The Sheik's Beautiful Intruder (The Friendship Series) (18 page)

“So you’re not upset?”

Nikki pulled back, her expression shocked. “Upset that one of my best friends is happy and has found a man she loves?”  She laughed and shook her head, her curls dancing around her face.  “Never!  I’m thrilled!  It’s wonderful news.”

He sighed with relief, grateful once again for her generous nature and her sincere love for her friend.  “Then marry me.”

The excited dance stopped and she was once again in that strange stillness that was so unlike her.  “Marry?”

“You said you’d stay with me for as long as I wanted.  I want you forever.  I want to have children with you, to grow old with you.  I want your strange sense of crazy courage to be transferred to our children and I want to battle with you for every inch, just like we’ve been doing for the past week.”

The steel band that had formed around her heart suddenly disappeared.  He liked her craziness?  He wanted his children to be like her?  Of all the things she’d thought about over the past few days, this was the absolute last. 

“Why?”

He threw back his head and laughed.  “Because you entice me.  You drive me crazy with your adorable body walking into any room and all I want to do is throw you down onto any surface and make love to you.  I love the way your mind works, I think you’re fascinating to talk to, argue with and just be around.  And I think you have a passion for life that is refreshing.  It seems like nothing scares you, but deep down, you’re just a beautiful woman who won’t let her fears hold her back from protecting the ones you love and experiencing life.”  He took her hands, kissing her fingertips delicately.  “And I want it all.  I want every moment of your life.  I want to fight with you, love with you and be with you.  If you can endure my arrogance and obnoxiousness,” he teased.

Nikki tried to stop the tears.  But his words melted that steel that had caged her heart for so long.  Trusting was hard, but as she heard him talk like that, she realized that she’d spent more energy protecting herself from hurt.  Besides, she wanted to taste life with Nazar.  Without the fears that had been holding her back. 

“I don’t know how to live without fears,” she whispered.  Moving close, she lifted up and was going to kiss his chin but he moved so that she was able to reach his lips.  “I’ll learn though.  I was afraid of horses before I met you.”  A glint came into her eyes as she said, “If I can control a horse, I’m pretty sure I can control you.”

He laughed again and pulled her close.  “I will enjoy your attempts at controlling me,” he growled and bent low to kiss her until she was clinging to him once again. 

Epilogue

“Are they here yet?” Nikki asked, waddling into the living room.  Her hands were clenched into fists over her protruding belly and her lips were raw from biting them.  “They should be here, shouldn’t they?”

Nazar watched with amusement as his no-longer-little wife paced back and forth in the sitting room, glancing out the window as if she might somehow see the limousines arrive. 

“I’m sure you’ll be the first to know when they arrive, my love.”  He was trying to be soothing, but she was walking in front of him, her pregnant belly very obvious and his voice might be a bit huskier than it was comforting.  He couldn’t help it.  She was the sexiest woman he’d ever seen with her swollen belly that was protecting their child. 

She glanced in his direction, then started to move away before the look in his eyes registered.  The blush that formed on her pretty cheeks caused him to chuckle.  “How can you be thinking of sex at a time like this?  I haven’t seen Rachel or Brianna since Jefferson’s second birthday.  Almost three months!” she said, referring to Rachel’s youngest son.  Rachel had four kids and loved every moment of being a mother to her wild clan.  Brianna had two kids already, two boys Lucas and Jacob, who ruled her heart whenever Rocco wasn’t claiming it.  She was also on her third novel, which centered on the business world and all the mysteries her creative mind could come up with.  Her last had hit almost every best seller’s list and they were all cheering for her next novel, which was due to come out soon. 

He laughed again but stood up, taking her hands gently.  “I know.  And I’m sorry.  I can’t help the way I feel about you but I know you’re worried.”  He kissed the top of her head and pulled her against him sideways since she no longer fit against him if she were facing him.  “I also understand how important your friends are to you.  And I’m so sorry that we haven’t had time to visit them before now.”

She turned her face and kissed his chest.  “It isn’t just us.  Brianna and Rachel are just as busy.  I just wish we hadn’t married important people.  Then we could live closer to each other.”

“That’s all true. But you’d be married to a boring accountant or lawyer and wouldn’t be nearly as happy as you are now.”

She glared up at him, thinking about how he’d tricked her into a meeting with the education minister earlier that morning.  “I wasn’t so happy about that hour and a half with the pompous jerk in charge of your school system,” she came right back.  “I can’t believe all the books he wants to eliminate from the school libraries!  It’s basically censorship!”

“Yes, but you set him straight, didn’t you?”

She grumbled slightly but then her son, Jafar, walked into the room and her anger dissipated.  “You’re out of class early!” she exclaimed as he ran into her arms. 

Nazar bent down and picked up their son, almost tossing him in the air.  “I told his tutors that he should have the day off today so he could be here when his friends arrive.”

Jafar giggled, covering his mouth.  “Jonas promised to teach me a trick on my pony,” he chirped up, his six year old mind reveling in the idea of so many friends coming to visit that were closer to his age.  “And Liza is pretty.” 

Nikki kissed his chubby cheek.  “Lilly is more your age, dear.”

Jafar shrugged his shoulders, obviously unconcerned with the two year age difference between himself and Liza.  “Lucas and Jacob both like Lilly,” he explained, as if they were allowed to fight over the six year old while he set his sights on Rachel’s eight year old daughter.

Suddenly, there was a chaotic clash of voices and both Nikki and Jafar looked in the direction of the doorway.  A moment later, a frazzled aid opened the doors a fraction of a second before two beautiful women burst into the room, their eyes quickly scanning the area before settling on their friend.  “Nikki!” both Rachel and Brianna cried out, their arms outstretched as the three of them embraced.  “Oh, it’s been too long,” Brianna cried. 

Nikki was already crying, her arms wrapped around her friends while Rachel brushed her own tears away.  “I agree.  We can’t wait this long to catch up.”

The three of them pulled away and smiled.  “Are the kids okay?” Nikki asked of both of her friends.

The three of them looked to the right where a crazy jumble of arms and legs with little heads already bent into pairs could be found.  Those heads meant trouble because Nikki, Rachel and Brianna knew that conspiracies abounded when their kids got together.  Seven kids laughed and giggled, acting as if they hadn’t been apart for the past six months. 

“Yeah, the kids are great,” Rachel replied with a smile.  Then she looked over at the three men leaning against the bar, all with a drink in their hands already.  “The men are getting ready, I can see.” 

Nikki and Brianna laughed while the three men raised their glasses in response.

Rachel turned after rolling her eyes at her husband.  “You,” she said to Nikki, “need to sit down.”

Nikki laughed, but didn’t argue.  She got off of her feet whenever possible.  “You have to tell me what’s been happening since last July.  I can’t believe how big they’ve all gotten!”

The three women looked over at their children and their husbands.  “Remember the moment in elementary school when we all met?” she whispered, a lump in her throat as she thought back to those frightening days.  “Could you have imagined being here now?”

Brianna and Rachel shook their heads, their eyes tearing up again as they remembered those days.  “They were horrible,” Bri said.  “If it hadn’t been for you two, I don’t know if I could have gotten through those days.”

Rachel shook her head.  “You would have been fine.  We are strong women.  But being together made it so much more fun.” 

“And it’s gotten better ever since,” Bri said, squeezing their hands to emphasize her words. 

“I agree,” Nikki whispered.  She was happier than she’d ever thought possible.  The three of them were proof that a bad beginning could lead to a miraculous life. 

Excerpt from Intimate Desires, book one in The Love and Danger Series

Those sirens were really becoming a nuisance! 

Hannah looked out the window as yet another noisy police car swerved around the corner, heading to who knows where!  Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as the cruiser veered slightly, but then straightened and drove out of sight.  “Here you go, John.  Good luck on your presentation!” she called out to him as she handed him his latte with extra cream and cinnamon. 

Debbie, her assistant manager and good friend, came up to stand beside her as they both watched the police cars chase whatever, even while they prepared the next coffee or tea order.  “What do you think is going on?” Debbie asked, worry showing on her kind features.  Police officers came into the shop for coffee on a regular basis.  It was not normal for them to careen around the corner of the coffee shop as if there was a hostage situation. 

Hannah shrugged and shook her head, irritated since the police were speeding and causing a dangerous situation.  But it wasn’t like she could call the police and tell them to slow down.  “No clue,” she finally replied.  Her eyes might be on the front window, but her hands were swiftly making the next three specialty coffees and almost simultaneously dumping a giant bag of coffee beans into the grinder.  “Whatever they’re doing, I wish they’d be a bit more careful about it.”

“Hi Jessy!” Hannah said, stepping out from behind her massive espresso machine.  “Vanilla cappuccino with cinnamon, right?  How is your cat doing?  Better after the surgery?” she asked the twenty-something woman with a purse, a briefcase, and a gym bag slung over her shoulder.  Jessy was one of those women who was trying to “have it all” but she was really just a softy who would rather rush home after work and knit. 

“She’s all recovered.  Thanks Hannah,” Jessy said with a huge grin as she accepted her cappuccino and headed off to her high stress job as a public relations guru. 

Lilly, a college student who worked at the coffee shop, craned her neck to see out the front window, as were almost all of the customers.  “This can’t be good, whatever it is.”

Hannah had to agree, but probably not for the same reasons.  She loved the police coming into her little shop and always gave them free coffee and muffins.  The gratis food and coffee brought them into her shop and reduced the possibility of criminals harassing her café.  Not to mention, the police officers needed a break.  Their jobs were hard enough already, dealing with the worst that humanity had to offer the world.  Free coffee was the least she could do to thank them for risking their lives every day. 

The two other staff members were too busy taking orders to look around and question the higher than normal police presence; Hannah smiled in anticipation of yet another record breaking sales day. 

She’d opened Quirky Coffee two years ago, right after a miserable divorce.  And every day, every time she opened the front door and smelled the amazing scents, she knew she’d made the right choice.  Both about opening her little coffee shop and getting rid of Horrible Henry, her ex-husband.  Of all the decisions in her life, marrying Henry Wain right after college had been the absolute worst. 

She pushed Horrible Henry out of her mind, refusing to allow him any more space in her life.  She’d cooked and cleaned for him, even while finishing up her own degree on the same schedule as Henry.  And then they’d both gotten high pressure jobs, both worked full time, but Henry complained that his job was too stressful for him to do any of the cooking and cleaning.  Hannah had worked for a marketing company, which was a nice way of saying she worked for a stress factory.  Oh, she couldn’t even count the number of times she’d come home to find him sitting on the sofa, remote in his hand and his feet up on the coffee table.  She would just cringe when he’d ask her what they’d be having for dinner.

No more!  If she wanted to have Oreos and beer for dinner, that’s what she had.  No more making dinners for a lazy slob, no more picking up his dirty underwear off of the floor and cringing at his dirty socks.  Nope!  She might have a tiny apartment, but it was free and clear of stinkified layers of laundry.  And what was even better?  She had full control of the remote!

Yep!  This was the life, she told herself as she smiled to yet another customer, handing her a huge cup of joe.  “See you later!”

She had four coffees and muffins all set up and ready in a box for the next customer when she felt a strange sensation come over her.  Looking around, she wondered what could possibly have changed.  The sun was still rising over the horizon, the customer line was almost out to the door and her shop smelled like sweet, blueberry muffins and coffee.  Nirvana, she thought with pride.

And then she saw him.  Well, there was more than one, but the first one through the door was…

Causing a toe curling, mind-blowing, heart slamming reaction! As the enormous, gorgeous guy walked to the counter, Hannah swallowed painfully, her brown eyes taking in the giant man walking towards her with terrifying purpose. 

She couldn’t stop watching him – it was as if the world had slowed down.  Her eyes and her breath were captured, the low level noise of the coffee shop disappearing, the crazy pounding of her heartbeat was the only sound she heard.  Her eyes dropped lower, noticing his hard mouth and the bulging biceps as he lifted his hand and removed his sunglasses.  And he had the most muscular forearms she’d ever seen in her life.  Not the gross, body builder kind.  Those were different.  These were….hot!  Sexy!