by Laura Wright
“Flowers are usually well received, sir.”
“I am to meet my sister, Fandal, not court the lovely Miss Kennedy.”
“Of course, sir.” With a quick bow of understanding, Fandal went to the bag of ruined popcorn and began to clean up the mess.
Court the lovely Miss Kennedy? Zayad sniffed. His mouth was without restraint. Perhaps because he could not get the woman out of his head after their little discussion in the yard. It was most irritating. She had looked so soft, so appealing, as she verbally annihilated her client’s ex-husband.
“May I say that the golden-haired woman seems unlike the women in our country,” Fandal remarked with just a hint of warning in his tone.
“She is at that.” Blond, fair, a lioness with claws outstretched. But something warned him that once tamed, once her anger was released and desire ruled her body, Mariah Kennedy would not let go those claws. “Not that I would pursue it, but I imagine an affair would not be casual with her. I fear that most American women want far more than a lover.”
“Is it not true for all women, sir?”
“Not the women of my acquaintance.”
“There was one.”
The words had slipped from Fandal’s lips far too easily. Zayad stopped short, his blood thundering in his ears at the memory of the woman who had left his company and that of her son with little regret. Turning around, he stood over a sheepish Fandal. “As you know, Meyaan did not want a true marriage. She did not want to share my life—or her son’s, for that matter. She wanted to benefit from my power and the comfort allowed by the riches of a sultan.” His chin lifted, though his ire sank deeper into his belly. “And she received both. But in the end I was the victor. I received the far more precious gift.”
His face still ashen from his foolish remark, Fandal had the good sense to turn the subject to Zayad’s child. “And how is His Highness?”
“Redet is well, happy at school.” Getting far too mature at thirteen. Zayad missed his little boy.
Just then a loud thud reverberated off the walls. Zayad and Fandal ceased talking. Glancing around, they listened for a clue to its origin. When none came, Zayad uttered, “What the hell was that?”
Fandal shook his head. “I know not.”
A woman’s cry came next.
“Stay here,” Zayad commanded. “I will go.”
“Your Royal Highness, it could be dangerous.”
“It is from next door. It could be my sister.”
“I will go with you.”
But Zayad was already at the door. “Do not leave this house, Fandal, or you will find yourself swimming back to Emand. Are we clear?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And say nothing to the others.” Zayad was out of his house and at Jane and Mariah’s door within seconds. He knocked swiftly, but there was no response. He gripped the door handle, but it was locked.
His chest constricted and he did not think, only reacted. He stepped back and lunged at the door with all of his strength. The lock pitched but remained intact. He tried again. Then again. Finally the lock collapsed and he was inside.
Three
“…I know I should have photographs of him with that other woman, but I can’t find a thing, Miss Kennedy. Please call me back, okay?”
Through the pain in her wrist and ankle, Mariah listened to the end of her client’s message, then the beep of her answering machine.
Nude, angry and lying in quasifetal position on the bathroom floor, Mariah sincerely wished she’d installed a telephone next to the bathtub. Such luxury had just proven itself a necessity, as she’d slipped trying to get out of the tub and into Jane’s room for the phone.
Wondering if she could roll over, get her weight on her good leg, she rose slightly and made the effort. But when sharp pain whipped up and around like a tornado in her ankle, she collapsed.
What the hell was she going to do? Lie here all night like a fish? Maybe inch her way across the bathroom floor, down the hall and into—
Just then Mariah heard something. A crash. Downstairs. Wood splitting. She sucked air, and her pulse jumped in her blood. Not good. Robbery and incapacitated naked girl did not go well together.
She tried to work herself up into a sitting position, but her wrist and ankle hurt like hell, and she was slow.
There were footsteps on the stairs, a rustle outside the bathroom door. A thought poked into Mariah’s brain—one she clung to for dear life. Jane. Maybe she’d forgotten something.
She called out, “Jane!” I can’t believe I’m about to say this. “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”
“Do not be alarmed. I am here to help you.”
Sick, gut-tight fear gripped Mariah, made her forget the pain screaming up her ankle.
Not Jane.
Had she locked the bathroom door?
“I have a knife and a baseball bat in here,” she shouted, scanning the room for anything that resembled those two items. Emery board, toilet plunger… “And I’m not afraid to use them.”
“I am sure that you could do great damage if provoked, but I am not here to hurt you, Miss Kennedy.”
Was it Mr. Sexy Accent?
Mr. Next Door?
Oh my God.
“Don’t come in here,” she warned, more afraid of him seeing her naked than she was of him attacking her.
She was such an idiot.
“Miss Kennedy, I heard you scream.” He was right outside the door now and probably unstoppable.
“I’m fine.” She sounded embarrassingly hysterical. “Nothing’s wrong. I just saw a mouse and—”
“I do not believe you.”
The door squeaked open.
“Oh my God, don’t come in here—”
He didn’t listen. “Perhaps you need a doc—”
“Dammit!” Completely nude and in a most unflattering position, she tried to roll into the bath mat. “Get out. Get out.”
“You are hurt.”
“I’m also naked. Get out.”
He went to her, knelt beside her. “I would never take advantage of such a situation.”
She glared up at him. “I don’t believe that for a minute.”
A glimmer of humor lit his eyes. “Smart girl.” He grabbed a towel and draped it over her. “But I give you my word this is no attempt at seduction, merely a rescue.”
“I don’t need to be rescued.”
“I beg to differ.”
“Listen, Mr. Fandal, this is my house and I want you to leave.”
“Who will help you if I leave?”
“I’ll think of someone or I’ll get out of here myself.”
“Crawling around on the floor like a lame pup?”
“Did you just call me a dog?”
Zayad gave an impatient groan, flashed his gaze to the ceiling. Never had he known a woman like this one—obstinate, headstrong, ready to injure herself further in the name of pride. He was not used to following the orders of others, but with her he felt it would be far more productive. “If you prefer to wallow in your mulishness, I shall stand behind the door in case you have need of me.”
“No. Thank you. Seriously I appreciate the gesture, but you can leave. I’m fine.”
He stood up, walked out of the bathroom and waited behind the door. “I shall stand behind the door until you realize you need my assistance.”
She snorted. “Well, you’ll be waiting all night for that, buddy.”
Moments later he heard her groan with pain.
“Miss Kennedy?”
“I’m fine. Just fine.”
Seconds later there was another cry of pain and a soft thud.
“Still fine, Miss Kennedy?”
“Yes.”
He shook his head, walked back into the bathroom. “I do not enjoy playing games. You will not send me away again, and I will help you until more suitable help arrives.”
“There is no suitable help.”
“Your roommate is not home yet?”
&n
bsp; “No.”
“But she is returning soon, yes?”
“She’s actually going to be out of town for a week teaching some Hollywood bimbo how to cook.”
Alarm moved through Zayad. He had not heard her correctly. Jane gone for one week. Impossible. He had but two weeks to know her, make her understand her past, her family’s history, see if she was ready to return to her homeland and take up her duties as princess. How could this happen? How could he have allowed his plan to be thwarted?
Frustration swam in his blood. What was he to do now? Follow her? Rent another home in Los Angeles for one week, then return to Ventura with her?
He glanced down at the woman who needed his assistance. With great care he eased her into his arms. He had to take care of this situation first and quickly, then find a solution to his woes with Jane.
Head against his chest, Mariah groaned. “This is so humiliating.”
“What is? Falling down or being nude?”
“Oh, of course the naked part.”
A grin tugged at his lips. “Miss Kennedy, you have nothing to feel ashamed of. Your body is beautiful, lush, and your skin is softer than silk. It took great effort to tear my gaze from you, but as you were hurt, I felt compelled to do so.”
He watched her eyes widen and her lips part.
Chuckling, he lifted her up, bath mat and all, and headed out of the steamy room. “Praise be. I have found a way to keep you quiet.”
Four
The pounding in her ankle aside, Mariah was still reeling from Mr. Next Door’s compliment as he carried her down the stairs. She knew she shouldn’t be reeling. In fact, she should have told him that his cheesy lines about her lushness and soft skin sucked and then given him a good slap.
But the thing was, she didn’t want to think that what he’d said was a line. He’d looked at her with such devilishness, such sincerity, it had nearly had her wrapping her arms around his neck and demanding a kiss. And not just any kiss. From him she wanted open mouth, a little sweep of the tongue and maybe a nibble or two on her bottom lip.
Oh, it had been too long. She felt like an old, ratty plum on a tree, desperate to be picked, saved from a pruney future. Dangerous waters…
“Where are you taking me?” she asked him.
“To bed.”
There it was—the deep end of those dangerous waters. “Mr. Fandal—”
“I think it is now appropriate for you to call me Zayad.”
“And I’m thinking, after the whole bare-butt incident, it might be best to preserve some boundaries.”
“And you think formality is the way to do this?”
Not a clue. “Let’s not get off track here. We were talking about you taking me to bed.”
“That’s correct. Not to get undressed and join you, but so you may rest as I call the doctor.”
She wilted—just slightly. “Oh.” Not that she would allow herself to contemplate such a thing, but it sure would be nice to be wanted.
When he reached her bedroom, Zayad whipped back her white cotton sheets and placed her gently on the bed. “I will only be a moment,” he informed her. “I must make a phone call to the doctor, then I will return.”
“My doctor doesn’t make house calls.”
“No. But mine does.”
“Yours?” She stared up into that rough, intense and highly sensual face and wondered just who this new neighbor of hers was. Had his own doctor on call—and at eight o’clock at night, no less—had a fancy accent, worldly expression, tailored clothes, highly intelligent eyes and was impressively quick with a comeback.
A stab of pain the size of New Jersey suddenly invaded her ankle. She dropped her cheek to the pillow, closed her eyes and moaned. When she opened her eyes again, Zayad was halfway out the door.
“Hey, Zayad?”
He turned. “Yes?”
“How did you know this was my room?”
A slow, almost fiendish smile drifted to his lips. “Careful deduction. You do not seem a risk taker to me, so the first-floor bedroom seemed correct.”
Sad but true.
“And then there was your computer, law books and yellow legal pads.” He pointed to her many Hockney posters littering the white walls. “The artwork. This is you.”
The law books and such, she understood, but the artwork—that startled her. In all the time they were married, Alan had never even asked her about her love of Hockney, much less noticed if she had a connection to it. “Why is the art me?”
His gaze swept the room and he took a thoughtful breath. “Firstly, you live in a town that boasts a beach-like feel, as many of Hockney’s paintings do. You are also very colorful, Mariah, and there is an interesting humor about you, as well.”
She just stared at him. He got all that in two meetings? Oh, yeah, this guy was dangerous all right. “That was some pretty swift deducing from doorstep to backyard to bathroom to bedroom.”
He grinned, haughtiness filling his black gaze. “I am said to be intuitive as well as highly intelligent.”
“And maybe just a bit arrogant, too?” she added with a pained smirk.
“Oh, no, Mariah,” he said without humor this time. “I am far more than a bit.” And with that he turned and left.
Thirty minutes later, after a complete examination of her wrist and incredibly swollen ankle, the doctor—who was so young Mariah wondered if he’d had his first shave yet—told her in the same accent as her neighbor’s that her wrist was badly bruised. But her ankle?
“I am afraid it is a serious sprain,” he said, his dark eyes on her. “I will prescribe a mild painkiller and bring you a brace and crutches. You may want an X-ray as well. In the meantime, you must rest. You will need to remain off your foot for a few days.”
Mariah shook her head. “I can’t stay in bed. I have a ton of work to do.”
“Work that will have to be done from bed, young lady.”
She had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing. The twelve-year-old doctor had actually called her “young lady.” “I’m an attorney and I have a huge case to prepare. Lives are at stake and all that,” she said, trying to appeal to him in a way he’d understand. “If I can’t get up and get to work, I can forget about court in three weeks, and getting a wonderful mother of two custody and child support.”
The doctor tried to look sympathetic. “I understand, Miss Kennedy. But if you want your ankle to heal, you will do as I say. And you will need someone to help you.”
Zayad turned to her. “Your roommate is returning—”
“In a week.”
His lips thinned. “Do you have a friend to help you?”
“Not really.” Jane was her best friend. She’d allowed no one to get close to her since Alan. Of course, she had her work colleagues, but no one who she’d feel comfortable asking for help.
“Family?” Zayad asked.
Mariah shook her head.
“A man?” asked the doctor.
Heat rushed Mariah’s cheeks. “No. No man.”
Zayad felt relieved at the news, though he did not wish to examine why. He had more important matters to see to than his attraction to this woman, such as seeing to his sister.
Beside him Mariah shifted on the bed. She looked so beautiful, so soft and needful, lying there still draped in her large white towel, her legs exposed. It took all he had to force his mind to shut down, to remind his body that it would be foolish to climb in beside her, remove that towel and explore.
She was injured, and he had to think of his mission.
Right now he should be following his sister to Los Angeles, finding out about her passions and pursuits, as he should have done so many years ago. He should be telling her the truth. But he had given it much thought on the way to get the doctor and he knew that wouldn’t be wise. He would look like a stalker, following her from Los Angeles back to Ventura, and he would never get the answers he needed.
Mariah looked up, found his gaze.
Answers Jane Hefner�
�s best friend might be able to reveal as she recovered from her injury.
Zayad paused, his mind circling a new path.
He was no nursemaid, but his need to uncover the truth about his sister and her past and present could force his hand—could draw him in to Mariah Kennedy’s world for a few days.
An interesting, though risky prospect.
He turned to Dr. Adair, the son of his physician in Emand. “I will care for the girl myself.”
Adair’s eyes went wide. “Your— Sir, I do not think…”
“It is done,” Zayad said swiftly.
“Excuse me?” Mariah fairly sputtered.
Zayad continued speaking to Adair. “I live next door. I will cook for her, bathe her—”
“Are you certain that is wise, sir?”
“I am.” His answer was firm, unmovable, and the doctor nodded.
“Excuse me.” Mariah actually sat up, her anger evident in those beautiful tiger’s eyes and irritated tone. “First of all, I’m not a girl. And second of all, there’ll be no bathing by anyone other than me.”
Zayad began, “I was merely suggesting that I remain on hand to assist—”
“I don’t need any extra hands,” she uttered through pain.
“I am afraid you do, Miss Kennedy.” The doctor eased a brown brace that resembled a boot over her foot and ankle and set the Velcro straps in place. “As I said, you must remain in bed, off that ankle for at least two days. If Mr. Fandal does not help, who will?”
She opened her mouth, then promptly shut it. What a question. And one that made her feel like a gigantic loser. Seriously, Jane was gone and Mariah couldn’t ask her to come home—not with that kind of money at stake.
Mariah frowned, winced. Her ankle hurt. Dammit! There really was no one who could come to her rescue. Except…she lifted her lids, found his black gaze, and her belly softened and warmed.
“Why in the world would you want to do this?” she asked him. “You hardly know me.”
Zayad sat beside her on the bed. Behind him Dr. Adolescence discreetly left the room.
“Have you never felt compelled to help a stranger in need, Mariah?” he asked.
