted the envelope, pulling out the card.  “Dinner tonight.  Seven o’clock.” 

“That’s all?” she asked, laughing softly at the note that was more of a command than a request for a date.  “It wasn’t even a question, sir.  And no, I don’t know your name so there’s no possibility of me going out to dinner with you.”

He leaned forward, backing her against the wall.  “Pasta covered in cheese and sauce, maybe some seafood mixed in with lots of garlic, bread with real butter,” he said the words softly, as if they were a caress and she felt them all the way down to her toes. 

“Real butter?” she whispered, her eyes dropping to his lips.  “I don’t eat real butter,” she replied.

His hand came up, a long finger sliding down her cheek to caress her and to appease his curiosity at what she would feel like.  “Tonight, live on the wild side and have real butter.  And chocolate dessert with extra cream and top off the evening with…” he almost said “me” but held back, instinctively knowing that he’d have to move slower with this woman, “the most excellent brandy you’ve ever tasted.”

Mia unconsciously licked her lips and sighed.  “I can’t imagine the most excellent brandy,” she replied back, falling under his spell even though she knew she should kick him out and run as far away from him as she could. 

His smile grew with her words.  “Then I shall have to teach you about the fabulous world of brandy.”

“Brandy,” she whispered, sensing he was coming closer but her mind couldn’t focus on his proximity.  Only his mouth and his incredible, masculine smell that was now surrounding her.  Brandy might be nice, but this man’s scent was the most potent aphrodisiac she’d ever experienced. 

“Among other things,” he returned.

Mia shivered at the idea of “other things”.  She wanted to know what he might be referring to, but her lips couldn’t form the words.  A part of her was too afraid of those “other things”.  She knew she should not want those “other things”. 

But she did!  Oh, goodness, she wanted those “other things” with this man so badly, she could almost taste them!  In less than twenty-four hours and with only a smattering of conversation between them, she was almost panting after this man with a scandalous lack of decorum.

If you enjoyed this excerpt, look for Pregnant with the Sheik’s Baby at your favorite e-book retailer.  It’s available for preorder now!

The Texas Tycoon’s Temptation

The Royal Cordova Trilogy

Escaping a Royal Wedding

The Man’s Outrageous Demands

Mistress to the Prince

The Attracelli Family Series

Never Dare a Tycoon

Falling For the Boss

Risky Negotiations

Proposal to Love

Love's Not Terrifying

Romantic Acquisition

The Billionaire's Terms: Prison Or Passion

The Sheik's Love Child

The Sheik's Unfinished Business

The Greek Tycoon's Lover

The Sheik's Sensuous Trap

The Greek's Baby Bargain

The Italian's Bedroom Deal

The Billionaire's Gamble

The Tycoon's Seduction Plan

The Sheik's Rebellious Mistress

The Sheik's Missing Bride

Blackmailed by the Billionaire

The Billionaire's Runaway Bride

The Billionaire's Elusive Lover

The Intimate, Intricate Rescue

The Sisterhood Trilogy

The Sheik's Virgin Lover

The Billionaire's Impulsive Lover

The Russian's Tender Lover

The Billionaire's Gentle Rescue

The Tycoon's Toddler Surprise

The Tycoon's Tender Triumph

The Friends Forever Series

The Sheik's Mysterious Mistress

The Duke's Willful Wife

The Tycoon's Marriage Exchange

The Sheik's Secret Twins

The Russian's Furious Fiancée

The Tycoon's Misunderstood Bride

Love By Accident Series

The Sheik's Pregnant Lover

The Sheik's Furious Bride

The Duke's Runaway Princess

The Russian's Pregnant Mistress

The Lovers Exchange Series

The Earl's Outrageous Lover

The Tycoon's Resistant Lover

The Sheik's Reluctant Lover

The Spanish Tycoon's Temptress

The Berutelli Escape

Resisting The Tycoon's Seduction

The Billionaire’s Secretive Enchantress

The Big Apple Brotherhood

The Billionaire’s Pregnant Lover

The Sheik’s Rediscovered Lover

The Tycoon’s Defiant Southern Belle

The Sheik’s Dangerous Lover (Novella)

The Thorpe Brothers

His Captive Lover

His Unexpected Lover

His Secretive Lover

His Challenging Lover

The Sheik’s Defiant Fiancée (Novella)

The Prince’s Resistant Lover (Novella)

The Tycoon’s Make-Believe Fiancée (Novella)

The Friendship Series

The Billionaire’s Masquerade

The Russian’s Dangerous Game

The Sheik’s Beautiful Intruder

The Love and Danger Series – Romantic Mysteries

Intimate Desires

Intimate Caresses

Intimate Secrets

Intimate Whispers

The Alfieri Saga

The Italian’s Passionate Return (Novella)

Her Gentle Capture

His Reluctant Lover

Her Unexpected Admirer

Her Tender Tyrant

Releasing the Billionaire’s Passion (Novella)

His Expectant Lover

The Sheik’s Intimate Proposition (Novella)

The Hart Sisters Trilogy

The Billionaire’s Secret Marriage

The Italian’s Twin Surprise

The Forbidden Russian Lover

The War, Love, and Harmony Series

Fighting with the Infuriating Prince (Novella)

Dancing with the Dangerous Prince (Novella)

The Sheik’s Secret Bride

The Sheik’s Angry Bride

The Sheik’s Blackmailed Bride

The Sheik’s Convenient Bride

The Boarding School Series

The Boarding School Series Introduction

The Greek’s Forgotten Wife

The Duke’s Blackmailed Bride

The Russian’s Runaway Bride

The Sheik’s Baby Surprise

The Tycoon’s Captured Heart

The Samara Royal Family Series – February 2016 to June 2016

The Samara Royal Family Series Introduction

Pregnant with the Sheik’s Baby

The Prince’s Intimate Abduction

The Prince’s Forbidden Lover

The Sheik’s Captured Princess

The Sheik’s Jealous Princess