The Sheikh’s Convenient Bride (Omirabad Sheikhs Book 1) Read online

  “Are you sure?” whispered Nora, that same knife-edge of uncertainty threatening to drag itself across the back of her mind for the umpteenth time that day.

  She wanted to know, but she fell asleep before she could hear the answer.

  10

  Nora’s days as the wife of the crown prince were, to put it mildly, packed.

  From the moment she woke up in the morning until they retired to Rashid’s apartments in the evenings, she was on a tight schedule. She had a lot of catching up to do when it came to being a high-ranking member of the royal family, and even more to do when it came to her specific role as Rashid’s wife.

  Most days, she went to the palace gym for a quick workout before breakfast. During breakfast, she met members of the royal government and the top tier of Omirabad’s society. These breakfasts, she soon learned, were a time for people to casually bring up concerns that they wanted Rashid to know about. Thankfully, she had Fatima.

  Fatima was another one of Rashid’s relatives, and she mostly filled the role of palace adviser. She’d worked with Rashid’s mother before she passed away and knew all the ins and outs of the royal court. She was invaluable. Nora knew she’d never make it through a single breakfast without Fatima’s rundown beforehand.

  After a few weeks of attending nonstop breakfasts and activities and functions at Rashid’s side—at least for the first few minutes, until he was pulled away to meet with important people—Nora started language lessons. They’d be helpful at the clinic one day.

  One day.

  Learning a language was different than the refresher courses she took to remain certified as a midwife and doula. Someday I’ll be able to put both to use at the same time.

  She sat back in her seat and looked hard at the words her tutor had written on the paper for her. A simple list, with simple words, but her brain struggled with them, restless.

  Nora was restless, too.

  When the lesson was over, she found Rashid outside the door to the study where she met with the tutor. He looked down at her, his eyes searching her face as if something monumental had happened while they were apart. Her skin heated—his attention was so precise, so focused, and even though it had been almost a month since they married, Nora still felt a little surprised by the way he looked at her.

  “How did it go?” he asked, then leaned down to press a kiss to her lips. Nora took a breath of him, her desire for him roaring into an open flame, and forced herself to step back. As much as she wanted to throw herself into Rashid’s arms, he wouldn’t appreciate a disruption to the day’s schedule.

  “It was good.” A half-truth. Sitting through the lesson had chafed, and she’d wished to be in a pair of scrubs at the clinic. After Rashid had taken her away, she’d called the director and apologized profusely. The director had been even more apologetic somehow. Nora had plans to reach out to them again, and in light of how she’d felt during the lesson, she wanted it to be sooner rather than later. “I was thinking—during the lesson, actually—that now might be a good time to get things started with the clinic again.”

  Rashid’s eyebrows rose. “The clinic?”

  “Yes. That first visit didn’t play out exactly how any of us expected, but it’s been a month since the wedding.” Surely that had been enough time for Rashid to get used to the idea. “I’d like to get back in the game.”

  “Walk with me,” he said, and Nora fell into step beside him.

  “I could take one of my bodyguards to translate.” It would give him an added assurance of her safety. “It would also be beneficial if we could add a woman translator to my team.” She laughed. “I’m not sure how well a male bodyguard would fit into the translator role, now that I’ve said it out loud.”

  Rashid frowned. “Have you given any thought to fundraising?”

  “For the clinic?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, I’m sure—” Nora shrugged. “I’m sure fundraising will enter into it at some point, but networking isn’t my strong suit.” She’d been following Rashid without really paying attention. Now they paused at the bottom of the stairs in front of a pair of wide double doors—one of the palace’s private dining rooms.

  Rashid flashed her a grin. “I think you’d be good at fundraising.”

  Her heart beat faster. “You don’t want me to start now, do you?”

  He laughed, and Nora let the tension at the base of her spine slip away. Rashid put a hand on the small of her back and led her into the dining room. “Not now. We’re having a family dinner. Aliyah is in town.”

  Nora had been looking forward to this. She hadn’t seen Rashid’s brothers since the wedding, but they were warm and welcoming, and Rafiq was a better father-in-law than she could have hoped for. Best of all, she wouldn’t be the only woman at the meal.

  “Oh, good,” Nora said as they approached the small group. “I can’t wait to meet her.”

  But as Rashid’s brothers turned to welcome them, Nora saw that Aliyah wasn’t the only surprise guest.

  Jazmin was there, too.

  Rashid’s ex-fiancée stood up immediately from the low sofa in the corner of the dining room where she’d been sitting next to Aliyah, a kind smile spread across her face. “Nora! I was so pleased to hear you’d be at dinner today.”

  Nora blinked, accepting a quick hug from Jazmin. It was almost like they were old friends. Still, it had nagged at Nora, when she couldn’t sleep at night, that Jazmin was so at home at the palace and in Rashid’s life. Secret lover or not, she’d always have a place here. It was Nora’s secret fear that she would never fit in so beautifully.

  “I—” She didn’t know what to say. “I didn’t know I’d be at dinner, so it’s a lovely surprise for us both.”

  “Nora,” said King Rafiq, stepping forward to kiss Nora’s cheek and hug Rashid. “This is my daughter Aliyah. She’s our youngest.”

  Aliyah still sat in the center of the sofa, and the moment Nora looked at her…

  Oh, no.

  Aliyah’s eyes were narrowed, and her gaze darted quickly back and forth between Jazmin and Nora. If Nora had been surprised with how nonchalant Jazmin had been about breaking off her engagement with Rashid, it was nothing compared to how shocked Aliyah looked.

  “Aliyah?” asked Rafiq. “Are you all right?”

  “Of course.” Aliyah answered with an edge to her voice and leaned forward, bracing one hand against the back of the sofa to stand up. Nora didn’t know how she’d missed it before—Aliyah was pregnant, and by the looks of it, she was quite far along. Nora couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face, but when she looked into Aliyah’s eyes, her congratulations died on her lips. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said Aliyah in the same frosty tone, extending a hand to Nora.

  It was clearly not a pleasure.

  “The wedding was gorgeous,” said Jazmin, stepping closer to Nora. “Everyone watched the live broadcast. You were so stunning, and you didn’t look nervous at all.”

  Nora burst out laughing. “You’re too kind. Really. I’m sure I was a wreck.” She waved a hand in the air. “I haven’t had time to look at any of the photos. We jumped right into our new schedule.”

  “Oh, yes?” Jazmin looked curious—enthusiastic, even—and once again Nora felt a little shock.

  She was standing in what were supposed to be Jazmin’s shoes, and the other woman didn’t show a single hint of bitterness. Her grace in the situation made her seem like a natural fit for the royal family. Jazmin probably wouldn’t spend all her waking hours wishing she could be volunteering at a local clinic. She’d have stepped easily into the role, as if she’d been born for it. Only she hadn’t wanted it, in the end. She’d wanted something else entirely. Nora needed to get that through her head before she spent another moment feeling inferior.

  “How are you adjusting to palace life?” Jazmin asked.

  “Like a fish would adjust to water,” Khalid said from where the men stood in a half-circle. “At least, that’
s what I hear from Rashid.” Khalid elbowed his older brother while Samir looked on with a disapproving curve to his lips.

  Heat rushed to Nora’s cheeks. So Rashid had been talking about her with his brothers. Did that mean she wasn’t adjusting as well as she hoped?

  “It’s been…busy,” Nora admitted. “Busier than I thought. I wanted…” Somehow, with the rest of Rashid’s family standing so close by, she couldn’t bring herself to say that she wanted to go back to the clinic more and more each day. “I wanted to do my best,” she said lamely.

  Jazmin nodded as if she understood completely. “I’m sure it’s a lot of pressure. And such a quick wedding, too.”

  “Yes,” chimed in Aliyah. “Such a quick wedding.” Each word out of Aliyah’s mouth was barbed, and Nora couldn’t figure out why. What had she ever done to Aliyah? Clearly, she and Jazmin knew each other—how could they not be friends, growing up so closely?

  Why couldn’t I have been the one to grow up with all of them? The thought came before she could stop it, sounding pathetic even in the privacy of her mind. It was so childish to wish everything had been different, but Nora’s throat went tight imagining how her life could have been if she’d spent more time with people like Rashid and less time with people like her father.

  “The wedding didn’t go by nearly as quickly as this last month,” Nora said, the false note in her voice ringing clearly. Come on. You’re married to the crown prince. You can’t look like a nervous fool. “The days have gone by in such a whirlwind…”

  Jazmin put a hand on her arm. “When you have a moment to breathe, you should come over to my office and have a cup of tea.” Her office—right. Her office. Nora had learned at some point that Jazmin was the social secretary for Samir and Khalid, so she had offices in the palace proper. “We can chat without all the boys listening in.”

  “Yes,” Aliyah sighed. “You can spend time with my gorgeous, gracious friend. You were practically raised to be a princess, Jazmin.”

  Aliyah was still glaring at her when they all sat around the table and spread napkins over their laps, a team of waiters standing by to bring out the food. Jazmin sat two places down, and Nora leaned forward as the waiter poured water into her glass. “I’ll take you up on that tea. Next week?” she said to Jazmin.

  “Have someone from your staff call my office and set it up,” the other woman answered warmly. Aliyah watched the exchange like a hawk from the other end of the table, her hands folded over the curve of her belly and her eyes narrowed. She looked like her father but had none of the same kindness in her eyes.

  Nora tried to focus on her food. That hadn’t gone particularly well, and now the conversation swirled around her, the voices blending into one.

  Was it nerves that made her stomach feel so queasy? Nora had been in Omirabad for a month, so the spices in the food weren’t new. The meal had been prepared by the palace chef, so she knew it should be delicious. Yet the thought of lifting a bite to her lips made her stomach turn over.

  “Khalid, you’re impossible,” Aliyah said, her voice cutting through Nora’s thoughts. Nora stole a glance over at Aliyah. The swell of her belly was just visible over the edge of the table. “You’ve missed the boat.”

  Missed the boat. Nora had no idea what they were talking about, but the phrase rattled around in her mind until it got stuck.

  Missed the boat.

  Speaking of missing things…

  The thought was there, and then it wasn’t. Nora felt the detail nagging at her, but when she reached for it, there was only a blank unease. There was nothing she was missing—she had more than she could possibly need.

  She put the image of the boat out of her mind and went back to picking at her food.

  11

  “Have you been spending time at the palace offices?” Rashid asked the moment he and Nora were out of earshot after the meal. It hadn’t gone as smoothly as the first family dinner Nora had attended, and he couldn’t put his finger on exactly why. It had been surprising enough when Jazmin had greeted Nora like they’d been roommates in college, but that didn’t explain why Nora looked so far away. She didn’t seem to have heard him. “Nora?”

  “Yes?” She turned her head to look at him as they made their way through the hallways of the palace, but her smile looked…forced.

  He smiled back, putting all the warmth he could muster into the expression. “I asked if you’d been spending time in the palace offices. It was…a bit of a joke.”

  Her eyebrows drew together. “The palace offices?”

  “With Jazmin.” Rashid already regretted bringing it up in precisely this manner. “I thought you two had never met.”

  “Oh,” Nora said softly. “We met in London, actually. Before we left for Omirabad.”

  “Were you…” She seemed so out of sorts. “Were you upset that she was at dinner? If I had known Aliyah was going to invite her, I would have asked you first.”

  “Why would you have done that?” Nora’s green eyes were wide. “Isn’t Jazmin practically part of the family?”

  “Well, yes.” Was she acting strangely or was Rashid reading too much into this? “But you’re my wife. I would have talked with you about it first. Aliyah blindsided me a bit.”

  Nora studied him. “Does she do that often?”

  “Blindside me?” He chuckled. “No. Most of the year, she’s not living at the palace. I think Father mentioned it during that first dinner we had, but then the conversation was sidetracked. Aliyah is married to Fahd Bukhari and lives with him.”

  Nora pursed her lips. “I knew she was married, but I don’t know who that is.”

  “Oh, he’s—” Fahd had been a frequent visitor to the palace during summer breaks from school. He was from a wealthy family in the neighboring country of Al-Qumer and was now a billionaire in his own right. “The royal family did a lot of business with his family over the years. He’s very successful, and he was smitten with Aliyah for years.”

  “He couldn’t come to Omirabad?”

  “Every summer, he goes on an extended business trip. Aliyah stays here.”

  Rashid didn’t miss the frown that flashed across Nora’s face.

  “I hope my sister didn’t upset you,” he said as they crossed the threshold into their apartments.

  “No.” Nora said it far too quickly.

  “Was it something else?” He put out a hand and ran his fingers gently down her arm to her wrist, then took her hand in his. “Is there something bothering you?”

  “Of course not.” He didn’t quite believe her smile, and it unsettled him. “I’m only tired.”

  That, Rashid knew, was the truth. The royal lifestyle—for him, at least—did not involve a lot of downtime. Nora had jumped in with both feet, but perhaps it was all becoming a bit much.

  Rashid leaned down and pressed a kiss to her temple, then led her to the sofa. “Wait here a minute, would you?”

  With a nod, Nora sank into the cushions. As far as Rashid knew, she hadn’t had a particularly difficult day—there had been no public appearances, other than breakfast—but Nora tipped her head against the sofa and closed her eyes.

  Rashid went into her bathroom.

  As the water ran into the tub, he dimmed the lights and lit some candles. The tub was wide and deep, and it had been designed for soaking. This would put her at ease and wash away the stress of the day—he was sure of it.

  He turned off the water and went back out into the living room. Nora still sat exactly where he’d left her, so he lowered himself to the sofa next to her and put an arm around her. Her eyelids fluttered open, and this time her face softened, the smile genuine when she looked into his eyes.

  “Are you too tired for a bath?”

  She laughed, low and soft. “A bath? Really?”

  “Come see.”

  She followed him to the bathroom, her hand in his. “Candles,” she said, shaking her head. “How did you know I can’t resist candles?”

  “Who can re
sist candles?” Rashid joked. He helped her take off her clothes and didn’t bother with his own until she sank into the hot water with an audible groan.

  “This is so lovely,” Nora said. “Almost as lovely as looking at you in this candlelight.”

  He stepped into the water and let himself sink into it. “Isn’t that what I should be saying to you?”

  “We can both say it,” Nora said. She leaned her head against the headrest, her red hair floating freely in the water, and Rashid was sure he’d never seen anything so beautiful.

  “It’s lovely looking at you in the candlelight,” he said.

  Nora ran an affectionate foot up the length of his leg, stopping in the middle of his thigh. “Thank you,” she said, a sly smile on her face. She’d been so tired and her face had looked so tense, that Rashid didn’t want to push things with her…but those teasing toes against his thigh were all it took to make his body respond.

  That wasn’t quite true. All it had taken to make him hard was the sight of her bare skin in the candlelight, all the curves of her body caressed by the flickering shadows.

  Nora closed her eyes with a satisfied little sigh, and Rashid forced himself to relax into the water.

  “Was it good today?” she said dreamily.

  “Was what good?”

  “You know,” Nora said, her eyes still closed. “All the things you do during the day when we’re apart.”

  All the things he did during the day amounted to a list that would be both boring and stressful to describe, and he didn’t want any of that in this moment. “It was good on the whole. I’m still a bit worried about you, though.”

  “Worried about me when I’m so content in this bath?” Nora opened her eyes and looked at him. “Dinner was a bit of a strain.”

  “I’m not sure why Aliyah acted the way she did. I’m sorry about that.”

  Nora dragged her toes over Rashid’s thigh again. “She’s close with Jazmin, yeah?”

  Rashid shrugged. “I suppose. They must have been closer than I thought.”