The Sheikh’s Secret Child: The Karawi Sheikhs Series Book Two Read online

  The Karawi Sheikhs Series

  The Sheikh’s Surprise Heir

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  The Sheikh’s Secret Child

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  The Sheikh’s Pregnant Love

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales, is entirely coincidental.

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  RELAY PUBLISHING EDITION, MAY 2019

  Copyright © 2019 Relay Publishing Ltd.

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  All rights reserved. Published in the United Kingdom by Relay Publishing. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Leslie North is a pen name created by Relay Publishing for co-authored Romance projects. Relay Publishing works with incredible teams of writers and editors to collaboratively create the very best stories for our readers.

  Cover design by LJ Mayhem Covers.

  www.relaypub.com

  Blurb

  As an ambitious American journalist, Amy Mathewson will stop at nothing to get her story—including going into dangerous, rebel-infested countries. But when she stumbles across seven-year-old Aisha in an orphanage her heart melts, and Amy vows to keep her safe.

  Until the rebels start to close in.

  Just when Amy thinks they’re in grave danger, a stunning Sheikh arrives, claiming Aisha as his daughter; a Sheikh with smoldering dark eyes and the kind of handsome that is difficult to forget. Unwilling to let Aisha go with a stranger, Amy agrees to accompany the Sheikh and Aisha to a safe house to confirm his claim. But it may not be safe for Amy, not with a sexy Sheikh making her feel things she hasn’t felt in a long time—and whose touch is as hot as the desert sun.

  All his life, Sheikh Bahir Karawi has taken care of himself, knowing no one else would. When he discovers he has a daughter, he immediately sets out to bring her home, to make sure she never feels as alone as he always has. What he doesn’t count on is butting heads with the fiercely protective and dangerously beautiful Amy, who has taken up the duties of caring for his daughter. As they get to know one another, he can’t ignore the searing attraction he feels, nor the realization that Amy would be perfect, both for his daughter and for him.

  As the rebels close in, Bahir realizes he will do anything to keep his daughter and Amy safe—even if that means putting his very life at risk.

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  (The Karawi Sheikhs Series Book Two)

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  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  End of The Sheikh’s Secret Child

  Thank you!

  About Leslie

  Sneak Peek: The Sheikh’s Pregnant Love

  Also By Leslie

  1

  “Aisha! Come back here! Aisha!” Amy shouted. The large group of dignitaries and guards turned to stare at her, and she ducked her head and turned away. Climbing up on a nearby bench, she tried to see where the little girl might be. They’d planned this trip to the aquarium a week ago, and the children had groaned in disappointment when they found out they couldn’t visit the shark exhibit due to some sort of VIPs visiting the aquarium at the same time. Especially Aisha, the beautiful seven-year-old who had bonded with Amy in the last few months since she’d arrived at the orphanage. The girl had shouted “No!” at the news, pulled her hand from Amy’s grasp, and run off.

  Now spying her, Amy jumped down from the bench and gave chase, whisper-shouting the little girl’s name as she attempted to navigate around the large group of people.

  “Aisha!” she called again.

  The little girl turned at the sound of her voice and gave Amy her biggest smile before continuing her race toward the exhibit, only to crash into one of the dignitaries before falling backward to land on her butt.

  Amy gasped, “Oh, no!” Pushing her way through the crowd, she arrived as Aisha was being helped to her feet by the handsomest man she’d ever seen. Before she could grab the child, one of the guards stepped in, gripping her arm to keep her from getting closer.

  “Stay put,” the guard growled, and Amy froze.

  She watched helplessly as Aisha pointed excitedly to the nearest exhibit and then scooted around everyone to get to it. The man seemed bemused as he followed the little girl. The child’s high, clear voice rang out as she pointed out the different types of sharks in the tank.

  When Amy tried to get closer, the guard tightened his grip on her arm, and she winced. Attempting to shake her arm free, she glared at the guard, who glared back.

  “Look, it’s clear we’re interrupting something, so if you’ll allow me to get the child, we’ll be out of your way.” Amy had thought that sounded authoritative, but judging from the increased glare from the guard, she wasn’t so sure.

  Now Aisha was talking animatedly about the reef sharks. Amy winced. Aisha had been so thrilled on hearing about the new aquarium that it was all she’d talked about the entire week. Amy could do nothing but watch as the man took Aisha’s hand and directed her over to one side of the exhibit where he was pointing something out. She strained to hear what the man was saying, but he spoke too softly.

  Suddenly, a shrill female voice broke through the murmur of the crowd. “Really, Your Highness, it’s bad enough that we had to come here. Must you spend all your time with that brat?”

  Amy instantly bristled and growled under her breath, “She is NOT a brat, she’s an orphan, you bi—” and then, louder, interrupted herself with, “Wait, Your Highness?” She looked up at the guard who still held her arm.

  His answering smirk answered her question. “That’s Sheikh Bahir Karawi,” he informed her.

  Turning her head, she saw a bottle-blonde, statuesque woman in too-high heels pouting as she watched Aisha monopolizing the sheikh’s time. Baring her teeth in an icy smile, the woman placed her manicured hand on the little girl’s shoulder.

  Amy began to struggle when she heard Aisha cry out in pain. “Leave her alone! She’s only a little girl!” she shouted as she began to thrash in the guard’s grip.

  The sheikh lifted his hand, signaling the guard to release her. Freed, she rushed over to Aisha and scooped the girl up into her arms, gasping, “Aisha, are you okay?”

  Turning to glare at the woman, she had to look up to meet the contemptuous gaze and briefly contemplated knocking the woman off her stilts. It was clear enough to her that the blonde had sized her up and instantly dismissed her before wrapping her claw-like hand around the sheikh’s arm.

  Batting lush fake eyelashes at the sheikh, the blonde tugged on his arm, speaking in a saccharine tone. “Darling, if you’re through with all this benevolent
behavior, you promised me an afternoon I wouldn’t forget, and so far, this isn’t particularly memorable.”

  Patting her arm indolently, the sheikh leaned against the woman to whisper in her ear.

  Judging from the look of anger that briefly crossed the woman’s face, it wasn’t what she was expecting to hear, but before the couple had turned to continue their tour, she had already quickly masked it into one of the best resting bitch faces Amy had ever seen.

  Backing up, Aisha still in her arms, Amy quickly eased them out of the shark exhibit and looked around to locate her group, now gathered around the sea jelly exhibit.

  Setting Aisha down, she knelt in front of the little girl.

  Aisha sniffled and rubbed at her eyes.

  Amy eased her fingers under the collar of Aisha’s shirt and winced at the nail marks on her shoulder. She turned to glare at the exiting figures. “Are you okay? Did she hurt you?”

  Nodding, Aisha threw her arms around Amy, hugging her tight. “I’m sorry I ran off, but I wanted to see the reef sharks,” she murmured around sniffles.

  Amy squeezed her in a hug before standing up to take her hand. “I know you did, but you could have gotten hurt. You shouldn’t have run off,” she admonished.

  “But I wanted to see the sharks,” Aisha whined, and Amy could hear her sniffles increasing.

  She squeezed the little girl’s hand. “I know, sweetheart, but sometimes we don’t get what we want.” Amy’s heart contracted at that, and she swallowed down the feelings threatening to come up. Now was not the time.

  She tensed when she heard the blonde speak again and cringed at the woman’s fake laugh. Was there nothing real about her? Tugging on Aisha’s hand, she said, “Come on, let’s go catch up with the others.”

  Walking away, she looked back at the VIPs and was surprised to see the sheikh watching her. Shaking her head, she sped up when Aisha broke into a run, and she couldn’t help echoing the child’s giggles as the two of them ran hand in hand.

  Her giggles stopped when she glanced over her shoulder. Why was he looking at her like that when he had that blonde on his arm?

  2

  Two months later

  The sun was a scorcher today. Haze simmered off the crumbling sidewalks as the desert sun beat down, and the air was stale. Amy took a deep breath and held her hand up to shade her eyes. Under her blue hijab, she could feel her dark hair plastering itself against the back of her neck, and sweat was gathering in the crevices of her body. At the moment, the idea that Florida heat had adequately prepared her for the Middle East was laughable. Haamas was beautiful in the general vicinity of the palace, but here, on the outskirts of the kingdom, was nothing but gritty sand and wilderness.

  It had also become her sanctuary.

  Around her, the orphaned children under her care were laughing and playing and flashing their goofy smiles her way. Their innocent cheer was contagious, and despite her misery, Amy couldn’t help but smile back. This was exactly what she needed.

  “Amy! Come play!” they yelled as they raced to sit in a circle, one of the boys brandishing a stone in a triumphant fist. Taq Taqieh was one of their favorite games, similar to Duck, Duck, Goose of Amy’s childhood.

  She was ultimately there to study the children. Newly graduated with her master’s degree in journalism, Amy had suddenly found herself alone and heartbroken in Florida. Needing an escape, she took her studies abroad. Natasha and Shatha, the two orphanage workers in the facility where she’d landed, were more than happy for her help, and she found herself participating more than studying.

  As a researcher, it was horrible, but as a woman, it had been a great comfort. Her ex-boyfriend’s words still rang in her ears.

  Sorry, babe. We were never going to make it past graduation. Now that I’m a PhD candidate, I need a wife. Someone to keep the house together while I’m studying, and let’s face it. You’re not really mother material, are you?

  Not mother material. She’d been with James for three years. They’d met at the end of their undergraduate studies. They’d supported each other through graduate school. How many times had they stayed up together, chugging coffee and eating ice cream while they worked on papers? How many times had they talked about marriage and what their life would be like?

  All lies. Every last shared dream. He hadn’t seen her as the woman who would one day raise his children. She had been the woman who warmed his bed at night and helped him fuck out his frustrations.

  Pain pierced her at the memory, but she pushed it aside and, putting on a bright smile, jogged to the circle.

  Aisha held out her hand. The girl was as tough as she was sweet. Natasha had explained that Aisha, abandoned at the orphanage with nothing more than a name pinned on her shirt, had lived here for four years. It wasn’t uncommon for children to be abandoned at the orphanage, but they were usually abandoned as babies by unwed mothers who couldn’t afford to take care of them or were too ashamed to keep them. A three-year-old was a rare occurrence. Shatha feared Aisha’s mother had passed away, and, for any number of reasons, the child’s relatives were unable to take care of her.

  Ten children lived at the orphanage in all, seven boys and three girls, ranging from four to twelve years old. While it wasn’t uncommon for the boys to pick on the girls, Aisha was always quick to stand up for herself and her foster sisters.

  Although Amy would step in to intervene when necessary, it never ceased to make her smile when she saw a few boys running in terror from Aisha, chasing them away.

  “All right, I want a clean game,” Amy announced, trying to sound stern as she sat down. “No tripping each other, got it?”

  The players laughed in general hilarity. Shaking her head, she grabbed the hand of the young boy next to her. The eldest picked up the stone, and they all chanted together as the boy slowly walked around the circle. It didn’t surprise Amy when the stone dropped behind her, and the children screamed with laughter as she scrambled to grab the stone and give chase.

  After thirty minutes, the children were still going strong, but she was exhausted and covered in dust. She was always the favorite chaser.

  Crying out in surrender, she gasped for breath as she got up. “You go on playing,” she said. “I’ve got…” she grasped for an excuse. “Things to do,” she finished lamely, and headed inside, shaking her head in amusement at the children’s theatrical groans. The song started up again behind her as she entered the building. Natasha and Shatha were working on the large volume of laundry that seemed to be never-ending. “How can I help?” she volunteered, leaning against the wall and wiping at her face. “Anything for a break.”

  “They do like to run you around, don’t they?” Natasha laughed, as she pointed to the dirty pile of sheets. She was in her late twenties, only a few years older than Amy, and seemed to adore her job. She’d grown up in the village and wanted to help out. From a poor family, she had few marriage prospects, but that didn’t dampen her cheer. Amy suspected from her late-night prowlings that Natasha had a secret boyfriend, but she never asked.

  Shatha was much older, in her fifties, and had started the orphanage twenty years ago. Unable to have children of her own, she bore the scars of her husband’s disappointment, but when she’d become widowed, she’d put her family money to good use and converted the family home into an orphanage. She was a stern woman who didn’t like to talk about her past but was fiercely protective of all the children.

  “I don’t think it’s out of love,” Amy groaned as she grabbed a sheet. “I’m pretty sure they have it in for me.”

  “I caught one of the boys going through your field notes,” Shatha said with a frown. “He was confused because they weren’t in English.”

  Amy laughed. “I’m glad I could stump him. It’s a form of shorthand that I developed a few years ago. My brain works faster than I can write.”

  “You’ve been here three months. What are you writing?”

  “Nothing bad,” Amy assured her. “But I can�
��t divulge my notes, or you might start doing things differently.”

  In fact, Amy was more than impressed with the way things were run. The older children went to school with the rest of the village children, but those younger than age ten received their lessons at the orphanage. All the children were highly intelligent and curious to learn more.

  Haamas was a progressive kingdom that promoted teaching everyone as equally as possible. In the few months she’d been there, she’d learned that Crowned Sheikh Iman was actively doing more to improve the quality of life for everyone. He’d even recently married an American, Natalie, and the whole kingdom had nearly shut down on the day of their wedding to celebrate.

  Unfortunately, opinions in the outlying villages weren’t as positive. Amy had overheard more than one conversation about the Sheikh forsaking their traditions. They wanted to see an end to the royal family.

  As she pulled another sheet from the pile and prepared to place it in the hand-crank washer, a brown stain caught her attention. Frowning, she brought the sheet up closer for examination. “This looks like vomit.”

  “Let me see,” Shatha demanded. Amy handed the sheet over, and the older woman grimaced. “Come with me. Let’s check the beds.”

  Leaving the laundry to Natasha, Amy followed Shatha to the male quarters. A quick examination didn’t reveal anything, but when they headed to the female beds, Amy knelt down by Aisha’s bed and groaned.