Page 14 of The Sheikh's Secret Heir

We raise our glasses in a silent toast, the clink echoing softly in the room. As the scotch warms my throat, I’m aware of the burden of the secrets we’re now bound by. But for Ali, for this child who knows nothing of the burdens he carries, I am resolved to keep them.

CHAPTER 8

FAIZ

Idown the rest of the liquor in my glass, but it doesn’t do much to calm me. I’m still on edge, vibrating with nervousness from the strangeness of this situation Tara and I are now in. We’ve settled the details of her new position within my home. Pay, expectations, discretion.

I’ll have a new NDA, a more thorough and specific one, drafted for her to sign within the day. After that, there’s nothing to do but call her when we need her assistance.

While Ali’s other doctor is a good one, I’ve always had my concerns about his ability to keep his mouth closed. With Tara, she’s already at least partly proven herself through her job with my family. If I’m going to expose our lives to someone, I suppose she’s the best bet.

“Any questions?” I lift an eyebrow.

“No.” She sets her glass on a coaster. “I do want to say… you can trust me.”

My chest tightens. They’re the words I was hoping to hear, and even though I understand they’re just a promise and not an actual proof of her commitment, I appreciate them nonetheless.

“Thank you.”

Her gaze softens, long lashes raking across the tops of her cheeks. Heat pools in my core, and suddenly I can’t get comfortable in my seat.

Clearing my throat, I put my glass down. “Let me show you around,” I offer, gesturing towards the door. “Since you will be here regularly, you’ll need to get the lay of the land.”

Tara nods, her demeanor shifting back to business. She’s always straightforward like that, never one for unnecessary flourishes. It’s one of the things I respect about her.

We walk through the hallways of my palace, my home that has become as much a haven as it has a prison. The scent of flowers sneaks in from the gardens, mingling with the faintest hint of spices coming from the kitchen, where my chef is cooking. I watch Tara take it in, her blond hair catching stray beams of light filtering through the windows.

“Everything feels so… alive,” she murmurs, almost to herself. “It’s funny, really. I’ve been here for two years and I’m still a little awestruck. This is such a beautiful city.”

“I understand what you mean,” I say. “I’ve lived here my whole life and traveled to almost every country, and yet there’s no place like here. This land never grows tiresome. Where are you from?”

I’m doing my best to sound only mildly interested when in truth I’m vibrating with the need to have more information on her.

“New Jersey. Heard of it?”

“The Jersey Shore?” I ask.

She laughs, the sound echoing in the hallway. “That’s part of it. There’s so much more to it, though. It’s…” She shrugs. “It’s okay. I guess. I never saw much of it growing up. I’ve actually never seen much of anywhere.”

My head cocks in interest. “Why is that?”

“My parents taught me that education is the most important thing. We didn’t take a lot of trips. My summers were spent tutoring, playing on chess and tennis teams… anything to make my college application look good, really.”

“Surely that’s not all you did.”

She almost looks sad. “It was. I didn’t make much time for friends growing up or while in college. By the time I started my residency, I didn’t have that muscle. I’d never used it.”

I stay quiet, giving her space to continue. Her honesty surprises me, as does the pang of sympathy I feel. For a woman who seems so put-together, it strikes me that this is how she’s spent her life: self-contained.

“Did it ever bother you?” My question is more nosy than I’d like, but curiosity has always been my downfall.

She shrugs, fingers ghosting over the intricate carvings on a side table as we pass. “At times, perhaps. But mostly no. I’m… comfortable with solitude.”

I understand what she means. Solitude is something familiar to me, too. Yet with her in my palace, that solitude feels less heavy.

“I suppose…” I pause. “What we don’t know doesn’t hurt us.”

Her laughter surprises me; it echoes off the high ceilings, filling the silence of the palace. It’s beautiful and contagious, and for the first time in a long time, I find myself laughing too.

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