by Leslie North
“She didn’t treat you with the respect that you deserved,” Melka growled suddenly. “You are more than your reputation. You are a good man with the weight of royalty on your shoulders. You’re charitable and smart, and at the very least, she should have respected you because you were a Sheikh. Instead, she saw you as nothing more than a playboy.”
“Melka, calm down,” Samir said as he cracked a smile. His bodyguard was always the first to defend him. “I get it. You got a bad vibe from her.”
“I trust my instincts.”
“She played her role well. I actually felt like a hero when I found her in that shed. Her phobia seemed so real. I’m such an idiot,” Samir murmured. “She probably closed herself up in that shed.”
“Probably,” Melka agreed.
It triggered a memory, and Samir frowned. “But you know that’s not true because Taj admitted to accidentally shutting the door.”
“Right.” Melka cleared his throat. “Maybe they were in on it together. I’ll look into it.”
Turning his head, Samir stared at him. “You knew that Taj accidentally closed the door because he told you over the phone.”
Melka’s jaw clenched and he avoided Samir’s gaze. Something was wrong. He pushed. “You wouldn’t have been able to make that phone call if Poppy had put a signal jammer in the safe house.”
“She must have placed it after,” Melka muttered.
Samir narrowed his eyes. “Maybe. I called Jarik too.”
“Obviously, it was after that as well.”
Something wasn’t right. His bodyguard had tensed and was refusing to look at him. “Melka,” Samir breathed. “You’re lying to me. I can see it. What the hell is going on?”
They pulled onto the airport runway. “We’re here,” the taxi driver announced.
“Get out,” Melka ordered. “We need to get you to safety.”
Samir didn’t budge. He stared at his old friend in horror as the realization dawned. “No,” he moaned. “Please tell me that you didn’t just demonize Poppy.”
“She was distracting you,” Melka said stubbornly. “She would have hurt you. I couldn’t let that happen.”
“Did you blow up that building?”
“You need to take this situation seriously!” Melka exploded.
“What situation? I didn’t even see the letter that you claimed to have found!” A look of guilt flashed over Melka’s face, and Samir moaned. “You faked it. You faked this whole thing. Why?”
“You needed to learn a lesson!” Melka growled. “I’ve watched you with all these women. You have no idea the danger that you put yourself in by bedding them. Anyone of them could be dangerous. I’ve protected this family for a long time, but you are my number one concern. I love you, Samir. I won’t see you hurt because of some slutty American blonde or any other bitch who would use her sex to seduce you and harm you.”
Samir stared at his bodyguard as the taxi driver shifted uncomfortably at being witness to this argument. Staring at Melka, what he had said sunk in.
“What do you mean, you love me? Melka…”
Interrupting him, “As a brother,” Melka said quickly. “We’ve spent so much time together, how could I think anything but.”
Realizing that he was lying, cold fury wrapped around Samir. Narrowing his eyes, he glared at Melka. “Your feelings for me were inappropriate. You were in my family’s employ.”
“Just as that slut was but you had no problems bedding her. Why should this be any different?”
Shaking his head, Samir put a stop to it as he watched the taxi driver’s interest in the conversation through the rearview mirror. “I considered you my friend, Melka, nothing more. But a friend would never do this. Get out.”
Melka’s eyes bulged. “What? Samir, someone could still be out there. I have to protect you.”
“You jeopardized my safety because you were out there. This taxi driver could have called a hundred tabloids by now. Hell, Poppy, in anger, could have called the Press. You put me out in the open because you were jealous! How can I trust you to protect me now?”
“I would never do that,” the driver said solemnly.
“Get the hell out, Melka. Right now!” His voice was clipped with anger, and Melka must have seen the truth in his words.
“I’m sorry, Sheikh,” he said softly as he cast his eyes downward. “I didn’t think. I only wanted to protect you but you’re right. Oh, God.”
Moaning in despair, he opened the door and climbed out. “Forgive me, Samir.”
Reaching over, Samir slammed the door shut. He ordered the driver to return to the apartment, but the snow was increasing, and the drive was even slower. By the time they got there, Poppy was long gone.
Rattling off the address of the safe house, he gripped the headrest in front of him urgently. The driver shook his head. “At this rate, I’ll never get this car up there. We’ll be stuck on the side of the road. I’m sorry, Sheikh. I do want to help you.”
Rubbing his chin, he stared out the window. Dawn would be here soon, and Samir couldn’t let the night pass without finding Poppy. He needed to apologize to her. Beg her forgiveness. After everything that he’d said to her, she’d be a fool to take him back, but he had to try.
“I have an idea.”
15
“No, no, no, no.” Poppy pushed on the accelerator again only to hear the tires spin under her. She knew she was digging herself deeper in the snow, but she couldn’t help it. Not only had she been falsely accused, dumped, and exiled from the country, but now she was going to be stuck in the snow miles from the house, and her gas was running dangerously low. If someone didn’t come by soon, she was going to be trapped in the snow without heat.
At least the sun was coming up.
The snow started to fall harder, and she beat her fists against the steering wheel in frustration. She’d never make it to the house. Having already passed Taj’s house, there wasn’t another house for miles. How was this happening to her? This was supposed to be her best Christmas ever, and now it was a nightmare.
Slumping in despair, she leaned her head against the window and let loose her tears. Sobbing, she wrapped her arms around herself.
Did you really think that someone like me would fall in love with someone like you?
If she’d only stuck to her guns, she wouldn’t even be in this mess. She wouldn’t have ever let herself get hurt.
Something reflected in the side mirror, and she lifted her head and stared.
Headlights!
“Yes!” Pushing the door open, she scrambled out of the car and waved her hands. “I’m here! Help!” she screamed. A snowplow barreled down the road, and she felt a glimmer of hope. If she could convince the driver to take her, she could put all of this behind her.
The plow slowed to a stop, and she jumped for joy. Reaching for the door, she yanked it open and stared. When she saw who was driving it, she recoiled.
Samir?
For a moment, they stared at each other. “What are you doing here?” she demanded. “Have you thought of something else that you can say to hurt me?”
Anguish filled his eyes. “I’m sorry, Poppy. Please give me a chance to explain.”
“Yeah? Like you gave me a chance to explain? I don’t think so.” She slammed the door shut and started marching to the house. The irrational voice in her head decided that she’d rather freeze in the snow than get in the plow with him.
The door slammed shut. “Poppy, please wait. Even if you don’t forgive me, let me get you some place warm.” He chased after her.
“Go away! You’ve made your opinions of me very clear!”
“I deserve every hateful thing you want to throw at me, but I think it would be better if we found shelter. Poppy, I’m minutes ahead of the storm. It’s only going to get worse. Please get in the snow plow.”
Stopping in her tracks, she closed her eyes and shook her head. Her teeth were already chattering. Turning around, she avoided his gaze as she
stomped past him. Yanking open the door again, she climbed inside and slammed it shut.
The relief was evident on his face, but once he climbed in, she turned her head. “Don’t say a word. Just get me to the house to get my things, and at least grant me the courtesy of staying until the snow lets up before throwing me out of your country.”
“Poppy.”
“Not. One. Word!”
He fell into silence, and the vehicle slowly rolled forward. It didn’t take long before the plow shuddered and stopped. Poppy whirled her head in alarm. “What? What happened? Please tell me we’re not stuck.”
Samir frowned. “We’re not stuck.”
“Then why aren’t we moving?”
“We’re out of gas,” he sighed and looked out the window.
“Out of gas? How can you be out of gas?”
“I didn’t really pay attention to the important details when I took Taj’s plow. I’m sorry, Poppy. I was only thinking of how quickly I could get to you.”
He was thinking of her? It would have been sweet if she wasn’t once again stuck in the snow.
And if he hadn’t said horrible things to her.
The cabin,” he breathed. “The cabin that we found that day when we were out walking. Do you remember?”
Remember? Now that he mentioned it, every detail of that day started playing in her head. The night before. The night after. Her cheeks flushed. “What about it?”
“We were heading south through the woods when we found it, and we weren’t far from the road. It should be right through those woods. Come on.”
“You better be right,” she muttered as she slid out of the truck. The snow was halfway up her calves. Lifting her legs, she started trudging through the woods. When Samir caught up with her, he held out his hand. She ached to take it, but even though she could have used his support, she couldn’t reach out for him as she held her arms tightly at her sides.
He was right. A few minutes of trekking through the woods, they made it to the clearing. Samir knocked on the door, but she didn’t expect anyone to answer. There was still no evidence that anyone lived there. He tried the door, but it was locked.
“There’s a back door,” she said as she peered through the window. “Come on.”
The wind howled and bit at her nose. Thankfully, the door was unlocked. Shivering, she breathed in deep. “I’ll see if I can get a fire started.”
“I’ll do that,” Samir volunteered immediately.
“I wouldn’t want you to dirty your hands, your highness,” she muttered as she walked away from him. Pulling off her gloves, she blew hot air on them and looked around. The cabin was fully furnished and cozy, but the dust on the counter was half an inch thick. Whoever owned this placed hadn’t been here in a long time. It made sense. It was probably a vacation home.
The fireplace had gas logs, and the pilot light was still on. Praying that there was gas in the line, she turned the switch, pressed the starter and shut her eyes. After a minute, the logs roared to life. “Thank you,” she muttered as she shucked her jacket.
Hanging it on the chair in the corner, she pulled off her boots and set them by the fire to dry. Wiggling her toes, she sat on the couch and drew her knees up to her chest.
Samir stood in the doorway and stared at her. “It was Melka,” he said quietly.
“I told you,” she said tiredly as she closed her eyes. “I don’t want to hear this.”
“Please.” There was desperation in his voice. “You have every right to hate me, but you deserve to know the truth. After all those things that I said to you, you should know.”
The need to cry almost overwhelmed her and she took a few deep breaths. Opening her eyes, she nodded silently. He didn’t move from the doorway.
“Melka returned from the explosion and told me there was evidence that pointed to you having a hand in it. He said you put signal jammers in the safe house to keep my brothers from calling me. He told me that you were a grifter, and you were only out for my money. He said that he thought you engineered the explosion with help so you could catch me at a weak moment.”
Poppy shook her head. “Why would he tell you those things?”
“He told me it was because he loved me, and he knew that something was different between you and me. He thought you might hurt me. He faked the death threat against me as well. The man fancies himself my protector from harm and a good time, apparently.”
“You really believed that I was capable of doing those things?”
Samir walked forward and fell to his knees in front of the couch. “Poppy, I trusted Melka with my life. Literally. After all the years that we had been together, I would never have believed him capable of lying. Even when I realized that his story didn’t make sense, I still wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. He was my best friend. But he didn’t want to be my best friend. He thought of himself as more than that.”
It all made sense. “He hated me from the moment he met me. I could tell. I actually thought that he was the one who shut me into the shed.”
“He was,” Samir said quietly. “I called Taj on the way over here to get him to stop you from leaving. He’s in the city with his family, but he told me that he hadn’t been back to the house since he’d unloaded the shed. Thankfully, he also told me where he kept the keys for the snowplow. He just didn’t tell me it needed gas.”
“God.” Poppy fell silent and stared at him. “I understand that you were in a hard position, and I know that we haven’t known each other for very long, but you said some horrible things to me, Samir.”
He leaned forward and pressed his head to her thighs. “I know. I would give anything to take them back. I was so angry. I loved you, and I thought you’d betrayed me. I should have given you a chance to explain, but I thought it was my fiancée all over again.”
“What did you just say?” Her voice was oddly quiet, and he lifted his head and stared at her.
“I should have given you a chance to explain.”
“Not that,” she said as she shook her head. “The part where you said that you…before you thought I betrayed you.”
A smile spread over his handsome face. “I loved you, Poppy Milenne. I do love you. I knew you were special from the moment that I found you sprawled out in the snow, cursing at me like a sailor.”
Poppy chuckled at the memory. “That was not the best first impression on my part.”
Pulling himself up, Samir sat beside her. “That was the first time I’d ever met a woman and knew that she was genuine,” he whispered. “You held nothing back. You never have. Whether you’re mocking me, yelling at me, or loving me, you’re always one-hundred percent you.”
Her heart skipped a beat, and she shook her head. “That’s not true,” she whispered. “I’ve been holding myself back because I’ve been afraid. I knew that I loved you, and I knew that you would leave me.”
“Poppy.” Samir gathered her in his arms and pulled her into his lap on the floor. “If you forgive me, I will never leave you again.”
“Promise?”
“I swear. I will spend every day of my life making up for this mistake and showing you just how much I love you.” Leaning down, he kissed her gently, and she could feel the truth in his words as he held her.
“I don’t need you to make up for this,” she whispered as she reached up and stroked his face. “I just need you to love me.”
“Habibti, I’m going to start doing that right now.” Pressing her down onto the rug, he covered her with his body and pressed his lips hotly to her neck.
He made love to her passionately and urgently. This time, she knew she wasn’t just a way for him to pass the time or a challenge. He loved her, and she could feel it with every touch and every kiss.
Later, as they huddled for warmth, she closed her eyes and almost drifted off to sleep.
“Poppy,” Samir whispered in her ear. “There’s something that I need to do before Christmas, and I’d like you to do it with me.”
<
br /> “Lord, this isn’t another bet, is it?” she asked as she popped one eye open.
“No,” he grinned. “I think I need to go home. Come with me?”
The idea of going to the royal palace with him scared her to death, but she knew that she couldn’t deny him. Wordlessly, she nodded.
It looked like she was going to have to celebrate Christmas after all.
16
Jibreel wasn’t in the palace when Samir and Poppy arrived, but that just made Samir’s job easier. After calling in some extra help, he ordered all of his mother’s Christmas decorations returned to the palace. He knew that his father might very well disown him, but he didn’t care.
It was time that they honored his mother’s spirit, and this was the best way that he knew how.
It took a few hours of work, but the servants gleefully pitched in. Soon, garland swung from the bannister of the spiraling grand staircase, and there was a wreath on every door. Candles were lit in the windows and in the centerpieces of the tables. Huge white flowers lined in gold glitter graced the windowsills, and Poppy had even hung some mistletoe.
Samir couldn’t help but stop and stare at her as she worked. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was. Two weeks ago, he’d had nothing but parties on the mind, and now he shared the bed with someone he knew he would spend the rest of his life with. He didn’t even know how it was possible that she had found him worthy, especially after all the horrible things he’d said to her, but he knew he wouldn’t do anything to risk losing her again.
Melka had not returned to the palace, and for that, Samir was grateful. His father would not be happy when he found out what his most trusted guard had done, and if Melka ever did show up again, the consequences would be severe.
“You’re not working,” Poppy said as she turned around and put her hands on her hips. “And you’re staring.”
“That’s because you’re shining,” he said with a soft smile.
“Shining?” she asked as she laughed. “That’s an interesting compliment.”