by Leslie North
“Hence the food,” he chuckled.
“You are weirdly obsessed with my eating habits,” she observed, holding up a grape. Grabbing her wrist, he leaned toward her and took the grape from her fingers, biting into the juicy flesh. Before she could complain, he plucked another grape and touched it to her lips. Accepting it, she licked the tips of his fingers, enjoying his darkening gaze.
So much for taking a break from crazed lust.
“You’re my responsibility, and you’re eating for two. I want to make sure that you’re taking care of yourself.”
His voice betrayed no evidence that her pregnancy bothered him at all. She was the only person with fantasies of a future together. “I’m not your responsibility,” she grumbled as she lifted the tray and tried to slide off his lap. He slipped his arm around her and pulled her back.
“Why is it that whenever I bring up your child, you get unreasonably angry?” he asked in a calm voice.
“I don’t get unreasonably angry,” she said defensively. “My baby is a very personal thing, and I don’t need someone who has nothing to do with my child or doesn’t care about my child to pretend that it’s on his mind!”
She expected him to let her go so that he could stomp out or yell at her, but instead, he spread his fingers over her abdomen. “I think you’re lying,” he murmured. “I think that you don’t like me talking about your baby because you don’t want to talk about your baby. I’m fairly certain that Natalie is the person to talk to about this, but if you’d feel more comfortable talking to me, go ahead.”
“You want me to talk about my unborn child with you?”
“If it helps ease all the tension that you carry in your shoulders, then yes.”
“You don’t think that me being hunted by rebels or living in a palace where every little thing costs more than I make in a year or sleeping with a sheikh is making me tense?” she teased lightly.
“No. I don’t.”
With a sigh, she settled back down and started picking at a roll. “I didn’t just run away from my ass of an ex-boyfriend. I thought that I could run away from being a mother, but obviously, that’s not the case. I’ve never thought of myself becoming a mother. I thought I’d be this kick-ass career woman who was still busting balls at the age of fifty and looking great in power suits…but to have that, you can’t have a family. I wanted to make a difference in the world. I never thought I’d be part of a family.”
“So why can’t you have both? Why can’t you be kicking ass and changing the world and be a mother?”
“You can’t be good at both.” Danielle closed her eyes. “My own mother was a strong woman. She was big in local politics. We used to joke that if we had more money, she probably would have been president, but she was honest and stubborn, and she really made a difference. She defended historical landmarks and environmentally protected parks. She spearheaded campaigns to improve local school lunches. Small stuff in the scheme of things, but huge breakthroughs for our county.”
“You looked up to her.” He continued to stroke her abdomen, and she found the move oddly soothing.
“No, actually I didn’t,” she admitted. “Not until she was gone. See, while she was a hero to everyone else, she was a crummy mother to me. She never came to dance recitals or school plays. She never showed up to softball games or took me to amusement parks. My father always did those things. I learned at a young age that you can’t be a good mother and a good career woman. After she died, I realized that I’d looked up to her more than I wanted to admit to myself. I wanted to make a difference, too.”
“So you got a job as a paralegal?”
“I’d hoped to save up enough money to go to law school. Not so that I could practice law but because I wanted to take my mother’s place on the types of boards she’d presided over. I was going to give it my all.”
Reaching over to the tray, he picked up another strawberry, a silent reminder that she was supposed to be eating. “So are you planning on putting those dreams on hold because you’re pregnant?”
“I’m going to be a mother. I’m not sure I’m going to be any good at it, but I know that I won’t if I try to split my time.” She let her arms fall to her sides and turned to look out the window. “When I learned I was pregnant, I was so angry. I thought my whole life was ruined. I’ve done nothing but resent this fetus from day one, but when I was shopping in the market and saw that teddy bear….”
“You felt a connection.”
“Something like that. And then I was kidnapped, and I was afraid I was going to lose the baby. They could have killed me. They could have landed a blow in the wrong place.” She shook her head and took a shuddering breath. “I don’t like talking about my baby because sometimes I feel that this is all my fault. If I had owned up to my responsibilities, if I hadn’t run, I never would have put my baby in danger. I’m already failing.”
“You’re not failing, Danielle. What happened to you was not your fault, and you don’t have to do this alone. I promise that I’m not going to let anything else happen to you.” He pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed it.
“Until you can find a way to get rid of the rebellion. Then what?” She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. She already knew what the answer was going to be, but she also knew that she needed to hear it. She needed to hear the truth so she could face the reality.
“What if I were to tell you that I didn’t want you to leave?” he whispered. “What if I told you that I like having you around and not only for sex?”
Danielle held her breath. That was certainly not the answer she was expecting to hear. “I guess I would ask what you expected to happen when this was all over. You wouldn’t want to raise another man’s child.”
“How we presented things to the public would be tricky, but I’d say that we could take things day by day.”
Just like that, her dreams were dashed. She wasn’t going to be anything more than a mistress to him. How humiliating was that?
“What if I can’t live with that? What if, instead, I want you to let me go so I can find my own way? To plant roots somewhere else, some place stable, so I can raise my child?”
Instead of answering her, he took the tray and let it fall to the floor. Pushing her up gently, he twisted her shoulders until she turned, and then he pulled her back over his lap. She straddled him like it was the most natural thing in the world and didn’t resist when he kissed her.
He wasn’t ever going to be able to offer her any more than this, and she would have to be okay with that. In the meantime, she’d revel in his touch and milk the moments for all they worth, until she knew that it was time to walk away before it was too late.
As he undid the buttons of the shirt, she rubbed herself over the hard erection rising beneath the fabric of his pants and greedily accepted everything he offered.
A long time passed before either of them spoke again.
11
Danielle was pulling away from him. Riyad could tell. Ever since he’d cautiously broached the subject of her staying, she’d been far more guarded. She didn’t give herself nearly as much in bed, and whenever he tried to broach the subject again, she’d simply straddle him, touching and kissing him until he couldn’t begin to think of talking.
“You know, most men pay me far more attention,” Shaia said wryly.
Blinking, Riyad returned his attention to his target. “I think we’ve already established that I’m not most men,” he said with his most charming smile. It was his third visit with the woman, and he hadn’t been able to get any information out of her. Of course, he also hadn’t attempted to get her into bed.
Much to Atif’s annoyance.
“Yes, but I’m growing weary of coffee dates,” she said dryly, pushing her cup away as she glanced around the busy cafe. “If I wanted to drink coffee, I could have stayed home.” She dropped her voice to a lush, throaty promise and looked at him from under half-closed eyelids. “If you would like some coffee,
you’re welcome to come home with me.”
It was his opening, and if he turned her down again, he had a feeling she’d stop accepting his invitations. He shouldn’t have any qualms about seducing the woman. He’d been doing this kind of thing for years, and back at the palace, Danielle was making it more than clear that she didn’t want a future with him.
So why didn’t he have this beautiful woman naked yet?
“I think I would like that very much,” he said smoothly as he rose from his seat.
Her eyes widened in surprise, but she looked pleased.
Rather than taking them back to Antar’s palace, Shaia gave the driver the address for a separate apartment that she kept, which only strengthened Riyad’s belief that she might turn on her lover.
“Do you really want coffee?” she asked as she unlocked the door and they walked in. “Or did you have something else in mind?”
The opening was there. All Riyad had to do was touch her, and she’d melt for him. The silence stretched on, and all he could think about was Danielle. “Maybe a coffee to help give me the fuel that we’ll need,” he said with a wink as he sat down at the table.
He was losing his touch.
To his surprise, Shaia instead walked toward the table and hopped onto the surface. In one smooth move, she lifted her leg over his head so that her pussy was right at eye-level. Her skirt rode up on her thighs, and he could see a glimpse of her panties.
“From what I hear, you don’t need fuel,” she said as she leaned forward and ran her fingers through his hair. “I don’t need wooing, Sheikh Riyad. I’m not that kind of woman. Touch me.”
His heart pounded, and blood roared in his ears. She was right there, ripe for the taking, and still….
To his surprise, she burst out laughing and quickly slipped off the table. “I wish I could take a picture of your face. You’re as pale as a ghost.”
“What?” Frowning, Riyad stood. “What are you talking about?”
“First of all, I’m insulted that you would think I’m so easily seduced. I’m not an idiot, Riyad. A man like you would know that I’m Miksa’s lover. You wouldn’t dare seduce me and risk making an enemy of him.” Turning, she crossed her arms and looked at him. “Which means, you’re not interested in me at all. You want information.”
His plan was rapidly falling apart. “I….”
Waving her hand to silence him, she spoke quickly. “Second, it’s so obvious that you aren’t the least bit interested in me. If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I certainly wouldn’t have believed it, but you, Sheikh Riyad, are in love.” She smiled and tilted her head, her tone slightly mocking. “Is monogamy calling your name?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he growled. “Simply because I’m enjoying the attentions of another woman at the moment doesn’t mean I’m in love.”
Shaia studied him for a moment before she turned away, walked back into the kitchen, and grabbed a teakettle. “I have a confession. I’m not really a coffee lover. Is tea okay?”
“Excuse me?” He felt strangely disoriented. She wanted him to stay?
“If we’re going to discuss your lover, then I suppose we should also talk about what you want from me.” As she filled the teakettle, she looked at him expectantly. “Miksa is a wealthy and powerful man. I assume that you want to ferret out information from me. Some sort of pillow talk between lovers?”
“You’re joking about it, but the truth is that someone with power is threatening my brother’s reign in Haamas,” Riyad informed her as he sat back down. “I have information that points to Miksa. If you know something….”
“I know everything.” She turned on the stove, set the kettle over the heat, and leaned against the counter. “I am not Miksa’s whore or paramour. I am his wife. We married quietly three months ago. He hides nothing from me because he has no reason to.” Her tone softened. “I am in love with my husband, and I would never betray him. I’m also not the kind of woman to marry a man who would attempt to ruin kingdoms. He’s a good man, and I think, deep down, you know that.”
Riyad’s head was spinning. “You two are married? I was under the impression that you were an escort.”
“I was.” She smiled tenderly as if recalling a memory. “I’ve decorated the arms of many powerful men but never their beds, which was hard for most to believe. I was destined to live a life where I was appreciated but never loved. All that changed when I met Miksa. He required a last-minute companion for a gala in Paris, and from our very first dance, I was in love. He felt the same way.”
“The press has spent quite a bit of time gossiping about you.”
“Yes. It was difficult in the beginning, especially for him. There were nights when I wasn’t sure love would be enough, but we prevailed over every obstacle. He asked me to marry him six months ago. He promised me the wedding of my dreams, but he was all I wanted. I preferred a quiet ceremony to a huge celebration that would attract criticism. I asked him if we could have a few months to enjoy our new life before I started wearing the ring in public.”
It struck him to the core that Miksa and Shaia were able to move past public scrutiny and find a way to stay together.
She turned away as the kettle started to whistle, but she must have read the jealousy on his face, for she said, “You are in love with someone you cannot keep.”
“You don’t know?” If Shaia didn’t know about his lover, chances were good that Miksa didn’t, either, which would mean that he hadn’t been the one to order Danielle’s kidnapping. What if this whole thing had been a wild goose chase?
“How would I know?” she laughed. “Your dalliances are all the rage on the social blogs. I haven’t seen even the hint of a relationship. Of course, we spent a month of our honeymoon hiding out in a private villa in the Caribbean. No internet. No cell service. I thought I’d go crazy, but it turned out to be the most romantic month of my life.”
“A month?” Riyad frowned. “You and Miksa spent a month without any connection to the outside world?”
“It was his idea. He wanted to prove that he loved me more than his business. Of course, if there was an issue, I have no doubt someone would have traipsed out there in a helicopter and retrieved him, but no emergencies came up. Just us, the sand, and the ocean.”
There wasn’t a chance in hell that Miksa had been running a rebellion at the same time he’d married and had gone into seclusion on a month-long honeymoon.
Riyad’s gut reaction was right, and Atif was wrong. Miksa was not their man.
“She’s an American,” Riyad said suddenly. “I met her in a lounge. It was supposed to be a one-night stand, but then things became complicated.”
“You fell in love with her?”
“I nearly got her killed. The rebels have gotten sloppy and dangerous.” Riyad hesitated. Was he making a bad decision in telling Shaia this?
She steeped the tea and brought him a mug. “If anyone can keep a secret, I can,” she reminded him.
“They discovered that she was pregnant. They assumed the child was mine and hoped to use her as leverage. Only days after meeting me, she was kidnapped and ransomed, not for money, but for political reasons.”
“Oh, dear.” She shook her head. “And your brothers have decided that you can’t be with someone who’s carrying another man’s child?”
Riyad shook his head. “They don’t know that it’s serious. I want her to stay. I don’t really know why, but I’m not ready to give her up. I’d keep her safe and protected, and she and the child would want for nothing….”
“She doesn’t want to be a kept woman, and for good reason,” Shaia frowned. “What were you thinking?”
“I never said those words, and I would never think of her like that!”
Shaia rolled her eyes. “Sometimes I think you men have absolutely no sense in your heads whatsoever.” She headed back to the kitchen and grabbed her own mug and another.
As she sat back down, Riyad cocked his head. “A
re we expecting someone?”
“Your Royal Highness, you don’t really think I would bring you back here to seduce you and not tell my husband? He’ll be joining us shortly.” She smiled mysteriously. “I have a feeling that if you’re upfront with him, he’ll be able to clear up whatever misunderstanding you’re operating under. In the meantime, let’s talk about how you plan on making things right with this woman.”
Suddenly, Riyad was all too eager to see the man he had thought he was going to have to kill.
12
“So there was this restaurant on the corner where I used to live that made the most fantastic fish tacos, and I missed them so much while I was here that I sort of drove the cook insane when I tried to convince her to recreate them. After about a month, she managed to hit it right on the head!” Amy announced as she and Natalie bustled into the suite, uninvited.
Danielle didn’t bother to look surprised. She was used to sudden entrances by now. Whenever Riyad was gone for any extended length of time, he apparently sent in the babysitters.
Only this time, they weren’t alone.
Danielle had seen enough pictures around the palace to recognize Taslima Karawi, the matriarch of the Karawi family. Having no idea how to address the older woman, she stood awkwardly and tried to curtsy. Instead, she ended up managing to hit one of the dining chairs with her wrist, sending it sideways with a loud crash.
Feeling her cheeks redden, a string of curses escaped her before she stopped herself in absolute horror.
Natalie and Amy both burst out laughing, and even Taslima cracked a smile. “My dear, there is no need for any of that. You are a personal guest of my son, and so I consider you a friend. There is no need to put on airs. I apologize that I haven’t gotten here sooner. Iman bullied me into staying longer with my friend. He feared for my safety, although I think what he was really doing was trying to keep me away from you.”