The Sheikh's Collection. Оливия Гейтс

smile disappeared, replaced by self-consciousness. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought that up. Obviously you were shocked over learning you had a son.”

      An understatement of the first order. “Yes, but I am in part responsible. If I had answered Talia’s messages, I would have known much sooner. But I frankly did not have the desire to speak with her after we broke off the relationship. Six years of Talia’s antics had been quite enough.”

      “And that brings me to a question,” she said, followed by, “if you don’t mind me asking.”

      After all his talk of honor, she deserved to grill him as much as she would like. “Ask away.”

      “Why were you with Talia all that time if you found her intolerable?”

      A very good question. “In all honesty, my attraction to her was purely physical. But in defense of Talia, she has not had an easy life. She practically raised herself in the back alleys of London after her mother died and her father drowned his sorrows in the local pubs. Beneath that tough and somewhat haughty exterior resides a lost little girl who fears poverty and a loss of pride.”

      Piper released a caustic laugh. “Sorry, but that doesn’t excuse her for bringing a baby into the world and basically ignoring him after the fact.”

      He recalled the recent conversation he’d had with Talia in the study. “She told me she had considered giving Samuel up for adoption, but she also felt I had a right to decide if I wanted to be a part of his life.”

      “And she thought springing him on you was the way to handle that?”

      “Talia is nothing if not spontaneous. And as I’ve said, I refused to answer any correspondence.”

      She sighed. “Look, I know it’s really none of my business, but I suspect she could be using Sam as a pawn to get you back into her life.”

      “Or perhaps for monetary gain,” he said, regretfully voicing his own suspicions.

      Piper reacted with a scowl. “She wants you to buy your own son from her?”

      “She did not exactly say that, but it is a possibility. And if that proves to be true, I would willingly give her any amount of money for the opportunity to raise my child without her interference.”

      Her features brightened. “I admire your conviction, Adan. Sam is lucky to have you as his dad.”

      She could have offered him an accommodation for bravery in battle and it would not have meant as much. “And I appreciate your faith in me, Piper. Yet I am well aware of the challenges ahead of me.”

      She favored him with a grin that traveled to her diamond-blue eyes. “Just wait until you have to give him a bath this evening.”

      That sent several horrific images shooting through his muddled mind. “Bloody hell, what if I drop him?”

      She patted his cheek. “You won’t if you’re careful. And I’ll be there to show you how it’s done.”

      He caught her hand and brought it against his chest. “You have been a godsend, Piper McAdams. And you now hold the distinction of being the most attractive tutor I have ever encountered.”

      “Then we’re even,” she said, her voice soft and overtly sensuous.

      He tugged her closer. “In what way?”

      She wrested out of his grasp and draped her arms around his neck. “You happen to be the best kisser I’ve ever encountered to this point.”

      He wanted to kiss her now. Needed to kiss her now. And he did—without any compunction whatsoever, regardless of his responsibility to his sleeping son. With a bed very close at hand and her heady response to the thrust of his tongue, all reasoning flew out the open windows.

      “Excuse me, Emir.”

      Abdul’s voice was as effective as having ice water poured down one’s pants, thrusting Adan away from Piper. He tried to clear the uncomfortable hitch from his throat before facing the servant. “Yes, Abdul?”

      “I have Ms. McAdams’s luggage.”

      “Then bring it in.”

      The man set the bags at the end of the bed, then executed a slight bow before hurrying away and closing the door behind him, something Adan should have done to avoid the predicament.

      He sent Piper an apologetic look. “I am very sorry I did not see to our privacy.”

      She touched her fingertips to her lips. “We really shouldn’t be doing this.”

      The declaration sent his good spirits into a nosedive. “Why not?”

      “Because I can’t help but wonder exactly how much you really knew about Talia’s pregnancy.”

      This time when she called his honor into question, he responded with fury. “I did not even remotely suspect she might be pregnant. Otherwise this issue would have been resolved in the beginning. And it pains me to know you hold me in such low esteem that you think I would abandon my own child.”

      “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “That was an unfair assumption since you seem so willing to care for your son.”

      His anger diminished when he noted the sincerity in her voice. “You do have every right to doubt me, Piper, in light of my initial fabrications. But I swear to you again that I will do everything in my power to prove my honor.”

      She answered with a slight smile. “After meeting that man-eater, Talia, I now understand why you might be driven straight into celibacy.”

      That vow was the last thing on his mind after he’d kissed Piper. “As I’ve said before, she had little to do with that decision. I am determined to demonstrate my ability to maintain control over baser urges.”

      “Then we should probably avoid situations where we’re going to lose our heads and do something we both might regret.”

      He could not argue that point, but he would have no regrets when it came to making love to her should they arrive upon that decision. He might regret any emotional entanglement. “I suppose you’re correct, but chemistry is very hard to control.”

      “We’ll just have to learn to control it for the time being.”

      Easier said than done. “And let us both hope we can maintain control.”

      “Believe me, you’ll have enough distractions taking care of Sam.”

      Perhaps while caring for his son that would be true, but she served as his primary distraction in private, the reason why he began backing toward the door—and away from these foreign feelings for Piper that had little to do with physical attraction. “Speaking of my son, I should go see about him. In the meantime, you should rest.”

      She yawned again and stretched her arms above her head. “A nap would be fantastic. So would a shower. Is there one nearby?”

      Old habits reared their ugly heads when he almost offered his personal facilities—and his assistance—but instead he nodded to his right. “You have an en suite bathroom through that door. And my room is right across the hall, should you find you require anything else from me.”

      Her grin returned. “I’m sure I’ll manage, but thank you for everything.”

      “My pleasure, and I do hope you get some much-needed sleep filled with pleasant dreams.”

      No doubt he would be having a few pleasant—and inadvisable—dreams about her.

       Four

      At the sound of a crying baby, Piper awoke with a start. She tried to regain her bearings only to discover the room was too dark to see much of anything, leading her to fumble for the bedside lamp and snap it on.

      Since