by Leslie North
She came again and felt him follow her over the edge, filling her with his seed. A laugh rose and caught in her throat—no need to worry about that now—but the thought drifted out of her mind as quickly as it had appeared, sinking into the pleasant ache of her muscles. Malik panted against her shoulder, and she worked her fingers into his hair.
“Thank you,” she said, though she didn’t know quite what she was thanking him for.
Malik lifted his head and looked at her with one eyebrow arched, wickedness shining in his eyes. “I think what you mean to say is please.”
11
Holly’s back pressed into Malik’s chest, her breathing deep and even, and the sensation of that gentle press and release brought him out of his sleep. It happened so softly that at first he didn’t register the intimate weight of her in his arms, but once he did, nothing had ever felt better.
All right—that wasn’t exactly true. What they’d done last night had felt transcendent. Like something that had come down from another plane. All three times.
How could he have let her walk out of that sitting room when he had seen the tears in her eyes? Malik was sure Holly had forgiven him, if she’d even been upset with him for it, but… He breathed the warm scent of her skin in and let himself feel the knot of guilt at the base of his stomach. It was very nearly covered over with the contentedness that last night had brought…but not quite.
Something else nagged at him, too. What was it that she’d wanted to talk about? He’d seen a heaviness in her eyes when he came into her room that seemed like it had to be about something bigger than whether they should sleep together or not. Maybe she was still stung by the details of the oasis. He could see that being the case, though he couldn’t quite understand it. That property had never been on the table in the first place. Sure, he could have handled it better, but there was nothing he could do to change that now. He could only go forward.
And today was a new day, bright and fresh. The sun would be up soon—he could tell from the light filtering through the curtains.
Holly was in his bed. Or rather, he was in hers, something that felt right, all the way to his very bones.
What could possibly go wrong?
He put his worries out of his mind and focused on the reality of now, on the reality of her in his arms, the scent of her hair, the softness of her skin…
She stirred, pressing back harder against him, and Malik’s heart railed against his ribs like it wanted to jump out of his chest and into hers. Malik lifted his head and pressed his lips into the sleep-flushed side of her neck.
“Mmm,” murmured Holly, “Malik.” She stretched her legs, then brought her toes back against his calves. He could feel each one, and the intimacy of it took his breath away.
“Hi.” He ran his hand up and down her side.
There was a long, cozy silence, and then Holly let out a breath. “There’s something I should tell you.”
He chuckled. “Oh? Is it about last night?”
She huffed a laugh. “No, not about last night.”
“Tell me.”
Her body tensed next to his, and Malik’s heart beat faster. He’d thought they were still in that early morning bubble together, but that tiny movement reverberated through him like a crack in the Earth’s surface. His mind whirled through the possibilities, and the next few moments dripped by at an agonizing pace.
“I’m pregnant, and…you’re the only person I’ve been with.” Holly didn’t whisper the words, but she waited several heartbeats to turn and face him. “Did you hear me?”
Malik’s chest had gone cold and tight, then expanded in a burst of warmth that shot all the way down to his fingertips. Pregnant. The word echoed over and over, rattling between his ears. He cleared his throat, forcing his voice back into action. “Pregnant,” he repeated. “I heard you.”
Holly bit her lip. “Are you…upset?”
“Upset?” The world around him felt simultaneously enormous and contained all in Holly’s eyes. “I’m surprised.” He let out a laugh that felt like a hundred balloons rising. “I…shouldn’t be surprised, thinking of it now, the way…” The way they hadn’t searched for a condom. The way Holly’s body against his had seemed to sweep him away entirely. “I’m not upset.” He leaned down and kissed her. “We have to get up.”
“What?”
“We should get up, get going.” Malik threw his legs over the side of the bed and offered his hands to Holly. “We should make an appointment.”
Holly laughed out loud, her voice tinged with disbelief. “It’s early yet. Maybe too early for an appointment with an OB, if that’s what you’re talking about.”
“That is what I’m talking about. And I don’t care how early it is. I want to make sure you and the baby are healthy.” He grabbed his phone from the bedside table and scrolled through his contacts. His sister would know who the best women’s health doctors in the country were.
“Malik?”
He looked up into Holly’s eyes. “Yes?”
“You’re sure this is…this is okay?”
He had no response other than to take her in his arms and kiss her, long and slow and deep.
“And right here…” Dr. Najjar pointed at the screen of the ultrasound. “…is a second gestational sac.”
Malik blinked at the screen. The two dots there were so tiny, swimming in a sea of black. “Twins?”
“Twins.” The doctor turned to face them in the dim room, expression cautious. “It’s not usual to have an ultrasound this early, so I can’t guarantee that both of them will grow to term. But right now, yes. Twins.”
Was it possible that his heart was actually pulsing in his throat? He swallowed the beat back down and squeezed Holly’s hand.
“Twins,” she whispered, staring at the screen. The glow washed her out, but she wasn’t smiling. Holly’s brow furrowed.
“I’ll leave you two to talk,” said Dr. Najjar. She was the top obstetrician in the country, and her practice was on the opposite side of the city from the palace. She’d agreed to see them within the hour of Malik’s call. She removed the ultrasound wand from under the sheet covering Holly’s legs, set the station in order, and shook Malik’s hand. “Congratulations, Sheikh Malik.” Dr. Najjar rested a hand on Holly’s shoulder. “Call any time for an appointment. There will always be room for you.”
“I will. Thanks,” said Holly, still looking at the now-empty screen. When the door closed behind Dr. Najjar, Holly sat up and pressed the sheet tightly over her legs. Malik’s stomach sank. She seemed so far removed from him.
“Holly?”
She turned her head toward him but didn’t meet his eyes. “Yeah?”
“Are you all right?”
Holly straightened her back and lifted her chin. “Of course. I’m fine.”
He drew up the stool Dr. Najjar had been sitting on and took Holly’s hands in his. “If you’re not fine, you can tell me.” It made his throat ache to think that she wasn’t happy about the pregnancy. There would be plenty of hurdles to face, of course, but whenever he remembered—Holly is pregnant—he felt like he was flying.
“A baby…two babies…” Holly shook her head. “This kind of thing wasn’t in my immediate plans. If ever.” Her eyes fell to their joined hands, and her chin trembled. The motion was so slight he’d never have noticed it if he wasn’t looking at her so intently. “I grew up without a mother.” Those big green eyes flew up to his. “I don’t know anything about being a mother.”
“And I don’t know anything about being a father,” he said. “We’ll have to learn together. We will learn it together, Holly. I promise you that.”
“It’s terrifying,” she whispered, and his heart squeezed. Holly admitting to being afraid of anything was so unlike her. “If anything were to happen…” She glanced up at the ceiling. “I was starting to come to terms with the idea of one child, but two, and the thought…”
He wanted to argue with her, to convince her that nothing b
ad would happen, but Malik knew better than that. Circumstances beyond his control had taken his own mother from him.
“Whatever comes, you won’t face it alone,” he promised.
A slow smile spread across her face. “Part of me is excited. Scared, but excited.”
“Me too.” He stood up and kissed her on the forehead. “Me too.”
Malik felt like closing all the streets between Dr. Najjar’s office and the palace. He wanted everyone at arm’s length for maximum safety, but since clearing the city for the mother of his child wasn’t possible, he settled for sitting close to her in the SUV. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Holly leaned in, an ultrasound photo in her hands.
“I can’t believe there’s two of them.”
Malik kissed her hair. “So many possibilities,” he said, though he didn’t know quite what he meant by it. His future with Holly and the babies kept unfurling through his mind again and again, a little different each time. He couldn’t wait to schedule another appointment with Dr. Najjar and see them again on the ultrasound screen.
When the SUV pulled up at the back entrance of the palace, Malik climbed out and rushed around to open Holly’s door. He offered her his elbow, and they went inside. “If you’re tired, you should rest,” he said just before they turned down the hall toward her room.
Holly chuckled. “Rest? Me? You think I ever need to rest?” They went around the corner, and her arm tightened on his elbow. “Oh—I don’t think that’s in the cards right now.”
Clifton Berber waited in the hallway outside her room, hands in his pockets and a frown on his face. Malik’s hackles rose. He had no problem with the man, but his idea of how this day would go did not include a work meeting.
“Sheikh Malik,” Clifton said with a nod as they approached.
“Mr. Berber.”
“I’ve come to see Holly.” Clifton turned to her. “I need to speak with you in private.”
“If there’s anything—” Malik began.
“Of course, Clifton,” Holly cut in. She let go of Malik’s arm and stepped down the hall with her boss.
Malik exhaled what felt like fire from his lungs. He’d wanted to tell Clifton Berber that anything he had to say to Holly, he could say in front of him, but she’d been right to jump in. It wasn’t his place. Even if it was his palace. More frustrating was that he couldn’t hear what they were saying. He went down the hall toward a window overlooking the city and crossed his arms over his chest. Berber couldn’t chase him out of his own hallway. He’d wait right here until the conversation was over.
“It’s inappropriate,” Clifton said loudly, and Malik whipped his head toward the pair. Clifton’s face was frozen in anger, and Holly’s shoulders were stiff and high toward her ears. She said something else, too soft for him to hear, and then Clifton stepped around her. His father’s friend came down the hall at a clip, gave Malik a curt not, and stalked out of the hallway.
Holly stood alone, not moving a muscle.
Malik went to her, his heart thudding. She didn’t turn at the sound of his footsteps. Malik had to come all the way around in front of her in order to see the pale, shocked look on her face.
He stepped in front of her and reached out for her shoulders.
“He fired me,” Holly said, looking up at Malik as if he might have an explanation. “Somehow, he found out about the pregnancy. About our…relationship.”
Malik’s stomach clenched. He hadn’t had an answer when Holly first spoke, but he could think of a perfectly logical way that Clifton Berber had heard the news. Malik had called his sister. He hadn’t told her the reason he needed an obstetrician, but she must have had some idea, or made a guess. If she’d mentioned it to one of his brothers, it might have gotten to their father, who saw Clifton every day. Or perhaps a staff member had spread the news—palace gossip traveled at the speed of light. Malik hadn’t thought to warn anyone. He’d been so invested in getting Holly to the doctor that he’d given short instructions to his secretary to cancel his first meetings of the day, and that had been it.
“That’s probably my fault,” he said. “I asked my sister for her recommendations for the doctor. I should have been…” He couldn’t decide. “More explicit. I didn’t tell her it was for you, but…she must have guessed.”
“It’s fine.” It was clear from her face that it was not fine, but she lifted her chin, nonetheless. “It’s done. He gave me a lecture about client-consultant boundaries and told me my services weren’t needed any longer. I—” Holly raised her fingertips to her lips. “I don’t know what to say.”
He couldn’t promise her that this would be all right. “Is there anything that would make you feel any better? Name it, and it’s yours.”
“Would you…” She wet her lips with her tongue. “Would you take me to the oasis?”
“Of course. But can I ask why?” It had been a source of tension between them.
“I felt peaceful there,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “I felt at peace.”
12
The air beneath the white tents at the oasis was kept pleasantly cool by a clever system of fans, even under the sun. It was still relatively early in the day when Holly and Malik stepped into the tent closest to the oasis. It was set up like an outdoor sitting room today, with graceful furniture on the wooden floor and gauzy curtains covering three sides. The fourth was left open to the greenery and water of the oasis.
Holly sank into one of the cushioned wicker chairs with a sigh. It was peaceful here, away from the hustle and noise of the palace and the city. She felt like she’d been swimming upstream since the moment they’d left the hotel room. The last thing she wanted was to fold under the emotions of the day, and in order to avoid it, she needed to catch her breath.
“Better?” Malik gave her a tentative smile. He had hardly looked away from her all day, and she felt the intensity in his gaze even when she wasn’t looking back.
“Much better.” She put her feet up on the ottoman in front of her and leaned her head back. “It’s stunning here.”
Malik was quiet for a long while, and Holly listened to the wind in the trees and the whisper-soft lap of the water on the shore. She closed her eyes and soaked in the sounds. It had been a day, and it wasn’t even nightfall yet. She’d jumped over one hurdle and immediately had to jump again. Twins. Getting fired. Holly hadn’t really thought past the act of telling Malik. How was she to know that the news would be a spark to dry tinder? She should have known. She had no excuse for not being prepared, but she hadn’t been, and now…
Now they were here, at the oasis.
It would be a perfect project. The untouched land could be a backdrop for something incredible. Something that would benefit the royal family and the people of Qadir for years to come, and a lot more besides.
And if the royal family would let her develop it when the time came…
Holly sat up and ran her eyes over the land in front of them. If she could present her ideas in such a way that Malik would see them for the boon that they were, then she could have work in Qadir. She could have a proposal in her pocket for when his future wife wanted to move forward. It would be something to get her through the next few tumultuous months without having to go back to New York City. Was it particularly brave to stay out of the country just because she’d been fired? Maybe not, but she and Malik had a lot to figure out between the two of them. A project of this scale would be perfect. Tangible. Something with an end goal, something she was familiar with…
“I’ve been thinking a lot about this place,” she heard herself say, then focused all her attention on Malik. A gentle light shone in his eyes.
“I think about it often, too,” he agreed. “It’s one of my favorite places on earth.”
“It would be so lovely to share it with other people.” Holly wanted to slap a hand to her forehead. In her mind, she’d launched into the most eloquent speech possible about how her vision for development aligned with what he had in
mind and how all she wanted was a look at the ideas she’d already been working over in her mind back in New York. She’d had to put them aside to focus on the main proposal, but she had the bits and pieces on a tablet back at the palace. Given a little time, she could flesh them out…
Malik cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“I mean…with an ideal plan for development, you could—”
“No, I don’t think so.”
She put a smile on her face—the kind of confident smile she used when she wanted a client to see her side. “You haven’t heard my ideas yet.”
Malik missed the smile entirely. “I haven’t, but I feel I haven’t been clear. My priority for this area must be centered around my mother’s wishes. And it’s not only that. In Qadir, the queen has handed down special pieces of her dowry for her daughters-in-law for generations. Respecting that…” He paused. “Respecting that holds to the tradition of respecting the queen. Can’t you see the value in carrying on these traditions?”
“I can,” Holly said quickly. “I absolutely can. But sometimes, development can be a way to honor those traditions, especially if the space ends up incorporating even more of them.”
Malik arched an eyebrow. “More traditions?”
“Of course. From visitors, and the people who use the space.”
He let out a sharp breath through his nose. “Blotting out the sky with a multiuse high-rise simply isn’t something I’m interested in, even if it means bigger crowds. In fact, that’s the opposite of what I’d want.”
“A high-rise?” Holly laughed. “No, that’s not it at all.” She stood up and went to the edge of the tent. “Over here, in this area, I was thinking—”
“That’s the thing.” Holly heard Malik get to his feet behind her. He came to stand next to her and looked her in the eye. “You might have grand plans for the oasis, but it belongs to my future wife.”