Hasan Sheikhs: The Complete Series

by Leslie North

  The old woman’s face lit up. “As a matter of fact, I do. Last week I started moving some boxes from the attic. They’re in a wobbly pile I can’t shift now. Would you mind setting them out for me so I can go through them more easily? They’re just in the next room.”

  Nadim strode off with a gallant set to his shoulders. Aisha couldn’t keep the smile off her face. But when she looked back at Haya, the older woman’s playful expression had been replaced with a more serious set to her mouth.

  “Haya, what is it?” Aisha took her arm and guided her to a padded sofa at the other end of the room. “Something’s on your mind.”

  “Could we have a few words in private before we rejoin your companion?”

  “Yes, of course.” Worry crept up in Aisha’s throat. “Is everything all right?”

  Haya waved this off. “It’s life—there are ups and downs.” She took a deep breath and sat up straight. ”Have I told you about Karyme?”

  Aisha shook her head. “Who is she? One of your old foster cases?”

  The older woman shook her head, a certain warmth coming to her eyes. “Not exactly. She was orphaned when her mother died in childbirth eight months ago.”

  “Did you know the mother?”

  “Yes.” Sadness suffused Haya’s voice. “She was my cook, and family as well. The situation was...most unfortunate. The child’s father was in an accident while she was pregnant, and then childbirth took her, too.” She clicked her tongue. “Everyone told me not to keep the baby. It would be too much for an old woman like me. But there weren’t any other immediate relatives.” Haya shrugged. “I couldn’t give her up.”

  Aisha blinked at Haya. “You’ve been caring for a baby and you didn’t tell me?”

  “I didn’t want you to think I’d lost my mind,” Haya said with a laugh. “I know I’m old. I know an active little one will need more than I can offer as time goes by.” The laughter died away, leaving her with a solemn expression. “I’ve been doing fine. I’ve been doing all right, but a few days ago I had a fall. It...it made me realize that things will only get harder as the years pass. Once she’s walking, I won’t be able to keep up with her.”

  Aisha’s heart pounded with nervousness—for the girl and for Haya. “Where is she now? Is she all right, Haya?”

  “Yes, oh, yes. I hired a woman named Muna to come stay with me for a few days while I figure things out. Raising her to adulthood...it’s just not in the cards for me, Aisha. I can barely get off the floor when I play with her. It’s a danger to us both.” Tears filled the old woman’s eyes. “It’s not that I want to send her away, but she needs a family that won’t hold her back or put her in danger, no matter how well intentioned.”

  Aisha took Haya’s hands. “Is there someone you have in mind?”

  “I’ve been searching for a good home for her since she was a baby, but nobody has ever measured up.” Haya pursed her lips. “I might be too picky, but none of the potential adoptive families have met my expectations. I realized this week that maybe it’s because I don’t want to let her go. I’ll never be able to choose by myself.”

  “Let me help you,” Aisha said, and swallowed down a lump in her throat. She would not let her hands shake or betray her nervousness to Haya, but she wanted a good outcome so badly she could taste it. “What can I do? Do you need someone to help you full time for a longer period? Anything you need—you name it, and I’ll get it.”

  Haya looked at her, and Aisha’s heart nearly stopped from the swell of anticipation.

  “I’d like you to take Karyme to Mahadin and find her a loving home.” She squeezed Aisha’s hands. “I trust you, and I think this might be the only way I can give her up.” One tear spilled from her eyes and ran down her cheek. “This is the only way I’ll get her to the family she needs.”

  Aisha choked up, too, and blinked back a flood of tears. “Of course I will.” Her heart had already gone out to the baby, whom she’d never met—or maybe she had, once or twice, without realizing it was Karyme. “You don’t have to worry anymore, Haya. I’ll take care of her.” She sat with Haya for a few more moments, then went to the doorway to call for Sanaa, who had met them in Basik to facilitate some of the visits and meetings.

  Sanaa answered immediately—she had been in the next room—and appeared with Haya’s helper, Muna. Muna had a gentle smile and wide, dark eyes, but the only thing Aisha could see was the baby.

  Karyme was gorgeous.

  She was a chubby baby with rosy cheeks and tiny, perfect wet lips. She sat up in Muna’s arms, her hand resting on the woman’s arm, and looked curiously at Sanaa as the two women approached. Aisha felt like her heart might burst from anticipation and nervousness. Was the baby going to like her, or cry? She’d greeted lots of babies in her time, and she never knew what would happen.

  Muna stopped an arm’s length away, and Karyme looked at Aisha.

  “Those eyes,” Aisha murmured. “You have the most beautiful green eyes I’ve ever seen, Karyme. Hi.” She greeted her softy, with a little wave, and to her delight Karyme leaned forward, holding her arms out to Aisha.

  She took the baby in her arms.

  Oh—oh, it was magical. Her heart lifted at the soft weight of Karyme in her arms, and she breathed in the baby shampoo scent of her fuzzy hair.

  “Ba, ba, ba,” said Karyme, tugging at the collar of Aisha’s dress.

  “That’s right,” she cooed to the baby. “Ba, ba, ba. What a sound. Have you been playing with a ball lately?” As she and Karyme talked to each other, Haya came up and stood close. She put her hand on Aisha’s elbow.

  Aisha met her eyes and wasn’t surprised to see that Haya’s eyes glistened with tears. The older woman held a hand to her heart. “Thank you so much, Aisha. I knew I could count on you.”

  She felt taken with Karyme, a heady feeling, like winning a prize—only better and deeper. Aisha took a deep breath. “We’re traveling to Satrah for the rest of our tour, and then we’ll be going back to Mahadin. We’ll take Karyme with us.” Aisha met Haya’s eyes again, the weight of the moment heavy on her shoulders. “I’ll keep you updated every step of the way. And I’ll tell you everything there is to know about Karyme’s new home, and I’ll make sure her new family has your address, so they can send pictures and updates. I promise.”

  Aisha sent Sanaa in the market to get a car seat for the baby, and the three women played with Karyme until Sanaa returned. It was only then that Nadim stepped out from the room where he’d been rearranging boxes for Haya. He raised his eyebrows at Aisha.

  “In the car,” she mouthed.

  He shrugged a little and said his goodbyes to Haya, who blushed the whole time.

  Back outside, Aisha balanced Karyme on her hip while the driver installed the seat.

  “It seems like you’ve collected a baby,” Nadim said, his hands in his pockets, watching Karyme. He put out one hand and wriggled his fingers. Karyme grabbed on and tried to bring them to her mouth. “Care to give me any details?”

  “Her name is Karyme.” Aisha gave him a rundown of what Haya had asked her to do, nervousness climbing up her throat. Why was she nervous about telling Nadim? In the end, it wouldn’t make a difference what he thought—she’d already agreed to help Haya, and Aisha wasn’t going to go back on her word. Still, she had to swallow hard before the final sentence. “So...Karyme will be coming with us on the rest of the tour. I’ll find a home for her when we get back to Mahadin.”

  Nadim was still playing with Karyme when he answered, his eyes on her tiny hands. “Of course we will.” A smile played over his perfect lips, and Aisha felt the ghost of them brushing against hers on the lookout tower. “You’ll be so happy on our trip, won’t you, Karyme?”

  Her pleasant surprise grew on the short flight to Satrah. They took turns holding the baby in their laps, and when the change in air pressure made Karyme fuss, Nadim lifted her up above him and talked in funny voices. He had her laughing in minutes. Together, they came up with things to distract
her—coins in an empty water bottle to use as a rattle, a small plastic container to slap her baby hands against and drum, a paper-towel tube that Karyme tried to eat.

  Toward the end of the flight, as Karyme shook her rattle, Nadim laughed and started to sing. He had a rich, low voice, and the traditional love song he sang filled her heart with...light. Aisha laughed at the sensation, catching his attention. Nadim grinned at her, dazzling, and oh, she wished they were alone.

  Alone, back in her garden in Liddah, or alone on the tower in Basik. Aisha tried to shift her focus back to Karyme, but her chest ached with a longing she had never expected to feel. And for Nadim? No, no. If this was how she felt, then she was in trouble. You need to focus on his political qualifications, she told herself sternly. You are the sultana. This cannot be about your emotions, and even if it could, he doesn’t want to marry you.

  But her heart beat on with its wild hope, on and on and on.

  6

  The royal villa in Satrah, which was a merchant and tourist town, sat on a high cliff overlooking the sea. Rain slashed against the waves as Nadim took his seat at the table in the dining room.

  “That’s quite the sight.” The sea rolled and rolled under the drops. “I was looking forward to our tradition of eating on the terrace, but nature is treating us to a spectacular show.”

  Someone had found a highchair for Karyme, who mashed her chubby little hands into the hummus, then grabbed for a piece of flatbread. “Ba, ba, ba, ba,” she said.

  “That’s right. Bread. You’re eating bread.” Aisha folded her hands beneath her chin and looked at Nadim with a new warmth in her eyes. “You put on quite the show earlier. I had no idea you were so good with babies.”

  “Aren’t all princes?” Nadim arched an eyebrow at Aisha, making her laugh. Something had changed since the plane...since they’d picked up Karyme. He had the clear sense that, for the first time, he was seeing Aisha’s true self. The warmth in her eyes and the ease in her laugh were like magnets, drawing him in, closer and closer. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to allow himself to enjoy her. Even if it was only temporary. Despite the cold rain outside, it felt cozy and safe at the dinner table.

  Nadim reached for her hand.

  The villa’s butler stepped into the room, clearing his throat. “Sultana, Sheikh Nadim—Sheikh Jamad is here to see you.”

  The butler had hardly finished speaking when another man barged into the room, shaking raindrops from his dark head. “You started without me, Aisha. Your people were supposed to give me more warning for your arrival.” He stomped over to the table and patted her dismissively on the shoulder. Then he yanked out the last chair and sat down. “I don’t have a place setting,” he called to the butler. “Or a napkin. Hurry up—I’m hungry.”

  All the light had fled from Aisha’s face. She gently cleared her throat.

  “Nadim, this is my cousin Jamad.” This? This was the man who would take over Kendah if Aisha couldn’t find a suitable husband? Nadim swallowed back his own disgust. “Jamad, this is Sheikh Nadim of Raihan.”

  Jamad greeted him with a lift of his chin as the butler put a plate down in front of him. Then he jerked his chin at Karyme. “Who’s this? You didn’t announce a pregnancy, Aisha. Have you been hiding a baby from the kingdom?” His eyes narrowed, calculating.

  “This is Karyme, an orphan we’re transporting to the capital for a friend.” Aisha’s gaze softened when her eyes settled on Karyme. “There are more services there, and more potential families to interview.”

  Jamad scoffed. “It’s typical of a woman to get involved with such things. You’re too soft to lead the country if you’re going to get bogged down in finding homes for orphan babies.”

  Nadim found himself clenching a fist, but he controlled his anger. He picked up his fork with a delicate grip and turned to Jamad. “My father King Salim—you know of him, of course—always taught my brothers and me that the way a ruler cares for the most vulnerable of their subjects is the true measure of leadership.” He caught Aisha’s eyes across the table. “I can think of no finer example than Aisha’s care for an orphan baby.”

  At that moment, Karyme grabbed her spoon, stuck it into the hummus, and whipped it into the air with a delighted squeal. A tan glob hit Jamad square in the face.

  A single moment of ringing silence overtook the room, and then Aisha and Nadim burst out laughing. Karyme screeched along with them, dimples in her cheeks, and banged the spoon on the tray of the highchair. Jamad, red faced, threw down his napkin and stalked from the room.

  That was the end of dinner. One of Aisha’s servants came in and swept Karyme away for a much-needed bath and bed. Aisha stepped around the table and put a hand on Nadim’s arm as he stood up. He looked down into her dark eyes, which twinkled with gratefulness and a low-burning heat.

  “Thank you, Nadim.”

  “The pleasure was all mine.” Blood rushed in his ears, amplifying his heartbeat and quieting the urge to keep laughing about the hummus incident. The look in her eyes turned him inside out with want. “The other night—” He trailed off, tongue-tied. What was happening to him? He was never tongue-tied with women. “The other day, we—”

  “Yes, we did,” she said firmly. She slid her hand up the arm of his shirt, over his shoulder, and to the side of his face. The heat in her eyes jumped the boundary between them and settled low in his belly.

  “I’d like to do that again. And more.”

  “So would I.”

  Aisha glided her hands around his neck, stepping easily into his arms, and Nadim leaned down and kissed her.

  This was no glancing brush. It was a hard, needy kiss. He swallowed her gasps and reveled in the curves of her body pressing against his. She tasted sweet and smelled even better. Aisha’s lips against his were soft and yielding one moment and possessive and greedy the next. He explored her mouth with his tongue, his pulse beating down between his legs. He’d never been so hard and ready in his life. A bed—he needed a bed. Nadim scooped her up in his arms and took her through the villa to the enormous suite where she was sleeping.

  He paused at the threshold. “Is this all right? I could take you to my room, if you’d prefer.”

  Aisha looked up from where she was pressing a trail of kisses down the side of his neck. “It doesn’t matter to me as long as you’re naked in the next thirty seconds.”

  “Your wish is my command.”

  They undressed in a flurry of clothes hitting the floor at the foot of the bed. Nadim thought he might not survive seeing her naked. Aisha was flawless. She had full breasts and soft skin, and the spill of her hair down her back made him want to do all manner of filthy things to her.

  He started with another kiss, pushing her back onto the bed. She giggled as she went, the sound music to his ears. Nadim kissed his way down her neck, down her shoulder, and down to her ribs, skimming the side of her breast. Teasing. He found the sensitive places on the side of her waist and lingered there until she trembled.

  Only then did he dip his head between her legs.

  She was already wet, sweet juices between her folds, and he licked them up more thoroughly than he’d ever done anything in his life. He left no inch of her unexplored—especially not her clit, which he swirled with his tongue until she shuddered and gasped from the attention. Aisha reached down and pulled him up to her by the chin, eyes blazing, lips parted.

  “Enough of that, Nadim.”

  “What?” He traced the curve of her jaw with a fingertip. “You didn’t like it?”

  “I need more.” She pushed him away and reached into a bedside table, coming up with a condom. Aisha thrust it into his hand with a look that could have cut diamonds.

  “I like you when you’re this demanding.” He rolled it on.

  “Less talking, more giving me what I want.”

  It was no hardship to settle himself between her legs, dropping his head to the delicate skin of her neck. He tasted her as he lined himself up with her opening, brushing th
e head of him against her slickness.

  Aisha moaned. “Please, Nadim. You’re driving me wild.”

  “Mmm. Say that again.”

  She threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled his mouth closer to her skin. “You’re driving me wild,” she said through clenched teeth.

  “More.”

  “You’re driving me...wild...” He pushed into her, inch by inch, taking her as slowly as he dared. Nadim found himself addicted to the way she begged and dug her nails into his shoulders. It was worth the agony of denying himself the fast, powerful thrusts he craved to hear the noises she made in the back of her throat and feel her body rocking desperately toward his. Her words became wordless cries, and finally their bodies met.

  He paused, pulsing inside of her, struggling to keep his breathing steady. Nadim felt like he was at the top of a swell in the ocean, a wave waiting to crash down. An electric sensation hummed over his skin and through the coiled center of him.

  Then Aisha pulled him in, kissing him urgently, and he pulled back out, thrusting back into her with all the power he’d held back. She met him move for move, growing more frantic until she pushed at him with both palms. He rolled and took her over with him, and Aisha tossed her head back. She rode him for all she was worth, hips working, hair falling around her shoulders like a dream.

  It was the most tantalizing sight he’d ever seen. Nadim wanted it to last forever, but with her hands digging into him and her heat all around him...how could he last? He touched her, running his hands over every available inch of her skin and settling between her legs. He curled a finger so his knuckle pressed against her clit.

  Aisha’s eyes flew open, wide and shocked, but she didn’t stop the movement of her hips. She bumped against his fingers again and again. She clenched tighter around him, the muscles inside of her working, and then he got what he wanted—Aisha closed her eyes and came, grinding down on him as she did.