Medusa's Sheik

by Cindy Dees

  “That would be an affirmative.”

  Casey groaned. Crap, crap, crap. Her entire team knew exactly how she felt about Hake now? She glared at Roxi. “You had no right—”

  “I had every right. It impacts the mission, hence they needed to know.” Roxi glared back until Casey’s gaze faltered and fell away.

  Casey touched her throat mike and transmitted, “All right. Fine. What do the rest of you nosy, pushy pests think about my private life?”

  To their credit, her teammates didn’t razz her. They seemed to understand the depth of her mortification and dilemma. Interestingly enough, it was Monica—the hard-core man-hater on the team—who finally answered quietly, “Casey, if you think there’s a chance you and Hake could have something long-term, it’s worth exploring. Don’t walk away from the real thing if you two have it. Just wait until after this mission is over to find out, eh?”

  Casey glanced down the row of her teammates and they all nodded in agreement. She sighed. “Easier said than done. Hake’s prone to setting his own agenda. I may not control the timing of this thing between us. I’ll do what I can.”

  Roxi spoke up soberly. “Promise me that if it’s going to get in the way of the job you’ll tell us what’s going on between you two.”

  Casey closed her eyes in dismay. It was a reasonable request. But Lord, the humiliation of laying her love life out before her teammates like this. “Okay. Fine. I’ll let you all know.”

  Roxi punched her lightly on the shoulder. “Chin up, kid. At least we’re not demanding video.”

  Casey’s gaze narrowed. “I’ll kill anyone who tries to film us. I mean it.”

  The other women threw up their hands as one, laughing.

  She caught up on her sleep and got thoroughly sick of the drone of jet engines before her ears finally started to pop, signaling their descent into Bhoukar. Compliments of the emir, they were exempted from clearing customs and hustled Hake straight off the jet and onto a U.S. Navy cargo helicopter, lent to them for the day by an aircraft carrier group in the Gulf of Oman.

  Hake spent the short ride to his family’s compound staring pensively out a small, round window at the desert below. She’d never been to Bhoukar, but she’d seen plenty of mission footage from other Medusa forays into the tiny country. She knew exactly what the miles of endless sand below looked like.

  The helicopter slowed to a hover and gradually lowered its bulk to the ground. The whop-whopping of the rotor blades began to wind down. Hake started to stand up, but Casey put a restraining hand on his thigh. His muscles went rock-hard beneath her hand and she looked up at him involuntarily. His gaze burned her alive as it met hers.

  “We have to get an all-clear before we offload you,” she murmured. “Medusa Team One is completing a security sweep of the perimeter as we speak.”

  “My sisters are going to love having all these girl commandos protecting Father and me. I’m never going to live it down.”

  She smiled. “It’s better than being dead and not having to live it down at all.”

  “I’m just glad you’re with me,” he murmured.

  Her gaze went to her teammates, but they were all occupied at the exit, checking for threats to their charge. She said back to him, “You and I need to talk. Alone. As soon as it can be arranged without raising any eyebrows.”

  “I’ll see what I can do,” he replied, sounding a little surprised.

  And then Vanessa Blake’s voice came over her earpiece, declaring the area secure and Hake clear to exit the aircraft. Tomas and his men went first, with the Medusas close behind. And then it was her turn to jump out of the helicopter’s belly and to the ground, Hake beside her.

  She was in Bhoukar.

  With Hake. To meet his family. Her stomach clenched in apprehension. She reminded herself sternly that she was also here to keep Hake alive and catch a gang of violent terrorists. Priority number one.

  Hake inhaled the familiar, acrid smell of the desert as a blast of hot, dry air slammed into him. He was definitely back in Bhoukar. Like it or not.

  Casey touched his elbow and pointed at the massive building looming ahead. He nodded as they all took off jogging toward it. Tomas and his men flanked the front doors as Casey and the Medusas moved inside. Another half-dozen women in full combat gear joined them and the whole party piled into the foyer of his father’s palace. They all took up only a small corner of the towering edifice.

  Mosaic tiles of lapis lazuli and gold formed an intricate pattern overhead, and twin marble staircases curved upward in front of him. He’d always thought they looked like a woman’s arms welcoming her lover.

  “Wow,” Casey breathed beside him.

  He looked at her quickly. He didn’t want her to be impressed. It was just a building. And he was just a man. Please, let her not be so dazzled by his family’s wealth that she completely lost sight of him. He’d seen it happen more times than he could count. A servant he didn’t recognize led them into the home, veering left into the public wing of the palace. To the right were his family’s private quarters. It had been so long since he’d been here, he didn’t know if he still had his own suite or not. He just wanted someplace he could be alone with Casey to…to what? Seduce her?

  No. To court her.

  Somewhere on the long flight, he’d come to terms with that shocking notion. He had no idea if things would work out between them or not. But he wanted to find out one way or the other and not let her walk away before they had a chance to explore this thing between them.

  Vanessa Blake spoke ahead of them. “Mr. El Aran has been kind enough to allocate us space for our operations and quarters. It’s next to his security center. We have plenty of room for you and your men, Tomas. Along with the El Aran family’s permanent security personnel, we’ve established a hard perimeter and are keeping our presence minimal within the palace. Mr. El Aran has requested that we try not to make his home feel like a police state.”

  Vanessa veered down a hallway and the others followed her. Hake hung back, though, touching Casey on the elbow. She glanced over at him. “Come with me?” he murmured.

  She looked up at her teammates. Roxi glanced back at her and nodded. Casey turned to Hake. “Lead on.”

  They peeled away from the others and soon were alone in the marble mausoleum his family called home. She commented lightly, “If this were my house, I’d have more furniture. Rugs. Maybe curtains on the windows. Some pictures. Something to make it feel a little more…”

  “Homey?” he suggested.

  She traded understanding glances with him.

  He sighed. “It serves its purpose. It’s a calculated display of wealth and power, establishing my father’s position in society.”

  “You didn’t need all of this to establish yourself as an important man in London. The financial markets took a measurable hit when people thought you were dead.”

  He smiled. “Oh, I’m not as important as all that. The markets were just worried about a shake-up in El Aran Industries. It is, without putting too fine a point on it, a big company.”

  “Not to be rude or anything, but where’s your family? If the prodigal son came home at my house, there’d practically be a parade to meet him.”

  Hake glanced over at her, interested. “There’s a prodigal son in your family? Does that mean you have a brother?”

  She scowled back at him. “That’s not the point.”

  Someday this woman was going to tell him everything about herself. Until then, he just had to be patient. He shrugged. “I may work with my father, but we are not…close. And the women in the family will not insult him by flocking to greet me before he does. He will greet me formally later.”

  “And you think having some belly dancer for a companion isn’t going to insult the living heck out of him?” she replied gently.

  Hake’s gaze narrowed. “I am my own man. It’s high time my father learned that.”

  She sighed. “Been there. Done that. Got that T-shirt. Thing is,
he’s your father. He loves you. He wants the best for you. Don’t be so fast to shove me in his face.”

  Hake stared down at her, surprised. She was the last person he’d have expected to take his father’s side. “If you’re so determined to be his champion, what do you suggest I do?”

  “Greet your father alone. Let me be introduced with the rest of my team as just another one of your guards. There’s plenty of time later to make him aware of whatever else there may be between us.”

  Hake’s jaw tightened. He despised her talking about their feelings for one another as if they were hypothetical. This thing between them was real, dammit. He’d done superficial and meaningless so many times he knew the difference.

  “Where are we going?” she asked curiously.

  “To see if I still have a room in this monstrosity for that private talk you requested. Plus, you can freshen up a little before you meet my family.”

  “In other words, I stink, huh?”

  He laughed. “I suspect we both smell like jet fuel. And no, you don’t stink, my dear. You’re as lovely as always.”

  She smiled warmly at him. “That’s one of the things I like best about you. You’re always such a gentleman.”

  “I try. Although I’m not sure I always succeed.”

  She looped a hand in the crook of his arm. His gut tightened like it always did when she touched him. “Trust me. You succeed.” And then she started as if just realizing she’d taken his arm and jerked her hand away.

  He captured her fingers and put them back on his arm. “I like your hand there.”

  “I guess it became a habit when we were going out all the time. I don’t want to offend anyone in your country, though.”

  “No one will be offended. Relax. It’s just like being in London.”

  She appeared doubtful as they rode an elevator up to the third floor in silence. He led her down another impossibly long hall to a pair of gilded double doors. He threw them open, not sure what to expect.

  His room was exactly as it had been the day he left a decade ago. The bed was made and fresh flowers stood in vases around the room, but it was still his space, complete with his books and maps and treasures collected from his boyhood travels.

  “This room looks like you,” Casey murmured.

  “And how would that be?”

  “Masculine. Elegant. Sophisticated.”

  “A bunch of books and trinkets are all that?” he commented in surprise.

  She smiled. “Yes.”

  “May I offer you a long, hot soak in my Jacuzzi? There isn’t one downstairs.”

  “You do know how to tempt a woman.”

  He grinned. “Go. Take your bath. I need to check in with my bankers, and their offices should be open in London by now.”

  She nodded and disappeared into his bathroom. It felt shockingly right for her to be here with him in this place. She was part of his life. Now, how to convince the lady of that? Time was running out on him.

  Casey stepped out of the opulent marble tub, her heart heavy. She knew Hake was wealthy. But this was beyond her wildest imaginings. She would never fit into this world. She could handle Hake’s yacht. And when she’d seen pictures in a magazine of his flat in London, which was spacious and chic, she hadn’t freaked out. Heck, she’d ridden in the man’s Rolls-Royce. But none of it had prepared her for this.

  Reluctantly, she pulled on her desert beige BDUs and zipped up her combat boots. She strapped on her utility belt, and today it felt as if it weighed a hundred pounds, the pistol holstered at her right hip a block of lead.

  With a sigh, she opened the door and stepped out into the main bedroom. Hake glanced up at her from the huge mahogany desk with a phone to his ear and did a quick double take, eyeing her uniform. But then he did the darnedest thing. He smiled at her. Just a smile. As if it was no big deal to him to see her decked out like a commando.

  Shock flowed through her, followed closely by a wave a gratitude for his acceptance. Was it possible that he really might be okay with her career after all? He gestured for her to come sit with him, and she relaxed against his warmth as he took care of a few desultory financial transactions with his lawyer. It was a peaceful, domestic moment between them and she relished it far too much. No doubt about it. Letting go of this man would hurt. A lot.

  He wound up the call and she rose to go, but he stood as well, taking her hands in his. He held them away from her sides as he looked her up and down again. “So, the soldier wins out over the woman today, does she?”

  She shrugged. “Sorry. I’m on the job. It would look strange if I didn’t dress like my teammates.”

  “You’re still magnificent, darling,” he murmured.

  She smiled, but the expression felt brittle on her face. “This is who I am, Hake. Not that other person you think you know.”

  He frowned. “Why can’t you be both?”

  It was a hell of a good question. Why not, indeed? “You do have a way of cutting directly to the heart of a matter,” she muttered.

  “It’s why I’m successful in business,” he replied blandly. He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the cheek. “You’re not fooling me. I still see the woman hiding beneath the trappings of a soldier. She’s not gone under all that gear.” He flipped one of her ammo pouches lightly.

  She stared as he turned away and continued speaking as if he hadn’t just stunned her speechless. “Your cell phone rang while you were in the bath, love. I took the liberty of answering it for you. Roxi asked me to have you call her back when you got out.”

  Uh-oh. Busted messing around with Hake and she hadn’t been in Bhoukar an hour. Except she hadn’t done anything with him…yet.

  He was speaking again. “I’m going to jump into the shower myself while you make your call.”

  He disappeared into the dressing room and she dialed her phone reluctantly. “Hey, Roxi. What’s up?”

  “You two christened his room yet?”

  Casey sighed. “There’s been no hanky-panky between us, I swear.”

  “Why the heck not? The guy’s smoking hot and so in lust with you he can hardly see straight.”

  “We’ve already been over this. I have to leave him alone until after the mission’s over.”

  “Have you told him that?” Roxi demanded.

  “Well, no. I was going to, though. It’s why I agreed to come up to his room with him.”

  “We do have a little downtime at the moment. Can’t do anything until the terrorists contact us. Maybe you should think of this visit to the palace as a break in the mission. Like halftime of a football game.”

  If only. Casey sighed. “Mama Viper already gave me the big lecture not to fool around on the job on this mission.”

  Roxi snorted. “Since when does any Medusa, including our ever-so-stern boss, follow the rules? How do you think she ended up married to her boss anyway? If you want the guy, go get him!”

  “You’re a bad influence, Roxi deLuco.”

  “Thank you. I try.”

  Casey rolled her eyes. “So was there a reason you called, or were you just trying to harass me and interfere with my love life?”

  “Vanessa wanted to know where you were. She’s scheduled a mission briefing in about five minutes. And she wants you here.”

  Casey sighed. So much for private time with Hake. “I’m on my way.”

  The water cut off as she called through the bathroom door, “I have to go to a briefing. I’ll see you in a while.”

  The door opened and he stood there, his bronze skin dripping wet, with only a snow-white towel wrapped around his hips. Ho. Lee. Cow. Move over male cover models.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t catch all of that,” he said. His words were vague, coming to her as if from a long distance, such was the impact of his appearance on her befuddled brain.

  “Uh. Briefing. Have to go.”

  “Me?” he asked. “They need me at a briefing?”

  “Uh, no. Me,” she mumbled.

&nbs
p; A slow grin started to spread across his face. “Are you all right?”

  “No. Not…no.”

  He reached out of sight beyond the door and came up with a second towel. He strolled forward, commencing to towel his hair. “Never seen a guy get out of a shower before?” he asked casually.

  “No…uh…yes…but not…uh…you…”

  He stepped close enough to her that she felt the humid heat rolling off his body. “You’re cute when you’re flustered,” he said.

  She opened and closed her mouth a few times and finally just shook her head. “This is so not going to work between us.”

  The towel came off his head. “Why not?” he demanded.

  “You and I are from totally different worlds. This all—” she waved her hand to encompass his room “—it’s too much. I don’t belong in a palace. Everything about you is too—” she searched for a word and finally finished “—perfect.”

  Warm fingertips traced her jawline lightly and she inhaled sharply.

  He said slowly, “Let me get this straight. You want to dump me because I’m too rich?”

  “Well, sort of. I mean I don’t want to dump you. But I don’t see how I could ever learn to live with all of this.”

  A smile spread across his face and grew brighter and brighter until it nearly blinded her. Or maybe that was just lust blinding her. He said, “Just think of all the time it will take for the two of us to share our worlds with one another. Years. Decades, even. And every moment of it will be interesting and exciting and new for both of us. Tell me you’ll give me and all of this a chance—”

  She started to lean in to kiss him, mostly in desperation to stop him from completing the question and putting her horribly on the spot, but her phone vibrated in her pocket and saved the day. “I’m late. Gotta run.”

  She turned and fled without looking back. She was such a coward. She was too scared to admit to him just how hard she’d fallen for him, and way too scared to admit it to her teammates. Heck, she was barely able to admit it to herself. Any sane woman would’ve leaped all over the offer he’d made to her and done everything in her power to land this guy. But she…she was doing everything in her power to drive the guy away from her. What was wrong with her? And what on earth was she going to tell him when he lost patience and came right out and demanded to know her intentions toward him?