The Karawi Sheikhs Series: The Complete Series

by North, Leslie

  “Cell phones are a marvelous invention.”

  “You don’t have a stove in your kitchen or running water, but you have cell service? Never mind. You don’t have anything to worry about. I care about Aisha too much to publish her rags-to-riches story.” Accepting the pen from him, she snapped her notebook shut. “I’ll give you some privacy to change.”

  “That won’t be necessary.” With a wicked smile, he started to unbutton his shirt.

  Amy’s mouth immediately went dry, and she turned her head and studied the bare whitewashed walls as if they were the most interesting thing she’d ever seen.

  Her mind raced as she struggled to think of something to say, anything that would help distract her from the man who was rapidly becoming naked less than two feet away from her. “Your brother recently discovered that he has a daughter as well, right? Your family gets bigger by the second, doesn’t it?”

  “My mother is thrilled,” he replied dryly. “Especially since Natalie has announced she’s pregnant again. My brother is eager to put this rebellion to rest before it gets out of hand.” He paused. “Are you going to stare at the wall all night?”

  “I’m considering it. You have a younger brother as well, right? Does he have any kids?”

  “No. In truth, I don’t think Riyad would even know what to do with a child. He treats Iris like she’s his drinking buddy.”

  That did surprise Amy, and she turned her head sharply in response.

  Bahir had changed into a pair of loose-fitting black lounge pants, but he remained shirtless, and for a moment, she forgot her train of thought. He was as fit and sculpted as she’d imagined he would be. Gorgeous golden skin spread over sinewy muscles, and those washboard abs were far too distracting. She salivated at the thought of touching him.

  “See something you like?” he teased.

  His voice dripped with arrogance, and she immediately frowned. He was gorgeous, but he knew it too well. “Your brother drinks? I thought that was forbidden to Muslims.”

  “We’re relaxed about that, to a point, but Riyad drinks to excess, and that is still forbidden.” Crossing the room, he sat himself down, then leaned back, propping himself on an elbow and relaxing on the bed. “Come here. I don’t bite. Unless you want me to.”

  “Umm.” The idea of biting had merit. “I think it might be better if I stayed on the couch.”

  “Afraid you won’t be able to keep your hands to yourself?” he taunted softly. “You can relax, Amy. I’m too tired to fuck you tonight, and you need your sleep. I know you haven’t gotten much sleep, the past few nights, and you won’t fit comfortably on that couch.”

  Slowly, she got up and moved toward him. “That’s your only intention? Letting me sleep tonight?”

  “It’s been a long couple of days,” he said with a shrug as he eased himself flat. “And this is the closest to a vacation I’ve had in years.”

  “You consider this a vacation?” she chuckled as she slowly sat down on the edge of the bed.

  “I guess it’s not the beaches of Miami.”

  After a moment of hesitation, she stretched out next to him. Even fully clothed, the move felt far too intimate, but she still had to keep herself in check and fight the urge to snuggle up against him. “Just because a girl is from Florida doesn’t mean she spends her days on the beach,” she admonished. “It’s been years since I’ve had a vacation.”

  As she reached out to turn off the light, he gently rested his fingers on her side. Electricity tingled between them, and she slowly eased down onto the pillow.

  “The desert is peaceful,” he whispered in the dark. “Just you, miles and miles of sand, and the brilliant night sky.”

  Plus, a gorgeous half-naked man in the bed, she added silently. His touch remained light, but he didn’t push it. After a few minutes, she could hear the rhythmic sound of his breathing and knew that he was asleep.

  Part of her was offended. How could he so easily fall asleep when her heart was pounding away like a jackhammer?

  His warmth enveloped her, and his presence calmed her.

  Eventually, sleep claimed her.

  * * *

  She woke to something heavy nudging her legs apart. Still disoriented from sleep and blanketed in darkness, Amy stirred and accommodated the touch. A knee was pressing against her hot center, and she rubbed restlessly against it. Her nipples tightened and hardened against the warmth of the hand that cupped her breast, and she moaned. A thumb stroked her, circling around her nipple, stoking the fire inside her.

  “Yes,” she whispered as she tried to turn toward the source of the pleasure, but a leg anchored her against the mattress. As the hand moved down to the waistband of her pants and slipped beneath it, she lifted her hips to welcome the caresses. There was no guilt or shame. Only pleasure, and she wanted more.

  Those seeking fingers moved ever lower, pushing down her panties until they could skim over her wet slit. “Open for me, Amy,” a husky voice whispered in her ear. “Open for me, and let me feel you.”

  Without a second thought, she moved her legs farther apart, and those wonderful fingers delved into her warmth. His thumb skimmed over her most sensitive spot, and pleasure seared through her. The sensation pulled her out of her haze, and she jerked upright with a gasp.

  “Easy,” Bahir murmured. “It’s me.”

  He continued to play with her, and in the darkness, she balled the sheets in her hand. “We can’t,” she protested half-heartedly even as she bucked against his hand.

  “We’re not doing anything wrong. Enjoy it,” he coaxed. “Lie down, Amy. I want to taste you. I need to taste you.”

  Hypnotized by his words, she sank back down in the pillows, and the sheikh, his fingers still buried inside her, leaned over her and used his other hand to tug on her tank top. With little effort, he freed one of her breasts as he nuzzled her neck.

  Closing her eyes, she gave in to the hunger. His fingers strummed her, teased her; his wicked mouth left a wet trail from her neck down to her breasts, the heated kisses igniting a fire deep inside her. Arching her back, she moaned in approval when he closed his lips over her nipple and flicked his tongue, making her hiss in response. All the stress of the last few days coupled with her growing arousal made her body tremble with a need that only this man could fill. Turning, she gave him full access to her body as she reached for him.

  His skin was smooth under her touch, and she could feel his muscles ripple as she stroked his back. Amy reveled in his hard body, and she traced her fingers along his spine all the way up to the dark curls around his neck. Fisting his hair, she pulled him away and up so that she could finally kiss him.

  There was nothing tentative about his kiss. Hot and heady, he took absolute control, leaving her dizzy and desperate under him. As his tongue thrust into her and matched the rhythm of his fingers, tension welled inside her. Moaning into his kiss, she shivered and raced her hands up and down his back until she knew there was no escape. Digging her nails into the muscles in his shoulders, she bowed her back and broke off the kiss as her orgasm broke. Her loud moan was muffled only when he captured her lips again, and she bucked under him as waves of pleasure crested through her.

  “Again,” he hissed as he rolled over and carried her with him. Straddling his body, she rocked helplessly against his rock-hard erection. “Come again, only this time I want to be inside you. I need to be inside you.”

  She needed him inside her as well. Leaning over to kiss him, she reached down to squeeze him gently through his pants. Just the thought of feeling him inside her set fireworks off in her mind.

  Bang. Bang. Bang.

  It took only a few seconds for her to realize that the noises weren’t in her head, and they weren’t fireworks at all.

  They were gunshots.

  9

  Wrapping his arm around her waist, Bahir immediately rolled them over until they hit the floor, though he made sure he landed first. “Get under the bed,” he growled, pushing her toward
the opening.

  “Aisha!” she gasped. In the semi-darkness, he felt more than saw her pulling her clothes into place. She tried to break away to get to the little girl, making him tighten his grasp.

  “I’ll get her, but I need you safe. I can’t protect both of you.” Jumping to his feet, crouching low, he moved quickly across the room and yanked open the door. His pulse raced as he shoved open the door to Aisha’s bedroom.

  His beautiful daughter was upright in the bed, eyes wide in alarm.

  “I’ve got you. Come on.” He tried to sound calm as he hurried to her. It didn’t surprise him to hear Amy right behind him. Over his shoulder, he snapped, “Do you listen to anything that I say?”

  “You can argue with me later.” Grabbing Aisha, Amy pulled her off the bed. “Come on, sweetheart,” she whispered. We’re going to play a game of hide-and-seek. Would you like that?”

  “Who are we hiding from?” Aisha asked as she hooked her arms around Amy. She didn’t look at all scared. Just alert, and Bahir couldn’t help but feel proud of his daughter’s bravery.

  “The guards. You remember Gadi, right? He wants to play,” Bahir said in a low voice. “Go hide in the closet for me, and be as quiet as possible.” He hadn’t heard any more gunshots after that initial burst, but he also didn’t know where his guards were.

  Aisha nodded, and Amy hustled the little girl into the closet. Before Bahir could close the door, Amy reached out and grabbed his arm. “You’re not going out there, are you?”

  She seemed genuinely concerned for his safety. In the middle of the night, half asleep, Bahir had only known that there was a soft, luscious body pressed up against him. He wanted to believe that he hadn’t set out to seduce Amy, but now that he’d felt her body tremble around him, had heard her moaning for more, he knew he wasn’t going to rest until he’d had all of her.

  “If they want a hostage, I’d rather they take me than her,” he muttered before he closed the door and headed outside.

  Gadi cut him off immediately. “Go inside, Your Highness,” he ordered, moving to shield Bahir’s body with his own. “You shouldn’t be out here.”

  “What is going on?” Bahir snapped.

  “I’m not sure. We have guards patrolling a mile out, and no one spotted a vehicle. Go back inside.”

  “My daughter is inside, and I will not invite the danger any closer to her.” Just then, Taysir jogged closer to them.

  “All clear,” he said breathlessly. “One of the guards got spooked by a snake. He’s been bitten.”

  Bahir grimaced. “Poisonous?”

  “Yes, Your Highness. But we’re not leaving our posts.”

  Bahir shook his head. “I don’t expect we’ll be out here for more than a couple of days, and we will manage with one less man. I won’t have any of my men die from a snakebite. Take one of the vehicles and get him to the hospital, and return once he’s been admitted. ”

  Slightly annoyed at the false alarm, he headed back inside to check on his girls. When he opened Aisha’s bedroom door, he was immediately assaulted by a flying object. Managing to catch the costly Syrian statue, he turned to find Amy brandishing another potential missile.

  “Disarm,” he ordered with a chuckle. In disbelief, he held up the hunk of carven rock. “Are you seriously using priceless artifacts as a weapon?”

  “Priceless? Maybe you should rethink your interior decorating choices for remote desert safe houses,” she retorted, slowly lowering her arm. “I thought you were a rebel. What the hell is going on?”

  “Apparently one of my guards has an irrational fear of snakes, although, considering that the snake bit him, I suppose it’s not so irrational after all. Why are you not hiding in the closet?”

  Setting the statue back on the table with obvious care, Amy crossed the room and opened the closet doors. “Hide-and-seek is over, baby. A guard had a small accident and had to go to the doctor.”

  Aisha frowned. “Is he going to be okay?”

  Bahir put in, “He’s going to be fine. I’m sorry that he couldn’t finish your game.” On impulse, he reached down and picked Aisha up. The child squealed as he whirled her around in the air.

  As much as Bahir wished to play with his daughter, the last thing he wanted to do was have her run around unattended at a time like this. “If you think this place is fun, you should see my home.” He stopped whirling and matched her smile. “I live in a palace, and there’s a little girl there who’s right around your age. I bet you two would enjoy playing hide-and-seek with me and my brothers.”

  “I’ve seen your palace,” Aisha said as Bahir at last set her back down on the bed. “My momma and I used to walk by there, and she would tell me that one day I would live there. Is she right?”

  Amalia used to walk Aisha by the palace? Bahir’s throat started to close, and he took a shuddering breath. “If I had known, both you and your mother would have been living in the palace. But yes, soon, we’re going to go, and you’ll call it home. Would you like that?”

  “What about my friends? What about Amy and Shatha and Natasha? Can they come live with us too?”

  “They have their own homes, but they can come visit,” he promised as he leaned over to kiss the child on the forehead. He was still working up the courage to tell her that he was her father.

  “Actually, they don’t. That’s why they live in an orphanage,” he heard Amy mutter angrily, and then the sound of her footsteps stomped out of the room.

  Surprised, he turned his head and stared after her. What had he done?

  Aisha yawned. “The sun is coming up. Is it breakfast time?”

  “The sun is coming up, but I think you might do well with a few more hours of sleep. I think we interrupted it, didn’t we?”

  Snuggling under the covers, the little head nodded. “Does that mean that we’ll have a late breakfast?”

  The child obviously took her breakfasts very seriously.

  He laid one hand over his heart. “I promise that we will not miss breakfast.”

  Bahir waited until his daughter was asleep. Closing his eyes, he took comfort in listening to her small, rhythmic breaths. They were still a little raspy, but she was getting better.

  Finally, he soundlessly closed the door and headed back to his bedroom.

  Amy was curled up on the couch, her back to the room. Bahir knew she wasn’t asleep. Her whole body had visibly tensed when he walked into the room. “You don’t have to be ashamed about what we did,” he said gently. “We’re two consenting adults.”

  “This isn’t about the sex,” she snapped, turning her head. “It’s been a long time for me, which is why I responded so readily to you. This is about the fact that you’ve saved one child, but you’re leaving others behind. These children are susceptible to anyone who shows them affection, and they could well grow up to be future rebels if rebels are the only ones paying attention to them.”

  Bahir was stunned. “Aisha is my daughter….”

  “And that’s the only reason that you’ve shown her any interest. Because she has your blood running through her veins. You feel guilty about how she’s lived. Think about how she would have grown up if you hadn’t found those letters.” Swinging her legs off the couch, she sat forward and wiped angrily at her tears, which only seemed to incite her more. “That’s how those other kids are going to grow up, and they’re your responsibility, too. They’re part of your kingdom. Simply because you’ve swept them to the outer edges and out of the public eye doesn’t mean you get to forget about them. They’re not dirt that you can sweep under the rug. Even Aisha realizes what she’s leaving behind by living with you, and she’s a child!”

  The anguish in her voice cut him to the bone. Sitting down heavily on the bed, Bahir ran his hands through his hair. “I primarily look after our international import/export businesses. The actual dealings of the kingdom are left to Iman.”

  “Maybe you didn’t think about it before, but you can’t turn your back on what you saw a few day
s ago. The doctor wouldn’t make Aisha a priority because she’s an orphan. Things could have taken a far worse turn.” Amy shook her head. “Even in America, kids living in the foster system get overlooked, but at least the government tries to regulate things. Here, they’re treated like lepers.”

  This definitely wasn’t the conversation he’d planned on having. He’d been fully prepared to pick up where they’d left off before the gunshots, but even as the anger sparked in her eyes, he could see the fatigue there, too.

  “Come here,” he said quietly. “Come back to bed.”

  He could see the fight go out of her, but she shook her head and sniffled. He could feel her sorrow, and in that moment, he wanted nothing more than to make it go away. Holding his hand out, he waited patiently. “Please.”

  She slowly rose from the couch, trudged across the small space to the bed, and sank onto the mattress next to him. “I guess I’m passionate about the subject,” she admitted as her head sank into the pillow.

  “You’re passionate about a lot of things, apparently.” Settling down next to her, he let his hand rest on her hip. She fit perfectly against him as he curved around her body.

  “We need to talk about what happened,” she murmured, but then she yawned.

  “About the gunshots?” he teased.

  “No.”

  “About you throwing expensive decor at my head?”

  She grumbled and readjusted as if carving out a comfortable spot. Just the smallest swivel of her ass against his groin had him stiffening, but he kept his desire in check. He was tired, and no doubt she was exhausted. He could see the toll this unanticipated trip was taking on her.

  The detour wasn’t the only unexpected thing. Amy was a distraction that he didn’t need. He was grateful for the protective nature she displayed toward his daughter. He was relieved that she’d turned out to be such a wonderful nurse. He was not happy about his body’s reaction to her, and he certainly wasn’t happy about the emotional connection.