The Sheikh and the Christmas Bride. Susan Mallery

      “We don’t need anything.”

      “You will. Clothes wear out. Even my limited knowledge of children tells me they grow and require new clothes.”

      “You’re right.” She stared at the card. “You’re also very kind.”

      “I am not. My daughters deserve the best because of who I am.”

      “You don’t have a self-esteem crisis, do you?” she asked, both amused and envious.

      “No. I am clear on my place in the world.”

      Must be nice, she thought longingly.

      “You belong here, as well,” he told her.

      Because he was once again reading her mind? “Not really.”

      “If I say it is so, it is.”

      “Thank you” seemed the right response. He was being kind. The truth was, she didn’t belong here at all. She was just staff and easily replaceable.

      She turned to leave, but he called her back.

      “I’ll get you information on your salary and benefits,” he said. “I should have taken care of that before.”

      She smiled. “You’re a prince. I guess you’re not into details.”

      “You’re very understanding. Thank you.”

      “You’re welcome.”

      His dark gaze caught hers. She told herself it was okay to go now, that they were done. But she couldn’t seem to pull away. She felt a powerful need to move closer, to…to… She wasn’t sure what, but something.

      The phone rang. He glanced down and she was able to move again. As much as she wanted to stay, she forced herself to walk out of the office.

      “We’re making progress,” Lina said as she curled up on her bed and held the phone close.

      “There is no ‘we,’” Hassan told her. “You are in this on your own.”

      “That’s not true. This was all your idea. You’re in this as deeply as I am.”

      “You’re a very difficult woman.”

      “I know.” She smiled. “It’s part of my charm.”

      “You are charming.”

      She squeezed her eyes shut and did her best not to scream. Not only wasn’t it fitting her position, but she was forty-three. Forty-three-year-old women didn’t go around screaming because a handsome man flirted with them on the phone. Even if that handsome man was the king of Bahania.

      “Kayleen really likes As’ad,” she continued. “She’s having a little trouble adjusting to the palace, but who wouldn’t? Still, she’s doing well. He came and talked to me about making sure she had a salary and benefits. He wants to be generous. That’s something.”

      “You may be reading too much into what he says.”

      “I hope not. She would be good for him. He always holds back his emotions. I blame his father for that.”

      “How refreshing,” Hassan said dryly. “One usually blames the mother.”

      She laughed. “Speaking as a woman, I would say that needs to change.”

      “This is my favorite part of our conversations. The sound of your laughter.”

      Her heartbeat went from normal to hyperdrive in two seconds. Good thing she was lying down—otherwise, she would have fallen.

      “It is as beautiful as the rest of you.” He paused. “Have I startled you with my confession?”

      “Um, no. It’s fine. I mean, thank you.”

      He sighed. “How much of this awkwardness is because I am a king and how much of it is because I am so much older?”

      “None of it is because you’re the king,” she said without thinking.

      His short “I see” had her backpedaling.

      “No, no. It’s not about your age. I just wasn’t sure… We’ve never really talked about… I thought we were friends.”

      “We are. Do you wish us to be more?”

      Oh, my. Talk about putting it all out there.

      Lina clutched the phone and told herself to keep breathing. She was terrified to tell the truth, to admit that she thought about him a whole lot more than she should. What if he wanted to know so he could let her down gently?

      “Hassan,” she began, then stopped.

      “I would like us to be more than friends,” he said. “Does that information make things easier or harder for you?”

      She exhaled. “Easier. A lot easier. I want that, too.”

      “Good. I did not expect to find you, Lina. You are a gift for which I will always be grateful.”

      “Thank you,” she whispered, not sure what else to say. “I’m intrigued, as well.”

      “Intrigued,” he repeated. “An interesting choice of words. Perhaps we should explore all the possibilities.”

      As’ad walked into his suite at his usual time in the early evening. But instead of quiet, dark rooms, he found the living area bright and loud. Dana and Pepper were stretched out on the floor, watching a show on his large television. Nadine swirled and danced by the window and Kayleen stood at the dining room table, arranging flowers.

      She looked up when he entered. “Oh, good. You’re here. I called Neil to ask him what time you’d be home. He didn’t want to tell me.” She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think he likes me.”

      “Perhaps he is just trying to protect me.”

      “From us?” She asked the question as if it were a ridiculous possibility. “I wanted to have dinner ready, which it is. I have to say, this calling down to the kitchen and ordering food is really fun. We each picked a dish. Which may not have been a good idea. The menu is fairly eclectic.”

      She paused for breath, then smiled. “We wanted to have dinner with you.”

      She wore another dress that was ugly enough to be offensive. The dull gray fabric sucked the life from her face and the bulky style hid any hint of curve. Yet when she smiled, he found his mood lifting. He wanted to smile back. He wanted to pull her close and discover the body hidden beneath.

      Heat stirred, reminding him how long he had lived only for his work.

      He ignored the need and the wanting, the heat that forced blood south, and set down his briefcase. He even ignored that, given her past, Kayleen had probably never been with a man, and instead focused on the fact that she and the girls were in his room.

      He had made himself extremely clear. She was to keep the children away from him. They had their own suite and everything they could possibly want or need. He had only taken the sisters to keep them from a less desirable fate. Yet when he started to remind Kayleen of that, he could not seem to bring himself to say the words.

      Perhaps because she looked so hopeful as she smiled at him. He did not want to squash the light in her eyes.

      “I’ll get some wine,” he said, moving to the small wine rack tucked in a cabinet. Something stronger might make the evening go more quickly, but he only had wine in his rooms. He did not, as a rule, drink here. Of course he did not, as a rule, have a woman and three children to contend with.

      Nadine danced over to him. “Hi, As’ad,” she said, her eyes bright with happiness, her mouth smiling. “Did you have a good day? I got every word on my spelling test except one and it was really hard. My new teacher says I’m a good speller. I’m good in all my subjects, except math, and Kayleen is gonna