The Sheikh's Kidnapped Bride (The Sharqi Sheikhs Series Book 3) Read online

  His body shook with the effort, as he resisted the urge to slam into her, to take what he so desperately wanted. When she moaned into his mouth and used her hands to lever herself up by pressing against his shoulders, he was ready to demand she stay, but then she slid down his length and all thoughts of protest fled his mind. He let her control the movement for all of three seconds before the demands of his body took over and he used both hands to control her.

  When he felt her tighten around him and heard her whispered pleas for him to go a little harder; a little deeper—he turned her around and pressed her back against the pool wall as he sped up. Lengthening his strokes, he commanded her to open her eyes so that he could see the passion in her eyes. Meeting his gaze, she smiled seductively as she shifted her hips, increasing the pleasure for both of them.

  Carolyn began moaning in earnest as Mahil felt her begin to shake with need. Her muscles contracted tightly around him with each downward thrust making it difficult for him to pull out. Feeling his own impending release, he shortened his thrusts continually adjusting his angle to increase her pleasure.

  Screaming his name, she clutched him tightly as her muscles spasmed. With a groan, Mahil’s pleasure surged through him, as he slammed his pelvis against hers and her muscles continued to contract around him.

  He waited until her body had softened beneath his hands before he staggered backwards, finding the built-in bench seat, collapsing on it even as he held her in his arms and murmured words of endearment to her.

  He didn’t know if she could understand him, but at that moment, he was beyond caring. They had just shared something amazing and he wasn’t about to let words ruin it. He’d been right about her. She was perfect!

  Chapter 10

  Mahil cradled Carolyn against his chest, arranging her legs so that she sat across his thighs, her head on his shoulder as she recovered from their recent lovemaking. He used the quiet time to collect his own thoughts, still amazed at the connection he felt to this woman.

  She was gorgeous and everything about her appealed to him. Even her sassy independent streak. He liked that she took her responsibilities seriously and was determined to make it on her own, but he also knew how badly that kind of independence could turn out.

  When she stirred in his arms, he dropped a kiss on her forehead and then nuzzled her jawline, “Sleepy?”

  Carolyn yawned and stretched slightly, “I always seem to be tired these days.” She started to say something else and then stopped herself.

  Mahil felt like a door was partially opened and he pushed, wanting her to tell him what was going on in her life. “You work too much.”

  Carolyn sighed, “I know, but it’s necessary right now. In a little while I won’t need to work as many hours and I can slow down and concentrate on my schooling.”

  “Why wait?”

  Carolyn fidgeted on his lap and tried to break free, but he held her firmly in place, “I really don’t want to talk about this right now.”

  Mahil nibbled on her ear as he murmured against her head, “Cara, I want to help you…”

  “But it’s my responsibility, not yours. You don’t owe me anything. Well, except for a plane ticket home at some point, but my problems are mine. I don’t need your help to solve them.”

  Mahil decided to let the matter drop for the moment. Ahmed was in the process of finding out the details of her problems, and then he could confront her with them along with any viable solutions that might exist. Until then, he intended to spend as much time with her as possible. Not fighting.

  “So, you don’t want to talk about your problems? Let’s talk about mine.”

  Carolyn looked at him and then slowly nodded, “Okay. But I have to tell you I can’t see what problems you could possibly have.”

  “Well there is the problem of the date you still owe me. I paid an exorbitant amount of money to spend two hours in your company, and those ten minutes at that run down diner where you work doesn’t count. By my calculations, you still owe me.”

  Carolyn visibly flinched before she looked at him and nodded, “Okay. So what do you propose we do about it?”

  “Dinner tonight.”

  “Alright. That sounds fair,” she agreed.

  “Good. At least this way you can’t use the excuse of work to stand me up.”

  Carolyn blushed and shook her head, “No, my schedule is all yours.”

  “Good. Now, you look as though you could use a nap.”

  Carolyn yawned and nodded her head, “It must be this heated water. I’m starting to feel really sleepy.”

  “It will do that to you.” Mahil stood up with her and carried her out of the water, walking towards one of the large hammocks hanging between the palm trees. He deposited her in the hammock and then handed her a small pillow and a soft towel. The air in the paradise pool was warm and drying off wasn’t usually an issue.

  “Sleep for a while. I will see you at dinner tonight.”

  “You aren’t going to sleep as well?” she questioned him.

  Mahil leaned over and kissed her sweetly before shaking his head, “No. I have some unfinished business to attend to. Can you find your way back into the palace?”

  Carolyn looked around her and then nodded, “I think so.”

  “Good. Until this evening.” He kissed her once more and then scooped up his discarded clothing and wrapped a large towel around his waist. He was whistling as he left the pool area and Carolyn couldn’t help but smile. She was happy and satisfied. When another yawn claimed her attention, she realized that there was no reason she couldn’t have a short nap.

  Closing her eyes, she let her body relax into sleep, blue eyes and a raking smile dominated her dreams of a man who took her breath away. Her last thought as sleep claimed her was that she could fall for Sheik Mahil easily if she wasn’t careful. And that would not be wise at all.

  Chapter 11

  Carolyn came awake slowly, her body tender in places that let her know being with Mahil hadn’t merely been a dream.

  She sat up in the hammock carefully, wrapping the towel around her body as she stood up and surveyed the paradise pool area. It had been aptly named in her opinion, but when her stomach growled, she was reminded of her dinner date with him in just a few hours.

  She gathered up her clothing, making sure the towel was wrapped around her naked torso and headed inside. As she climbed the winding staircase, it occurred to her that Mahil hadn’t said how she was supposed to dress. It wasn’t like she had many options, and while her diner uniform had been returned to her, clean, pressed, and starched, she really didn’t want to have dinner with Mahil dressed like a cheap waitress.

  She checked in the first two rooms, but Mahil was nowhere to be found. She approached the room she’d decided had to be his personal bedroom and knocked, but there was no answer. Thinking that maybe he was sleeping, or in the shower, she tried the handle and smiled when it turned and the door swung open.

  “Mahil?” she called out, slowly entering the room and taking in the masculine décor. A massive bed took up the far wall, and the heavy and very ornate furniture should have dwarfed the room, but instead it imbued the room with a masculine presence that was all Mahil.

  She saw the door leading to the bathroom and approached it cautiously, but she had nothing to fear, as it was empty. She sat down on the edge of his massive bed, letting her hand trail across the satin and velvet comforter.

  She was about to head back to her own rooms when she caught sight of the open armoire on the opposite wall. Thinking that maybe she could borrow one of his button shirts and turn it into a dress of some sort, she opened the doors fully and then gasped as she spied her phone, her shoes, and her apron.

  She sank down to the floor and powered on her phone, nearly crying in relief when the battery showed it still had just under ten percent of the battery left. She immediately called Kerri, trying to ignore how expensive this call was going to be.

  “Hello?”

 
“Kerri? It’s Carolyn.”

  “Car! How are you? I didn’t expect to hear from you again so soon.”

  “You won’t believe what’s happened to me.”

  “How is your hot guy?”

  Carolyn tried to contain her surprise and asked, “You mean Sheik Mahil?”

  “Yes. It was so sweet the way he carried you out of here a few nights ago. You were dead to the world and…”

  “Kerri, how could you let a stranger walk out the door with me in his arms?!” Carolyn cried.

  There was a slight pause and then Kerri asked in a whisper, “Tell me you’re okay. Please, tell me I didn’t make a mistake and that he really is one of the good guys?”

  Carolyn felt bad for scaring her friend and hurried to assure her, “I’m okay. I’m on the other side of the world, but other than that, I’m just peachy.”

  “Other side of the world? I don’t understand.”

  “He took me back to Al-Sarid with him.”

  “He took you…Oh gosh, Car. But, is it fabulous? I mean, I’ve seen pictures and it looks absolutely fabulous.”

  “Kerri, did you hear what I said? He kidnapped me…”

  “Oh, don’t think of it like that. He took you on a fabulous vacation and you needed the rest.”

  Carolyn started to comment but suddenly she realized that Mahil had acted, not in his best interest, but he’d thought he was acting on hers!

  “So, is Ken really mad?” Carolyn asked, wondering just how much of a mess her life had become since she’d been gone.

  “Ken knows what I told him. That you had been working too much and needed at least a week off. He tried to get all upset, but I was able to get his mind onto other, more important things rather quickly.”

  “What things?” Carolyn inquired.

  “The health inspector called the morning after you left. He’s coming next week and wanted to make sure Ken knew what he would be checking. Everything. Oh, I forgot to mention that Ken is having the bathrooms fixed.” Kerri started laughing and soon Carolyn had joined her.

  “I knew he could afford to do it, he was just being stingy and stubborn,” Carolyn commented.

  “Yeah, he’s also pouting. But I’m enjoying watching things around here finally get fixed. So…talk to me about you.”

  Carolyn sighed, “I don’t know what to say. He keeps trying to pry into my life.”

  “And let me guess…you’re stonewalling him and refusing to say a thing?”

  “Something like that.”

  “Car, take some advice from me. It’s time to relax and stop trying to do everything for yourself. And by yourself. This man is in a unique position to help you like no other man you know. He certainly has your best interest at heart. What could it hurt to let him in and share with him what’s been going on with you?”

  Letting people in is how you get hurt! “I don’t need any help,” she tried to insist, hearing Kerri huff in disagreement.

  “Yeah? Then who is the big guy who keeps coming around here looking for you? He doesn’t seem like a colleague from school, or a family member. He gives me the creeps.”

  Salvatore had been coming by the diner again? Carolyn tried not to let that fact bother her and asked, “What guy are we talking about here?”

  “You know what guy I’m talking about. What’s he want?”

  “To see me. I have something for him, and with any luck I’ll be back in the States in the next few days.” I won’t have it all, but maybe I can get an extension….

  “What do you want me to tell him?” Kerri asked.

  “Nothing! Stay away from him, Kerri. I mean it, Salvatore is bad news. Just stay far away from him and let Ken deal with him.”

  “Car, what’s going on?”

  “Nothing I don’t already have under control.” Carolyn got up and began pacing towards the armoire, her vision taking in the contents and then stopping when she spied a shoebox pushed to the back. “Hey, my phone’s going to die and I don’t have a charger with me. I’ll try and call you again once I know when I’ll be back.”

  “Okay. Please listen to my advice and try to relax. Asking for, and accepting, help isn’t the end of the world. It doesn’t make you less of a person, it just makes you smart.”

  “Yes, mom. I’ll think about what you’ve said. I promise.”

  “Good. And Car?”

  “Yes?”

  “Have some fun. You deserve it.”

  Carolyn ended the call and was about to leave when she turned back around to look at the shoebox. It looked old. Curiosity got the best of her and she reached for the box on the bottom shelf. Sitting down on the floor, she opened the lid carefully. Sitting on top was a black and white picture of two children. They were happy and smiling, the little boy with his arm wrapped around the shoulders of what appeared to be his much younger sister.

  Underneath it was a scruffy teddy bear and a child’s blanket. She pulled them both out, wondering why Mahil would have such things in his bedroom. What secrets was he hiding from her? He wanted her to spill her life in all its ugliness, but he hadn’t shared anything about his own life with her. Were the items in the shoebox just memories from his childhood? What was going on?

  Chapter 12

  Mahil was currently in the large garages at the side of the property, having gone there after leaving Carolyn in the pool area. Making love to her had been one of the most amazing experiences of his life, but had only served to fuel his need to take care of her problems for her.

  “Ahmed?” he called out as he entered the large barn like structure. In addition to housing a variety of vehicles, the garage also housed a small helicopter that was often used when Mahil needed to get from one place to another and driving was out of the question.

  This part of Al-Sarid was a dichotomy of landscapes. The actual village was situated in what had once been a lovely oasis in the middle of the desert. Many centuries ago, the spring feeding the pools had been dug out and a small settlement had begun to take shape.

  The Sharqi family had owned and controlled the general area for more than a millenia now, and their claim to everything for hundreds of miles was undisputed. The nomadic peoples of Al-Sarid knew they were welcome to travel across the land, making use of the various watering holes that dotted the desert landscape, as long as they didn’t abuse either the land or the people they encountered.

  “Sir?” Ahmed asked, coming from the rear of the helicopter with a greasy rag in his hands.

  “What is wrong?” Mahil asked, raising an eyebrow at Ahmed’s hands.

  “Nothing. I was just making sure everything was in proper working order. You came looking for me?”

  Mahil nodded his head, “I did. What have you been able to find out about our guest’s problem?”

  Ahmed met his gaze and asked, “Are you sure you want to know?”

  Mahil nodded, “Yes. Tell me.”

  Ahmed tossed the rag onto a rolling workbench and then pulled a folded group of papers from a drawer. He handed them to Mahil and then explained, “The man there, that is the same one that approached her in the diner?”

  Mahil looked at the picture and nodded, “Yes. Who is he?”

  “His name’s Salvatore Gomez. He’s a small-time drug lord and loan shark.”

  Mahil looked up sharply, “What?!”

  “It’s true. And he’s good, good enough that the local authorities have been after him for years but can never prove he’s been involved in whatever crime they’re trying to pin on him.”

  Mahil looked at the man and wondered how Carolyn had come to be mixed up with such an individual. “She doesn’t use drugs.” He made it a statement and not a question because there was no way he was wrong about her character.

  Ahmed nodded his head, “You are correct. She actually isn’t the one who got mixed up with that individual. Her father was.”

  “I don’t understand. Why is this man bothering Carolyn if it is her father who has business with him?”

  “Tha
t’s where it gets tricky. Miss Michael’s father is a drunk and a heavy stakes gambler. Over the years, he’s managed to lose a lot of money and now he owes this Salvatore person more than a hundred grand!”

  Mahil blinked at the amount and then tried to reconcile the fact with what he knew about Carolyn, “She’s trying to pay off her father’s debt.”

  “It would seem so. According to one of Salvatore’s underlings, she’s been making payments for the last several years and is only one more payment away from having her father’s debt cleared.”

  “When?” Mahil asked, wanting to make sure she had no more dealings with this individual.

  “She has to come up with the last twenty thousand by the end of the month or the original negotiation he made with her is null and void.”

  “What happens then?” Mahil asked, needing to know exactly what kind of mess she was in.

  “Salvatore agreed to stop charging her interest provided she paid him the remaining twenty thousand. If she doesn’t make the payment on time, all of the interest will be added back in and he’s threatened to take the house her mother used to live in.”

  “Used to live in?” Mahil asked.

  “Her mother was diagnosed with cancer four years ago and is now dead. It was about this time that Carolyn became aware of her father’s gambling problem.”

  Mahil clenched his teeth and then asked, “How much has the father managed to pay back?”

  Ahmed made a circle with his middle finger and thumb, “Zero. He’s still gambling, but recently has been on a small winning streak which is the only reason he hasn’t run up more debt.”

  “This needs to end now.”

  “It would be in her best interest, but what is in yours?”

  Mahil looked at his friend and employee and sighed, “What is it you’re really asking me?”