SHEIKH'S SURPRISE BABY: A Sheikh Romance (39 page)

"Yo."

"Hey, it's um, it's Shawna." Every word threatened to erupt into tears, but she did her best to sound composed. It made her voice robotic and clinical — as much as she tried to hide it, Clark would be able to tell something was wrong. "I need you to come pick me up right now. I swear I'll pay you back later, it's just—"

"Shawna, stop." A firm hand grasped her shoulder, and Shawna gasped. Ben had followed her to physically confront her over what had just happened. The words were not happy. "We need to have a talk."

"Get away from me!" Despite the ongoing call, Shawna wasn't afraid to raise her voice. Shawna turned on the spot to face him, tears beading in the corners of her eyes and shaking in her voice. "I don't want anything to do with you! What don't you understand about no?!"

"Shawna?" Clark asked, suddenly serious.

"You weren't supposed to find out," Ben spat. Shawna had never seen him so angry before — had he been hiding this side of him the whole time they'd been together?

"Shawna!" Clark insisted, getting louder. "Tell me where you are!"

"Off of Pine by Stonecrest coffee," she said, maybe too quickly for him to be able to pick out the words. There was no chance to confirm, because right as she finished her sentence, Ben slapped the phone out of her hand. The device flew into the street and skidded across the pavement, well out of her reach.

"Who are you talking to?" he demanded. The hand that had struck at her phone now grabbed her wrist, and he pulled her off of the main street and into a side alley. Shawna, legs like jelly, couldn't find the strength to break away and run. Ben, the Ben she'd known for so long, was going to do something terrible to her — she knew it.

"The person I'm traveling with," she sobbed. Tears had started to fall, and as she started to speak, she could no longer hold them back from her inflection. "It doesn't matter, because we broke up two weeks ago and you have no right to pry into my life. Just leave me alone!"

"But we're not done, Shawna," Ben said stiffly. "You and I, we're going to get married. We're going to get married, and then you're going to help me get a position in a company I deserve. How is it fair that you graduated with all the prestige and don't give a shit about reaching your potential, and here I am working my ass off for half a decade to get where I belong to be because no one believes I have what it takes? It's not. But when we get married, you're going to be able to talk me into places I could only dream about. You're going to advance, and I'm going to advance, and one day we'll have so much money that we can do all the shitty things you want to do. Travel, language lessons... I don't give a crap. But if you want it, it will be yours, as long as you marry me and make sure I get to where I belong."

"No!" Shawna wailed. The rejection sounded childish, but it was all she could muster. Ben's fingers were digging into her wrist so deep they threatened to cut. What had come over him? This wasn't the man she'd known.

"Yes," he spat. "Stop being a child, stop being selfish and immature, and think of someone else for once. This is for what's best for both of us. We're going to be successful together, and I'm not going to hear anything else from you."

And just like that, skinny, business driven Ben tugged her into his arms and kissed her lips so hard they bruised. Try as she might, Shawna could not find the strength to pull away from him; Ben's arms had locked around her, and he was not willing to relinquish his hold. Squirm and pry as she might, she was stuck with him. The fear of what he might do to her grew more real by the second.

But before Ben could drag her anywhere, a noise ripped down the alleyway. The purr of an engine and the squeal of brakes broke the silence, and Ben cast her aside so Shawna hit the brick wall to see what it was.

"Who the fuck are you?" Ben demanded, temper flared.

"Name's Clark," Clark growled as he hopped from his idling bike. "But names should be the least of your worries right now. Let go of Shawna, and I won't crush you like the slimy bug you are."

"This," Ben said wildly, near insane, "this is the joker next door, isn't it? That guy who so 'innocently' walked you home that one time. You think I'm bad, Shawna? How long has this shit been going on? At least I'm putting your future first instead of sneaking around behind your back seeing other woman. Less then two weeks and you're traveling with him out of the country? Don't think I'm stupid!"

"Nah, I don't think you're stupid," Clark rumbled, approaching on heavy footsteps until he was right up in Ben's face. "I know you're stupid. You've got one more chance — leave Shawna alone, or I will make you wish you never left home."

Dazed and scared, Shawna pressed herself against the brick and watched the man she once loved and the man she refused to love fight over her. Since she'd met him, Clark had been flirty, but she knew he was a womanizer. All this time, had he been making sincere advances? Did she mean more to him than a casual hookup?

"Ragged hobos don't scare me," Ben spat back, nose to nose with Clark. But Clark was no hobo, and Shawna knew that he was the type of man who would make good on his word. Before the last word had escaped Ben's mouth, Clark pushed him back with sudden intensity and slammed his fist into Ben's face. To Shawna's surprise, Ben didn't cry out — instead, he stumbled back a few steps before collapsing to the ground, out cold. Clark shook his fist out once, glared at Ben's unconscious body though narrowed eyes, then turned to look at Shawna.

"You okay, blondie?" he asked. All Shawna could do was nod as small sobs broke through the silence between them. What had just happened had been terrifying and life-altering. The two biggest masculine forces in her life had shown their true colors, and the reversal was drastic. Clark had come to her rescue when Ben had sought to harm her and force her into what she didn't want. Shawna ran the back of her hand beneath her eyes to wipe away the tears and tried to settle down. Before she could pull her arm away, Clark had drawn her into his arms and away from the wall to stroke her back.

"Shit, if you actually needed me to hold your hand, you could have said something," he whispered in her ear. "I bark for the hell of it, but I'm not heartless. Shawna, I don't want to see you hurt. Whoever this joker is, whatever your history is with him, I'll make sure he doesn't bother you anymore. No one is going to mess with you and get away with it, not when I'm at your side."

Just like their first night outside the lobby of their apartment building, Shawna felt her pulse race. Downy softness enveloped her, and she allowed her head to fall forward and rest upon his broad shoulder. The smell of leather and tobacco clung to him, intoxicating and vivid. Beneath it, the scent of cedar and musk. Somehow, despite his grungy lifestyle, Clark always managed to smell good.

"Thank you," she mumbled against his shoulder. Like a kitten at the mercy of a bulldog, Shawna knew she depended on him at a fundamental level. Clark only treated her with respect and care.

"Let's get you back to the motel," he whispered, drawing away slowly so she had time to react and steady herself on her feet. "You hold on tight. Everything's going to be okay."

The tough exterior had eroded to reveal Clark's soft side, like matter exposed to concentrated acid. The carefree, gruff, my-way-or-the-highway man she'd left the States with had given way to a man who obviously cared a great deal for her. As upset as she was, Shawna couldn't help but smile.

"I know. Thank you. Thank you for looking out for me as you have."

Before Clark had a chance to turn, Shawna reached out and took his hand loosely in hers. The contact, although innocent, was intimate. There was no mistaking the affection in it. Clark glanced down to her hand, then up to catch her gaze with hers. Shawna blinked away the last of her tears, still holding onto the small smile that had sprouted from the seeds of his kindness.

"It's uh," Clark, loud mouthed and opinionated, was lost for words. Some of the harsh lines faded from his face as their eyes maintained a locked gaze. "It's something I wanted to do. Needed to do."

"Like I need to do this."

A side alley in one of the most beautiful cities she'd ever seen with her ex's unconscious body just feet away wasn't where Shawna thought she'd be when it happened, but there was no more holding back. With a slow tilt, she closed the distance between her lips and Clark's, standing on the tips of her toes to give herself the tiny boost of height necessary to do so. The last thing Shawna saw as she closed her eyes was Clark's sparkling blues drooping closed as well. The kiss they shared was sweet and sincere, the bad boy momentarily subdued, like a dog gnawing at a steak. Clark's lips were dry and harsh, but the touch of them still sent shivers down her spine.

When at last the kiss broke, Shawna drew back and lowered herself back to the flats of her soles. Clark opened his eyes, momentarily silent. His hold on her hand tightened just a little, as though possessive.

"I think it's going to be a good road trip," he uttered into the modest space between them. Shawna's smile grew.

"You know," she replied, "I think you're going to be right."

From Victoria they made their way across British Columbia. For a while they stopped in the Rocky Mountains and took advantage of the gorgeous scenery and ski opportunities. Days later saw them cross into Alberta and the busy city of Calgary. Each new city breathed life into Shawna and refreshed her sense of adventure. After so long living a frugal, unsatisfactory life, the thrill of the road was the life for her.

But it was no longer the thrill of the road alone that revitalized Shawna's spirit. In the days that followed their encounter with Ben, the tenderness that had sprung up between Shawna and Clark flourished. Like teenagers wary of being caught together, affection between them was scarce, but sacred. On the snowy slopes of the mountain, Clark had taken her hand without hesitation, only to drop it in confusion when he'd realized what he'd done. Beneath the clear, starry sky of the open plains, Shawna had curled up to his side on a bench just outside of their motel and laid her head upon his shoulder as they star gazed. When movement brought her gaze back to Earth, she found her lips caught up with Clark's, and they had kissed each other with a low simmering intensity that grew hotter by the hour, but never boiled over. Despite their growing desire for one another, Shawna always slept in her own room. Although Clark was one of the most attractive men she'd laid eyes upon, she was not ready to give herself up so easily. All good things would come with time, and her mother had warned her not to let the road steal her heart. If what they had was genuine, she would be just as into Clark when they returned home as she was in Canada.

And as the month drew to its end and saw them on the road back home, that feeling had yet to fade. On the back of Clark's bike, pressed firm against his core, Shawna lost herself in the pleasures of the road and the scent from his jacket. Warm memories of his lips haunted her, and when they paused at a rest stop just south of the Canadian border to stretch their legs and use the facilities, Shawna drew him forward by the sides of his jacket and made those lips hers all over again.

The rest of the drive was uneventful, and it wasn't until they'd stopped outside the apartment complex that Shawna realized her oversight — although she'd worked remotely while in Canada, she hadn't thought to find a new place to live. All of her belongings were in storage, and apart from the clothes on her back, there was nothing she had accessible. Although she could turn to her mother if she found herself in desperate need, she didn't want to burden her any further. Just by cleaning out the apartment while Shawna took off to Canada, she had done more than enough.

"You know," Clark told her as he dismounted from the bike and pulled off his helmet, "I've never spent a whole month with the same girl before. You're not so bad, blondie."

Coming from Clark, it was high praise. Shawna set foot on solid ground, stretched, then took her shot. A month with Clark had taught her to be bold. There was no point in dancing around what needed to be said.

"You have no idea how glad I am to hear that, because I need to ask you a big favor. I kind of don't have any place to stay, and I was wondering if I could stay with you until I find a place of my own."

The question was a simple one, but the air between them was charged for it. There was no longer a wall between their motel rooms to keep them apart — Shawna knew that what she was asking was for something more. Clark knew it just as plainly.

"Yeah," he murmured, taking her by the hand. For now, just one matter occupied both of their minds — there was a month of tension and bumbling affections to make good on, and Shawna could wait no longer. "We can do that."

Both of them wove up the stairs to Clark's old apartment and deposited their belongings just behind the door once inside. As soon as their bags had hit the floor, one of Clark's hands pushed her against the wall, and his lips met hers with need. There was no mistaking his intentions — both of them were on the same page.

Beneath the weight of his kiss and the heat of his body, Shawna lost herself. A barrage of scents clouded her senses, and every touch felt electric. The kiss was hard and greedy, but it was perfect. Each moment left her more confident that she'd made the right choice, but when their lips broke, it was Clark who spoke.

"I got lucky," Clark confirmed in a husky breath. "You're drop dead beautiful, and I'm just a punk with a cocky streak a mile wide."

"You're more than that," she whispered back, voice wavering from the promise of pleasure they'd share. "You're the man this drop dead beautiful woman wants, so let life lead you and roll with the punches. Let's see what happens."

A low growl built in the back of Clark's throat, and he took her hand and pulled her through the apartment and to his bedroom. The room was small and sparse, but it did its job. The bed was more than big enough for two, and as piled with blankets and pillows as it was, there would be no shortage of comfort.