by Holly Rayner
"It's something to look into," Kathy said with a smile. "There's no reason to stop doing things you love just because you've met someone."
After dinner, they all returned to the palace. Kathy put Amira to bed and the adults gathered in the conservatory to talk and enjoy one another's company.
"I won't be staying too long," Nouha admitted. "I have too many lovers in Brazil waiting for my return."
Shadaf grimaced at the mental image.
"And even with the loosened restrictions," she continued. "I am no longer used to wearing so much clothing! Once you've spent a few weeks on a topless beach in paradise, you can never go back."
They all laughed or groaned, depending on how personally offensive they found the mental image.
After she and Basira had wandered off to bed, Shadaf confided that he was actually kind of glad she was leaving.
"I'm glad she came back and for the chance to prove myself to her," he said. "But she's a little overwhelming. I'm not sure what I'd do if she wanted to live here again."
"Buy me a new house," Khalila answered for him.
Before long, they headed to bed as well, and Fairuz and Tessa soon followed, leaving together. Ihab lingered only a little longer, mostly for the sake of the three of them making fun of the two lovebirds.
Once they were alone, Kathy curled up against Tehar's chest, listening to the night birds sing in the flowering trees.
"I missed this place," she said with a happy sigh. "It was kind of strange, being pregnant and not being here."
"I missed it too," Tehar agreed, his arm around her shoulders. "But no matter how often I visited, it just wasn't the same without you here with me."
Kathy flushed with delight and kissed his cheek. He turned to kiss her properly in return. His kiss could still send tremors of heat through her at the drop of a hat. She never got tired of how much he seemed to want her, the way he held her like he was afraid he was dreaming and at any moment he could wake up and she would disappear.
Their marriage so far had been a blissfully happy one, partially because of just how much they appreciated one another. They had to work hard to be together and it made every moment a reward they treasured. They both had their own lives outside of each other, their own goals and ambitions. But they were united in that the one thing they wanted more than anything else was just to be together.
"Do you ever think about what would have happened if my father hadn't written that requirement into his will?" Kathy asked as they watched the fireflies float through the flowers.
"I think we would still be right here, exactly as we are," Tehar said, running his fingers through her hair. "Perhaps the path we took to get here would have been slightly different. But I know it would have happened."
"What makes you so sure?" Kathy asked, feeling a fluttering warmth in her stomach at his certainty.
"I was already falling for you before you sent that text," he said. "I was trying to find a way to approach you when you gave me the perfect opening. And then, of course, I was an idiot and panicked and tried to distance myself. But in the end, here we are."
"I had a pretty big crush on you at that point as well," Kathy admitted. "But I might have turned you down or let you distance yourself. I thought my work was more important then. And I didn't think I deserved you."
"But I would have followed you," he promised. "And even if I tried to pull away, eventually I would have come back. Or you would have. We saw it that night at the Valentine's party. We were never going to be able to stay away from each other, no matter how much we thought we should."
"We really were idiots," Kathy said with a small laugh and kissed him. He leaned into her and she lay back against the couch they were lying on so that he could scatter kisses over her throat. "Still, I'm glad it happened the way it did."
"As am I," Tehar agreed, pressing a kiss between her breasts. "I would not have it any other way."
He took her hand and kissed it, looking into her eyes.
"I'm going to love you for the rest of my life, Kathy Burgess," he said. "With every part of me."
"Me too," Kathy said softly, caught off guard by the declaration. "I think I love you more every day."
He kissed her again, holding her tightly, running a hand over her baby bump.
As their kisses became more heated, Kathy's skin tingling under his every touch, she felt a rush of gratitude once again. This was so far from the life she thought she'd wanted two years ago. She almost couldn't imagine the days when she'd been so against marriage and kids, certain they would trap her in a life she could never be happy with.
But here she was now, not only still doing everything she'd wanted in her career, traveling and learning and working, but she had a family too. It was better than she'd ever hoped for. And now she knew she never wanted it any other way. As night fell on the palace of Abu Sadah, the desert outside silent except for the rush of the wind over sand, Kathy kissed her sheikh again and again and thanked her lucky stars for her fairytale ending.
The End
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Also by Holly Rayner
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Stealing From The Sheikh
The Sheikh’s Captive Woman
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The Sheikh’s Accidental Bride
The Sheikh’s Irresistible Proposal
The Sheikh’s Secret Princess
The Sheikh’s Illicit Affair
The Sheikh’s Purchased Bride
The Sheikh’s Tempted Protectress
The Sheikh’s Captive Love
The Sheikh’s Green Card Bride
Bought For One Night: The Sheikh’s Offer
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