The Sheikh’s Unexpected Son: The Blooming Desert Series Book Three

by North, Leslie

  He sucked in a breath.

  And then he was leaning down, his lips meeting hers, and the kiss was a shock like a lightning strike. She was electrified at the taste of him, at the warmth of him against her. Raed’s strong arms came around her waist and she melted.

  It was so good—better than before. He explored her with his tongue, taking his time, one hand rising to cup her cheek, and Lise gave herself over to the kiss. This was Raed, then. Bahir had been impulsive, but he’d left her without a backward glance. This man wouldn’t do that. She knew it from the way he kissed her, needy and worshipful at the same time. And kissed her, and kissed her, and kissed her.

  8

  Raed whooped in the passenger seat of the Porsche as Lise guided it to a stop on the track, a successful loop around the royal driving course completed. He leaned over and kissed her cheek, and Lise found herself smiling wider than she ever had.

  A driving lesson. Who would ever have thought? Nenet had arranged her first one with the captain of the guard, who had spent the last two days teaching her how to handle a car. Then Raed had taken over. And he was impressed.

  “You’re incredible,” he said. “I knew you’d take to it. And every single move.” He leaned back in his seat, pushing a hand through his dark hair, and then hopped out, coming around to take Lise’s hand. “I’m bursting with pride.”

  “Are you really?” she laughed. “It’s just driving.”

  Raed tugged her off the track and behind the royal garage, which housed a full repair shop and stored some of Raed’s favorite racing vehicles. The very moment they were out of sight of the crew, she was in his arms, pulled close and tight and hard.

  “It’s not just driving.” Raed’s voice, low and urgent, stoked the excited heat in her. “Driving is the best thing in the world.” And then his mouth was on hers, as urgent as his voice had been. She kissed him back with abandon, nipping at his lip and fighting against him with her tongue.

  He dropped his mouth to her neck and traced a hot path down the flesh there, and Lise let her head drop, biting back a moan. It was a loss when Raed straightened a moment later, eyes burning, and let out a hard breath. Her heart sank a little, though it had been flying with the euphoria of his compliments and the successful driving. They could share these kisses, all right, as long as they were hidden kisses.

  Stolen moments.

  What if she didn’t want stolen moments?

  Lise pushed the thoughts out of her mind as they went back to the business wing of the palace, winding through hallways she was coming to feel at home in. As they approached the final turn onto the wing, someone’s whisper rose to the ceiling and abruptly cut out again. It drew her out of her brooding thoughts about how Raed only kissed her when there was no one to witness it and how, if they had something real, it would be out in the open.

  She touched his elbow. “What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know.” His wide-eyed innocence didn’t convince her for a second. Raed shrugged his shoulders, which made her laugh out loud.

  “Okay.”

  They turned the corner, and Lise stopped dead at the sight.

  Staff members from the palace had lined the hallway of the business wing. Staff and her students. And they were all clapping for her. Whistling. Shouting congratulations. Lise pressed her hands to her face to try and stop the heat from rising there, but it was too late—joy and embarrassment clashed like cymbals in her mind.

  “We heard you had a successful driving lesson,” cried someone she couldn’t see, and then a student stepped forward with a bouquet of flowers. Lise accepted them with a little curtsey.

  “Thank you,” she said, her face flaming. “Thank you so much.” She smacked Raed lightly on the elbow, and he stepped closer, still laughing.

  “How could I resist them?” His voice in her ear only compounded the flying feeling. “Everyone’s been enjoying the joke in the palace.”

  The joke—that she had resisted learning for no particular reason. “All right, students,” she called, her voice finally quieting the applause. “It’s time for class to begin. I’ll give you five minutes to settle.”

  Raed plucked the bouquet from her hands. “I’ll have these delivered to your house,” he announced, dashing and handsome and everything she wanted in this hallway right now. “Teach well.” He broke off a single flower from the bouquet and tucked it into one of her buttonholes. Then he was gone, disappearing around the corner with a big smile on his face.

  Oh, man. Oh—it didn’t get better than this. Lise’s students applauded her as she stepped into the classroom, and she laughed it off, still riding that high. These classes, at least, were going well. She was still working on tailoring the courses for the upper echelons of the palace staff—only at the beginning of that process, really. But there had been such a clamor for basic, beginner’s English that she taught three classes a day. The same lesson at three different times for people on different shifts.

  Lise went to the front of the meeting-room-turned-classroom and took a deep breath. Yes, it was an exciting day, what with the driving lesson and the bouquet, but there was a hum of excitement even on the regular days. People were thrilled to be in her classes. It felt like hope—it felt like the beginning of a grand adventure. Twenty faces looked up at her expectantly from their desks, and she finally got her thoughts together enough to teach.

  An hour later, she dismissed the class, adrenaline still sparkling in her veins. She’d need to do some jumping jacks back at the house to clear it all away. Lise said goodbye to the final student and leaned against her desk. Another successful day. Very successful, if she took everyone’s reactions into consideration.

  Even Raed’s, though she wished—foolishly—that kissing him wasn’t always such a secretive thing. Lise had the nagging feeling that the secrecy meant that she wasn’t worthy of being kissed in public. Which was nonsense, obviously. She was worthy of being kissed in public. Today and every day. And—

  A knock on the door helpfully jarred her out of those thoughts. It would be an equipment delivery or a member of the IT staff. Lise put a broad smile on and turned to the door, only to see...

  An American?

  A man with rust-red hair and a goatee. “Ms. Danbury?” An American. His smile flashed onto his face, then settled into something that unnerved her. “I was hoping to steal a few minutes of your time, if you’re not busy.”

  Lise stood up to her full height, her heart beating faster. Who was this guy? “What is it that you need?”

  He stepped fully into the classroom, raising his hands in front of him. “I’m Bradley Taylor.” The name sounded familiar. Someone at the university, maybe. “Look, I—I came here to talk to you about the sheikh’s foundation.”

  “You should direct those kinds of questions to him, then.” Her smile faltered.

  “I’m not sure that’s in the best interests of all the parties involved.” Bradley sauntered further into the room. “I’m here on behalf of Georgetown University. We’re working with the sheikh’s foundation, and there’s some concern about the way he’s approaching the foundation’s projects. For one thing—” An irritated huff. “His alma mater should have the honor of directing the pilot project of the foundation, when he’s finally got it up and running.”

  Not you. The unspoken words hung in the air. “I’m not quite sure what you—”

  “As you probably know,” he said pointedly, “the sheikh is behind schedule with the initial arrangements. It’s been...noticed by some of the board members that he seems to be distracted by you. In large-scale business enterprises like this, it’s important to keep focus. I don’t expect you to know much about matters like this—”

  “I know quite enough, thank you.” Don’t get defensive.

  “It would help if you could use your influence to put the university forward instead of whatever little project you’ve convinced Raed to work on with you.”

  There it was—the accusation made plainly, absolute
ly brazenly here in her classroom. “Excuse me?” Lise managed.

  “It would be extremely unfortunate,” he continued, as if she hadn’t said anything, “if word got out that this foundation operates on a favoritism basis and any cute blonde can bat her eyelashes at the sheikh and receive funding. That—” Bradley shook his head. “That would ruin his conception of what he wanted the foundation to be, not to mention deal a serious blow to his reputation.”

  “I don’t know how you’ve come to that conclusion.” Lise wished for someone, anyone, to interrupt this non-conversation. She was never going to convince him of anything. Not a man like this.

  “Everyone knows Katharine Seaton is poised to take on a leading role in the sheikh’s foundation.” The light tone was completely at odds with the way his words struck her. “The contrast between the two of you is quite striking, you know. Her, in public, visible, and you, behind the palace walls, hidden away?”

  Anger barreled over her then, loud and raging. She was not some little schoolmarm who didn’t understand business. And she had not used her feminine wiles to trick Raed into giving her funding. A counterargument gathered in her mind—not one that would make him believe the truth, but at least one that would make this horrible man think twice about approaching her again.

  “Mama,” a little voice called from down the hall.

  Jake.

  With his nanny.

  She snapped into action. “Let’s step out into the garden,” she said, taking Bradley by the elbow so he had no choice but to follow her. Lise ushered him to a set of French doors and kept walking down an outer garden path, her footsteps quick and sure. If he thought she might concede to his demands, he wouldn’t give her a problem, and she could lead him to the guards.

  “Where are you taking me?” Bradley laughed. “Does the palace have you in charge of the gardens?”

  Lise gritted her teeth to keep from shouting at him. They took two more turns and came level with a set of guards who were stationed at the garden entrance.

  “Good afternoon, gentlemen,” she said, keeping her tone light as a feather. “Could you help Mr. Taylor to his vehicle? He wanted to see Sheikh Raed but neglected to make an appointment. He’s lost his way looking for the correct office, but I think it’d be better if he came back another day.”

  “It was a pleasure,” Bradley called after her, but Lise was already heading back to the classroom, her heart pounding with anger and the close call they’d just had. Who knew what Bradley would think if he saw her son? She made it back to the classroom in record time and found Jake toddling around the outer wall under the watchful eye of Jana.

  “Hey, buddy.” Lise’s voice shook. She had to do a better of job calming down than this. “I’m so happy to see you.”

  She forced herself upright and took several deep breaths.

  “Are you okay, Lise?” Jana put a comforting hand on her elbow. So different from the way she’d just insistently guided Bradley Taylor out of the classroom. Hopefully nobody had gotten any photos of that. She’d been so intent on keeping Bradley away from Jake that she hadn’t even bothered to look around them.

  “I’m just—” Lise tried for a smile and didn’t quite make it. “I’m all right. I’ll be all right.”

  Jana rubbed at her elbow. “Why don’t you take an hour to yourself? I can bring Jake back to the cottage in a bit.”

  Relief made her next breath lighter and sweeter. “You don’t have to do that, Jana, I’ll be fine.”

  “It’s no problem.” Jana’s eyes were so warm, and Lise felt so rattled. “Go soak in the tub or read a book. We’ll be home in an hour. Everything’s in good hands.”

  “All right. Thank you.” Lise scooped Jake up into a hug, kissed his perfect cheeks, and deposited him back into Jana’s arms. Jake giggled, pointing toward the garden, and Lise let them slip away before she sat down heavily at her desk.

  What was she going to do about Bradley Taylor? There didn’t seem to be a solution immediately at hand, and that was almost as frustrating as his surprise visit had been. Lise closed her laptop with a thud. She slapped down a stack of papers. This was not good.

  9

  The bangs and thuds coming from Lise’s classroom were out of character, to put it mildly. Raed had never known her to cause a scene. He might have missed her. That could be the cleaning staff, emptying the trash bin.

  But no—he came around into the room and there she was, shoving her chair under her desk with enough force to knock the whole thing over. Luckily the desk kept its footing.

  “Woah,” he said, and Lise jumped, one hand going to her neck. “Is everything all right in here?”

  Lise blew out a breath, flipping her ponytail back over her shoulder. She opened her mouth, as if she might give him an answer, but then shut it again.

  “You can tell me. Whatever it is.” Raed stuck his hands in his pockets. She was so gorgeous. So striking, even as she fumed. He wanted to do nothing but look at her. “I can handle it, I’m sure.”

  “No, it’s just—it’s something that’s my fault. I shouldn’t be letting it get to me.” Lise wriggled her shoulders as if to shake off whatever had upset her, and then her green eyes met his again. “Things are annoying me. That’s all.”

  He considered this, considered the energy still arcing through the room. “I was going to invite you both to take a swim in the big pool, but Jake’s not here, and I don’t think that’s what you need.”

  She cocked her head to the side, a little grin playing at the corners of her lips. “And how would you know what I need?”

  Raed held up a warning finger to her. “Don’t go anywhere,” he commanded.

  Lise flicked her eyes to the ceiling. “I’ll stay a few minutes.”

  He stepped out into the hall, finding an empty meeting room a few doors down, and pulled out his phone. Raed was finding more and more ways to spend time with Lise. This was only one of them. He looked forward to the times he could pop into her classroom between classes or when she’d appear at the door to his office, giving him a little wave that set him on fire. He reached his chief of staff on the first ring. Inside three minutes, the two of them had arranged a private swimming lesson for Jake—Jana would take him—and for Lise to—

  “Come with me,” he said as he stepped back to the door of her classroom. “I have a surprise for you.”

  She cocked an eyebrow. “What is it?”

  He scoffed. “That’s not an appropriate question, and you know it.” Raed offered her his arm, and Lise took it, her palm hot through his shirt. What had she been thinking about when he first walked into the classroom? He led her through the halls of the palace, watching her as much as he could. Lise still didn’t act like she lived here. Technically, she didn’t, but she was welcome almost anywhere—yet she still took it all in like it was the most wonderful place she’d ever seen.

  Perhaps it was.

  Soon they reached the end of another hallway and a set of frosted-glass doors. He pulled one open with a flourish.

  “The palace gym,” he announced.

  Lise’s mouth dropped open.

  The palace gym was not a tucked-away room with a few abandoned weights. It was two full levels of equipment—strength and cardio—and private studios lining the back wall. One of them—his favorite—contained a heavy bag and a speed bag.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about this place before?” Lise nudged him with an elbow. “This is incredible.”

  “It’s all right. There are no spin classes or Pilates classes on offer at the moment, but if you get changed, I can show you how to deal with a stressful day.”

  “I know how to deal with stressful days.” But her face softened. “Maybe not this kind of stressful day, so...I’ll give you a shot at it.”

  “The changing room is this way.” He led her to a wide hall at the side of the gym. “There are plenty of clothes to choose from. I’ll see you back here in a few minutes.”

  Raed took his time in the oppo
site changing room, though he didn’t really need to—he knew exactly where to find his preferred brand of shorts and tight T-shirt. Back in the gym, he only spent a minute or so waiting for Lise.

  She came out of the changing room at a good clip, wearing a plum-colored workout set—tight, hot—that made his mouth water. It had her body on full display, and Raed shoved down his instant, base reaction. Her body was softer than it had been when they’d first met. No wonder. She’d given birth to his child. He found her even more unbearably sexy than he had before.

  “It’s all new stuff in there,” Lise said, pointing her thumb back over her shoulder. “With tags.”

  He laughed. “Well, yes. It wouldn’t do to provide people with worn clothes.” He sucked in a breath, then steadied himself. “Let’s head to the back.”

  Lise’s face was filled with curiosity as they entered his favorite studio. Raed flicked on the lights, and the space was bathed in a warm, welcoming glow. Perfect for the hard work they’d be doing.

  “This is for boxing. I don’t—”

  “You didn’t drive when you first arrived at the palace, either.” He bent and pressed a kiss to the top of her shoulder. “But this isn’t boxing. This is a workout.”

  They went through the motions of warming up—a series of jumps and squats that Raed had perfected over the years into a tight ten-minute routine. It got his heart pumping and his muscles warm and had the delicious side effect of making Lise’s ponytail swing in time with all of her moves. Raed tried to be a gentleman about noticing the curve of her ass, but her hips made him want to peel off her workout gear and run his palms over her bare skin.

  Time to punch some things.

  Raed went to a set of built-in shelves on one wall and pulled out the hand wraps and two sets of boxing gloves. Lise gamely offered him her hands to wrap, peering down at the places where they were touching.

  “We’re not going to box each other, right?”

  “No.” Because I don’t want to spar with you. I want to lay you down and kiss you until you’re breathless with want, and then do other, dirtier things. “We’ll be working with the equipment.”