The Sheikh's Surprise Triplets (Azhar Sheikhs Book 3) Read online

  “Oh! Look!” Juliette pointed out over the sand, where Basri cautiously herded the triplets as they toddled around. They’d only recently started to walk, and most days Juliette lived with her heart in her throat, anxious about where they’d end up if she looked away for even a second. Anna was on a trip with school friends, and Juliette missed her sorely.

  Safiyah laughed. “Look at him. He’s loving it.”

  “They all are.” Juliette grinned as Petre toppled, followed by Katya. Basri rolled onto the sand, letting the three toddlers climb over him, kissing their faces every chance he could. “He’s such a great father to them.”

  “It’s no surprise to me,” Safiyah said, winking at her. “Basri is the most like his wildly romantic father. And I’m relieved he found someone to balance him the way I balanced my husband. It’s important to be a team.”

  Juliette pondered her words, gaze sweeping over the sand. “Did you…know? About me and Basri, I mean. That we could work so well together?”

  Safiyah smiled mischievously. “I did promise you a bonus when you first came, did I not?”

  Juliette laughed, swatting at her mother-in-law’s arm. “Oh, but you didn’t mean it that way, did you?”

  Safiyah’s eyes glinted, and she said nothing. Juliette shifted in her lounge chair, lifting the sweaty backs of her thighs from the stiff fabric. Something in Safiyah’s gaze reminded her of Grandmother from the village. Everyone believed she could tell their fate…what if Safiyah was the same way?

  Juliette glanced at her, studying her secretly while she waved at Basri and the triplets. Just how much did the woman know without revealing? According to the stories, Safiyah had a specific hand in each of her sons’ relationships. Like she was the master behind the curtain…or perhaps the benevolent sorceress, engineering a happy destiny.

  Two women crested a sand dune nearby—Elena and Cassandra, Asim’s and Nasir’s wives—preceded by their own darting children, shrieking with laughter as they stumbled through the sand.

  A moment later Asim and Nasir appeared as well, and the brothers headed toward Basri, who had attracted all the Azhar kin like a magnet. The kids hopped and shrieked, while Basri came to his feet, brushing sand off his legs. Once Nasir and Asim arrived, the three brothers clapped each other on the back, which turned into friendly shoves—and then a full-out wrestling match on the shore.

  Elena settled into her lounge chair next to Juliette, lifting her sunglasses to double-check the scene. “Wow. I’ve never seen Asim wrestle before.”

  Cassandra plopped onto a beach towel, grimacing as she watched the kids and applied sunscreen to her shoulders. “I hope the twins don’t get any ideas, seeing Daddy wrestle with his brothers. They’ve been on a rampage lately.”

  Juliette snickered. “Whatever the twins pick up, I’m sure the triplets will be more than happy to emulate.” She glanced over at Safiyah, who watched her boys with misty eyes. Tears pressed against the back of her throat, and she took a moment to relish this lovely day, this lovely family that she was so lucky to call her own. Maybe someday she’d be on a beach in her sixties, looking out fondly as the triplets wrestled, their own spawn fresh and young beside them.

  “I suppose my sons will never truly grow up,” Safiyah finally said. “It’s a good thing they all married such good women.”

  Elena, Cassandra, and Juliette shared grins. Yes, this was just another part of her family now—and she couldn’t have gotten luckier.

  “I know all my boys will be taken care of,” Safiyah said, her voice sounding softer, more contemplative.

  “Until death do us part,” Juliette added.

  “We’re the Azhars,” Elena said. “We take care of each other.”

  “Forever,” Cassandra said.

  Safiyah smiled over at them, that special glint returning to her eyes. “Good. Because you ladies will have to see that my grandchildren find the perfect partners. And I assure you…” She lowered her floppy hat, settling back into her seat, mystery clouding around her like a finely spritzed perfume. “That will be no easy task.”

  End of The Sheikh’s Surprise Triplets

  Azhar Sheikhs Book Three

  PLUS: Do you love strong alpha males? Keep reading for an exclusive excerpt from Leslie North’s bestselling novel, The Sheikh’s Unforgettable Lover, The Sharqi Sheikhs Series Book Ones.

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  BLURB

  American tutor Kim Atkins is teaching English to a young Middle Eastern prince, but she’s having a hard time keeping her eyes off his older brother. With Karim’s stacked muscles and handsome face, it’s hard not to be distracted. It’s too bad he’s rude, arrogant and very traditional, but that only makes it easier to focus on her student and the girls at the local orphanage. Besides, with glamorous beauties eager for Karim’s attention, clumsy Kim could never compare.

  Karim Sharqi is knee-deep in paperwork after taking over the family jewel company, but asking for help from his brother’s pretty tutor goes against everything his father taught him. Karim’s known from a young age that you should never rely on a woman—especially a Western woman. Her modern attitude flies in the face of his traditional values, and yet, her beauty and shy smile are proving to be an irresistible temptation.

  Can two people from such different worlds ever find a common future?

  Get your copy of The Sheikh’s Unforgettable Lover from www.LeslieNorthBooks.com

  EXCERPT

  Kim Atkins watched Sheik Karim Sharqi lift free weights on the courtyard below her, sweat glistening off his body in the intense sunlight. Staring down at him, she had never seen a man so strong, so muscular, so alluring, as she imagined that perfect body pressed against hers, his hands holding her waist as she stroked his rippling muscles.

  Kim turned her head to see three maids watching him from a distance. One of them was fanning herself as they whispered and giggled amongst themselves. Kim did not blame them -- Karim Sharqi was a very attractive man.

  Closing her eyes, she imagined herself looking into his eyes, his dark hair neatly framing his face as his brown eyes smiled down at her. In her mind, she fisted her hand to keep from touching his perfectly straight nose perched atop luscious lips that invited her to lean in for a kiss.

  She briefly wondered what his stubble would feel like rubbing against her fevered skin, as he kissed his way down her body. She swayed slightly on her feet as her all too active imagination made her body tingle at the thought of his touch.

  “Does this sentence make sense?” Amare asked, interrupting her daydream.

  “Huh?” Kim snapped out of her thoughts and returned her attention to Amare. She had forgotten where she was and what she was doing. “Sorry, show me,” she said and took the notebook from him.

  Kim had originally come to Saudi Arabia as an ESL (English as Second Language) teacher and when her contract was over, she was fortunate enough to be hired as a private tutor for Amare, the youngest son of Sheik Saeed Sharqi.

  “Well done,” Kim said, as she handed the notebook back to him.

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re doing really well, Amare.”

  “Really? I am?”

  Kim grinned at him, tousling his hair, “Yes, you are.”

  “Cool. Father expects me to excel on all my exams,” he told her as he squeezed the notebook before setting it down.

  “I have no doubt that you will.” Kim smiled at the young sheik. Sh
e was impressed with how hard he was working. When she had first accepted the job, she did not expect to meet such a serious student. In her experience, children born with silver spoons in their mouths tended not to work very hard.

  “Not only should I work hard, I should be top of my class,” Amare said solemnly.

  Kim raised her eyebrows. “That is a lot of pressure.”

  “My father wants nothing but the best.”

  Kim sighed. She had heard that the Sheik was strict but she could not believe how much pressure he was putting on his son. She was glad that she had not been raised with that much expectation to do well in school. She flipped open her folder and pulled out a poem.

  “We’ll do the best we can,” she said, handing him a sheet of paper. “See if you can interpret this poem for me.”

  “Sure.”

  Whilst Amare was reading the poem, Kim’s gaze travelled back to the courtyard below. Karim was still outside in the courtyard working out and was currently doing push-ups on the slate tiled floor. The muscles in his back tensed up as he bent his arms and slowly lowered himself down.

  Get your copy of The Sheikh’s Unforgettable Lover www.LeslieNorthBooks.com