“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.
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?”
“No reason,” Yonas said. “Father, in which room is Maia, the decorator, staying? I need to speak with her.”
His father blinked, his brow furrowing. “If I remember correctly…she’s the one who chose not to stay at the palace.”
The words almost didn’t make sense. “She did?”
“Correct.” His father began rummaging through some papers on his messy desk. “Do you need to speak with her immediately? Is this regarding her work?”
“Yes.” Yonas swallowed, pulling his phone from his back pocket. “I need her phone and address.”
His father rattled off the address. Just as Yonas had input the information, the office door creaked open. Robel came inside, supporting himself on crutches. He’d fractured his ankle recently and was even more insufferable than usual because of it.
Robel’s eyebrows shot up when his gaze met Yonas’s. “Good morning. Absolutely did not expect to see you here.”
Yonas narrowed his eyes. “I wake up early one day and everybody acts like it’s the end of the world.”
“Well, you do tend to sleep in,” Robel muttered. The eldest and tallest of the Yared brothers straightened, emphasizing his full several inches he had over Yonas. “While the rest of us are working.”
Yonas swallowed the comment quivering at the tip of his tongue. Now wasn’t the time to start a fight. “Well as you can see with your own eyes, I’m here. Awake. Alive. Before nine a.m. You’re going to have to believe it now.”
Robel turned his steely gaze toward their father. “I came to speak about the holiday plans. It appears that there are some issues cropping up.”
Yonas stuck around to hear what his brother had to say. Concerned citizens and some family friends had come to Robel with something resembling complaints: that this year’s festivities felt too Western, that the holiday programming had a significant American bent to it, that with the sheikh’s wife convalescing in Switzerland, the entire palace had gone to shit.
“Things are not traditional enough,” Robel insisted. “Doesn’t this concern you?”
Their father sighed dramatically, his gravelly voice booming through the office. “Robel. You have been insisting for years that our Maatkaran society is not traditional enough. What level of tradition will you accept?”
Yonas wilted at the words, the familiar clashes and rancor between his older brother and father enough to send him running to find a new plane ticket. He excused himself from the office, leaving the two of them in their own cloud of differing ideas and discontent.
Still, their spat weighed heavily on him. As long as Yonas could remember, Robel and their father had been butting heads. And that was one aspect among many that drove Yonas to escape each year. That was what Maia didn’t understand.
No matter where he went that morning, Robel’s argument found him. While he lurked in the kitchen, Robel crutched his way through, spouting off obscenities about the breakfast. When Yonas escaped to the library, Robel also burst in there, muttering to himself while he searched for a book.
Once ten o’clock rolled around, Yonas had had enough. He needed out of the palace. And if he couldn’t get on a plane, he knew the next best option.
Yonas called for a car and barely breathed until he’d gotten past the gates of the palace. The driver had Maia’s address. The rest would figure itself out.
In less than ten minutes, they’d arrived at Maia’s place. She was in what looked like a quaint bed and breakfast, just outside the city center. Palms shaded the front pathway, and jasmine bloomed by the gate. As soon as Yonas stepped out of the car, the front door opened.
Maia pushed open the door with an arm, looking back over her shoulder. “Julian, I’m leaving!”
Yonas paused at the sound of her voice, his questions from the day before returning to him. She’d been speaking with someone on the phone. He’d automatically assumed boyfriend, and now it all made sense. She chose to stay away from the palace. She was sort of a bitch to him and never responded like other women. She’d just called out a name like Julia.
Maia was a lesbian.
Disappointment crashed through him, and he froze, unable to return to the car or move forward to present himself. Maia bent down in the doorway. A small boy rushed forward, flinging his arms around her neck.
Yonas furrowed a brow. Wait.
Maia hugged the boy then stood, her gaze swinging out to see him. She gasped.
“Yonas! What the hell are you doing here?”
Yonas opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. He looked between Maia and the boy. “Is that your son?”
“Yes.” She clutched the boy close to her, as if protecting him from Yonas.
Yonas stepped closer, waving to the boy. “Hey there. I’m Yonas.”
“Hi.” The boy nestled into Maia’s side, half-shy, half-curious. “I’m Julian.”
Shock still hung in the air. Maia rubbed at her forehead, then knelt down to talk to her son. “Go inside, baby. Mommy’s gotta go to work.”
Julian scampered off, and Maia shut the door quietly behind him. Then she stormed toward Yonas, her hands on her hips.
“Should I be worried that you’re here or not?”
Yonas let a laugh of disbelief. “No. Not at all. I just wanted to thank you for the breakfast.”
Maia deflated, sighing. “Thank God.”
“Listen, real quick.” Yonas wet his bottom lip, trying to quickly assess how well this question would go over. “So, you’re not a lesbian, right?”
8
Maia laughed, harder than she’d laughed in a long time. She covered her mouth with her hand.
“No,” she said between giggles. “No, I’m not.”
“Okay.” Yonas shoved his hands in his very tight black jeans, which she’d noticed immediately upon laying eyes on him. Followed only by his actually purple shirt.
“Should I be asking you if you’re into men? What with the purple shirt and all?”
Yonas tilted his head. “Very funny. I just happen to be fashion forward.”
“Fine.” She squashed a grin. She was weirdly happy to see him here. Her gesture of goodwill had had an impact. “What did you need so urgently? I’m on my way to the palace, you know.”
“I don’t know. Nothing. I just…needed to get out of there.” Yonas kicked at something on the ground, his brow turning into a hard line. “Why aren’t you staying at the palace?”
“This is my friend’s home.” Maia gestured back toward the house. “I went to school with Iliana. She wanted to help me with Julian, since she never gets to see him.”
“She can still watch him if you stay at the palace,” Yonas countered.
She fought a satisfied smirk. So he wanted her around more. That was something she could relate to…against her better judgement. “True. But it’s easier if I stay here. That way I don’t have to bring him here, then go back to the palace, then come back here, only to return to the palace…”
“We have help,” Yonas said.
“Yes, but it’s easier for me.” Irritation flared. She didn’t like him questioning her decisions. “I like the division between work and home. It helps me.”
“And how’s it working out for him?” Yonas jerke
d his head toward the house.
Maia was quiet. First he questioned her decisions; now he was questioning her parenting. “You have no right to challenge how I raise my son.”
“You’re at the palace all day…he probably needs some time off, just like you do.” He looked at her earnestly. “Right?”
She shrugged. “I’m here to work. This is part of the deal.”
“Well, let’s take a day off.” Yonas wet his bottom lip, making her knees turn to mush. “Let’s go to the zoo.”
Her eyebrow lifted. “The zoo?”
“Yeah.” That heartbreaker smile spread across his face again. He was too good at turning the tables, at wooing her when it was the last thing she wanted. “I’ll call in for you. My father won’t be upset. I promise. You guys need a day off.”
She studied him for a few moments, trying to figure out where on the scale from absurd to great idea this was. “Are you serious?”
“Yes.” He sounded exasperated now, tugging out his phone. “Go on. Get your son. Julian. I want to get to know him.”
Yonas turned his back as he made a phone call, leaving her in a stunned silence. This was certainly not how she’d imagined her Friday would go. She hesitated, ready to insist she just go to work and call off the whole thing, until that little voice in the back of her mind said, Just go with it.
Maia opened the front door, calling for Julian. He bounced toward her a moment later.
“Honey, guess what! Mommy’s not going to work. Instead…we’re going to the zoo today!”
Her sandy-haired boy hopped around with excitement, running in circles and alternating between shrieks and giggles. Yonas approached the doorway a moment later, his gaze falling to the elated child.
“So it appears he likes the idea.”
She looked over her shoulder at him, his broad shoulders filling the doorway, the sexy scruff on his face too delicious to ignore. There was something about a dark-haired, dark-skinned man that drove her wild. And this one was the cream of the crop.
The Sheikh’s Christmas Family: Christmas With The Yared Sheikhs Book Two Page 4