The Sheikh's Resisting Lover (The Tazeem Twins Series Book 3) (2 page)

“It has been five weeks exactly,” Rene corrected her, as she hugged her again.

“Hello, Tanya.
Marhaban
,” Joshua welcomed her and kissed her on both cheeks. She smiled and kissed him back.

“Hi, Josh, how have you been?” she replied as Rene laughed.

“He does not like being called Josh,” Rene told her.

“Why? It is the same name,” Tanya replied as she looked at Joshua. He shrugged his shoulders before changing the subject.

“How was your flight?” he asked.

Tanya smiled. The flight had been exceptional. She had never flown first class before, let alone been on a private jet. She had no idea how luxurious it could be. The small jet was large enough to make it half-way around the world without having to stop for fuel. The interior had twelve leather captain’s chairs that could easily seat two people each. In the back was a beautiful bathroom, a bedroom and a well-stocked kitchen. The flight attendant had served her delicious food and drinks the entire journey, some of which she had never even heard of before.

“It was okay,” Tanya replied, scrunching up her face.

“Just okay?” Rene looked at Tanya is disbelief. Tanya laughed.

“It was spectacular. It was unreal” said Tanya. “I’m just hoping that the palace can match up to that level of luxury,” she added with a wink. 

“I know, I could not get over it either. I still haven't.” Rene linked her arm around Tanya's as they walked towards the car. The flight attendant had unloaded Tanya's luggage and the driver was just finishing loading it into the car.

As they climbed into the car, Tanya looked around in amazement. The interior of the car was in the same colours and patterns as the jet.
Wow
.

“Did you sort out your work?” Rene asked her as they fastened their seatbelts.

“Sort of, yes. Since I was able to take all of my vacation days at once, I can stay here for a month.”

“A month? Why don't you stay here for good?”

Shaking her head, “My life is in the States. Besides, if I moved here, where will I be able to go on my fabulous vacations?” she asked with a smile. While she was the one to encourage Rene to take a leap of faith and move to a different country for love, there wasn’t anyone in her life that she was that interested in. 

“Trust me, you will love it here,” Rene stated as she squeezed her friend’s hand.

“I look forward to finding out.”

As the car wound its way up the drive, Tanya looked out the window as the palace grew in size. Ornate gardens and winding fences bordered the large structure, which looked as though it had sprouted from the earth. The clay used to make the bricks was collected from the same area and sparkles from the minerals in the earth twinkled like diamonds in the morning sun. As Tanya got out of the car, she stared at the building. Rene linked her arm and pulled her towards the entrance, “Just wait until you see the inside,” she told her as they strode toward the entrance.

As they walked down the palace corridors, Tanya tried not to look shocked at how over-sized everything was. The height of the ceiling could easily house giants, she thought, as her gaze swept up the floor to ceiling walls covered in portraits and landscape paintings. The marble floors were polished to look like glass and everywhere, maids stopped what they were doing to nod to the two women as they walked past.

“Here we are,” Rene said to her as they reached another section of the palace. While this section didn’t look as imposing, it was heavily guarded.

“Where is here?” Tanya asked.

“This is the actual living quarters, where our bedrooms are. Come on; let me show you to your quarters.”

“My what?”

“Your quarters. You will have your own private space, which, brace yourself, is bigger than our house. There’s a small kitchen and dining area for your use, but I much prefer to eat in the communal dining area with the twins and I hope that you will too.”

Tanya smiled. It was good to see that Rene had settled in and was feeling less like a stranger. Tanya knew how awkward it had been for her at the beginning of her stay. The three of them walked up the white marble imperial staircase framed in a gold railing. At the top of the stairs, there were two hallways. Rene led her down to the right.

Wait, this is all for me?” Tanya asked when they walked through the wooden, double doors and into her room.

“Yes,” Rene replied. Tanya turned around slowly, as she took in the living space. A large, four-poster bed was covered in a black and white Harlequin-pattern bedcover and matching pillows.  A small, sitting area with a white-leather loveseat and matching chairs sat in front of a fireplace large enough for a human to step inside. Black silk pillows with hand-painted flowers dotted the seating.

“Does it always look like this?” she asked in wonderment as she stared at everything.

“Oh, no. We changed it out for you,” Rene replied.

“Did you decorate all this?”

“Oh, good lord, no,” Rene replied with a laugh. “My maid, Maria, did it. That woman should be a designer,” she added as she looked around the room in satisfaction. “You like?”

Tanya walked towards the French doors that led out to the balcony. Stepping outside, she walked to the wall and looked out into the garden. Closing her eyes, she stretched her arms up as she took in long dragging breaths. The garden scents were overwhelming as she tried to pick out the different flowers.

“This place is gorgeous.”

“Glad you like it,” Joshua said. He had been leaning in the doorway watching Rene show Tanya around.

“I do,” Tanya smiled.

“I will leave you ladies to it then. I have some business to attend to,” Joshua replied as he turned to leave. Tanya could only nod in reply, as she continued to stare out into the garden.

“I will walk you out,” Rene said as she left with him.

*****

Fifteen minutes later and Tanya was had unpacked and was ready to explore. She walked out of her quarters and down the hallway looking at all the paintings. She assumed that most of the portraits were family members. She turned when she heard someone coming up the stairs breathing heavily. Since Joshua had been dressed for work, she assumed that she was looking at his brother as she watched a mirror image of him come bounding up the stairs wearing a sweaty t-shirt that clung to his muscular chest. He raised his eyebrows when he saw her.

“Hello,” he said to her.

“Hi, I'm Tanya,” she said.

“James,” he answered and allowed his gaze to wash over her from head to toe. Tanya was wearing a white vest top and light-coloured denim jeans. His gaze instantly made her feel uncomfortable as it lingered too long on her chest.

“I'm up here,” she said to him and pointed at her face. He looked at her and gave her half a smile.

“So, how long are you visiting?”

“I have a month off from work,” she replied. James let out a small grunt and Tanya saw his jaw twitch. “I am going to head back to my room, Rene might be looking for me,” she said, as she took a couple steps back.

“Which room are you staying in?” 

“The one over there,” she pointed.

“Ah, across from mine? Lucky you,” Tanya narrowed her gaze as she stared at his chest. His t-shirt was just too tight as she found herself fantasizing about what he might feel like. Taking a small breath, she could detect his cologne intermingled with his sweat and she liked the smell.

Waving his hand and pointing to his face, “Hey, I’m up here,” he told her mockingly, as Tanya blushed.

“What size is that top? Extra small?” she teased as James raised his eyebrows.

“Actually, all my clothes are tailored specifically for me. Anything off the rack doesn't fit me,” he answered. Tanya let out a small laugh and turned on her heel as James walked with her back to her rooms.

“Here I am,” she said to him when they reached her doorway. She was hoping that he was not going to come in with her.

“I have never had a mixed-race American here before,” he said. There was a mischievous glint playing on his eyes. Tanya whipped her head in his direction.

“Had?” she stared at him as her hands clenched into fists.

James noticed the frown on her face,
wow she’s feisty.
“As in, stay here,” he corrected. “If you need anything, I am across the hall,” he said and walked off.

Tanya sighed with relief and walked back inside her room. She did not expect James to be that way. When Rene spoke about him, she made him sound like this super nice guy and very close to his brother. Five minutes with him and Tanya could see that he was conceited; which was to be expected since he was a prince. She did not know what to make of him yet.

Chapter 3

James smiled to himself as he walked into his room. Tanya was definitely different from the females he was used to. Women fell for him instantly. After all, he was a prince and getting his attention was a great honour; however, Tanya seemed unimpressed by his status and looked at him as if he was a mere man. His flirtatious behaviour did nothing for her it seemed. She even had the audacity to joke about his t-shirt. James was interested in finding out how long she was going to resist his charm.

He walked into his quarters and sat down at his desk. Flipping open his laptop, he decided to catch up on work instead of going into the office. Suddenly his phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, -
Amber-
he read, as he frowned.
Who?
He decided to ignore the call and put his phone back down. The phone rang again and he looked at it, this time it was from Dania. He did not pick up her call either.

Women threw themselves at him on a daily basis. Because of that, he had two phones; one for business and family, and the other for his female companions. There were days that his phone didn’t seem to stop buzzing with all the calls, text messages and photos. Thoughts of Tanya resurfaced in his mind, as he ran his hand through his hair. At that moment, she was far more interesting than any of these women blowing up his phone.

A new habibti has shown up on my radar-
James typed on his phone and sent the message to his cousin, Hussain. The two of them had always been close since their teenage years and, besides Joshua, James trusted him the most. A few moments later, the phone rang. James looked at the screen and it was Hussain calling.

“Hello,” James answered the phone.

“Prince James,” Hussain answered.

“What did I do?”

“I have not said anything yet!”

“The way you called my name. I can hear it in your tone.”

Hussain laughed. “Who is this
habibti?
” he asked.

“Tanya,” James said her name slowly.

“And who is Tanya?”  Hussain asked just as slowly.

“She is Rene's friend from the States.”

“Right, and she is staying at the palace?”

“Yes. In fact, she is across from my room,” James grinned. The thought of her being across from him was like an invitation to go and see her. She was within arm’s reach.

“That sounds like trouble,” Hussain laughed.

“I have not done anything...yet.”

“Don't do it, James.”

“She makes me want to go after her even more, by resisting me,” James said as he remembered her taking shots at him about his clothing. She was feisty and attractive, great combination. He always liked a little bit of a challenge.

“A woman that resists your irresistible charms?” Hussain asked with genuine surprise.

“She was quite feisty. She even had the audacity to ridicule my clothes,” James replied. Hussain laughed.

“What was wrong with what you were wearing?”

“Apparently, my t-shirt was too tight.”

“Was it?” Hussain burst into laughter.

“It was perfectly fine.”

“Okay, your highness, if you say so. There is no point in me cautioning you to stay out of trouble because that seems to be where you are headed,” Hussain said as he laughed.  James let out a small grunt as he set his phone down. He definitely could not promise Hussain because he knew himself.  Standing up, he pulled his shirt over his head and headed into the shower.