One Hot Desert Night

Sunny stood and stretched her arms above her head. “Speaking of dinner, who’ll be joining us for the evening meal?”

“Everyone,” Piper said. “My husband, of course. Zain and Madison and their toddlers since they’ve recently returned from Los Angeles. King Rafiq and an extremely pregnant Queen Maysa. Oh, and a cousin, Rayad Rostam, who showed up two days ago.”

Finally, Mystery Man was no longer quite the mystery. “Since his last name isn’t Mehdi, how is he related?”

“His father and the former queen were siblings, I think, but I don’t know much more. I haven’t had the opportunity to speak with my husband for three whole days, thanks to some top-secret training mission where he flies planes at warp speed. But I’ll be sure to introduce you to Rayad tonight, and you can interview him.”

“I met him,” Sunny blurted without thought. “While I was waiting for you in the foyer. But he didn’t say much more than a few words.”

Piper’s smile arrived full-force. “He’s gorgeous, isn’t he?”

Unfortunately. “I didn’t notice, and you’re not supposed to notice since you’re now a married woman.”

“But I’m not blind, and neither are you.”

Her twin knew her all too well. “Fine, he’s gorgeous. Satisfied?”

Piper’s expression said she wasn’t. “Maybe you should get to know him while you’re here. It’s my understanding he is presently unattached.”

Sunny held up both hands, palms forward. “Stop right there. I’m not in the market for a man, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“I’m thinking you could use a diversion after the idiot left you high and dry.”

“It’s too soon, Piper. Cameron and I haven’t been apart that long.” And her internal wounds resulting from the attack had yet to heal. Wounds she had yet to reveal to her twin.

“And by your own admission, Sunny, you loved Cameron, but you weren’t in love with him.”

She’d argued those points with herself, but that hadn’t eased the hurt. “Color me gun-shy.”

Piper’s features softened into a sympathetic look. “Maybe it’s time you make a sincere effort to rejoin the land of the living, Sunny. I’m not suggesting you sleep with Rayad. I’m suggesting you use your skills to find out what he’s all about and leave all options open. A challenge of sorts to get your mind off your troubles. And lucky for you, he’s staying in the room right next door.”

She found that somewhat odd, and a little disconcerting. “Doesn’t he have a house of his own?”

“Since he’s undoubtedly rich as sin like the rest of the family, I assume he does. But Maysa told me that Rafiq insisted he stay here while he’s recovering from an injury he sustained during some kind of incident.”

He’d looked perfectly healthy to Sunny. Very healthy. “What did he injure?”

Her sister grinned. “I’m not sure. Why don’t you ask him? Better still, why don’t you request he show you?”

“Not interested,” she said, worried that she might never be able to experience true intimacy again. “Besides, I’ve never really been drawn to the strong, macho, silent type.”

Piper barked out a laugh on her way to the door. “Yeah, right, Sunshine. Aside from Cameron, that’s the only type that’s ever held your interest.”

Bristling from the truth, Sunny trailed behind her sister and prepared for a debate. “Don’t you dare do anything stupid like try to fix me up, Pookie.”

Piper spun around and scowled. “You promised you wouldn’t call me that.”

“You promised, too.”

“Okay, you’re right. No more Pookie or Sunshine.”

“It’s a deal.”

“And I also promise not to play cupid,” Piper continued, “although Madison tells me Rayad’s a really nice guy if you can get past all that machismo. Just something to consider between now and the evening meal.”

After Piper closed the door behind her, Sunny perched on the edge of the mattress and toed out of her flats. She’d already surmised Rayad Rostam was a testosterone-ridden military man, and that should be all she needed to know. Yet her innate inquisitiveness urged her to learn more about him. She craved peeling back those personality layers to reveal the man behind the steely persona. She truly needed to investigate him further, from a solely journalistic standpoint, of course. Even if she proved to be drawn to him on a physical level, a virile man like Rayad wouldn’t want the closed-off, fearful woman she’d become. Not even a nice guy could handle that—case in point, her former lover, Cameron.

Rayad Rostam a nice guy? She frankly had her doubts about that.

Two (#ulink_6c6de517-58c4-5e08-9db4-edafb7e4ef60)

Macho Man had a squirming toddler in his lap, and he didn’t seem to mind.

Seated across from Rayad Rostam at the lengthy dining table, for the past ten minutes Sunny had witnessed his remarkable patience with brown-haired, chatty, two-year-old Cala, daughter of the former playboy prince, Zain Mehdi, and his wife, Madison, the resident palace fixer of all things scandalous. The patient sheikh didn’t seem concerned that the little girl had dotted his T-shirt with cheese cracker remnants. He didn’t appear to care when she poked at his mouth, as if it held some sort of magic. Sunny suspected it probably did. The tolerant sheikh simply kept his lips sealed against the intrusion and gently extracted her hand from his face, followed by a kiss on her palm.

She certainly couldn’t fault a guy who apparently had an affinity for children. She also hadn’t been able to ignore the furtive glances he’d tossed her way during dinner, even though the to-die-for skewered chicken, tasty cheese and hummus side dish should have earned all her attention. Fortunately, no one else seemed to notice, thanks to the ongoing adult conversation and occasional screech from an overstimulated infant, namely her nephew, Sam.

When Cala wriggled from Rayad’s lap, Sunny noticed discomfort pass over his face as his hand went to his upper right side. The wound Piper mentioned apparently involved his rib cage. Another mystery solved, several more to go, including the hint of sadness in his eyes as Cala turned and waved to him before claiming a spot in her father’s lap.

But at the moment, the effects of jet lag had Sunny considering putting off her sheikh fact-finding mission until a later date. And when the queen and king rose from their chairs and excused themselves, followed by Zain and Madison and their twins, she saw that as an excuse to make her escape.

Sunny tossed her napkin aside, came to her feet and regarded Piper, who was seated next to the silent Rayad. “Dinner was great,” she began, “but I really need to retire before I nod off in the dessert plate.”

Piper stood and removed Sam from his highchair then turned him around to face Sunny. “Tell your auntie good-night, sweetie.” The baby responded by flailing his arms around and making motoring noises.

“A chip off the old pilot block,” Adan said, displaying a dimpled grin as he stood with Rayad following suit. “I do hope you find your quarters satisfactory, Sunny.”

“They’re more than satisfactory,” she replied as she rounded the table to kiss her nephew good-night, very aware that Rayad visually followed her movements. “I’m sure I’ll sleep well as soon as I take my nightly walk. Any suggestions where I should do that?”

Adan nodded to the open dining room doors. “After you exit, take a right, and you’ll find the entry to the courtyard.”

“But be careful,” Piper cautioned. “The grounds are like a maze. You might want to grab some bread crumbs and leave a trail, just in case.”

“I have a fairly good sense of direction, so no worries.”

After giving her twin a hug, and bidding everyone good-night, Sunny left the room and immediately located the doors leading to the expansive garden. She followed the labyrinth of stone walkways using the three-quarter moon as her guide, occasionally glancing behind her to keep the palace within her sights. When the path ended at a low retaining wall, she paused to study the twinkling lights dotting the valley below. A warm November breeze ruffled her hair, bringing with it the scent of exotic flowers. Back home the weather would be much cooler, and much of the fragrant foliage gone until spring. But not in this region. Most days brought pleasant weather, according to her hosts, yet rain had been forecasted in the next couple of days.

Feeling surprisingly serene, she looked up at the night sky to study the host of diamond-like stars. She welcomed the sense of peace she experienced for the first time in quite some time...

“Have you lost your way?”

For the second time that day, Sunny’s heart vaulted into her throat. She spun around to face the familiar man standing in the shadows behind her. “I’m not lost, and do you have some bizarre need to scare me to death?”

“No. I was simply concerned for your well-being.”

“Look, Mr....Sheikh... What exactly is your official title?”

He took a step toward her, his handsome face only partially revealed in the limited light. “You may call me Rayad.”