by Leslie North
Poppy had only treated him poorly because she didn’t realize who he was. Now that she knew, she’d probably be like every other woman he came in contact with. The thought depressed him, but at least he wouldn’t have to spend the next few days with only Melka to keep him company. While the man was like a brother to him, his constant vigilance grew tiresome. The man really did need to learn to relax once in a while.
Emine looked around nervously. “I apologize that we hadn’t quite finished getting ready. We didn’t expect you until later. I’d be more than happy to stay and help Poppy finish cleaning, and I can have Taj, our groundskeeper, shovel the walkway.”
“There’s no need for you to stay,” Samir murmured. “I’m sure everything is in good condition. It’s not like anyone stays here to mess it up. I will ask that the groundskeeper stay for a few more hours though. Weather reports say that the snow isn’t going to let up anytime soon, so we’ll need to clear as much as possible.”
“I’ll let him know right away,” Emine said with a bright smile. It looked almost terrifying, and Samir had a feeling that the old woman didn’t smile often. “The delivery boy should be here soon so we can stock the kitchen with your favorites, and I’ll give Poppy the recipes. I assure you that she’ll stay out of sight, but all you have to do is call her if you need her. She sleeps in the downstairs bedroom, and the Master bedroom upstairs is all ready for you.”
If he had his way, Poppy would not be staying in the shadows. Samir thanked the older woman and dismissed her. He could tell that the woman was relieved to leave. No doubt, she wanted to get home before the roads closed. If Emine and the groundskeeper didn’t leave soon, they’d be snowed in with them and while Samir enjoyed socializing, he suspected that spending the week with Emine would be less fun and more hassle.
Alone, Samir walked slowly around the living room. Al-Harmid was a peaceful country, unlike some of their neighbors. There hadn’t been an attempt on the Shadid family in generations, so he’d never seen any of the safe houses before; although he knew that they’d been recently renovated to update the security equipment, which were now relatively imperceptible unless you knew what you were looking for. The cabin blended in with the other homes in the area and it wasn’t much to look at from the outside, but it was fairly impressive inside. Not nearly as impressive as the palace, but Samir didn’t mind roughing it for a few days.
God, he hoped that it was only for a few days.
“Ahem.”
He turned his head to see Poppy standing in the doorway. “The housekeeper is gone, and she’s informed me that I’m to be at your disposal.”
It didn’t slip past him that she hadn’t said that she would be at his disposal. “Very good,” he said in a silky voice. Her pupils dilated, and he grinned inwardly. She was attracted to him.
Clearing her throat again, she straightened and took a deep breath. “Have you had dinner, or do you require something to eat before you retire for the evening?”
“I’ve had dinner, but I have no plans to retire yet. I’m a little juiced from the events this evening.”
“It’s ten o’clock.”
“So it is. I don’t suppose you have some ideas of what we could do tonight?” What he wouldn’t give to slide his hands under her baggy t-shirt and stroke the naked skin of her abdomen until she moaned.
As if she could read his thoughts, her eyes widened in panic. “I actually have a few chores that I need to finish, and I haven’t had dinner, so I’m afraid that I won’t be able to entertain you.”
Before he could remind her that he was the one who gave the orders, headlights swept over the windows. “Oh, thank God. That’s probably the delivery guy,” she muttered. Even though she still wasn’t dressed appropriately, she opened the front door and plunged out into the darkness to greet him.
Stunned by her reaction, Samir stared. Apparently, she preferred the bitter cold weather to his company. That was new.
Standing at the window, he watched as she and some scrawny kid fought with a giant Christmas tree that was strapped to the roof of the car. Frowning, he stared at it. Who the hell had asked for a Christmas tree?
Did Poppy celebrate? He hadn’t even considered the possibility.
The truth was that at one time, the Shadid family did celebrate Christmas. His mother had adored the Western tradition, but when she passed away, his father had ordered all the Christmas decorations be tossed out. That was twenty years ago.
Melka was still on the phone and stood off to the side, watching. Samir thought about ordering the man to help, but for some reason, he really wanted to see Poppy in action.
It was a fight, but Poppy seemed determined. He felt a strange delight in watching her climb on top of the car and shove the tree off. It would probably sustain some damage.
Throwing his hands up in the air, the delivery guy jumped back in the car and sped away. He couldn’t hear her clearly, but he could tell that Poppy was yelling after him. Finally, she grabbed the rope that was still tied around the tree and started dragging the tree toward the door.
Wanting to be the hero, Samir opened the door and raced out to help her. “Don’t bother,” Poppy snapped. “I’ve got it.”
“You don’t like anyone to help you, do you?” he asked cheerfully as he grabbed the rope from her. The tree was heavy, but it didn’t bother him as he easily lifted it to carry inside.
“I wouldn’t want you to get your royal hands dirty,” she muttered under her breath.
“Wow,” Samir laughed as she trailed along behind him. “You can’t talk to me like that!”
Poppy sighed and shut the door behind him. “You’re right,” she said stiffly. “I apologize.”
Raising an eyebrow, he turned his head and pursed his lips. “I didn’t expect you to give up so quickly,” he mused. “I admit that I’m a little disappointed.”
“I’d prefer not to lose my job.” Forcing a smile, she reached forward and pulled out the Christmas tree stand. “Your bodyguard is right. I’m not used to being around royalty, but I’ll do my best to remember my place.”
“I don’t think we’ve quite established where your place might be,” he answered in a low voice. He could tell that she heard him, but she didn’t respond. Once the tree was in the stand, she stepped back and put her hands on her hips.
“Okay, I guess I can decorate the tree tomorrow. I think there are some decorations in the attic or in the storage unit.”
Before she could take a step, Samir reached out and grabbed her arm. She stiffened but didn’t pull away. “I don’t know how long I’ll be here, Poppy. I’d like for us to get to know each other a little better.”
Her lips parted as she stared at him, and he wondered what she’d do if he leaned forward and kissed her. Just slid his tongue inside her welcoming lips and tasted her warmth.
Tugging out of his grasp, she clutched the candles tightly to her chest, her fingers reflexively tightening around the box, crushing the sides. “I don’t think that’s necessary, Sheikh Shadid,” she answered, deliberately stressing his title. “I’m your servant. You’ve no need to get to know me.”
Samir watched her skip up the stairs and admired the way her hips moved with each step. “Oh, habibti, I think there is every reason,” he murmured softly.
“Samir, it’s your father,” Melka growled as he suddenly appeared around the corner.
Tearing his eyes away from Poppy’s exit, he grabbed the phone from Melka and immediately walked into the kitchen. His bodyguard knew better than to follow him. Often times, conversations with his father didn’t go so well.
“Father,” he said politely.
“Samir, what have you done now?” his father shouted. “Melka told me that there was a threat on your life because you slept with someone’s wife? Don’t you have any sense to keep your affairs more private?”
Samir closed his eyes and slowly inhaled as he tried to control his temper. “I didn’t knowingly sleep with someone’s wife, and since I
didn’t see the letter, I can’t even begin to imagine who wrote it.”
“Slept with so many women that you can’t figure out who might be married?” Jibreel snarled. “Or were you too drunk to remember them?”
Samir stayed silent. He thought about disconnecting the call, but even he wasn’t that disrespectful. He knew that his father disapproved of his lifestyle, but since the Crowned Sheikh never thought him responsible enough to do anything to help out, Samir never had much to do. Kashif, of course, was being groomed to take over, and Jarik headed several different councils, but Samir was merely patted on the head and told to go entertain himself.
So he did.
Jibreel sighed. “I had hoped that you would be home closer to the end of the year so we could discuss some things.”
“What things?”
“Just things,” Jibreel snapped. “Is it too much to ask that my sons do as I ask without asking a bunch of questions?”
Confused, Samir pulled the phone back and stared at it. Whatever was going on with his father, it clearly had to do with more than his own antics.
“I’ll try to come back when I can,” he said stiffly.
“Fine,” his father said in a tired voice. “See that you do, and mind what Melka says. Your safety is important to me, Samir.”
He hung up, and Samir shook his head. That was the most emotional thing that his father had said to him in a long time.
They were never a close family; at least, they weren’t after his mother had died. Samir was too young to remember a change in his father’s mood, but he sometimes heard the servants whispering about it, saying that a part of his father was buried with her. Kashif was rarely at the palace. If he wasn’t chasing some new adventure, he was touring the country under Jibreel’s tutelage. Samir and Jarik constantly butted heads. Jarik wanted Samir to be more responsible, and Samir thought that Jarik needed to loosen up.
When the scandal broke with Kivi, an old family friend, and Jarik, it was the first time that he’d actually seen his brother falter. While no one ever suspected that Jarik had anything to do with Kivi swindling their friends, Samir couldn’t resist making a jab at the situation and had gotten a black eye for his efforts.
He hadn’t really spoken to him since. Of course now, with the death threat against him, he supposed Jarik would get his revenge. Maybe then, they’d be even.
Did his father really want them all under the same roof? Together?
That was a disaster waiting to happen.
3
Poppy didn’t sleep very well that night. She was used to the cabin being completely quiet at night, but she was all too aware of Samir’s presence. Every time she closed her eyes, she couldn’t help but imagine what he was hiding under his shirt. Washboard abs that she could skim her fingers over, lower, until she could undo the clasp on those pants and tug them down, exposing her to her favorite fantasy.
When the sun finally rose, Poppy felt as if she hadn’t slept at all. Her neck was tense, and her body was heavy. “Oh, it’s going to be a long day,” she muttered.
His royal highness probably slept until noon, but there were things that needed doing, and her stomach rumbled. He hadn’t needed dinner, but with all the excitement happening last night, she had skipped her own dinner and the angry grumbling spurred her on.
Slipping on a pair of jeans and a baggy sweatshirt, she pulled her hair up in a ponytail and glanced at herself in the mirror. There would be no make-up while Samir was sleeping upstairs. She’d seen the lust in his eyes, and it needed dampening. Poppy needed money, and she wasn’t about to lose her job because her boss couldn’t keep his hands off her.
When she opened the door, voices floated from the stairwell. Realizing that Melka and Samir were up, she froze behind the open door and listened.
“Melka, let it go,” Samir said easily. “You told me that there was nothing suspicious in her file.”
“That doesn’t mean that she’s not still dangerous. It’s obvious that she needs money. She could be working for someone else.”
“If she was working for a criminal, she wouldn’t need money,” Samir responded. “Relax. I’m sure this is nothing, and we’ll be able to go back to the palace soon. Until then, consider this a vacation.”
“Vacation? We’re in the middle of nowhere,” Melka grumbled.
For the first time since she’d heard that they’d be having guests, Poppy wondered why Samir was here. When she had taken this job, Emine had handed her a large binder containing the protocols to follow in the event of danger. From her reading, she knew that if something had happened to make the royal guards feel the brothers were in danger, they would have been separated. What if Samir really was in danger? Was she now in danger too? Having never expected to meet any member of the royal family, up until this very moment, she had never considered the ramifications of one of the Shadids being here.
Emerging from her bedroom, she tried to look relaxed as the two men looked up when she entered the living room. With one look at Samir’s gorgeous face, she frowned.
It simply wasn’t fair that a man who looked that good would also be royal and rich.
“Morning,” she said as Samir stared at her. “I was going to make some breakfast. Hungry?”
“I sure am,” Samir said darkly. The underlying message was clear, and a shudder ran down her spine. Could the man not go more than a few days without sex? Is that why he was hitting on her?
“I’ll be watching you cook breakfast.” Melka’s voice was cold as he strode past her and into the kitchen. Did the man think that she’d poison them? With a quick look at Samir, she hurried behind Melka.
The man watched in stony silence as she pulled out the eggs. “I know that you have a job to do,” she told the bodyguard quietly. “Is there something that I can explain to make you feel easier around me?”
“Why are you here?”
“It’s a dream job,” Poppy said with a small smile. “I get to live on the property, and your boss pays well. I’m saving up to go back to school.”
“Why don’t you go back to America to work?”
That was one question Poppy didn’t want to answer. She was aware of Melka watching her as she worked, and she blew out her breath and turned her head. “I like traveling.”
“That’s evasive,’ Melka growled.
“Look, Mr. Bodyguard…”
“Melka is fine.”
“I don’t know anything about the royal family. I didn’t even know who was coming here last night until you showed up. All I want to do is my job and collect my money. You two being here actually upsets my flow. I’m not all that close to my family, so I’m happy traveling and making money wherever I can. It’s freeing.”
“America is a big place. You wouldn’t need to work near your family.”
“I like it here. And I’d like for the next few days to be as painless as possible. So watch me like a hawk if you like, but I promise that I’m not trying to hurt the royal family. I sure as hell don’t want you here because then I feel like I’m in danger.”
The big man studied her for a minute before relaxing. “I feel like I should apologize, Ms. Milenne. I’m on edge.”
“Please, call me, Poppy, and you don’t have to apologize for doing your job.”
Samir appeared in the kitchen and smiled. “Well, I’m glad that you two have kissed and made up. Poppy, are you going to help me trim the tree today?”
Turning her back, she ignored him and cracked the eggs in the pan. “I doubt it. I have several loads of laundry that I need to do, and I need to bring more wood in. Not to mention that since you sent Taj away, I have to finish shoveling the walkway and driveway unless you want to be stuck here. What time do you want lunch?”
“I’m your boss. I declare that you don’t have to do any of those things.”
“You may be my boss, but Emine checks behind me, and if I don’t do my job, she’ll know. And she scares me way more than you do,” Poppy retorted. “I’m your se
rvant. I’m not your plaything.”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted it. Now, if the thought wasn’t already in his head, it would be now.
Unfortunately, Samir didn’t seem put off by her rejection. “All right. I’ll help you with your chores so we can relax and enjoy ourselves this evening. Maybe I’ll even help you trim your tree.”
He was volunteering to do her chores? That sounded like a nightmare. “That’s not necessary,” she said hastily. “I’ll see what I can do about getting everything finished up early. And it’s not my tree.”
“No, I insist. It’ll be my pleasure,” Samir said with an impish smile.
Great. Things were turning out just great. “Sit down,” she grumbled. “Breakfast will be ready soon.”
“What do you normally do for Christmas?” he asked conversationally as he sat down. “What would you be doing if we weren’t here?”
Poppy ignored the question and served the food. Pulling some orange juice from the fridge, she poured three glasses. “I hope you’re not disappointed that we don’t have champagne.”
“I’ll live. You know it’s telling when you ignore a question,” Samir said with a twinkle in his eye. “Breakfast looks amazing.”
“I hope you enjoy it,” she said shortly. “I’ll take my breakfast in my room and leave you alone.”
“Wait, no,” Samir said with his mouth full, but Poppy skirted around his outreached hand and escaped through the living room. Shutting the door behind her, she slipped into her bedroom and breathed a sigh of relief.
Funny. Seductive. Sexy. The combination really wasn’t fair. Digging into her breakfast, she made a plan. If she divided the chores and gave him half, it would keep him busy and he’d leave her alone.