Appropriate name. Fire escape.
She definitely felt a bit singed on the edges—like a ragged sleeve too close to a candle—ragged and breathless. She touched her lips. Burnt and hot without even touching him.
She glanced around again, reassured in a dark stairwell with unpainted concrete stairs and the echo of empty walls, but there was no doubt she was glad of the sanctuary afforded her.
One would have thought she’d learnt her lesson from her ex-husband about smooth-talking men in expensive suits who seduced you and then destroyed your life.
Still. One almost slip didn’t make a disaster. She hoped.
* * *
Eighteen hours later Carmen O’Shannessy admired the gifts Mother Nature had bestowed on her at five that morning with a soft smile. She knew there was a reason she loved night duty, apart from the fact it allowed her to do two jobs.
Twins. Dark-haired cherubs with skin like dusky rosebuds. Her patient, Fadia Smith, rested back in the armchair like Madonna with her sons poking out under her arms like tiny bundled wings. It had taken a little juggling, a few attempts, and almost an hour of patience, but with both boys feeding well this moment was a very satisfying end to a drama-filled morning.
It had been a long time since Carmen had seen twins born with so little fuss but, then, Fadia hadn’t left them with much choice. Her cumbersome arrival alone and a bare five minutes before her first son appeared had left Carmen literally catching the baby. By the time the obstetrician and his entourage had arrived, number two had also decided to greet the outside world and Dr Bennett had waved her on with an incredulous smile.
To continue their no-fuss arrival, both wee boys had cried and then settled on their mother’s skin. While they appeared small, there were no signs of prematurity or respiratory distress.
That would be unlike the breathless-from-running neonatal staff, who’d drifted back to their unit unneeded shortly afterwards. Carmen still smiled over their shock when she’d rung for help.
Two hours later Carmen should’ve been feeling ready to hand Fadia over to the day staff and go home. ‘You sure I can’t phone someone for you?’ Something niggled.
Fadia seemed very sad. On cue with the question, Fadia jumped in the chair and the two babies stopped their sucking with startled eyes before resettling to their feed.
Their mother forced herself to relax. ‘No, no. My babies are fine. I really don’t have anyone else to call. I’m a widow and there’s just a friend of my husband who’s been helping me until my relatives arrive.’
Fadia seemed determined nothing was wrong and hurried on. ‘We’re all safe.’ It seemed a strange thing to say.
‘Well, your boys weren’t waiting for anyone.’ She leaned over and stroked a tiny hand that rested on his mother’s neck. ‘You’re amazing, Fadia. Congratulations. Tilly will be looking after you today. I have to go home to my bed, and I’ll see you when you move to the baby hotel in a day or two. Have you decided on names?’
‘Harrison and Bailey. My husband’s names.’
‘Lovely. I’m sure he would have loved that.’
‘He didn’t even know I was pregnant when he was killed.’
Was killed? Not died. How horrible but not the time to ask. ‘I’m sorry. But I’m sure, somewhere, he knows. Do try and get some sleep as soon as they do.’
‘Thanks, Carmen. You’ve given me so much strength in all of this. It means so much that you weren’t cross with me for leaving it so late.’
‘You were always strong, Fadia. So amazing. And we know babies come when they want.’ Carmen grinned. ‘You must have a guardian angel. And that makes sense. Thank you for a lovely end to my night.’ She waved and almost bumped into Tilly, the day midwife, passing the door.
‘Finally going home?’ Tilly glanced at her watch.
Carmen knew she was nearly an hour late getting away already. ‘At last.’
‘You working this afternoon as well?’
‘Doing the one p.m. at the hotel till seven. I get to sleep in my bed tonight.’
Tilly shook her head. ‘Don’t know how you do it. I’d be dead doing those hours as well as night duty.’
‘I get around four hours’ sleep.’ Carmen shrugged. ‘It’s short term. But I’m starting to come down from the night’s euphoria. But I am tired now.’ She did not want to talk about this or the reason she was almost killing herself. She’d never taken help from anyone and she wasn’t going to start now.
Thankfully Tilly wasn’t slow on nuances because she changed the subject back to Fadia. ‘Well done, you, with this morning. Lucky duck. Catching twins is hard to do without a cast of thousands trying to help these days.’
‘And your Marcus didn’t push me out of the way.’
Tilly’s cheeks went pink and Carmen felt a tug of wistfulness at her friend’s happiness. A fleeting picture of the man in the lift intruded again before she pushed him away.
She hadn’t given him a thought for hours. Been far too busy. Which was a good thing. ‘It must be great to have everything in your life going well.’
Tilly said, ‘I’m fostering Marcus’s faith in midwives. I think it’s working.’ They smiled at each other.
‘And Fadia was lucky.’ Carmen’s smile dropped. ‘Her friend’s coming in at lunchtime. She’s very quiet but, then, she did lose her husband fairly recently. There’s no one else listed under “Next of kin” from her booking. Look after her, Till. We need to make sure she has somewhere to go after she’s discharged.’
‘Yes, Mother Carmen.’ Tilly’s answer was light but the look they exchanged reassured her that her friend would be extra vigilant. Tilly would be just as determined as Carmen to be there for any mother, let alone one with twins who had twice as many reasons for moments of unusual interest.
* * *
After too few hours’ sleep it was time for Carmen to dress for work again. This time she would be providing postnatal midwifery in the baby hotel, a pet name the medical profession used for the five-star beach resort that catered for a few privately insured postnatal mothers. It was another warm and fuzzy part of her job and the women she supported often existed on less sleep than she’d had so a few yawns between friends was quite acceptable.
It was even better if she’d been with the women in labour and could follow their progress until they went home.
As she pressed the lift button in the car park she couldn’t help thinking of the man on level seven. Zafar. Mysterious name. And what would have happened to him if she hadn’t been in the lift that extra floor? The memory of their close encounter burned brightest.
She screwed up her face. ‘Go away.’ The words hung quietly between her and the closed lift door and she twisted her head uneasily to make sure nobody had heard.
There’d been something incredibly vulnerable about such a virile and powerful-looking man sweating over a stalled lift. Which maybe explained a little why she hadn’t backed off more quickly.
There had been nothing vulnerable in the way he’d crowded her after, though. Or the way she’d almost dared him to kiss her. She couldn’t help the curve of her lips at the return of that memory and thought ruefully that he’d never want to see her again.
Which was fine. Her husband’s underhand conniving had taken her home, undermined her self-respect—though she supposed she should thank him because she was tougher than ever now—and taught her to reserve judgement for a long while yet.
But Zafar’s face seemed indelibly stamped in her memory. Dark, tortured eyes under black brows and a firm yet wickedly sexy mouth that captured her attention with such assurance—a mouth that looked used to command. Everywhere. She felt the re-kindling of awareness low and hot in her belly. Outrageous. She shook her head. She wasn’t going there.
The guy embodied ever
ything she hated about men. Power and prestige. She knew he had it despite his aversion to a stalled lift, and she had no doubt he could be as cynically ruthless as he looked.
He had to have extreme wealth, of course. The very expensive watch and the suit that shrieked of a tailor her ex would have killed to find were dead giveaways. Though why he was out in the beach fringes of eastern Sydney was a mystery.
She really needed to stop thinking about him, but once inside the lift she could picture him across from her easily, too easily, in fact, for someone she’d met for five minutes twenty-four hours ago.
The lift stopped on six and she stepped out onto the main baby floor and made her way to the midwives’ room. To work, woman!
As she discussed her patients with the morning shift midwife she was surprised to hear that Fadia had already been moved to the hotel. Occasionally a very well woman with her second or subsequent baby would move across after four hours but for a first-time mum with twins it was very unusual.
‘And the paediatrician said it was okay? And Tilly’s Dr Bennett as well?’
‘They’ll both be visiting daily here and a mothercraft nurse transferred across with her.’
Special considerations, then. Not the first time wealthy clients had brought their own nurse but she hadn’t envisaged Fadia being like that. ‘That will help.’
‘Not any more. Fadia sent her away as soon as she was settled. Apparently didn’t like her.’
Carmen raised her eyebrows. ‘Curiouser and curiouser.’
Fifteen minutes later when Carmen knocked on Fadia’s door, the last person she expected to open it was the man from the elevator.
Zafar.
Her pulse jumped and he captured her gaze easily and held it, just as he held the small smile on his lips. Heat flooded her cheeks.
CHAPTER TWO
‘AH. THE midwife. Come in.’ As if she was always turning up on his doorstep.
She hoped her mouth was closed because he looked jaw-droppingly handsome when he wasn’t terrified. He seemed ten times taller and broader than before but she guessed her first real impression must have been coloured by his distress.
‘It seems I must thank you for your magnificent skills at the delivery of Fadia’s twins.’
‘Being there was a privilege. Fadia did all the hard work. I was just catching.’
He smiled sardonically. ‘Yet some skill is required with multiple birth.’
He leaned casually against the door. Funny how she had the idea he was as relaxed as a tiger about to spring.
Fadia, perched on the edge of the chair with one of her sons, looked anything but calm and Carmen’s fluttery surprise turned to bristling protection of her patient.
Was the lift almost-kisser the person Fadia was scared of? ‘Is this your husband’s friend?’
Fadia shot a startled glance at Zafar and then back at Carmen’s face. ‘No. Goodness, no.’ Carmen couldn’t help the relief. That saved a bad lack of professionalism and would be a sorry pickle.
‘No, this is my cousin. From Zandorro.’ Fadia sent another glance his way—this time slightly less anxious. ‘He’s come in response to a letter I sent to my grandfather and to see if I need help.’
Zafar inclined his head. ‘Ensuring you and your babies are well. So I can pass the good news onto your relatives, yes.’ He turned to Carmen and raised one sardonic eyebrow. ‘So you haven’t met the elusive friend of our newest family members either, then?’
‘No.’ Carmen had no plan to elaborate. She shrugged to let him know that family dynamics were none of her business. ‘But perhaps you could excuse us while I spend a short time privately with Fadia?’
‘Is that totally necessary?’ Such surprise when she’d said it and obviously a request uncommon in his experience. Carmen bit back her smile at his shock. So, we don’t like being asked to leave, she thought. How interesting.
Just who was he? But it didn’t really matter. She’d had four hours’ sleep, she was worried about Fadia, and wasn’t in the mood for tantrums. ‘Yes. Afraid so.’ Tough. Out you go, though she didn’t say it out loud.
He frowned down his haughty nose and thinned those sexy lips until they almost disappeared, which was a shame, but proclaimed this man expected obedience, not orders.
Welcome to my back yard, buddy. Carmen squared her shoulders and fixed the smile on her face. She could be as tough as he was. Or tougher, if needed.
His eyes clashed with hers. It seemed he was going to cross his arms and flatly refuse.
What would she do then? She had no idea. Figure something out. Mentally she crossed her own arms. Bring it on. Never hassle a woman off night duty.
He didn’t. On the brink of refusal he hesitated, gave her a mocking smile that actually made her feel more uncomfortable than a flat refusal—almost a promise of retribution—and annoyingly her satisfaction at the win dimmed.
She didn’t like that look. Or the feeling it left her with. Who was this guy?
‘I shall return,’ he said to his cousin with a stern glance in Carmen’s direction, ‘when your midwife is finished with you, Fadia.’
Fadia nodded, twisted her hands, and Carmen inclined her head politely. She couldn’t wait to ask Fadia what the problem was.
‘We won’t be long,’ she said sweetly as she opened the door for him. The lock shut with the heavily finality hotel doors had and thankfully the room returned to a spacious suite.
Amazing how much breathing space one man could take up. Carmen looked at her patient. ‘You okay?’
‘Yes.’ The young woman hunched her shoulders and tightened the grip on the baby in her arms. Fadia didn’t look okay. She looked shattered, on the brink of tears, and Carmen just wanted to hug her.
‘And your babies?’
‘Fine.’ Fadia glanced across at her other baby asleep in the cot and visibly shook. ‘I can’t believe he actually left. You told him to go!’
‘Of course.’ She wasn’t wasting time on him, she was worried about her patient. Something was badly wrong here.
‘Zafar wasn’t listed as next of kin?’
‘I didn’t know if the family recognised me.’
‘So his arrival was unexpected?’
‘Yes. No.’ She lowered her voice. ‘I wrote to my grandfather last week but Tom said I would be sorry when the family took over my life. But I’m glad Zafar is here while I decide what I wish to do.’
‘Well you have a few days to think about it before you have to go anywhere.’ She took Fadia’s pulse. It was faster than normal, she hoped just down to agitation and not a postnatal problem. ‘I’m surprised to see they allowed you out of hospital so soon after birth.’
‘They said I could come across to the hotel today as long as I brought the mothercraft nurse. My cousin visited me soon after you left this morning and arranged one when I asked.’
Carmen glanced around the otherwise empty room but didn’t comment on the fact the mothercraft nurse was nowhere to be seen.
Fadia shrugged. ‘We did not get on. So she left.’
‘Oh.’ Not a lot she could gather from that. ‘That’s very quick transfer for twins. Because of your over-extended uterus you’re at risk of bleeding. We need to watch for that. And you’d get much more help if you stayed on the ward. I could have you readmitted back there.’ Especially if your cousin helped you leave, she thought.
Fadia shook her head. ‘Now that he’s found me, I’d prefer to be here. Apparently the paediatrician will visit me as well. I hate hospitals, which is why I was so late coming in. Zafar wants me to have private nurses. I said I knew you and was comfortable without.’ She looked up and pleaded, ‘That is my biggest concern. I want to care for my babies myself, not with some nurse taking control as soon as they cry. Wh
ich is why I am unsure if I wish to return to Zandorro.’
Carmen could understand that but she wasn’t so sure Fadia knew how much work two small babies could be. ‘Well good for you, but it will be exhausting, even if it’s a great way for a mother to feel.’
Fadia nodded with relief. ‘Access to the baby hotel is why I chose your hospital. Tilly said you were working here today so I wanted to come across now.’
‘Okay, I can understand preferring to be here than hospital.’ But that didn’t explain her cousin’s agreement when most people would realise the twins needed more observation too.
‘I do feel a little less alone now Prince Zafar has arrived.’
‘Prince Zafar.’ Carmen blinked. Prince of what? ‘Like Prince Charles?’
‘From the desert. Zafar is fourth in line to the throne of Zandorro.’
‘A sheik?’ That explained a lot. ‘So you’re from this Zandorro, too?’
‘My family were from a small but powerful country in the desert. My father is dead, my mother left five years ago and brought me to Australia with her, but she sadly passed away not long after we arrived.’
So much drama and tragedy for one woman to cope with. But why was Fadia so unsure it was a good thing her cousin had found her?
She’d known Zafar was someone out of the ordinary, but it wasn’t an everyday occurrence to run into a prince. Or be trapped in a lift with one. Or be almost kissed by one.
No wonder he expected to be obeyed. And she’d coolly told him to leave. She struggled not to smile. Too funny.
She needed to think about this. ‘So if he’s your cousin,’ Which made Fadia…? ‘Does that make you a princess?’
‘Yes.’
She pointed to her sons. ‘I’m guessing they’re princes too, then?’ She looked at the babies. ‘And you walked into the hospital at the last minute alone to deliver twins?’
A cloud passed over Fadia’s face and her voice lowered until Carmen strained to hear her. ‘Unfortunately, when my husband died, I was alone and pregnant and the only help I’ve had has been from friends of my husband, but I’m starting to think I don’t really trust them.’
Falling for the Sheikh She Shouldn't Page 2
