Page 19 of The Sheikh and the Single Mom

“She’s right —Sorry!Is a popular American game that has similar rules.” Nina explained a few differences between the games to the twins, then they began to play. Nina was a little worried that the game would be too complicated for her young kids, but they seemed to understand for the most part what they were supposed to do. Miles took great pleasure in sending everyone’s tokens back to the start, while Kate seemed mostly interested in singing little songs about each number she rolled. Nina was deeply unlucky and stayed at the back for most of the game.

Towards the end, Rashad rolled a five. Nina’s eyes widened as she saw that he could send Miles’s leading piece back to the start, guaranteeing that Rashad would win the game. Rashad was ruthless and self-centered; she knew that. She just hoped that Miles wouldn’t be too upset that he didn’t win.

Rashad reached for his piece, hesitated, then selected a different token. Instead of sending Miles’s piece to start, he harmlessly moved a faraway token. In the next round, Miles won the game and danced for joy across the deck, grinning broadly.

Nina met Rashad’s eyes across the table.

“Good game.”

“It was fun.” He began packing up the tokens. Nina knew that she shouldn’t read too much into Rashad’s actions. Just because he’d let a three-year-old win a game didn’t mean that he was any less of a cold, ruthless businessman than she’d thought. Yet perhaps there was another side to him, a kinder side. Maybe, as well as being a ruthless businessman, he was also a caring man who was kind to children and put off work to play a game.

“Can we play again?” Kate asked.

“Why not?” Rashad stopped packing up the game.

“Yay!”

This time, Kate won, with a little help from Rashad and Nina, and celebrated with her own joyful dance. Once the game was over, Miles begged to play Red Light, Green Light again, then Kate wanted a snack, then both twins wanted to have a freeze dance competition, and before any of them knew it, it was five o’clock — the kids’ usual dinnertime.

“I’m sorry,” Nina said. “We didn’t get any work done today. After the kids eat, I can get them ready for bed and we can get some work done.”

“Don’t worry about it. We still have all day tomorrow, and it was nice to take an afternoon off.”

“It was.” Nina met his dark brown eyes and smiled. To her surprise, it was true. She’d had a lovely afternoon with Rashad — and it had been nice to have a little help with the twins since she was still feeling a little under the weather. “Anyway, I’ll whip up some dinner for the little ones. We can eat later.”

“I’m happy to help.”

“No, it’s really all right. I’ll just make some sandwiches or something.”

“All right. I’ll check in on work, and we can meet up again once the twins are asleep.”

“Perfect.”

As Nina went into the kitchen to make carrot sticks and sandwiches (Kate and Miles weren’t as excited to help this time and elected to color instead, Kate drawing her menagerie of bunnies), her thoughts kept drifting back to Rashad. He’d smiled while playing with Miles and Kate, real, genuine smiles, not the fake or unsettling kind she might have expected from a man like him. He really seemed to have enjoyed himself, even if he was also a little overwhelmed by two rambunctious kids.

Well, she could hardly blame him for being overwhelmed. Or for having fun.

The more Nina saw Rashad outside of a business setting, the more she found herself drawn to him. It was dangerous, she knew that, but without the cold and ruthless veneer, there was a lot to admire in this man. He was considerate, smart, and willing to forfeit a game so that a child could win. He could cook. He seemed amused by her twins instead of annoyed. And yes, he was handsome, with those dark eyes and hair, his height, and his athletic build. Nina had seen him lift a chair over his head while clearing a space for the freeze dancing, as easily as if it weighed nothing.

Nina sighed and put a slice of cheese on the sandwich she was making. Rashad might have a kinder side, but that didn’t mean that he was going to be anything but a businessman during their meeting tonight. She needed to keep her wits about her.

Rashad was still the enemy.

CHAPTER 9

RASHAD

Rashad winced at the sight of the first email in his inbox. Amira had written, with a copy to Abdul, to ask about updates on the meeting with Nina. The problem, of course, was that Rashad didn’t have any updates — he’d spent the last day and a half bonding with Nina and her kids instead of looking for ways to take over her company.

Usually, Rashad would have answered immediately, but today, he just closed his email without replying. He’d get back to his business partners when he had something to tell them. Otherwise, they would just question his process, which wouldn’t help anyone — especially since Rashad was questioninghimself.

The sound of high-pitched laughter echoed from the dining area, and Rashad smiled to himself. He’d enjoyed the day with the twins and their beautiful mother more than he’d expected to. He knew that he should have pushed to have a business meeting with Nina after lunch, but he hadn’t wanted to. She needed time to recover after her illness, and Rashad had wanted to get to know her a little better.

The sound of laughter faded. Rashad did a little more work, though it was hard to concentrate, before allowing himself to get up and wander out of his cabin. Nina and the kids were nowhere in sight, so she must be putting them to bed. He spotted a neat stack of coloring books, the panda princess he’d been working on lying on top, and two identical boxes of crayons — the only sign that his boat was inhabited by young children.

While he waited for Nina to emerge, Rashad took over the kitchen, whipping up a quick but delicious menu of fish tacos with fresh cabbage slaw and crispy potatoes. It was his own recipe, just like almost everything he cooked. By the time Nina returned, he’d set the table with two plates, two wine glasses, and the food. Even better, the sun had begun to paint the sky with vibrant oranges and reds as sunset approached. The colors reflected off the waves, which stretched unbroken to the horizon, offering a view so beautiful Rashad wished he could capture it in his memory forever.

“Wow.”

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