The Sheikh's Untameable Lover (The Tazeem Twins Series Book 4)

by Leslie North

  “What are you doing?” he asked her.

  “Taking a picture of course. Smile!” Cassie angled the camera and snapped a few times. Kalik was standing a few metres behind them staring at Cassie with his eyebrows raised.

  “That is enough,” Hussain said and walked off. Cassie quickly looked at the photos before running after him.

  “You did not even smile!” she complained.

  “I do not like taking pictures.”

  “Oh, you are such a bore,” she turned her attention to Kalik. “Would you take a picture of me?” she asked him and stretched out her hand to give him the camera. Kalik looked at Hussain who shrugged his shoulders.

  “Please,” Cassie implored. He took the camera without saying anything and snapped her picture. Hussain pulled his phone out to text James.

  “This female is very peculiar.” Hussain tapped on his phone and sent the message.

  “Female! You did not even refer to her by her name. She must be irritating you that much.” James replied instantly.

  “I do not trust her,” Hussain replied.

  “Then why is she still there?”

  “She is…intriguing.”

  “Oh? What does she look like?”

  “Beautiful.”

  “Who are you always messaging?” Cassie asked him. He had not even realised that she had been standing in front of him. He looked up and found her standing too close to him. Her face was distracting. Even if he wanted to shift his focus, her body hugging dress was an even bigger distraction. Hussain did not say anything but his jaw twitched as he stared at her luscious inviting lips.

  Chapter 7

  Hussain cleared his throat. It was dangerous staring at her for so long. He turned on his heel, “Let's go to the next location. We have many stops to go,” he said. Cassie and Kalik followed him to the car. The chauffeur opened the door and Cassie jumped in and sat in the left seat. Hussain opened his mouth to speak but before he could say anything, Cassie laughed.

  “Do not worry, I will not sit in your seat,” she said as she slid over to the right.

  “You are a peculiar woman,” he replied as he got in and sat on the left side. Cassie gave him a sidelong look as she giggled away. He did not find it funny at all.

  “You should have seen your face just now.”

  “How old are you?”

  “Twenty-five.”

  “You are quite immature.”

  Cassie snickered. “You are simply too uptight. It's not me who is immature,” she said. She finally stopped laughing. “Where are we going now?” she asked.

  “Back to my home,” he replied.

  “Oh come on! Is this because I teased you? Let’s go somewhere else, please?” She looked at him with her eyes wide giving her best puppy dog look.

  Turning his head so she would not see his smile, he replied, “We are going to see an ancient temple.”

  She exhaled loudly. “Oh good,” she said.

  Fortunately for Hussain, they arrived at the temple not too long after. He wanted the day to pass by quickly as he was anxious to return to work. He was not convinced that sightseeing would jog her memory and he was not prepared to admit that he enjoyed spending time with her. His sister would like that too much.

  They both got out of the car and headed towards the beautifully built temple with the golden dome-shaped roof. The building reminded her of Hussain’s home as she took in the pale-coloured lower half and the ornately patterned tiles on the upper portion. Tilting her head back, she took in the tiled dome with gold overlay. As they walked toward the arched doorway, Cassie pointed out how much it looked like his home.

  “The style of the structure with its thick walls does well in this hot, arid climate and I have to admit that I really do love the tilework,” Hussain told her.

  “Well, this place is gorgeous.”

  “It is,” Hussain replied as he admired the building. Built more than two millennia ago, it was as if time stood still. As he looked at the temple lost in thought, he heard clicking noises. Turning towards the noise, it was Cassie taking photos again. If she were to take only one or two, then it would be fine; however, she was taking a lot of them as she happily clicked away and they had not even gone inside yet.

  “Could you take one of us together, please?” she asked Kalik and handed him the camera. She stood next to Hussain and linked her arm around his.

  “Do we really have to take a photograph together, again?”

  “Of course.” Cassie said, rising up onto her tiptoes.

  Cassie smiled for the picture but Hussain stood there emotionless. Kalik clicked a few times and then handed the camera back to her as she grinned and thanked him. She grabbed Hussain's arm and dragged him towards the temple.

  “What now?” he asked her.

  “We have to go inside,” she said excitedly. They walked inside the temple. Cassie was surprised that it was not as hot inside as she remembered Hussain’s comment about the thick walls. As they walked, she was surprised at how open everything was.

  The over-sized pillars were placed strategically to hold up the dome, which was even more impressive on the inside. As she started taking more pictures, Hussain could not help but cringe at her overly touristy behaviour as he nodded at the people who bowed their heads to him.

  “Come here, please,” Cassie said to him as he raised his eyebrows. No one casually ordered him around like that, and yet he found himself walking towards her.

  “What?” he asked.

  “These pillars, just this whole building in fact. So amazing!” Cassie answered unsure if she was even making sense.

  “It is.”

  “Let’s take a picture.”

  Hussain sighed heavily. “Again?”

  “Yes!” Cassie wrapped her arm around his neck and pressed her cheek against his shoulder. She angled the camera and clicked.

  “No more,” he said.

  “One more,” Cassie turned and pressed her lips against his cheek and took the picture. Hussain froze when he felt her soft full lips pressed against his cheek. He wanted to turn his head and feel her lips against his.

  As soon as she took the picture, he moved away from her. “See, that was not so painful,” she told him, but he did not respond as he turned his back on her to gather himself. Taking a couple deep breaths, he reminded himself that he still knew nothing about her and she was currently under his employ. It would be inappropriate to start anything with her, even if he was having difficulty resisting the urge to kiss her.

  After a while, he looked at his watch. Clearly, this sightseeing was not helping Cassie remember anything, if she truly had amnesia anyway. “Let's go,” he said to her.

  “Already?” she had been reading the information boards inside the temple.

  “We have been here long enough, and it is getting hot in here,” he replied.

  “It is warm,” she replied and pouted her full lips. She held her hair up as she fanned her neck. Hussain's gaze darkened when he took in the elegant shape of her neck. Was she doing that on purpose? He could not look at her like that without wanting to pull her into his embrace. He quickly turned on his heel and headed towards the exit as she ran after him.

  “You can't walk off without saying anything,” she said to him.

  “I did tell you that it was time to leave.”

  Cassie sighed. “You are hard to handle,” she told him but Hussain ignored her and kept walking.

  He was very pleased to be back in his air-conditioned car. The temple had been too hot for his liking but part of that might have had something to do with Cassie’s kiss.

  Calling out to his driver, “Take us to my sister’s bakery.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Oh, we are going there so soon?” Cassie asked. “I cannot wait to see what she makes.”

  Smiling at her enthusiasm, “My sister’s pastries are excellent. She is very popular,” he told her.

  ***

  Hussain and Cassie entered the bi
g modern air-conditioned building. There was a large seating area with white tables and chairs off to one side. Straight ahead were the counter and large glass cabinets displaying all the baked treats available. Adilah was busy serving her customers and she waved to them as they walked in.

  “Hi, guys,” she welcomed them with a big smile on her face. She stepped from behind the counter to greet them.

  “Hello,” Hussain greeted her with a smile and kissed her on both cheeks.

  “How are you? Did you have fun?” Adilah asked Cassie.

  “I am fine and yes I had fun,” Cassie replied with an equally wide smile. It was strange to Hussain how easily these two got along when they had only met yesterday.

  “Hello, Kalik,” Adilah said as she smiled shyly.

  “Hello,” Kalik replied as he smiled before looking to see if Hussain was watching.

  Turning her attention back to Hussain and Cassie, “So how is the date going?” she asked them.

  “It's not a date!” both Cassie and Hussain protested at the same time. Adilah put her hands in the air as if to surrender.

  “Okay then,” she said, before she burst into laughter. “But I have to say that you guys look good together,” she added. Hussain chuckled as Cassie gasped and turned her head to look at him.

  “He laughs!” she said. “I never thought it was possible,” she added.

  “That is my brother for you. You guys sit down and I will get you something to eat,” Adilah said and walked off.

  “You know, you should smile more often,” Cassie said to him as they walked over to the seating area.

  “I laugh when there is something to laugh about,” Hussain replied as he pulled out the chair for her.

  “Thank you,” she told him as he sat down opposite her. She pulled out the camera and swiped the screen. “Look at this picture,” she said and showed him. “This is the best picture we took together,” she added.

  “I made it look better,” he joked but did not laugh. Cassie did though.

  “You barely smiled, so how did you make it look better?”

  “Just my presence is enough,” he said. Even though he felt like it was Cassie who looked beautiful in the picture. She had such a gorgeous smile and amazing eyes. She definitely annoyed him but there were moments where he had enjoyed himself even if he hated to admit it.

  Cassie laughed and pressed her small hand against his chest and pushed him away playfully. He barely moved. She was not that strong. He held her hand before she could remove it from his chest. He stared at her tempting lips knowing that this time he could not resist them. Cassie stopped laughing and looked at him.

  Hussain moved closer to her. She did not move away as she parted her lips in anticipation. He kept moving towards her until their faces were inches away from each other. Their noses touched. Just as Hussain was about to press his lips against hers, Cassie pulled back.

  “Oh my God!” she gasped. “I've seen you before. I know you,” she said.

  Chapter 8

  Hussain gave her an odd look as she stared at him willing the pieces of the puzzle finally to come together. The memory was so close but it remained elusive as she forced her brain to remember. She hated that it had come to her at that exact moment, just when they were about to kiss.

  “Of course you have seen me before, we met yesterday,” Hussain told her. He was just as confused as Cassie was.

  “I mean that I remember you, from before I lost my memory,” Cassie replied.

  “Right. So what is it that you remember about me?”

  “I remember seeing a photo of you somewhere and you were smiling in it.”

  Cassie's face dropped. She could not remember any more than that and it frustrated her. One of the waitresses brought over some coffee and cupcakes for the two of them as Adilah was in the back dealing with some sort of crisis. The waitress asked if they needed anything else but no one responded to her.

  “What else do you remember?” Hussain asked. The waitress dismissed herself and returned to her duties. Cassie picked up the white mug and held it with both hands.

  “Nothing. I cannot remember where you were or why you were smiling,” she took a sip of the coffee and let the hot liquid warm her body. She tried her hardest but nothing came to mind.

  “Really? You remember nothing?”

  “Nothing.”

  Cassie was getting annoyed with the fact that Hussain was pushing her for information. She too wanted to remember but she couldn't. She hated being in that situation. She had no idea why she was there or who she was. She knew her name and that she was American but it meant nothing to her.

  Picking up his coffee mug and taking a sip, “Well, given how rarely I smile for pictures, it should not be too hard to figure out where the picture was taken,” he told her blandly. Cassie coughed as she grabbed a napkin to cover her mouth.

  Looking at him in surprise, she thought she detected a sparkle of amusement in his eyes as he looked at her. Shaking her head, she wished that she could make light of the situation but this was her first partial memory and it was maddening that she could not figure it out.

  Even though the cupcakes were very tasty, Cassie could not enjoy them as she slowly withdrew into herself. As much as she enjoyed the day, she desperately wanted to find that lost memory. Seeing that she was lost in thought, Hussain drank his coffee in silence. After the two of them finished their treat, they returned to his home.

  The ride back was a very quiet one as Cassie stared out the window. While Hussain had told her that he preferred silence in the car, he found himself wishing for her inane chatter. She was not even in the mood to dine with him.

  “You are not hungry?” he asked her. She just shook her head. Her eyes watered as she fought back against the urge to cry. To be so close and then have it snatched away was too much for her as a tear rolled down her face. She quickly turned to give Hussain her back. She did not want him to see her cry.

  “Are you alright?” he asked her.

  “I am,” she replied but her shaky voice betrayed her. Hussain walked over to her and turned her around. Cassie quickly wiped her eyes. “I am fine, really,” she repeated.

  “Then why are you crying?” He gently wiped away her tears with his thumb.

  “I am not,” she lied. And it was a very bad lie too as her lips trembled.

  “Then what is this?” he asked her in a soft tone. He searched her green eyes. Cassie saw the same concern in his eyes that she had seen when she had first regained consciousness.

  “It’s just… This situation is very frustrating to me. I hate that I cannot remember anything.”

  More tears rolled down Cassie's cheeks faster than she could stop them. Hussain stared at her and said nothing. Grasping her shoulders, he kissed her forehead as he gently ran his hand through her hair. Cassie liked the feel of his lips on her skin, as she briefly wondered why her head did not hurt when he touched her.

  “Your memories will come back in due course. For now, do not force it.”

  “I just wish that I could remember,” Cassie stated in frustration before she sniffed. In one movement, Hussain scooped her up in his arms and turned towards the stairs.

  “It will be okay,” he told her as he carried her up the stairs. As he walked, Cassie draped her arm around his neck as she rested her head against his chest wrestling with her thoughts. While she was frustrated at her memory loss, the feel of Hussain’s arms wrapped protectively around her was doing things to her insides. Pressed this close to him, she could feel how strong he was as he carried her as if she weighed nothing. The idea of a man who could do that turned her on and it was even more arousing knowing that it was Hussain.

  Walking into her room, he laid her down on the bed. Cassie searched his face unsure what she would find. She knew that she did not want him to leave and from the way he stood there, he did not seem as if he wanted to leave either. Sitting down on the bed beside her, he rubbed the remaining tears from her cheeks before lowering his
head and gently pressing his full lips against hers. Cassie inhaled sharply. His lips were as soft as she had thought they would be.

  Pulling him closer, she wrapped her arms around his neck as she parted her lips to his invading tongue. She could not remember her previous kisses with other guys but Hussain's kiss was magic. She felt it all over her body as she curled her toes with pleasure.