SHEIKH'S SURPRISE BABY: A Sheikh Romance (120 page)

“I would have to say that you are the beautiful one,” she said, stopping short of calling his name. “And you have been nothing but kind to my daughter and me. I had expected that you would be more…” she struggled to find the right word, “more arrogant and bossy.”

He laughed. “There is a time for being arrogant and bossy,” he said, “and I am sure you would be pleased with my performance when I have to be.”

She laughed with him, relaxing a little, which she knew was what he wanted.

“Will you give us a chance to find out if there is more to this than a temporary attraction, Alexandra?”

She nodded, unable to speak because her throat was crowding with emotion. She had never been courted by anyone. Simon had been her friend, nothing more, and though there must have been a spark, fueled no doubt by alcohol and loneliness, their one-night-stand had been a fluke. And since his death, she had avoided the guys who showed even a passing interest in her. She hadn’t been ready to figure out how she felt about men, and hadn’t had the time, once Simone was born. And though she thought she knew what sort of man she wanted, she had no frame of reference for a prince.

“Tell me, then, habibti”, he urged her, reaching for her hand. “Say the words.”

“Yes, Your…” she stumbled, and she knew he was waiting for her to say his name. “Yes, I will give us a chance.”

“Why won’t you say my name, Alexandra?” he wondered, standing and walking around to her side.

“I..it just seems inappropriate,” she whispered into the front of his shirt.

He tipped her head up, and brushed her lips tenderly, and whispered back. “If we’re to be friends, and more, it is more than just appropriate, habibti, it is mandatory. Now, tell me again, and do it right this time!”

She remembered her words a few moments before when she had told him that she had expected him to be arrogant. She heard that now as he demanded that she comply with his wishes. She could not help a slow smile, which he noticed.

“What is amusing?” he asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

“You’re being arrogant and bossy now,” she replied, and watched his eyes heat up.

“If you’re going to tease me, sweet, you will need to use my name,” he murmured, and kissed her.

She had never been kissed like that before. It was at once demanding and soothing, passionate and tender. His tongue teased hers, tangled with it, and she felt as though he must be tasting the flavor of her desire. He changed the angle of his kiss, deepening it, and pulling her into his hardening body. If what she could feel against her belly was any indication, he was a big man all over. But maybe it wouldn’t get that far. After all, they were just exploring to see if it was more than a passing fancy.

“It offends me when the woman I am trying to seduce drifts off into her own world. It says I am not doing a good job at all. Is that what you are trying to tell me, Alexandra? Am I not engaging enough for you?”

Alex looked up at him and wondered if he was really angry with her. The way he said it, it did sound rather like she was insulting him by being distracted as he was kissing her.

“N…no, not at all,” she protested guiltily. “I was just…” She hesitated.

“Just…?” he prompted her, a teasing smile on his face as he nipped her chin, then kissed it.

“Just noticing how big you are,” she admitted, feeling her face heat at the look in his eyes.

“And why do you think that is so?” he wondered, nipping her earlobes.

She hissed, but managed to joke, “Good genes?” She knew he wasn’t asking about the size of his body.

He laughed, and she relaxed completely. He really wasn’t angry. She had never felt so at ease in a man’s company before, and she marveled that she was so with this man, who was so far out of her league, and yet who seemed to be so into her. She wondered if it was because she had a child. She knew some guys seemed to like the idea of a woman who could bear them children, and she knew he liked her daughter.

“What are you thinking about now, habibti?” he asked, nipping her bottom lip sharply.

“I am still wondering why me,” she answered honestly, “and wondering if it’s because I can bear children.”

He pulled away from her to regard her thoughtfully before responding.

“You think I want you so that you can have my babies?” His tone was one of scandalized outrage. “Do I seem to be that crass to you, Alexandra?”

Oh Lord, now she really had insulted him. But Alex could only be who she was, and she had always been plain spoken.

“Appearances can be deceiving, Your…” she hesitated over his name again.

He swooped down and kissed her, a hard, punishing but thrilling kiss. “Say my name,” he demanded, kissing her again.

“Amir,” she moaned when he released her lips for a moment.

“Good. Now say it again,” he ordered, and when she complied, he kissed her thoroughly, pulling her body into his, and wrapping his arms around her, and she felt his desire for her in the hardness that pressed against her.

“I will show you that I want you for you, not for your role as a mother, or your skill as a nurse. I will show you that you are worth far more than you seem to think you are, and that any man, even a prince, would be blessed if you wanted him, too.”

His earnest words, coupled with the heat of his body against hers, and his warm breath in her ear as he whispered to her, stirred her beyond all reason, and she felt something inside her loosen. She would have collapsed if he hadn’t been holding her. She slid her arms around his waist and held on, soaking in the strength and heat of him. She could stay right where she was forever, but she knew time was going, and even if the prince wanted to seduce her, there was no time. She had to get back to her patient.

“I have to go now,” she said into his chest. “Your father will be awake again soon.”

He released her slowly, kissing her tenderly one last time. “Come. I will take you back to him.”

They walked quietly back to the king’s wing, and once inside the sitting room, Alex turned to face the prince.

“Thank you for dinner,” she said. “I enjoyed it.”

He held her face in his hands, and smiled down at her. “As did I, habibti,”A he replied. “I will see you before you go to bed.”

He kissed her forehead just as there was a knock on the door. They moved apart as Malik entered with Simone, who was grinning ear to ear.

“Mommy!” she greeted her. “The horseys were so big!” The little girl’s exclamation was full of amazement. “Can I go back? Please?”

Alex chucked at her daughter’s enthusiasm, and promised her she’d let her go back if she was a very good girl in the meantime. Then she turned to Malik.

“Thank you for entertaining her for me, Mr. Faisal,” she said. “I hope she wasn’t too much trouble.”

Malik beamed at her. “Oh, she was no trouble at all, Ms. Downing. I enjoyed our time together. And whenever she wants to go visit the stables again, I’ll be more than happy to take her.”

“Thank you,” she murmured again, as he turned and walked back to the door. The prince looked at her meaningfully and then followed his assistant out, closing the door quietly behind him.

Alex settled Simone at the little play table that the king had ordered to be brought for her, and then went in to her charge. He asked to be taken out to sit with Simone, so that he could watch her play, he said, and Alex helped him into his wheelchair and wheeled him out to sit at the French doors. He had not so far interacted with the little girl, and Simone wondered if he had a daughter of his own. The prince had not spoke of siblings, and they had being only children in common.

She wondered what else they might have in common, aside from the insane attraction that had her opening up to his kisses and enjoying his teasing. She didn’t know much about love, but she knew she had never felt this deep an attraction to anyone ever in her life. There was just something about him that drew her in. Maybe it was his kindness to her and Simone, because she realized that he could just as easily have passed her over in favor of a childless woman. And come to think of it, he could have chosen a fully qualified nurse instead of an LPN. The way her mind worked, the idea that he wanted her just as she was did not compute. It would take her a while to get used to it.

“Did you enjoy your dinner?” the king asked.

Alex turned to look at him, wondering if he knew with whom she had had her dinner, but his eyes had a faraway look in them, and if she wasn’t mistaken, they were blurred by tears.

“Yes, Your Majesty, I did,” she replied.

She didn’t need to add anything that would make him ask more uncomfortable questions.

“My sheikha was not the most beautiful woman in the world,” he said, as though she had not spoken, “but to me she was more enticing than any other. She was my world.”

His voice broke, and tears slid down his cheeks. He didn’t seem to notice them, and his chin trembled. In that moment, his age seemed to descend on his frame like a heavy cloak, and he shrivelled before her eyes. He was no longer the powerful ruler of his kingdom, nor even a commanding gentleman who happened to be ill. He was just an old man, dying from a broken heart and Alzheimer’s disease.

Alex felt her own eyes prick with tears. She swallowed them, knowing it wouldn’t help for her to follow him down the path he was on. She knew he needed to go where he was headed, and she also knew she couldn’t stop him, even if she tried. And because of the unpredictability of his moods, she knew it might cause him more emotional harm than good for her to try to cheer him up. She rose from her seat and went to turn on the CD player, choosing the track she had discovered he loved the most. She put it on repeat, and turned it down just low enough for him to hear, like a subliminal lullaby, and she watched as he raised his hand to dry his cheeks, and then clasped them together in his lap, and turned his eyes to her daughter, who was still putting together a jigsaw puzzle made for young children.

Gradually, his eyes slid closed, and he slumped in the chair. He would doze for a half hour or so before he woke and needed to be readied for bed. She took the time to change his bed linens, tidy his room and prepare fresh pajamas for him. She placed the hamper with the dirty linens and the garbage container with the soiled articles by the door for ease of removal, and returned to where he sat. Simone had moved on to coloring, and she alternated between watching her daughter and her patient, and thought about the ways in which the very young and the very old shared the same vulnerabilities, and needed the same level of care.

Her thoughts went to his son, the man who wanted to explore the attraction between them, the man who made her body tremble from his kisses, the man who made her want to throw caution to the winds and forget her place. She could see in the way he interacted with his father that Amir loved the sheikh, and would miss him when he passed on. She knew, from their dinner conversation how close he had been to his mother before she passed. She knew he dreaded the day his father died, especially because it meant he would be alone, unless he had a wife to cheer him through his grief. She wondered, despite his words, if he was pursuing her because she was a convenient shoulder to lean on.

The king sniffled and stirred, and she went to him. He woke and looked around as though he didn’t know where he was.

“Are you ready for bed, Your Majesty?” she asked, watching to see if he was even aware of who she was.

He stared into her eyes for a long moment, and then nodded, as though he was too tired even to speak. She wheeled him back into his bedroom and pulled the cord that would bring the male assistant whose only task was to wash him and dress him each morning and evening. He waited patiently, not speaking and barely even breathing, it seemed. She worried that he might be worsening physically without any outward signs. But his temperature was fine when she took it, and his blood pressure was normal for a man of his age and physical condition.

She stepped out of the room while he was being washed, and dealt with Simone, giving her a quick bath and changing her into her favorite pj’s. She would read to her when the king fell asleep, but for now, she let her choose her favorite cartoons, and left her giggling at the antics of the characters. The king was in bed when she returned, his eyes focused on the gilt picture frame he held in his hands. She knew which picture it was…his queen had been a pretty woman, and in the photograph, they were smiling into each other’s eyes.

“Your little one is a beautiful child,” he said, still gazing at the picture he held. “My son was a beautiful child, as well. Just like his mother. I worry about him. He will have no one, when I am gone. A man always needs to have someone.”

Alex wasn’t sure how to respond to such a personal remark. She fell back on her standard response when her patients became pensive. She spoke in general terms, and tried to soothe his worries.

“Prince Amir is a very intelligent and capable man, Your Majesty. I’m sure he will find just the right person for himself when the time is right.”

He looked up then, his eyes unexpectedly shrewd. “I think he believes he has,” he said.

Alex felt herself flushing, because somehow, he seemed to know what his son had planned for her. She held his gaze, even though inside she cringed with dread. Despite what Amir thought, she wasn’t sure his father approved of what he wanted with her.

“You remind me of my sheikha,” the king said. “You hide your feelings beneath a smooth mask. I am too old not to know what my son sees in you, and what he wants from you. And do not suppose you can hide your own interest behind that cool mask that you show me. It has never taken me long to get the measure of someone, and there is a mystery to you that troubles me. I hope he knows what he is doing with you.”

His tone had increased in sharpness, and he rested the picture on his lap and closed his eyes. Alex tamped down her emotions and adjusted his bed so he was reclining rather than sitting up. He did not open his eyes again, not acknowledge her in any way. She left him to his memories and sadness, and took her own fractured thoughts with her back to her suite where she found Simone dozing on the couch. She picked her up and took her to bed, tucking her in and watching her sleep for a moment, a smile playing over her lips. The little girl was her whole world, and she thought she understood even a little bit the feelings that the king obviously had for his son. She would give anything, do anything to make her daughter happy, and she would fiercely defend her against anyone who tried to hurt her.