Christmas with the Yared Sheikhs: The Complete Series

by North, Leslie

  “But this Shaia girl. You said you’re leaving to meet her?”

  Yonas sighed, turned for the door. “This tires me, brother. I’m going to lie down before dinner is ready.”

  Yonas could feel Noel’s stare as he walked out of the kitchen. Noel and Robel were the self-appointed left- and right-hand men to their father. Yonas had always been left out of the responsibility bubble. So what else did they expect him to do but seek his own good time?

  Noel’s fatherly overseeing rubbed him the wrong way. It was better to walk away before a real fight emerged.

  As Yonas walked back to his bedroom, his mind drifted back to Maia. She was certainly a hard-edged beauty, like a pistachio he was eager to crack into. And while he was here, she was the perfect distraction. A flirtation that would prove to be equal parts entertaining and challenging.

  If anything, she was a welcome departure from the women who populated his love life. And meeting her made him realize he’d been ready for the change without even realizing it.

  6

  Maia crossed her arms, assessing the progress on the Christmas tree. It looked good. Way better than she’d suspected Yonas Yared would be able to produce.

  “Do you like it?” He grinned over at her, that dimple yanking at her attention. They’d been working since morning again, another full day of work between them. And with nearly two full days with him at her side—part assistant, part employee, part employer—she was beginning to note their differences in approach.

  “I do.” She walked in a slow circle around the tree. He favored her tendency toward a lot of color. But the tree looked sparse, which reflected his minimalist approach. “You should add more ornaments in these sections.” She pointed out the various areas that needed just a little more.

  “I don’t know,” Yonas said. “I think it looks perfect.”

  “Your father didn’t hire you,” she reminded him.

  Yonas huffed but didn’t say anything else. He grabbed for the ornaments, then circled the tree a few times as he searched out the best spots. While he worked, she headed for her phone on the other side of the foyer. It was part of her process to take pictures of each new area, from various angles, even at different times of the day. This helped her really see the space, from all possible points, to make sure it was the best version possible.

  As she neared her phone, the screen was lit up. As soon as her finger hit the screen, she realized she’d made the same mistake as yesterday: this was Yonas’s phone.

  Curiosity surged through her. Yesterday in the kitchen, she’d seen a very romantic series of text messages on his screen. Somebody named Shaia had been sending him lip emojis and even a preview of a nude. She hated that her stomach had pitched to her feet when she’d seen them—something like disappointment circling through her.

  Part of her liked the idea that maybe Yonas was potentially a new love interest. If only for a little bit. Even if it was at odds with her logical, man-resistant self. But after seeing those texts, she knew all she needed to about the man. He was exactly the player she and the rest of his family suspected. There was no need to wade further into those waters.

  Now on his phone there was a confirmation email that had come through. Indonesian Airlines. Something looking a lot like a date in the next week, with a return trip scheduled for mid-January.

  She put the phone down quickly, heart racing as she processed the information. She shouldn’t care. It wasn’t her life, her business, her family. But she remembered what Sheikh Yared had asked of her in the first days at the palace. All he wanted was that his son stick around for the holidays. Maybe Sheikh Yared deserved to know about this.

  No matter what, though, one of them needed to get a phone case so this mistaken identity stopped occurring. She snatched up her own phone, swiping through the screens to call the house where she was staying. Her son Julian was there, playing with her college bestie and Maatkare native, Iliana. This job in Maatkare had been a bonus for that reason—Iliana had insisted she and Julian come to stay with her.

  “Hey, Iliana.” Maia smiled once she heard her friend’s soothing voice. “Just wanted to check in. How’s everything going?”

  “Oh, we’re having a ball.” Iliana’s English was fluent, with just a hint of an endearing accent. “I’ve been teaching him some Arabic. He seems to be catching on.”

  Maia laughed, her heart swelling. Her little Julian was the best thing that had ever happened to her. It was painful to be away from him for so long each day, but she knew Iliana’s house was the best place to be.

  “That’s great. Can I talk to him?”

  Iliana passed the phone to Julian, and she had a quick back and forth with her son before he lost interest and dropped the phone. Iliana came back to the line, laughing.

  “He misses you, I swear,” she insisted.

  “I’ll be home on time tonight,” Maia said. “Give my boy kisses. See you guys soon.”

  When Maia hung up and turned to head back to the tree, she found Yonas standing closer than she’d left him, eyes narrowed.

  “Who was that?”

  Maia flattened her lips. “Why do you care?”

  “You spoke to a man.”

  “No, I spoke to a woman.” Maia sniffed, somehow pleased that he was curious. She shouldn’t want his interest. She knew that well enough. But still, it felt gratifying.

  Yonas eyed her for a moment and then returned to his post. The question hung on her mind as she snapped pictures of the foyer and adjacent hallways: Do I tell Yonas’s father or not?

  By the time she’d snapped photos from every possible angle, including one where she caught Yonas just about to say something, she’d made up her mind. Tell Sheikh Yared.

  She opened up her email client and typed out a quick message. It was simple and to the point. “I think your son might be planning a trip over the holidays. I saw an airline confirmation from Indonesian Air. Thought you’d like to know.” And then she hit send.

  Without a second thought.

  About a half hour later, Yonas’s phone pinged. He ambled over to it, read the screen without reacting, and then said, “I’ll be back in a bit.”

  From the second he was gone, her mind was stuck on him. She hated that, but the harder she tried to not think about him, the more she thought about him. She deemed the foyer done and set about cleaning up the remaining scraps of decorations. Less than a half hour after Yonas had left, he came storming back, swearing under his breath.

  “Hey, we’re all done in here.”

  “Great.” He gnawed at a thumb nail, pacing the far side.

  “Is everything okay?”

  He tugged at the front of his hair. “My father. He’s inserted himself in my plans again, and I can’t figure out how he found out.”

  Her stomach sank. This wasn’t going to end well. “Uh…what did he do?”

  “He cancelled a trip I just booked. He’s called the national guard to prevent me from leaving the country.”

  Her stomach pitched even lower. Broke through the crust of the earth, headed for the core. “Oh.”

  A few tense moments passed as she nibbled on her lip, wondering what to do. She hadn’t imagined Sheikh Yared would physically prevent him from leaving. And it didn’t seem right to go on without admitting her role in this.

  “Listen, Yonas.” She paused, approaching him hesitantly. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

  He jerked his gaze to meet hers. “What?”

  “Uh…I was the one who told your father about the trip.”

  A stunned moment passed between them, Yonas gaping at her like she’d told him she was actually his sister. “How did you even know?”

  “I…I picked up your phone on accident. We have the same phone, remember? I saw an alert about your confirmation.”

  He blinked. “Why on earth did you rat me out?”

  There was real anger in his voice, and she drew back, unsure of what to say. Why had she ratted him out? It felt like
the right thing to do. To preserve this family’s unity.

  “It’s really important to your father that you stick around for the holidays,” she said, the words coming out in a rush. He’d started pacing again, his anger rolling off of him in waves. “He’s my employer, and I feel for him, what with his wife being gone and all…it just seemed like the right thing to do. He asked me to let him know if you made plans.”

  “He asked you to let him know?” The words were acid from his lips. He scoffed. “Well this is a new low.”

  “Well, why can’t you just stay?” As soon as the words came out, she knew it was a mistake. She was interfering, now. Straight up meddling. But the part of her heart that had always yearned for a family understood Sheikh Yared’s wishes. “It’s the holidays. It’s important to your father.”

  He scoffed again. “So important that he has to hold me hostage.”

  “Well, you can always take this trip later, you know.” She struggled to think of rationalizations. “Indonesia or wherever will still be there. I’m sure it’ll be fun after Christmas.”

  “That’s not the point,” he spat.

  “Then what is?”

  “Being trapped with my family during the holidays is the worst part of my year,” he said, storming up to her. “You’re new here, so you wouldn’t understand.”

  “Yeah, apparently not. Your family seems pretty okay to me.”

  “You might think differently if everyone made you the butt of their jokes,” Yonas spat. “Nobody takes me seriously around here, much less around Christmas. Why subject myself to that if I don’t have to?”

  She studied the floor, his words circling inside of her. Emailing the sheikh had been a big mistake. She’d stuck her nose where it didn’t belong, and now she’d ruined Yonas’s personal life way more than any damage he’d done by pulling down her decorations. She frowned.

  “I’m sorry. I really thought I was helping him out. I just…I guess I can’t understand because I’ve never had family like you have. I would have killed to have older brothers and younger sisters like you have. I can’t even imagine wanting to escape the very thing that I’ve dreamt of my entire life.”

  “Not all families are as neat and tidy as they exist in your imagination,” he muttered.

  “Fair enough. But since your father put you on lockdown…can’t you just enjoy it?” She threw her arms out to her sides. “Not even for your sisters’ sake? This is still their childhood. It’s important to them.”

  Yonas sighed, running his hand through his hair. The hard edges of his anger were gone from his face, but he still wouldn’t look her in the eye. “I think I’m done for today.”

  He walked away, his footsteps echoing quietly down the hall until the quiet of the palace once again surrounded her. She gnawed at her lip again, wishing she could have smoothed things over better.

  She didn’t like the thought that Yonas might hold this against her. That she’d somehow messed things up in a way she should have stayed far away from.

  But you did the right thing. You honored your employer’s wishes. You’re keeping a family and their traditions together.

  Still, she couldn’t help but feel the loss of Yonas’s presence. He was warm, bubbly, and fun. Even when he was a cocky bastard, he made her work more enjoyable.

  She wanted him to come back around and continue to brighten her days…and she’d make sure he did.

  7

  Yonas was awoken early the next morning by fervent pounding on his door. He hadn’t even rolled over to tell the mystery guest to go away before the door creaked open.

  Winta and Sesuna barreled inside his room, hopping on his bed.

  “Time to wake up, time to wake up!” they chanted.

  He groaned, burying his face in a pillow.

  “Breakfast is here, brother!” Their shouts were followed by giggles. He could feel them rolling around and hopping on the bed.

  “Don’t you have studying to do?” he asked into the pillow, but it was hopeless. They hadn’t heard him over their shouts.

  He flung himself onto his back, rubbing at his eyes before attempting to understand the new day. A palace employee was pushing a small cart through the doorway.

  “Your breakfast, sir.” The employee unveiled a few different dishes before exiting the bedroom. Winta pulled the tray closer.

  “Look what’s on here!” she exclaimed in Arabic. “She ordered you flatbread and all sorts of food!”

  The use of the word she made him sit up. He tossed back the covers, scooting to the edge of the bed. An entire feast awaited him, alongside a small folded note. He opened it, finding a delicate scrawl.

  “Don’t let today start without the proper breakfast. I still need your help. Sorry for ratting on you. –The Decorator”

  A grin covered his face. He re-read the note a few times, then set it on his night stand. She’d sent the same flatbread and dipping sauce from the other day, along with a full spread of fruits and yogurt and…sweet dates. He popped a slice of banana into his mouth.

  “We like her,” Sesuna said, resting her head on Yonas’s lap as he dug in. “She’s so nice to us.”

  “Yeah. We like her a lot. She’s so pretty, too,” Winta added, playing with the tip of her long braid.

  “That she is,” Yonas concurred. He stabbed a piece of cantaloupe. “Do you know where her room is?”

  The twins shook their heads.

  “Well. We must thank this pretty lady properly.” He ripped off a piece of flatbread, a few ideas percolating already. “I have a question for you two.”

  “What is it?” Sesuna asked.

  “Would you girls like it if I stayed home this Christmas?”

  Both girls gasped simultaneously. Winta began jumping on the bed. “Are you serious?”

  “Don’t joke if it’s not true,” Sesuna warned in her recently developed teenager tone.

  Their enthusiasm was contagious. It was hard not to be a little glad that he was the cause of it, too. He’d never thought his little sisters might miss him so much each year. That this would be something they’d get excited about. “I think I’ll be sticking around this Christmas. Thought you two would like to know.”

  The girls shrieked and jumped. “We can plan so many things!” Winta said.

  “Noel and Robel never have time for us anymore,” Sesuna complained, picking at a thread on his comforter.

  “Yeah. I think Noel’s dating the chef.” Winta frowned.

  “The chef?” Yonas paused, trying to remember who the chef was they were referencing. “Not Segal.”

  “Nooo.” Sesuna giggled, rolling onto her back. “The American one.”

  “Ah. Of course.” Yonas mopped up the rest of the green sauce with his flatbread. “These American women are certainly influencing the holidays this year.”

  Winta giggled, poking Yonas in the cheek. “You like Maia.”

  He pulled back, sending an exaggeratedly stern look to his little sister. “I do not.”

  “Yes, you doooo.” Sesuna wrapped her arms around his neck. “Admit it.”

  “I won’t.” He couldn’t fight the grin though. “But if I did like her, you’d like it?”

  The girls shrieked so loud he winced.

  “Okay, girls. You need to go back to your studies.” He shooed them away. He was fully awake and nearly half-full. After a shower, he’d be ready for his day. “Thanks for the surprise. I’ll see you both later today.”

  The girls danced out of the room, leaving a happy energy in their wake. He’d loved his sisters since the day they were born, but admittedly in recent years, he’d let his personal life get in the way of his relationship with them. Some days, he looked at them and couldn’t believe how big they’d grown. How refined and adult they’d become, while still maintaining that goofy tinge of childhood.

  Yonas wandered into the bathroom and shed his pajama bottoms before stepping into the shower. Warm water kissed his skin, and instantly his head rolled to the side.<
br />
  Jerking off in the shower was always the best way to start his day. His hand wandered between his legs, stroking his half-hard dick until it stood at attention.

  And of course his mind was on Maia. Not just because she’d sent him an apologetic breakfast. But because the more he was around her, the more he wanted to see what lay on the other side of that kiss they’d shared. Where their chemistry might lead them. Whether or not she liked her hair pulled or her ass slapped.

  Yonas grunted as he fisted himself, his entire body tingling as he imagined Maia in his bedroom, naked and sprawling, that devilish smile all for him. Wondering what her nipples might look like finally sent him over the edge. He came hard, his abdomen spasming as the water washed away his cum.

  He’d come fast—faster than normal. Faster than he’d ever come while looking at the salacious pictures that Shaia had sent. In fact, with Maia around, he hadn’t even thought twice about Shaia. The realization made something cold seep through him.

  He actually didn’t even care that she’d cancelled their plans and tried to console him with a nude photo the other day.

  Maybe he’d never speak to her again.

  Yonas toweled off and got dressed, pulling on fashionable black jeans and a lavender button-up. He wanted to make an impression—something of his specialty. He put a little gel in his hair and left his day-old beard. Sometimes the scruff could work wonders.

  Yonas strutted out of his room, feeling more prepared and put-together than ever. It was barely nine a.m., and he was already dressed to kill. Today would be a good day. When he got to the foyer, it was oddly quiet. No signs of Maia. Then he remembered—it was barely nine.

  Yonas headed for his father’s office, knocking softly on the door before pushing inside. His father was almost always in his office; it was practically the headquarters of the palace. As expected, his father sat behind a great wooden desk, sipping on Turkish coffee.

  “Yonas.” Sheikh Yared sounded genuinely surprised. He set the dainty coffee cup down, lowering the newspaper he’d been reading. “Why are you up so early?”