Christmas with the Yared Sheikhs: The Complete Series

by North, Leslie

  “No reason,” Yonas said. “Father, in which room is Maia, the decorator, staying? I need to speak with her.”

  His father blinked, his brow furrowing. “If I remember correctly…she’s the one who chose not to stay at the palace.”

  The words almost didn’t make sense. “She did?”

  “Correct.” His father began rummaging through some papers on his messy desk. “Do you need to speak with her immediately? Is this regarding her work?”

  “Yes.” Yonas swallowed, pulling his phone from his back pocket. “I need her phone and address.”

  His father rattled off the address. Just as Yonas had input the information, the office door creaked open. Robel came inside, supporting himself on crutches. He’d fractured his ankle recently and was even more insufferable than usual because of it.

  Robel’s eyebrows shot up when his gaze met Yonas’s. “Good morning. Absolutely did not expect to see you here.”

  Yonas narrowed his eyes. “I wake up early one day and everybody acts like it’s the end of the world.”

  “Well, you do tend to sleep in,” Robel muttered. The eldest and tallest of the Yared brothers straightened, emphasizing his full several inches he had over Yonas. “While the rest of us are working.”

  Yonas swallowed the comment quivering at the tip of his tongue. Now wasn’t the time to start a fight. “Well as you can see with your own eyes, I’m here. Awake. Alive. Before nine a.m. You’re going to have to believe it now.”

  Robel turned his steely gaze toward their father. “I came to speak about the holiday plans. It appears that there are some issues cropping up.”

  Yonas stuck around to hear what his brother had to say. Concerned citizens and some family friends had come to Robel with something resembling complaints: that this year’s festivities felt too Western, that the holiday programming had a significant American bent to it, that with the sheikh’s wife convalescing in Switzerland, the entire palace had gone to shit.

  “Things are not traditional enough,” Robel insisted. “Doesn’t this concern you?”

  Their father sighed dramatically, his gravelly voice booming through the office. “Robel. You have been insisting for years that our Maatkaran society is not traditional enough. What level of tradition will you accept?”

  Yonas wilted at the words, the familiar clashes and rancor between his older brother and father enough to send him running to find a new plane ticket. He excused himself from the office, leaving the two of them in their own cloud of differing ideas and discontent.

  Still, their spat weighed heavily on him. As long as Yonas could remember, Robel and their father had been butting heads. And that was one aspect among many that drove Yonas to escape each year. That was what Maia didn’t understand.

  No matter where he went that morning, Robel’s argument found him. While he lurked in the kitchen, Robel crutched his way through, spouting off obscenities about the breakfast. When Yonas escaped to the library, Robel also burst in there, muttering to himself while he searched for a book.

  Once ten o’clock rolled around, Yonas had had enough. He needed out of the palace. And if he couldn’t get on a plane, he knew the next best option.

  Yonas called for a car and barely breathed until he’d gotten past the gates of the palace. The driver had Maia’s address. The rest would figure itself out.

  In less than ten minutes, they’d arrived at Maia’s place. She was in what looked like a quaint bed and breakfast, just outside the city center. Palms shaded the front pathway, and jasmine bloomed by the gate. As soon as Yonas stepped out of the car, the front door opened.

  Maia pushed open the door with an arm, looking back over her shoulder. “Julian, I’m leaving!”

  Yonas paused at the sound of her voice, his questions from the day before returning to him. She’d been speaking with someone on the phone. He’d automatically assumed boyfriend, and now it all made sense. She chose to stay away from the palace. She was sort of a bitch to him and never responded like other women. She’d just called out a name like Julia.

  Maia was a lesbian.

  Disappointment crashed through him, and he froze, unable to return to the car or move forward to present himself. Maia bent down in the doorway. A small boy rushed forward, flinging his arms around her neck.

  Yonas furrowed a brow. Wait.

  Maia hugged the boy then stood, her gaze swinging out to see him. She gasped.

  “Yonas! What the hell are you doing here?”

  Yonas opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. He looked between Maia and the boy. “Is that your son?”

  “Yes.” She clutched the boy close to her, as if protecting him from Yonas.

  Yonas stepped closer, waving to the boy. “Hey there. I’m Yonas.”

  “Hi.” The boy nestled into Maia’s side, half-shy, half-curious. “I’m Julian.”

  Shock still hung in the air. Maia rubbed at her forehead, then knelt down to talk to her son. “Go inside, baby. Mommy’s gotta go to work.”

  Julian scampered off, and Maia shut the door quietly behind him. Then she stormed toward Yonas, her hands on her hips.

  “Should I be worried that you’re here or not?”

  Yonas let a laugh of disbelief. “No. Not at all. I just wanted to thank you for the breakfast.”

  Maia deflated, sighing. “Thank God.”

  “Listen, real quick.” Yonas wet his bottom lip, trying to quickly assess how well this question would go over. “So, you’re not a lesbian, right?”

  8

  Maia laughed, harder than she’d laughed in a long time. She covered her mouth with her hand.

  “No,” she said between giggles. “No, I’m not.”

  “Okay.” Yonas shoved his hands in his very tight black jeans, which she’d noticed immediately upon laying eyes on him. Followed only by his actually purple shirt.

  “Should I be asking you if you’re into men? What with the purple shirt and all?”

  Yonas tilted his head. “Very funny. I just happen to be fashion forward.”

  “Fine.” She squashed a grin. She was weirdly happy to see him here. Her gesture of goodwill had had an impact. “What did you need so urgently? I’m on my way to the palace, you know.”

  “I don’t know. Nothing. I just…needed to get out of there.” Yonas kicked at something on the ground, his brow turning into a hard line. “Why aren’t you staying at the palace?”

  “This is my friend’s home.” Maia gestured back toward the house. “I went to school with Iliana. She wanted to help me with Julian, since she never gets to see him.”

  “She can still watch him if you stay at the palace,” Yonas countered.

  She fought a satisfied smirk. So he wanted her around more. That was something she could relate to…against her better judgement. “True. But it’s easier if I stay here. That way I don’t have to bring him here, then go back to the palace, then come back here, only to return to the palace…”

  “We have help,” Yonas said.

  “Yes, but it’s easier for me.” Irritation flared. She didn’t like him questioning her decisions. “I like the division between work and home. It helps me.”

  “And how’s it working out for him?” Yonas jerked his head toward the house.

  Maia was quiet. First he questioned her decisions; now he was questioning her parenting. “You have no right to challenge how I raise my son.”

  “You’re at the palace all day…he probably needs some time off, just like you do.” He looked at her earnestly. “Right?”

  She shrugged. “I’m here to work. This is part of the deal.”

  “Well, let’s take a day off.” Yonas wet his bottom lip, making her knees turn to mush. “Let’s go to the zoo.”

  Her eyebrow lifted. “The zoo?”

  “Yeah.” That heartbreaker smile spread across his face again. He was too good at turning the tables, at wooing her when it was the last thing she wanted. “I’ll call in for you. My father won’t be upset. I p
romise. You guys need a day off.”

  She studied him for a few moments, trying to figure out where on the scale from absurd to great idea this was. “Are you serious?”

  “Yes.” He sounded exasperated now, tugging out his phone. “Go on. Get your son. Julian. I want to get to know him.”

  Yonas turned his back as he made a phone call, leaving her in a stunned silence. This was certainly not how she’d imagined her Friday would go. She hesitated, ready to insist she just go to work and call off the whole thing, until that little voice in the back of her mind said, Just go with it.

  Maia opened the front door, calling for Julian. He bounced toward her a moment later.

  “Honey, guess what! Mommy’s not going to work. Instead…we’re going to the zoo today!”

  Her sandy-haired boy hopped around with excitement, running in circles and alternating between shrieks and giggles. Yonas approached the doorway a moment later, his gaze falling to the elated child.

  “So it appears he likes the idea.”

  She looked over her shoulder at him, his broad shoulders filling the doorway, the sexy scruff on his face too delicious to ignore. There was something about a dark-haired, dark-skinned man that drove her wild. And this one was the cream of the crop.

  His cologne reached her, a mixture of musk and sandalwood. She drew a shaky breath, reaching out for her son’s hand. “Julian is thrilled. You ready, baby?”

  Her son nodded exuberantly.

  “I’d like you to meet Yonas. Mommy works with his family. Yonas, meet Julian.”

  “Hi, Yonas!” Julian nearly screamed.

  Yonas laughed, holding out his hand, which Julian took hesitantly. “Hi, Julian. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I think we’re going to have a fun day.”

  The three of them headed for the car after Maia took a moment to find Iliana and update her about the change in plans. Once they were tucked into the back of the sedan Yonas had come in, Maia turned to him with a serious look.

  “You really thought Julian was my,” she paused, lowering her voice, “lesbian lover?”

  “I wasn’t sure.” Yonas looked like he was fighting a grin. “One can never be sure with Westerners.”

  Maia snorted, swatting his shoulder. The brief physical contact sizzled through her, reminding her of something she was trying hard to ignore: she liked this man. A lot. So much that she’d sent him a surprise breakfast and was now spending an entire day with him instead of going to work.

  The drive to the zoo was a fun ride full of questions and silly conversations, everything from where giraffes came from to how many zoos could fit into Maatkare. When they arrived at the bustling zoo on the outskirts of the capital, Ragdar, Yonas led her and Julian past the lines of people waiting to get in. Straight to the front.

  Maia frowned, looking back at the line of people. “We need to get in the line, Yonas.”

  “No, Maia.” He gestured toward the gates, where security personnel were ushering them through. “This is our entrance.”

  She followed him, slightly stunned, as they were waved through the entrance like celebrities. Some people gasped as Yonas passed, and plenty of cameras were out to snap their picture. Maia clutched Julian closer to her side, the attention both titillating and somehow humiliating.

  She’d forgotten—Yonas was royalty. VIP. Every ounce the celebrity. And she was just an American no-name, the hired help brought in for the holidays.

  It was breathtaking to be able to experience this world, but she needed to remember this wouldn’t last. Not with this man. Not in this country. Nothing about this experience was guaranteed to last.

  Once she’d brought herself back down to earth, they began a private tour of the zoo. Julian led the way, his interest directing the majority of the visit. Zebras received the bulk of his attention, followed by a brief glimpse of rhinos and only a fleeting stop at the gazelles. Some spider she’d never even heard of also received the brunt of Julian’s attention and finger pointing, while the monkeys were cool for approximately thirty seconds.

  While their little group paused at the elephants so that Julian could receive the instruction of the caretaker himself in how to feed them, Yonas sidled up to Maia’s side.

  “He seems to be loving it,” Yonas said, smiling fondly at the boy.

  “Yes. He does.” Their fingers brushed, sending a thrill through her. An errant glance from this man could get her worked up. “Thank you.”

  Yonas grabbed her hand, squeezing it lightly. But he didn’t let go. Instead, he brought it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to the back of her hand.

  “It’s my pleasure,” he said softly.

  Maia watched him for a moment, this soft, new side of Yonas something she hadn’t expected in the short time she’d known him. She was starting to think that maybe his family did have him all wrong. Could a playboy really care about her son?

  More importantly, why did she care? Her skin tingled as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, drawing her into his tantalizing heat while Julian offered food to the elephant. Maia watched Julian with a silly grin, barely able to comprehend what she was seeing with Yonas’s body pressed to hers.

  She wanted him way more than she wanted to admit. At night, when she went to bed, she saw him behind her eyelids. She fantasized about the terrain of his body, what delights might await her underneath his clothes.

  And for god’s sake, she couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss.

  She tilted her head to look up at him. There was a seriousness in his gaze when their eyes met. Something that told her he was on exactly the same page.

  Yonas surged forward, their lips meeting without any words, any question. It was as if he had read her mind, or maybe had read the quiet pleas of her body, begging for more of him. The scent of him consumed her, while their kiss sparked a fire she was unable to douse. Not this time. Just as his tongue pressed against her lips, Julian shrieked with laughter.

  She pulled way, her mind spinning. Julian hopped up and down, his hand now empty. His bright eyes swung her way.

  “Mommy, did you see?” He skipped over to her. “I fed the elephant!”

  Maia drew a shaky breath, stepping away from Yonas. She tucked her hair back, as if somehow the kiss might have left her as disheveled outside as she felt on the inside. “Yes, honey! That’s incredible. Did it feel funny?”

  “A little,” Julian admitted with a giggle. “Can we go see the tigers now?”

  “Of course. You lead the way, Mr. Zoo Lover!” Maia ruffled her son’s hair, then looked back at Yonas. His jaw flexed when their gazes met.

  “No more of that,” she said quietly.

  “You didn’t want…” he began.

  “I can’t handle any more of those kisses without the possibility of more,” she said, sending him a stern look. “So don’t kiss me again until you can kiss me for hours.”

  A smile quirked at Yonas’s lips. He snagged her hand in his again, bringing it to his lips. “Yes, ma’am.”

  9

  The trio returned to the house where Maia and Julian were staying just before dinnertime. Julian had fallen asleep in the car on the way home, clutching an enormous stuffed tiger that Yonas had bought for him in the gift shop.

  He couldn’t remember a more fun day in recent history. It sure beat sulking in the palace. Hell, he’d even had more fun than on his most recent trip to Dubai.

  Maia and Julian were new. They were a fresh, fun duo, and Julian allowed Yonas’s playful side to come out. Just like with his sisters.

  Maia turned to him before climbing out of the car. “Do you want to stay for dinner?”

  Yonas was nodding before he could think twice. “Of course. I want to spend more time with you and Julian.”

  Maia grinned, shaking her head. “That’s not all you want to do.”

  “Okay, fine, I want to kiss you for hours tonight too.”

  “I appreciate the honesty,” Maia mused.

  The two of them walked up to the hous
e while Julian raced ahead. Yonas reached for her hand again—he couldn’t help himself. It was just a natural fit in his. There was so much about her that he wanted more of, against all reason, against all his usual preferences, even.

  Normally, finding out a woman had a child would have meant he’d turn around and walk away. If any other woman had ever dared talk to him the way she regularly addressed him, he would have checked out days ago.

  But not with Maia.

  “Iliana?” Maia called out as they stepped into the comfortable home. The white tile floors were covered with jade and gold spun rugs. In typical Maatkare domestic fashion, large clay bowls painted with the national colors of maroon and gold were displayed around the house. The scent of garlic and cardamom hung in the air.

  Maia’s friend poked her head around the corner a moment later, her mouth parting as her gaze met his.

  “It’s okay if we have a guest for dinner tonight, right?” Maia asked. Yonas stepped forward, offering his hand to Iliana.

  “Don’t be afraid to kick me out,” Yonas said with a grin as she slowly put her hand in his. “I would understand if there’s no space for a late arrival like myself.”

  “There’s always room for a sheikh of Maatkare,” Iliana said, gesturing toward the table, which already had three large, bowl-like plates set. “Take your place, please. Food is almost ready.”

  Yonas and Maia shared secret smiles as they readied for dinner, first by helping Julian wash his hands, then by selecting the perfect spots around the low table. Large cushions waited to receive them. He and Julian horsed around on the cushions while Maia went into the kitchen to help with last minute details.

  The dinner was nearly a feast, and a homier sight than he could remember seeing at the palace for a long time. There, it was always some big affair—dining with the diplomats or receiving a queen of some far-flung ally nation. Here, this was just good food for good people. He missed that about family dinners. It had been years since he and his parents and siblings had sat down for themselves.