Sheikh in disguise - completed

Chapter Ten

Shakeel came to bed late, knocking to be let in. Keeping the door locked as she promised him, he waved away the posted guard and entered, locking once more, while she crawled back into bed soon joined by her Sheikh, taken once more into his arms and fell asleep after spending the entire day and well into the night on his schedule.

Annie stirred awake to find herself wrapped in Shakeel's arms, pressed up against his body, warm, solid and welcoming, something she enjoyed even if she insisted on keeping most of her belongings in the old cabin.

The Fairchilds since the last fallout had kept their distance, usually on the other side of the yacht which suited her just fine, and she's kept busy by Shakeel's schedule making it work better for him and freed up some time, so wasn't run ragged, even Tarek was in pressed, got it passed and implicated, well before the scheduled dates, promising him she wasn't after his job.

Tarek just smiled.

As she moved, his arms tightened around her and his face buried deeper into her hair. She relaxed because it was extremely late when he finally came to bed, so didn't want to disturb him, going back over her time here in Cairo.

The last thing she had expected was to meet anyone like him.

No matter his name, he was the same person.

He could be charming, sweet, funny yet cross him, stay out of his way, having a strong sense of justice. She hadn't told him the entire truth only because there had been no future for them, with her going home. 

She saw that more and more.

The yacht, private tours of Cairo's most famous museum.

Yet was the perfect guide and treated her to a river cruise, knowing her love for the Nile. Pulled up his friend over manners, yet turned on her, unexpectedly. She hadn't known about Richard reaching out. Why not? He had kept her out of the loop. Why? He hadn't done that before. What did it matter since she didn't work for him anymore?

That was another issue: money for her apartment. 

And her parents.

They had always looked up to her, admired everything she had achieved, so proud. Now wasn't sure how they would react. To start all over again. It wouldn't be easy if Richard didn't give her a reference for her eight years of work and had a feeling he wouldn't, sighing.

"What's that for?" her eyes flew up and into his dark midnight gaze. She reached up from under the covers, placing a hand on his bare chest over his silky warmth yet muscle-solid chest that he covered with his hand.

"Just reminiscing," she offered.

"About us, I hope, not the messy parts," he added as an afterthought.

"Life is always messy, Shakeel."

"Hmm, complicated," he corrected. "But not us. We should not be complicated." Moaning, her face planted his chest. He was back to the one who had captured her heart. "Especially today. It will not be complicated and, as promised, you will have my full attention as you desire."

A smile curled her lips, peering up into his sparkling eyes. "Ah, that could be a problem." He pulled back, eyes widening, then narrowed.

"What do you mean, Annie girl?"

She sighed dramatically. "Well, I have to finish my work from yesterday," he growled in his throat. "I have this slave driver of a boss and need," she pulled a face, "to finish it."

"Ah," he declared. "Not an issue. Since I'm the boss, you are relieved of any prior commitments."

She twitched her nose. "I like to finish what I start," she pointed out innocently. Shakeel shook his head, his hold tightening around her.