The Sheikh's Island (Sheikh's Wedding Bet Series Book 4) (6 page)

W
ynifred was so tired
. Four days had passed since her evening with Rameez, and she couldn't sleep at night. During the day, she continued to split her time between Rameez, Haris, and her publisher. Projects were starting to blur together, and there was no end in sight for the feud.

Even worse, she didn't trust herself to be alone with Rameez. She knew that she should extricate herself from the situation, but she'd never faced such a challenge before, and she wanted to prove to herself that she was professional enough to see it through, even if the man could turn her inside out with one look.

Sitting on the bench swing on the patio of her hotel room, she watched aimlessly as the cars passed in the parking lot. Her eyes drifted slowly shut, and she felt his presence before he even said anything. It was something about how the air shifted around him. Her body unknowingly reacted to his nearness as her nipples tightened in response and and her heart beat a little bit faster.

"Sleeping in the middle of the day?" Rameez asked quietly. His voice wrapped around her like a blanket and immediately made her think of lazy sex in the early morning rays. Unhurried. Sensual. Erotic.

Opening her eyes, she sighed, stood, and stretched. "Just collecting my thoughts. What are you doing here?"

"I tried to call you, but you didn't pick up. And you didn't answer your door."

"So you figured you'd walk around the hotel complex to do what? Peer in my windows and see if I was home?"

Any pretense of friendliness dropped from his face, and his eyes hardened. "I'm not stalking you, Wynifred. I'm trying to end a feud, and you seem to be a little biased."

"Biased?" she asked with an arched eyebrow. Snorting, she could only shake her head. If he only knew how she felt. "I spend more time with your cousin because he seems to care more about fixing things."

There was no heat in her words. She was too tired to argue. Opening the sliding glass door, she beckoned him inside. Rameez easily swung his legs over the side of the patio and followed her in. "These are nice," he said in a neutral voice.

The hotel suite was costing Haris a fortune, since her out of pocket expenses were included in her fee. She couldn’t complain. While it wasn’t home, it had everything she needed.

"Do you want something to drink?" she asked as she headed to the kitchen. He lifted an eyebrow, and she shook her head. "Water, coffee or juice, Rameez. I'm not offering you champagne."

He smirked. "Coffee will be fine, thank you." He looked briefly around her room and she wished that she’d known he was coming by, she would have tidied up. She knew that she wasn’t the neatest person around but she found that she worked best in what one of her college roommates had called “controlled chaos.” But as she tried to see the room from his eyes, she realized that it simply looked messy.

When he turned back to her, the tension between them only grew as she poured the coffee into the filter. It wasn't an awkward tension like two strangers who didn't know what to say to each other or even an embarrassed tension from the remnants of a one-night stand. This was something entirely different, and she was afraid that with a single spark, they might both go up in flames. Finally, she couldn't take the silence any longer.

"What are you really doing here? I know you don't respect my job, so I know you're not here about the feud. If you're concerned that I'm plotting behind your back with your cousin, you can rest easy. Haris and I have a professional relationship."

"And what do we have?" he asked softly.

"A less professional relationship, but that doesn't mean we have a personal one," she snapped. "It means that when we're together, you bring out the worst in me."

"If that kiss was the worst in you, I’m dying to see your best."

"Rameez, I'm tired. I don't feel up to playing your little mind games today, so why don't you tell me what you really want so we can both go about our day."

He straddled the stool at the breakfast bar, and she tried to ignore the fact that he seemed to take up so much room. He sucked the air right from her lungs, and the mental images that danced through her head were less than professional. The man really did know how to fill out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and she wondered what he would do if she straddled him and kissed that gorgeous mouth. His taste still lingered on her lips, and she ached to feel his arms around her again.

"I'm actually here to let you know that it's not safe for you to take a taxi anymore. There have been some robberies in the area, and I don't want you getting hurt. If you need a ride somewhere, call me."

His tone was terse and abrupt, and she whipped her head around so quickly she was afraid she'd have whiplash. She'd heard about the robberies, but it hadn't even occurred to her that it might be dangerous. Still, what did she expect? It was the city. Needing something to do with her hands, she grabbed the coffee pot and ran it under some water to rinse it out.

"I wouldn't want to take up your time," she said carefully. "I could rent a car."

"Do you have any experience driving in the city?"

Silently, she shook her head. "Coffee," he said suddenly.

"What?"

"Your coffee is brewing."

"Oh!" Whirling around, she grabbed the coffee pot and shoved it back in place. Coffee had already covered the warming plate beneath and it sizzled and burned.

"It's dangerous to drive in the city if you're not familiar with it, and I don't want you to use public transportation after dark. My job is mostly mobile, so I don't mind, and if I'm not available, I'm sure Haris could take you."

His voice strained at the end, and Wynifred couldn't help but smile. "Things must be improving if you're willing to let Haris drive me around," she teased.

"You shouldn't be in the middle of this. Haris should never have hired you," he said quietly. "But while you are here, you are under our protection. The city isn't safe for a single woman."

Turning her back to him, she busied herself with pulling the cups down from the cabinet and pouring the coffee while she tried to get her emotions under control. The pleasure at the thought that Rameez cared had quickly soured. It was starting to sound like she was a burden to him more than anything else.

"Fine," she muttered as she handed him his coffee. Looking him square in the eyes, she forced a smile. "At least that means you'll have to spend some time with me, and that can only mean we'll get to the bottom of this faster."

"You're the one ignoring me right now," he pointed out.

Biting her bottom lip, she nodded. "You're right, and I apologize for that. I acted unprofessionally the other night, and I needed some time to find my center again. I assure you that nothing like that will happen again."

"Nothing like what?" he asked in a dangerously low tone. "Nothing like dancing with me? Being alone with me? Kissing me?"

"All of the above," she snapped. "I mean, not that I can't be alone with you because I can. We will be alone, like now, because it's necessary, but we won't be alone like we were alone the other night. Not that we were alone, because, you know, there were musicians and the waiter, but we were still alone."

She was fully aware that she was babbling, and a small smile played on his gorgeous lips. "I think we both made some mistakes that night," he said carefully. "I won't let my temper get the best of me again. In the meantime, I think I know what Haris is up to."

"Excuse me? Why do you even think Haris is up to anything?" Wynifred stumbled over her words. The change in subject was abrupt and obviously deliberate.

"Haris is always up to something. I told you, he only thinks for himself. While you might think that he cares for my aunt, the truth is that he only cares for himself. My sources tell me that he recently ran into some financial troubles. I have a feeling that he's holding out until I'm desperate enough to give him money. I'm not really interested in playing his game, so ask him how much he wants so we can put this whole thing behind us."

Shocked, she set her coffee down and stared at him. "Rameez, I'm here to bring a feud to an end, not to orchestrate a payment for you to get what you want. Paying him isn't going to solve anything, and I don't think that Haris wants anything like that from you. Just because he's having issues with money doesn't mean that he expects you to bail him out."

Rameez sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Wynifred, the faster you realize that you can't solve our problems, the quicker we can end this. If Haris didn't want anything from me, he wouldn't have hired you. He needs something, and I'm willing to give it to him. I have a lot on my plate. I have an island that I need to develop and a mother that I need to care for. I don't have time for this charade to continue much longer. Find out what he wants and let me know. I'm sure we can come to some sort of arrangement."

"You're a piece of work," she snorted. "You come here spouting that you're concerned for my safety, and I think that maybe you care enough to put in the effort to make this work, but you don't want to put the work into anything. You simply want results, and you're so cold."

"You're one to talk," he growled back as he stood. "Love solves all? Love doesn't solve anything, Wynifred. Most of the time, it’s the very reason we all have problems. It takes hard work to make a relationship work, and right now, I don't have that kind of time."

Silence descended on them, and Wynifred could only stare at him. They both knew that they weren't talking about him and Haris anymore. At least Wynifred finally had an answer to the burning question inside her.

Rameez did like her.

Not that it mattered. He clearly didn't see anything in her worth fighting for. He was probably only interested in a tumble in the sheets. "You should probably go," she whispered. "I'll see you at dinner tonight."

"Wynifred," he sighed.

"Please don't," she interrupted quickly. "I'll ask Haris to pick me up tonight, so you don't have to worry about anything."

"I'll pick you up," he said gruffly. "You may trust my cousin, but I don't. Whatever his intentions are, they're not pure. I'll be back at seven."

She didn't say anything as he saw himself out. His words had hurt more than she wanted to admit, and she bent down to the counter and cradled her head in her arms.

She was way in over her head, and she had no idea how to dig herself out.

* * *

W
hen Rameez arrived
to pick Wynifred up, he struggled to find the words that would fill the awkward silence. Once again, she looked stunning, this time in an emerald green dress that draped provocatively over her curves. He had a feeling that telling her she was beautiful would only make things worse. Luckily, Haris had picked a place that was close to where she was staying. "I've got some business that will keep me busy for the next couple of days, but maybe this weekend we could get together," he said finally.

The Khalidizacks were meeting him on the island to discuss its future. Although the land was his, he wanted their input in how it would be developed. A surveyor was also going to meet them to give him an estimate on how much it would cost to clear out the overgrowth. Rameez wanted to leave as much of the island's natural beauty as possible, but the place had been unattended for far too long.

"That's fine," she said stiffly.

They pulled into the parking lot, and Rameez turned off the engine. Unable to help himself, he reached over and lightly touched her thigh. Although he wanted to skim his fingers over her bare skin, he was careful to keep her dress between them. "I need you to know that this is important to me, and that I do respect you. But, I don't see how you can do much to help us. Haris and I are never going to be as we were."

"So what do you want from this?" she asked.

He sucked in his breath and slowly moved his fingers down past her knee so he could finally touch her silky skin. Caught in her gaze, he slowly leaned across the console with every intention of kissing her.

Instead, she put her hand up on his chest and stopped him. "That's not an answer," she whispered. "How many women have you dated, Rameez? Really dated. Took the time to get to know them and actually let them into your life."

It was as if she'd doused cold water on him. Pulling back, he jerked the keys from the ignition. "That's none of your business," he said heatedly. "Come on. Let's get this over with."

Wynifred scowled at him but didn't push the issue. Rather than guiding her in like he normally did, he clenched his fist to his side and refused to touch her. Opening the door for her, he noticed that she didn't even meet his gaze.

"Mr. Molamid, it's good to see you," the host greeted them. "The other Mr. Molamid and his date are already waiting for you."

"Date?" Rameez frowned. "Why would Haris bring a date?"

Following Wynifred and the host around the corner, his gaze fell on Haris and the woman at his side, and he froze.

Haris hadn't just brought a date. He'd brought the only woman Rameez had ever loved.

Qaura.