Sheikh Surgeon, Surprise Bride

by Josie Metcalfe

  ‘Rest, Father,’ Razak counselled gently. ‘I will come back later.’

  ‘Bring her with you,’ he ordered weakly, as tiredness overcame him and closed his eyes. ‘Bring Lily.’

  Razak seemed utterly drained by the time they returned to the waiting limousine. He hadn’t slept when she had on the flight if the briefcase full of papers he’d brought with him was any indication…but she could also see his relief at the cardiologist’s report that the condition of his father’s heart condition wasn’t as bad as he’d feared. Where once his general health would have prevented him from having the open-heart surgery his condition required, the latest developments in the design of stents meant that the same outcome that would have been achieved from coronary bypass surgery had been achieved with a procedure that was less stressful than balloon angioplasty.

  ‘Finally, it’s time to go home,’ he murmured, as he rested his head back against the supple leather. ‘Soon we will be able to take a shower and relax.’

  Lily took advantage of the fact that his eyes were closed to look at him without the fear that he would catch her doing it.

  With a grimace at the unfairness of life she noted that while she looked thoroughly wilted, he looked barely rumpled in his elegantly tailored suit. There were shadows under his eyes that were only partly hidden by those ridiculously long lashes and his hair was rumpled, but otherwise no one would have known that this was the first time he’d really relaxed in nearly twenty-four hours.

  Far too soon they were turning in through an ornate gateway and their chauffeur said something that opened Razak’s eyes and had him straightening up in his seat.

  Lily had a strong suspicion that their driver had somehow notified their destination that they were near because by the time the vehicle glided to a halt in front of the massive doors in the middle of the imposing white façade there seemed to be nearly a dozen people gathered to welcome Razak home.

  She barely stifled a chuckle when she realised that most of them were staff who had apparently been detailed to carry their luggage for them, only to find a single small case apiece and Razak’s briefcase when they opened up the back of the vehicle.

  ‘Come inside out of the heat,’ Razak invited, and Lily was grateful for the suggestion. The sun had grown so much hotter in the brief time they had been in the hospital that it felt hard to breathe and her shirt was now sticking uncomfortably to her back.

  She had hoped that she would avoid meeting any more people until she’d had a chance to freshen up, but as soon as her eyes grew accustomed to the comparative darkness of the lofty pillared hallway she could see another group of people approaching them.

  Razak exclaimed aloud and strode swiftly forward to embrace the elegant older woman of the group, before gesturing Lily forward.

  ‘Lily, this is my mother,’ he announced with a smile, and Lily found herself looking down into eyes filled with blatant suspicion that bordered on dislike. ‘Mother,’ he continued, apparently oblivious to what was going on right under his aristocratic nose, ‘this is Dr Lily Langley. She is a colleague of mine and a gifted surgeon.’

  Wordlessly, his mother accorded Lily the briefest nod of acknowledgement before turning back to her son.

  Although she didn’t understand a single word, Lily could tell that his mother was angry with him and felt embarrassed that she was obviously the cause of her displeasure. Was it because she felt it inappropriate for him to have brought a visitor with him while his father was ill? Or perhaps it was because it was obvious that Lily plainly didn’t belong in such sumptuous surroundings. She’d certainly never been in anywhere as luxurious since she’d taken advantage of a guided tour round one of the stately homes in England.

  ‘Enough, Mother,’ Razak said impatiently, but he was gentle as he removed the hand clutching tightly at his arm. ‘We worked all day yesterday and travelled for most of the night. We need to go to our rooms.’

  His mother beckoned a young woman forward with a single sentence but Razak swiftly countermanded her.

  ‘I will show Lily to her rooms,’ he said. ‘We will probably sleep for a while but if you send someone to wake us, we will join you for the midday meal.’

  Razak could have chosen his words better, Lily thought when she realised that it sounded almost as though the two of them would be sleeping together. Then she saw the expression of shock on his mother’s face and realised that was exactly the way she’d understood them, too, and with a stab of dismay suddenly realised that the older woman had deliberately erected a language barrier between them so that she didn’t have to speak directly to her.

  That insight totally robbed her of words as she followed meekly in Razak’s wake, his long strides taking him out of the palatial entrance and into the first of a series of imposing corridors.

  Suddenly, without any warning, he stopped in his tracks and she barely avoided ploughing into his back.

  ‘I apologise,’ he said tightly, his mouth pressed into an angry line.

  ‘I should have been watching where I was going,’ she said uncertainly, not recognising his mood. He wasn’t an easy man to read, keeping most of his thoughts to himself, but she’d never seen him quite this agitated.

  ‘I didn’t mean…’ He shook his head and began again. ‘I apologise for my mother and the way…’ A sudden noise at the other end of the corridor had him breaking off again with what could only be a muttered imprecation under his breath.

  ‘Come. We cannot speak here,’ he announced, and strode away again, this time so swiftly that she was almost forced to run to keep up.

  The last thing she needed was to lose him, she thought with a hint of hysteria. This place was so vast that she might never be seen again…which would probably please his mother no end, she added darkly to herself.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  LILY was short of breath from keeping up with him by the time Razak finally paused in front of an imposing wooden door. When he threw it open to reveal a room that seemed filled with light in spite of the gauzy curtains drawn to filter the sunshine she could only gasp at its beauty.

  The furniture was a clever mixture of old and new, traditional and modern, but it was the view outside that completely stole her breath.

  ‘Oh, Razak, look!’ she whispered, as a flicker of movement drew her eyes and she hurried across to draw one of the curtains aside. ‘Did you see that?’

  Outside, centred in the enclosed atrium surrounded by a traditional colonnade, was a stretch of glimmering water surrounded by cool blue and white patterned tiles. As she took in the profusion of plants that filled each corner, spilling out of every size and shape of container, another bird swooped down, leaving a sharp slash in the water’s surface that widened into ripples.

  ‘There’s another one!’ she exclaimed, and laughed in delight. ‘What sort of bird is it and what are they doing?’

  ‘I don’t know what you would call them,’ he admitted. ‘But they are migrating birds that stop here briefly at this time each year when they are on their way north for the summer and then, later, when they make the return journey to escape the northern winter. Every year that I can remember at least some of them have found this water and performed this feat, scooping up beakfuls of water over and over to satisfy their thirst after the long journey across the desert.’

  ‘They’re beautiful!’ she exclaimed, glancing back at him as he came to stand behind her and she moved to one side to give him room to watch with her. ‘They’re so swift and agile and…’ Her words faded away when she realised that he wasn’t looking at the birds at all but was gazing down at her, his dark eyes more intent than ever.

  ‘What?’ she demanded nervously, knowing that she looked far from her best after so many hours’ travelling.

  ‘Ah, Jazz, you are such a special person,’ he said quietly, as he used a single fingertip to stroke several stray strands of hair away from her face.

  She felt her eyes widen at the unexpected gesture, marvelling that something so sim
ple could feel so much like a caress, and as for the intimacy of using the nickname he had chosen for her…

  Before she could untangle her vocal cords long enough to protest that she wasn’t special at all, just ordinary, very ordinary, he was speaking again.

  ‘My mother was unforgivably rude to you when you arrived—rude to a guest I have brought to my home—but instead of taking offence, you find delight in watching birds drinking from a pool.’

  She was completely lost for words. What could she say? Tell him that she’d been hurt that his mother had realised at first glance that she was nowhere near their social standing? Hardly. It was nothing less than the truth and there was nothing she could do or say to make it any different.

  At the same time Lily felt that she should say something, otherwise Razak’s discomfort at his mother’s discourtesy might colour her whole stay in his home.

  ‘Razak, your mother has been desperately worried about your father and has probably slept even less than we have. How can I possibly take offence if she’s less than totally welcoming to a stranger being foisted on her at such a time?’

  He smiled down at her and shook his head. ‘As I said, you are a special woman,’ he whispered, and bent his head to brush the briefest of kisses across her lips.

  Razak leant his forehead against the tiled wall and groaned as the cold water poured over his body.

  It had been nearly half an hour since he’d made the crazy mistake of kissing Lily. At the time it had felt perfect and if she hadn’t slapped his face for his presumption, he’d been fully prepared to make it the first of many, in spite of the fact he was so tired he could barely see straight. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he’d seen the curtains move in one of the rooms on the other side of the atrium and had realised that, with the curtain still pulled aside and clenched tight in Lily’s hand, whoever was watching them had seen far more than he would have wished.

  So here he was, standing under a cold shower wondering exactly how long it would be before news of his misdemeanour reached his mother.

  The fact that he’d installed Lily in the suite right next to his own was already making her unhappy, but there was no way he could have let his mother carry out her intention of banishing her to the far reaches of the guest wing all on her own, no matter how luxurious the accommodation was. Lily wasn’t the sort of person to want to ring a bell every time she wanted directions, but without them most people would become lost in this vast warren. At least with her in the room beside his, he could escort her to where she needed to go.

  It was nobody’s business but his own that the decision had been anything but spur of the moment. He’d spent far too much of the flight watching her as she’d slept and planning to have her installed in the suite next to his. In all conscience he couldn’t take his attraction any further than that single kiss, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t dream about it, especially when she’d seemed every bit as dissatisfied that he’d stopped as he had.

  He groaned again at his body’s predictable response and turned the water off, finally admitting that it wasn’t going to do any good if he couldn’t stop thinking about her, as well as being a waste of his country’s precious resources.

  No, instead of trying to forget how soft and sweet her lips had tasted, his time would be far better spent in concentrating on what he would say if…no, make that when…his mother confronted him with his transgression. Or, better yet, he should be organising to visit the hospital again to see how much progress had been made on the construction of the new dedicated orthopaedic surgery department.

  There was a sharp knock on his door just as he strode out of the bathroom and his sudden thought that Lily might walk in on him had an all too predictable effect on his naked body.

  ‘Hey, big brother!’ exclaimed Karim pointedly, as he let himself in without waiting for an invitation. Razak felt a juvenile blush work its way up his throat and into his face as he turned away to reach for a robe.

  ‘To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?’ he asked stiffly.

  ‘It doesn’t look as if it’s the pleasure of my company that you want, Raz,’ Karim teased, as he dropped down to sprawl into the corner of a sofa. ‘Do I take it you’ve heard that Mother-dear is trying to persuade Dita to come home for a visit?’

  ‘But that is crazy when she has exams so soon!’ Razak exclaimed. ‘And it is a waste of time when I will be gone in a few days.’

  ‘Then you are not so eager to see her that you will snatch at any chance?’ Karim said with an innocent expression on his face. They both knew that he was goading, trying to get a reaction out of his big brother, and with a blinding flash of revelation Razak suddenly realised why.

  Transfixed by his thoughts, he was still standing there trying to find the right words to voice the impossible when there was a second, more hesitant knock on the door.

  Karim called out for whoever it was to enter and Razak’s heart gave several extra beats when Lily’s beautiful face peered hesitantly round the door.

  Once more his body threatened to embarrass him and with a muttered apology he hurried back towards the bathroom, only remembering to scoop up an armful of clothing at the last minute.

  Lily couldn’t help the way her eyes followed Razak’s broad back as he strode out of the room, admiring the way the heavy silk of his gown lovingly outlined it and the tight curves of his buttocks before tracing the length of dark hair-sprinkled muscular legs.

  A stifled chuckle made her close her eyes in mortification that she’d been caught ogling the man. Running away to hide was an option, but it wasn’t her way so she forced herself to meet dark eyes that were almost exactly like Razak’s and gleaming with suppressed laughter.

  ‘I am Karim,’ he said, as he leapt up and strode across to her, taking her hand to pull her further into the room. ‘I am Raz’s younger and much more handsome brother.’

  Lily couldn’t help laughing. ‘Younger? I will have to take your word on that, but much more handsome? Surely that is in the eye of the beholder?’

  ‘And?’ he challenged, striking a theatrical pose.

  Lily put on a thoughtful expression as she examined him from top to toe then rocked her hand in an expression of uncertainty. It was his turn to laugh as the bathroom door opened and Razak emerged with a face like thunder.

  ‘Don’t you have any work to do?’ he snapped, as he retrieved his phone and a set of keys and slid them into his pocket. ‘Lily and I don’t have any time to waste. We have a meeting at the hospital with the architect.’

  Lily blinked. The last she’d heard, the two of them were supposed to be catching up on some sleep. Now he was saying they had an immediate appointment? Then she caught an exchange of glances between the two brothers and realised there were deeper undercurrents in the room than she was privy to.

  ‘Of course,’ Karim agreed with barely concealed humour. ‘You have an urgent meeting with the architect who was chosen specifically because you trusted him to complete the project in your absence.’

  Karim was poking fun at his big brother, Lily realised, fascinated to see this glimpse into his private life. Was he taking advantage of the fact that she was there to prevent Razak retaliating? How deep was the rivalry between the two of them?

  ‘And you doubtless have a mountain of work waiting for you on Father’s desk. Are you ready to go, Lily?’ Razak asked her briskly, and she glanced down at the white cotton trousers topped by a lightweight long-sleeved top covered in delicate swirls of green, blue and turquoise.

  ‘Will this do, or am I dressed too casually?’ she asked, suddenly uncomfortably aware that the wardrobe she’d brought with her might be woefully lacking. She certainly hadn’t expected to be living in a house that was little less than a palace and to find that Razak had a seemingly inexhaustible supply of expensive suits.

  ‘That will be perfect if it feels cool and comfortable,’ he said, suddenly shrugging out of his jacket and depositing it on the arm of a nearby chair.


  She saw Karim’s eyebrows shoot up and wondered if this sudden informality was something new. She was accustomed to seeing Razak in suits or wilted theatre scrubs at the end of a hard operating session and knew that he lost none of his air of command whichever he wore.

  Reassured that she wasn’t dressed inappropriately and suddenly exhilarated that she was going to be spending the morning with Razak, Lily only just remembered to smile in Karim’s direction and utter an anodyne ‘Nice to have met you’ before she allowed Razak to usher her out of the door.

  ‘Raz?’ he called, and they both paused while Karim met his brother’s eyes and gave him a smiling nod. ‘Now I understand,’ he said, almost too softly for her to hear, casting a fleeting glance in Lily’s direction.

  Razak frowned heavily for a second and started to shake his head before he gave a rueful grin and a nod. ‘Well, then, little brother, see that you take advantage of the situation as soon as possible.’

  Lily couldn’t make head or tail of the exchange, but whatever they’d been talking about seemed to have had an amazing effect on Razak’s disposition.

  Ever since they’d entered those imposing doors he’d been filled with so much tension that the air had almost crackled around him.

  By the time he’d led the way out of a side exit and waved away the chauffeur-driven limousine in favour of a nondescript dust-covered car that he drove himself, he was actually humming under his breath with a half-smile curving the corners of his mouth.

  Finally, knowing that she couldn’t face a near-silent journey when she was filled with too many questions to bear, she tried to find an innocuous topic of conversation.

  ‘What is the difference in age between you and Karim?’ she asked, still amazed by the fact that two brothers could look so alike and yet she had absolutely no reaction to one while every cell in her body quivered when she so much as thought about the other.

  There was a pause before he answered, almost as if he was waiting to pull up at the traffic light ahead before speaking.