The Sheikh’s Christmas Fling: Christmas With The Yared Sheikhs Book One

by North, Leslie

As soon as she stepped out into that dining room, her years of training and showmanship clicked back into place. Grinning effusively, she filled the table with dishes, explaining each one, her take on the traditions, what cooking processes made certain flavors shine. As her guests ate, she tried not to stare at Noel. He was really digging into her food…for the first time ever.

  Ana took Paz aside toward the end of the meal. Something had been gnawing at her ever since Paz told her she suddenly had a link to bring in the right people to showcase her new endeavors. It had seemed unlikely, given that Paz was involved in the textile industry. “Okay, be honest. How did you line up these media guys for the dinner tonight?”

  Paz’s sweet smile spread across her face. In French, she said, “It was Noel. I ran into him in the market five days ago, and I told him you were staying with me and what your plans were. He helped me organize this dinner so that you could have access to the people who could help you most.”

  Ana nodded, another wave of emotion overcoming her. She turned back to the dinner, watching Noel take his last bite. He smiled at her from across the room. The man’s plate was empty.

  “You both are amazing,” Ana whispered, squeezing Paz’s hands. As the dinner wrapped up, Charlie and the guests began discussing promotional events and pop-up dinner plans. Ways to bring the modern social media aspect to a country still deeply embedded in tradition. Noel excused himself, dabbing at his mouth with a napkin before he headed toward Ana.

  Her insides seized up, excitement gripping her, along with doubts, fear, wonder. It had almost seemed inevitable that this amazing man would turn out to be a dud. That had been the case for so long, in so many other situations.

  But here she was, facing him again, and their future wasn’t bleak. It was wide open, bright, and full of possibility.

  “Ana,” he began. Their conversation was safely swallowed up by the clamor of the music and conversation. He ran his hand up the side of her arm. “I love you.”

  Her breath hitched, and she was lost in his chocolatey gaze, finding depth and emotion there that she’d never seen before. So this was what the gaze of true love looked like. Maybe she’d never felt it before. Maybe this was the only one truly meant for her.

  “God,” she whispered. “One good meal and you’re professing love?”

  He laughed softly, running his fingers over her cheeks. “That was the best meal of my life, I’ll have you know.”

  “I saw. You ate everything.” She swallowed a knot. “I’ve never seen you eat that much before.”

  “You found my favorite dish.” A heartbreaking smile crossed his face. “I hope you’ll make it for the rest of my life.”

  Tears pricked at her eyes. This wasn’t just an unlikely turn of events. This was straight magic.

  “I’ll make it as long as you’ll let me,” she whispered, covering his hand with her own. “Because I love you, too. You picky eater.”

  Noel laughed again, lowering his face to hers. He brushed his lips against hers, tempting the kiss, and then she surged forward and captured the long, tender kiss she’d been craving. They kissed like that until her core tightened, warning her that she either needed all of him, or nothing.

  “Come back to the palace with me,” he whispered into her ear. “For good. Segal and his daughter are gone. My father will be apologizing personally to you. Come make my home your home as well.”

  She looked up at him through a veil of unshed tears, every inch of her body vibrating yes. There had never been something she wanted to do more.

  “You are my home now,” she whispered, and then surged up onto her tiptoes for another sweet, tingling kiss.

  Epilogue

  “Moooommy!” Linh yanked at her mother’s hand, tugging her so hard down the path that Ana stumbled. A laugh escaped her as she followed her eager daughter’s direction. She was headed straight for the center plaza of Ragdar. A trip that would become a tradition that would last for years to come.

  And for their second Christmas in Ragdar and first as a member of the Yared family, this annual visit to the ornament display was not only part of the family tradition, it was much anticipated. By all of them.

  “Linh! Wait for us!” Noel’s deep laugh swelled through Ana like harmony. Ever since she’d made the decision to stay here in Maatkare and make the Yared family her own, life had flowed sweeter than honey. Better than a balsamic drizzle on top of a perfect arugula salad, even.

  She was right where she was supposed to be. The Rizzo-Yared Culinary Institute, which underwent a name change shortly after her own name became hyphenated, had just completed its first successful year and had far outgrown the small kitchen it started in downtown.

  “Right here!” Linh jumped up and down as she found the perfect spot in the bushes to add her ornament. The one that she and Ana had carefully created together, mother and daughter, just as Maatkaran tradition dictated. They’d created a delicate bauble hanging from a slip of pink and red ribbon, painted crosses surrounding an abstract version of Mary. Of course, they’d gotten a little help from Grandma Yared. Who better to pass down the painting tradition than Noel’s mother herself?

  Ana was quite proud of it—not bad for her first Christmas as daughter-in-law to the matriarch of the royal Yared clan. She and Noel came up behind Linh, both of them grinning like fools. Because they always were now. Noel squeezed his arm around Ana’s waist.

  “Where should it go?” Noel prompted.

  Linh pointed to a small section of the green bush. All down the line, hundreds of other ornaments already hung, glittering white and silver and gold in the dusk of late evening.

  “Go on, baby.” Ana pressed her head to Noel’s shoulder. “Hang it up. Right where you think it belongs.”

  “But what about Gramma and Grampa?” Linh turned back to Ana and Noel suddenly, face wrought with concern, those sweet dark lashes fluttering against her brow. Ana’s parents had softened over the past year. Ana wasn’t sure if it was the distance or the fact that they’d just started to miss her and Linh. Whatever it was, they’d dropped some of their disapprovals and criticisms. They wanted to know their new son-in-law and the kingdom that Ana had unexpectedly laid claim to. And now, they were preparing for their first ever visit to Maatkare. They’d stay for the entire Christmas season; their flight arrived tomorrow.

  “We’ll paint another one with Gramma Rizzo,” Ana promised. Linh looked satisfied and she bounded forward, hanging the scrap of ribbon in just the right spot according to her four-year-old aesthetics.

  “Isn’t it nice?” She turned, beaming up at Ana and Noel. “Do you like it a lot?”

  “So very much, baby,” Ana said. Linh hopped over to Noel, arms outstretched. He scooped her up, hoisting her onto his hip as they admired her handiwork.

  “It’s the prettiest one I’ve ever seen,” Noel said.

  “Hey, did we miss it?”

  Charlie’s voice broke through the din of quiet conversations and scooters zipping around the plaza. Ana and Noel turned to greet him. Charlie’s arm was wrapped around Paz’s shoulders. Ana’s grin grew even wider. Of all the possible outcomes, she never could have imagined that her best friend in America would find his soul mate in her best friend in Maatkare.

  “Uncle Charwie! Come see! Come see!” Linh pointed exuberantly at her ornament while Charlie and Paz inspected it.

  Love was all around her. Not just with Noel and Linh and in Charlie and Paz, but also filling the halls of the palace. Noel’s brothers and their wives were all happy and fulfilled, children running around, making noise and crafts and memories. It was a sight to behold. One of the loveliest home settings Ana could have ever imagined for her and Linh. They’d gone from a family of two to a family of thirteen.

  But soon to be fourteen.

  Noel leaned in close, his hot breath tickling her ear. “Should we tell them?”

  Ana rolled her lips inward, excitement burbling up again. Noel’s idea to adopt a second child—together—fit like the
missing piece to a puzzle that she’d thought was already damn near complete. Her decision of tubal ligation at age thirty was a rare one, but she’d never had the desire to bear her own babies. Even as a young girl, she’d wanted to scoop up the children who needed parents but could never find them.

  And now, it turned out that Noel was just as keen on adopting a child who needed love and a safe, happy home. It wasn’t a struggle or a constant fight, like it had been with her ex. He just got it. Expanding their family would only make this picture more perfect.

  “Let’s wait,” Ana murmured. “Then we can tell them all when my parents get here.”

  Charlie and Paz joined them off to the side. In French, Paz said to Linh, “You have made a beautiful ornament this year, my child.”

  Linh grinned shyly before responding, “Merci.” She’d been picking up French quickly and had no problem slipping between languages.

  “Next year it will be better,” Linh went on in English, “Because my baby sister will be helping me.”

  Ana’s eyes widened, locking onto Noel’s stricken gaze.

  “Baby sister?” Charlie asked, brow knitting.

  An incredulous laugh escaped her before she buried her face in Noel’s shoulder. He shook with laughter too.

  “Did I miss a joke?” Charlie asked.

  “I guess the cat’s out of the bag,” Ana said, swatting at Linh’s leg.

  “Ana and I have decided to adopt a second child,” Noel confirmed, that proud beam on his face sexier than anything else.

  Paz gasped, jumping up and down while Charlie squeezed Ana’s arm.

  “You two are such wonderful parents,” Paz gushed. “I can’t wait to see the new little addition to your family.”

  “We really are going to have to add a daycare center to the Institute,” Charlie cracked.

  Noel swept his warm, chocolatey gaze to meet hers, and the two of them smiled at each other, getting lost in the depth there.

  “I love you so much,” Noel whispered into her ear, and then he captured her lips in a soft, warm kiss.

  “And I love you more.” Ana squeezed her arm around his waist, capturing Linh’s leg in her embrace. This time of year had become something deeply special to her. It was more than just the typical reason for the season. It was when she’d found home. Smiling over at Linh, she added, “My beautiful Christmas family.”

  End of The Sheikh’s Christmas Fling

  Christmas With The Yared Sheikhs Book One

  The Sheikh’s Christmas Fling, 6 December 2018

  The Sheikh’s Christmas Family, 13 December 2018

  The Sheikh’s Christmas Lover, 20 December 2018

  PS: Do you love passionate Sheikhs? Then keep reading for exclusive extracts from The Sheikh’s Christmas Family and The Sheikh’s Christmas Maid.

  Thank you!

  Thank you so much for purchasing my book. It’s hard for me to put into words how much I appreciate my readers. If you enjoyed this book, please remember to leave a review. Reviews are crucial for an author’s success and I would greatly appreciate it if you took the time to review the book. I love hearing from you!

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  About Leslie

  Leslie North is the USA Today Bestselling pen name for a critically-acclaimed author of women's contemporary romance and fiction. The anonymity gives her the perfect opportunity to paint with her full artistic palette, especially in the romance and erotic fantasy genres.

  To discover more about Leslie North visit:

  LeslieNorthBooks.com

  PS: Want sneak peeks, giveaways, ARC offers, fun extras and plenty of pictures of bad boys? Join my Facebook group, Leslie’s Lovelies!

  BLURB

  Who would have thought one little kiss would throw Maia Kurtz’s orderly world into complete chaos?

  It’s Christmas time in Maatkare, and it’s Maia’s job to make sure the Sheikh’s palace is decorated for all the holiday festivities in this tiny, Orthodox Christian kingdom. The decorating is the easy part. Yonas Yared, the youngest son of the family, is a bit more of a challenge. Maia knows she’s in trouble when she sees how wonderful Yonas is with her young son, and how his seductive smiles cause her to go warm all over. Protecting her heart from the one man who makes her think naughty thoughts she shouldn’t is proving more difficult than she thought.

  Yonas will go crazy if he’s forced to spend the entire, endless, holiday season with his family. He’d much rather be partying the nights away than stuck in the palace helping their new razor-tongued decorator. Still, Maia’s got something irresistible about her, and he certainly hadn’t planned on getting his socks knocked off by one simple kiss. As events transpire to keep him in the palace, he’s surprised to realize he’s glad to be home—and equally surprised to find that getting his serious little decorator into his bed is becoming more and more important. The problem is, once she’s there, he doesn’t want her to leave. And nothing in his life has ever scared him more.

  Grab your copy of The Sheikh’s Christmas Family

  Available 13 December 2018

  www.LeslieNorthBooks.com

  * * *

  EXCLUSIVE EXTRACT

  CHAPTER ONE

  Yonas whistled to himself as he sauntered through the grand hall of his family’s palace.

  The place looked like shit.

  White, puffy tulle spiraled up the columns, bursting into a display of green pine needles and little red berries. All around him, remnants of the enormous holiday party still lingered, even though the guests had cleared out hours ago. The scent of eggnog wafted through the air. He hated eggnog. Almost as much as he hated these overblown American-style decorations his father insisted on for the gala with the American embassy.

  He tugged at a strand of Christmas lights. He was still buzzed—no, drunk—from the party. He might hate eggnog, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t drink it. A few of the twinkle lights popped free from whatever was holding them to the wall. He tugged again. A few more popped loose. Getting better.

  He tugged a final time, and the majority of the strand broke free. It hung lamely from a differently secured spot above an archway. He grunted. He hated the holidays most years—too many boring events, so much fuss about preparations, and not enough chances for him to sneak away and do his own thing.

  This year was even worse. With his mother out of the country on medical leave, there was a strange vacuum in the palace, while the holiday intensity had ratcheted up even higher.

  Yonas eyeballed an iridescent garland. He ran his hand over it and then tugged. It started to unfurl.

  “Hey! What are you doing?”

  A sharp voice broke his focus. He spun on his heel, the last bit of his whiskey on the rocks sloshing in the tumbler. “Excuse me?”

  “You. What the hell are you doing?”

  A totally unremarkable brunette approached him, pushing up her tortoise shell glasses as she came. Her hair was pulled back into a smooth ponytail. Her gaze was fierce, scorching over him like a reprimand. His skin prickled.

  “Just taking down some of the abhorrent decorations littering my family home.” He gestured down the hall, where a Christmas tree twinkled in the middle. “This nonsense is over.”

  “Abhorrent?” The woman’s voice was pinched, her nostrils flaring. “What is wrong with you? I spent days getting this perfect.”

  Suddenly it clicked—this was the decorator, one of the many Americans his father had flown in to handle the various facets of the holiday season. He’d seen this one flitting around, decorating, measuring things with pushpins between her teeth. He narrowed his eyes.

  “You’re the decorator.”

  “Yes. And you’re an asshole.”

  Yonas reeled back, her comment as inflammatory as it was exciting. Now this was some holiday drama to get worked up about. Being insulted inside his own home could only lead to a memorable Christmas.

  “You’re wrong. I’m the nicest one of the th
ree.”

  “Ah.” She softened slightly but didn’t back down. “That’s right. The youngest Yared brother.” She sighed, crossing her arms. “Well, you don’t have to love my decorations. But you should let me take them down. You’ll ruin everything if you just waltz around here tugging on things left and right.”

  “No.” Yonas sauntered toward his next target: a very annoying sprig of holly. “I’m so sick of looking at this, I can’t wait another minute.”

  She gasped as he reached for the sprig. He looked at her over his shoulder while he gave it a warning tug.

  “Stop that right now,” she hissed.

  “I should tell you the same thing.” He scoffed, sauntering onward. “Why did you have to turn the palace into this garish display?”

  “Um, excuse me.” The acid bite was back in her voice, and he kind of liked it. “Your father hired me for this garish display, and he’s quite pleased with it. So while I appreciate that you’re part of the royal family, unfortunately you don’t hold any sway against your father’s opinion.”

  His nostrils flared, and he spun on his heel. He looked her up and down, making sure she knew he was assessing her. She was cuter than he first thought, studious-looking and tiny. Like she would be cast for the role of a fairy in one of the local Maatkaran theater productions.

  Normally, by this point in the holidays, he had at least two very exciting and jealousy-inspiring vacations lined up. The perfect getaways to temper the excessive family time.

  But this year, he had none. All his plans were falling through. And the one sure thing he had lined up—finally meeting his online romantic interest in the flesh—was only a breath away from dissolving as well.