5
Yonas helped Maia for the better part of the day, long after the twins had wandered off to go finish their studies with the in-palace tutor. By the time Maia was wrapping up, it was nearly dinner time, and his stomach was grumbling. He normally ate well and often, but between today’s hangover and his dedication to helping Maia, he’d overlooked his own hunger.
“Are you hungry?” he asked, jerking his head down the hallway toward the kitchen. “Let’s go find something to eat.”
“It’s almost dinner time,” she said, snapping shut the lid of a large box. “I have plans.”
“I’m not asking you out to dinner. We’ll have a snack.” He started off for the kitchen, trusting that she would follow him. When he glanced over his shoulder a few moments later, she was still in the foyer.
“Come on!” he called out to her.
Her sigh echoed down the hall, making him smile. She walked up to him, fists clenched at her side.
“Is it this much of a struggle to get you to do everything in life?” he asked, elbowing her.
She stiffened, but the usual snarky reply he’d been expecting didn’t arrive. Instead, she looked like she was fighting a smile.
“You have access to the best kitchen in the Middle East, and you won’t even accept my offer of a snack.” He pushed open the swinging doors leading into the kitchen. Cooks bustled around, prepping dinner. Yonas couldn’t remember what was on the menu for that night, but he just wanted something quick and tasty. Across the kitchen, Noel stood flanked by dishes.
“What’s all this, brother?” Yonas strode his way, checking out the dishes. Flatbread, some green sauce, a plate full of lightly fried dumplings. He clapped his brother’s shoulder. “Looks delicious.”
“Just looking at the setup for tonight’s meal.” Noel scratched at the back of his neck, glancing up at Maia. He nodded his greeting. “Maia, hope your evening is going well.”
“Well enough, I suppose,” she said with a sweet smile, setting her phone down on the countertop. “Your brother insists we snack.”
“Yes. And this looks like just the thing.” Yonas reached for the flatbread, but Noel stilled him with a hand on his wrist.
“Yonas,” he said, that irritating disciplinarian-older-brother tone in his voice, “This is mine.”
Maia stifled a laugh from behind him. Yonas furrowed a brow. “What, all of this?”
Noel sent him a flat look. “Maia can have some. But not you.”
Yonas narrowed his eyes, then looked back to find Maia laughing behind her hand. “He’s just acting this way because he’s my older brother,” he said.
“Right,” Maia said.
Noel must have been loving the interplay, because he exaggeratedly offered the plate of flatbread to Maia. “Would you care for one?”
Yonas rolled his eyes. “Okay, funny. I’m the starving one.”
“You were snacking the whole day,” Maia chided, ripping into a piece of what looked to be the softest flatbread ever made.
“Yeah, but I never had breakfast. Or lunch.” He reached for a piece of bread, but Noel moved it out of reach. “Come on.”
“He’s afraid of me because I’m taller,” Noel explained, a smug smile on his face.
“Oh, please. I’ve never been afraid of you.” Yonas shoved his shoulder playfully. But the brotherly tension was alive and well. Especially when it came to food.
“I know you only arrived recently,” Noel went on, “but you’ll quickly learn who the brother in control is.”
“Yeah. Robel.” Yonas teased, lunging past Noel to grab the flatbread. He snagged it with a victorious laugh, biting into it before Noel could object. “Now give me some of that sauce.”
Yonas’s phone buzzed in his pocket once, and then again. He snatched it out, silencing the call and setting the phone on the counter so it didn’t bother him again. Noel moved the dish away from Yonas’s reach as he tried to dip his bread.
“Not again,” Yonas said through a full mouth of bread.
“Here, Maia, please try some of this sauce.” Noel’s devilish grin stretched wider as he reached around Yonas to offer her the plate. “You’ll love it.”
Maia dipped her bread appreciatively into the sauce, biting her lower lip. Yonas couldn’t rip his gaze off her face as she took a bite then emitted a low hum.
She was way sexier than he remembered from last night.
“Delicious,” she finally said.
Yonas frowned, turning back to Noel. “Are you finished? I’m so hungry I could eat a cow.”
“Father won’t allow that,” Noel chided. “Not now that we’re in the vegan observance of the Christmas holidays.”
Yonas grunted, stealing another piece of bread. He swiped it through the sauce before Noel could protest.
“Yonas has always been the hungriest brother,” Noel said. He was gearing up for some embarrassing, comparative tale; Yonas could sense it. “He once won an eating contest in the city center.”
Yonas stared at his brother, chewing loudly.
“Oh, really?” Maia’s eyes shone with interest. “What kind of food?”
“Don’t say it,” Yonas warned.
“Eight scoops of ice cream,” Noel said gleefully. “And he won!”
Yonas sighed, tearing another piece of flatbread in half. “And I couldn’t walk for a day afterward. All for the glory of Maatkare.”
Maia grinned over at Yonas, the first genuine smile he’d gotten from her. It warmed him, more than he wanted to admit to himself. He met her gaze, and something shivered between them.
“That’s quite noble,” she said, swiping a piece of bread into the sauce. “And whatever this sauce is, is absolutely amazing.”
“Ana, our new head cook, made it. I’m just making sure the spread for tonight’s dinner is as pleasing as father requires.”
“It looks lovely,” Maia said. She reached for her phone, swiped through the screen, then frowned. She looked back at the countertop, then at Yonas. “I think we have the same phone.”
She held up his own shiny white smart phone, then reached for the other one. The same model.
“Well, look at that.” Yonas grabbed his phone from her outstretched hand. “Does this mean I win the privilege of your number?”
Noel snorted with a laugh behind him.
“I think you have plenty to keep you occupied,” Maia said with a tight smile. She looked at Noel, then said, “Thank you very much for the tastes. I appreciate it. And Yonas, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Maia turned and left before Yonas could say anything further. He felt a little bit like he’d done something wrong, but he couldn’t figure out what.
“She’s cute,” Noel said finally.
“I know.” Yonas jabbed another piece of bread into the sauce, glancing back at the swinging door that still moved slightly from when she’d walked through. “And she detests me.”
“You did something to deserve that, I’d bet.”
“Maybe.” Yonas chewed thoughtfully. “But she’s very intriguing.”
“Why’s that?”
“She doesn’t care that I’m a sheikh. She talks to me like I’m the pool boy.”
Noel snorted again. “I always sensed you had a submissive side to you.”
Yonas shoved him in the side with his elbow. “Well it doesn’t matter anyway. I’ll be running off to meet Shaia soon.”
“Shaia?” Noel lifted a brow. “Is this a new flavor of the week?”
As soon as the name escaped his lips, Yonas realized he hadn’t told his brothers about the internet romance. He worked his jaw back and forth, considering how to play it off. He didn’t want his brothers to know about his plans to leave for the holidays, because they’d surely tell his father. And this year, more than ever, they would put up a fight to keep him here.
“More than a week, brother.” Yonas squeezed his shoulder. “I must not have told you yet because I thought you’d say exactly what you just said.”
“Then don’t try.”
A tense silence settled between them as Yonas ripped off another piece. He cleaned out the bottom of the bowl.
“You’d think it’s a crime to talk to women in this household,” Yonas finally said. “I think I’m the only one here who knows how to enjoy himself.”
“Perhaps too much,” Noel said. “And nearly always with people who aren’t your family.”
“Is it also a crime to have my own social circle?”
“No. But you certainly seem to be gone a lot.”
“I’m here now, aren’t I?” Yonas smiled at his brother. They were just a few inches apart in height. “I’ve been here for the past two weeks, as well.”
“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 fro
m 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.”
The Sheikh’s Christmas Family: Christmas With The Yared Sheikhs Book Two Page 3