Single Mom and the Sheikh

by Rayner, Holly

  “I don’t think I’d ever be able to get used to this,” I said, staring up at the ceiling and its thousands of glittering lights.

  “You’d be surprised.” Jalaal strode toward the elevator at the far end of the lobby. “You can get used to anything with enough time.”

  The front desk came into view. Behind it, a perky blond man smiled affectionately at us. Or at Jalaal, anyway.

  “Good evening, Sheikh Afsal,” he said. “Welcome home.”

  “Thank you, Rodney.” Jalaal nodded toward the man and then pulled me into the elevator. He pressed the button for the top floor. The child in me was tempted to press every button on the panel. There were so many.

  “This is a pretty big hotel,” I said. “They must have a lot of guests.”

  Jalaal cocked an eyebrow down at me. “I believe they do.”

  “Does the receptionist know everybody by name?”

  Jalaal smirked. “No, not everyone.”

  “Do you live here or something?” I asked.

  Jalaal chuckled and continued to gaze at the elevator doors. I wasn’t sure whether it was because it had been a stupid question or not. I wasn’t rich; I didn’t know how these things worked. Maybe the receptionist was obligated to know all resident royalty by name and title. Maybe Jalaal was just a friendly guy who spoke to a lot of people.

  Whatever the case, I wasn’t going to let my confusion ruin my night.

  I needn’t have worried; all doubt was wiped from my mind the moment the elevator doors slid open to reveal the largest, grandest hotel suite I’d ever seen.

  My mouth dropped to the floor. Jalaal didn’t give me time to collect it before he was tugging me out of the elevator and into a wide reception space, which was decorated more elegantly and with more care than any of the houses on my Pinterest board.

  “Oh my God…” I released Jalaal’s hand and ran over to the floor-to-ceiling windows at the far end of the room. Vegas’ flashing lights extended for miles, eventually tapering off into the pitch blackness of the desert.

  “It’s a nice view, huh?”

  I jumped. I wasn’t sure if Jalaal had just been very quiet when he snuck up behind me, or if I’d been too overwhelmed by the vista to notice anything else. His warm laugh rolled over me, and I felt two strong arms encircling my waist.

  I leaned back against Jalaal’s hard chest. It felt right. I had been worried that I would be nothing but a ball of nervous energy as soon as he tried to touch me, but I was okay. I was better than okay.

  “It’s amazing.” I sighed. “But I couldn’t see myself ever getting used to this.”

  Jalaal’s lips found the top of my head. He pressed them into my hair as he spoke, sending warm breath over my scalp. “I need someone like you around,” he mused. “Nobody else does such a good job of reminding me to be grateful.”

  I snorted. “If you want help staying humble, that is a service I’d be happy to provide.”

  “Come into the living room and help me stay humble there,” he replied. “I’ve got some bourbon you can make me appreciate.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  The living room turned out to be the next room over, but it was light-years away from my version of normal. It was massive. I could probably have fit my whole apartment inside the space.

  “Do you own the whole top floor of the building or something?” I gazed around in wonder, admiring the classic glass and ceramic accents and the wall-sized bookshelf on the back wall.

  Jalaal brought over a glass of dark liquid and slipped it into my hand. “Sort of.”

  “Sort of?”

  I followed him to the couch and took a seat next to him. It seemed silly for us to sit so close together when there was so much room to spread out, but I felt like a magnet was pulling me closer and closer to him with every breath.

  Jalaal glanced down at me, took a sip of his drink, and then spoke. “I own the whole building.”

  I nearly dropped my glass.

  “Are you serious?”

  He nodded. “This, and a few properties along the West Coast.”

  It was a good month if my bank account never dropped below zero. The kind of money it would take to purchase even just one building like this was beyond my cognition.

  “Sounds like you need a lot of humbling,” I joked, but my throat had gone dry. I took a sip of bourbon and struggled not to cough.

  Jalaal flashed his teeth. “Are you sure you’re up for the job?”

  “Not even a little,” I said. “But I’ll give it the ol’ college try.”

  I shouldn’t have felt as comfortable as I did. Jalaal was way out of my league, he was richer than Croesus, and he essentially had no business hanging out with me. But it didn’t matter. Something about his warm expression, or maybe the way his eyes crinkled just a little every time he looked at me, made me feel like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

  “What’s your first recommendation?” Jalaal asked.

  I didn’t know where it came from. Maybe it was the drinks, or the tender way he looked at me. Maybe it was the lonely side of me calling out, begging for me to take something I wanted for once in my life.

  Whatever it was, the words that came out of my mouth surprised both of us.

  “Kiss me.”

  Jalaal didn’t hesitate for a second. He pressed his mouth to mine and pulled me close, folding me into his arms.

  I hadn’t had a kiss like that in a long, long time. Had I ever had one quite so good? I felt it all over my body, and each one of my nerves tingled with appreciation. His lips were as soft as feathers, but firm and demanding at the same time. I melted into him, all thoughts of the past and future obliterated like glass smashed with a hammer.

  Jalaal’s heat enveloped me. I sighed and fell in further, urging him to consume me. A fire awoke in my belly and burned hotter than the sun. I needed him. And from the feel of his hand in my hair and his teeth on my lip, I knew he needed me too.

  “Would you like to see the rest of my home?” Jalaal murmured. His voice was hoarse, desire snaking up his throat.

  Decision time.

  Who was I kidding? I’d made the decision the first time I clapped eyes on Jalaal. There was no going back now. And I loved it.

  “Yes,” I whispered. “Let’s start with your bedroom.”

  I felt him smile against my lips. “Good idea.”

  Chapter 7

  I woke with the sun on my face and a smile on my lips. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept so peacefully. It could have been the luxurious bed, but I suspected my good sleep had more to do with the person I was sharing said bed with.

  “Good morning,” Jalaal mumbled.

  I lifted my head off his tawny chest and rested my chin on it instead. “Good morning.”

  “How did you sleep?”

  I chuckled. “Very well.” With a wink, I added, “Which is no surprise, since I was exhausted.”

  He rubbed my back, a lazy grin spreading over his lips. His half-closed eyes were edged with long, black lashes. I reached up and rubbed a hand over his cheek, trying to memorize every detail. I knew how this worked. I had to leave.

  “I should probably get going,” I said. “I’m sure you’ve got a busy day of being rich and fabulous ahead of you, and my ladies are probably wondering where I am.”

  Jalaal’s eyes popped open, alert. “No. You can’t leave now.”

  “I can’t?” I asked, my heart fluttering.

  He rolled over, trapping me beneath him with a roguish grin. I giggled, splaying my hands over his chest in a weak show of resistance.

  “I haven’t even made you breakfast yet,” he purred. “And I thought it looked like a nice morning for a swim.”

  As if on cue, my stomach rumbled. And, though I wasn’t much of a swimmer, I’d never heard anything that sounded as appealing as a swim with Jalaal. There was only one problem.

  “I don’t have a swimsuit.”

  Jalaal nuzzled into my neck
, pressing gentle kisses down to my collarbone. “That’s okay.” He murmured, nipping lightly at the sensitive skin. “Just go down to the gift shop and get one while I make breakfast. You can put it on my tab.”

  “Jalaal…” I sighed. “I can’t accept that. It’s too much.”

  He laughed and pulled back up to my face, his eyes dancing in the morning light. “It’s a bathing suit,” he deadpanned. “I’m sure my ventures will survive the financial blow.”

  I pinched his chest. “Don’t be rude,” I said, laughing.

  “Don’t be coy,” he retorted, nibbling on my earlobe as I wiggled beneath him.

  We didn’t make it out of bed for another half hour, but when we did I headed straight for the gift shop. If anything, it gave me an opportunity to answer all my missed calls and texts.

  Once I reached the lobby, I shot off a text to Sarah to say I’d call her in a few minutes, and then I dialed my dad’s number.

  “Hello?” he said, picking up.

  “Hey, Dad,” I said. “How’s my boy doing?”

  “Well, I’m a little achy from the godawful couch bed your sister’s got me sleeping on, but otherwise I’m okay.”

  In the background, I heard Dawn yelling at him in protest.

  I rolled my eyes. “I meant my other boy, Dad. How’s Sam?”

  “Is that Mommy?” a voice called out in the background.

  My heart did a somersault just from hearing his voice. I couldn’t believe I still had almost a full week until I would get to see him next. God, I missed the little devil so damn much.

  “Yes, it’s Mommy,” Dad said to Sam. “Do you want to talk to her?”

  “Yes!”

  “Yes, what?”

  “Yes, please,” Sam corrected. “May I please talk to Mommy?”

  My dad came back on the line. “Before I pass you to Sam, was there anything you needed to tell me, or is everything fine on your end?”

  “No. Everything’s fine.” I let my gaze wander along the polished marble floors and over to the ivory fountain. Everything was much better than fine. “Anything on your end?”

  “Just the same old same old. I’m sure Sammy will tell you all about it.” He let out a rumbling laugh. “I miss you, kid. I hope you’re having fun.”

  “Lots.” My face flashed with heat at the thought of just how much fun. “I miss you, too.”

  The line clattered, and in the next moment I heard my son’s angelic voice. “Hi, Mommy! Auntie Dawn made me oatmeal for breakfast just like you do. Did you teach her how to do that?”

  I chuckled. “Actually, your grandma taught us how to make oatmeal like that,” I said. “But I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying your breakfast.”

  Sam liked his oatmeal the same way Dawn and I had as kids—with a little bit of extra milk. It always warmed my heart when he picked up things for himself that I’d liked as a kid.

  “We’re going to go to that big bridge today and Grandpa said he’d let me take as many pictures as I want,” Sam continued. “I’m going to bring back a few rocks for my collection, but Grandpa says I can’t bring any bugs ’cause we have the same bugs in San Diego.”

  “You should listen to your grandpa,” I replied, cringing at the thought of unpacking a bagful of bugs when Sam got home. “He’s a smart guy. That’s why I left him in charge.”

  For the next few minutes, Sam continued to blast me with everything he’d done in the past twenty-four hours. I soaked it up greedily, even though it made me miss him horribly. After we said our goodbyes, I called up Sarah. She was even more excited to talk to me.

  “You’re on speaker,” she warned. “Spill. Everything.”

  “Well hello to you, too,” I joked.

  “Please tell me you slept with the Sheikh,” Sarah said. “That would officially make this the coolest bachelorette weekend ever.”

  “Shouldn’t the qualifier for best bachelorette party ever be how much fun the bachelorette has?” I asked. “Not just her friend?”

  I felt more than a little guilty about abandoning my friends for a guy. It was the kind of thing I’d never done in the past, but I’d heard plenty about how much it annoyed other people.

  “Are you kidding?” Sarah exclaimed. “I made you spend all this money to come out here. It would be selfish of me to expect you to give up an opportunity like that just because I want to do Jell-O shots off a male model.”

  “Pardon me, but what?” I asked.

  There were snickers in the background. Sarah cleared her throat. “Nothing. Just a thing that could potentially be fun. Definitely not something that has already happened.”

  I grinned. “You’re wild. I would never have been able to do that.”

  “True,” Sarah said. “But you did end up shacking up with bona fide royalty for the night. I think you’re doing okay.”

  I was still having trouble wrapping my head around that concept. I, a nurse from San Diego who had barely traveled and had spent most of the past five years up to my elbows in grime of some kind, had charmed a sheikh into bed.

  Talk about surreal.

  “Well I’m just going to go for a swim with Jalaal and have some breakfast,” I said. “After that I’ll come back and tell you guys all about it.”

  The protests came so quickly that I couldn’t tell who was saying what. Eventually Sarah managed to quite everyone down enough to talk.

  “You need to stay, Skyler,” she insisted. “Who knows when you could get another opportunity like this?”

  “But it’s your bachelorette weekend, Sarah!” I furrowed my brow. “I can’t just abandon you because some hot guy wants to hang out with me.”

  “That is so not what is happening here,” she replied. “You’re looking at this all wrong.”

  “Enlighten me.”

  “You are a hardworking single mother who desperately needs a break. You’re clearly having a ton of fun with this guy, and I would be so mad at you if you gave that up just because you felt a duty to be by my side while I do a bunch of stuff that you probably wouldn’t want to do anyway.”

  She had a point.

  “Are you sure?” I asked.

  This time it was words of encouragement that piled on top of each other.

  I really loved my friends. I didn’t get to see them much, and our lives had taken us in wildly different directions, but I could always count on them to look out for my best interests.

  “I’ll keep you guys posted,” I grinned, strolling toward the gift shop on the other side of the reception desk. “Make sure you have a ton of fun.”

  “You too, girl!”

  I hung up the phone and strode into the gift shop like I owned the place. Maybe I didn’t, but the guy buying me a swimsuit did. Speaking of swimsuits, I tried not to look at the price tags after I caught a glimpse of the first one. The shop assistant helped me pick out a cute but modest bikini, her eyes flashing with interest as soon as I told her which room to bill it to. She treated me like a queen—even though she probably made more working in that shop than I did as a nurse.

  I could get used to this.

  * * *

  The sun spilled into the elevator when I reached Jalaal’s penthouse, bringing with it a sense of unbridled joy.

  “Skyler? Is that you?” he called from somewhere vaguely past the living room. I assumed he was in the kitchen, but I didn’t know where that was since we hadn’t gotten around to the tour last night.

  “Yeah, it’s me!” I called back.

  I stepped through into the living room, where he met me a moment later, a dish towel tossed over his shoulder.

  “You’re just in time.” Jalaal grabbed my hand and pulled me with him down a long, bright hallway.

  At the end of the hallway was a kitchen, the likes of which I’d never seen before. I marveled at the dark granite countertops, gleaming stainless steel appliances, and bright white shaker cabinets. An island in the center of the room had a platter of fresh fruit on it, which I presumed Jalaal had just fini
shed cutting up.

  “Is there any part of your home that isn’t amazing?” I asked. “I feel like I’ve walked onto a movie set.”

  Jalaal chuckled and seated me on one of the barstools at the island, pushing a plate toward me. “Do you want yogurt?” he asked.

  “Sure.”

  Moments later, Jalaal set in front of me three yogurt choices and a cup of steaming black coffee.

  “What are your plans today?” he asked.

  I was munching on a piece of mango at the time, but he waited patiently for me to swallow it.

  “I don’t really have any plans.”

  Jalaal’s lips pulled back into a smile. “You do now.”

  My heart did a flip. I hadn’t had someone pay me this much attention in such a long time, and I was at a bit of a loss as to what to do.

  “What do you want to do?” I asked. I popped a strawberry in my mouth to prevent me from saying anything else and ruining the moment.

  He stood across from me, leaning against the counter with folded arms. I could have watched him stand like that all day. The lean muscles of his arms and chest bulged deliciously against his T-shirt.

  Honestly, he could have told me he wanted to go watch paint dry for the next twelve hours and I would have happily complied. Too happily. I struggled to think of something boring enough that I wouldn’t want to do it with him. My mind came up blank.

  “I’ve got a few ideas,” Jalaal said, then gestured toward my plate. “Eat up. You’re going to need the energy.”

  Chapter 8

  I needed the energy, all right.

  After taking a swim in the most terrifying-but-amazing pool I’d ever been in—it hung off the side of a building that was dozens of stories tall, for crying out loud—Jalaal took me out shopping for a new dress to wear for the day. I told him I could just grab one from my hotel room, but alas, he insisted on treating me, and I could only put him off for so long.