Page 26 of The Sheikh and the Single Mom

Nina took a deep breath and focused on the yacht. She couldn’t let herself get distracted by Rashad’s soft voice in her ear.

“This does feel more natural,” she said.

“Perfect. Now try this…”

In retrospect, Nina didn’t remember much of the sailing lesson. All she remembered was the feeling of Rashad’s hands on hers, strong and confident, and the way he joked with her in a kind way whenever she struggled to do something. She remembered his warmth against her back and his aftershave scent and how he guided her gently towards the scrap of land in the near distance.

Soon, they arrived at the island. Rashad took over the last bit of steering, bringing them in at a safe distance from the island’s sandbar.

“We’ve arrived,” he said. “We can go over to the island in the dinghy.”

“Excellent. I’ll take Kate and Miles to get our swimsuits on.”

“See you in a few minutes.”

Back in their cabin, Nina helped the twins into their swimsuits and slathered them with sunblock. She helped Kate gather her wispy hair back into two ponytails and found both kids’ goggles. Finally, Nina changed into her own swimsuit. She’d brought a functional dark blue swimsuit, the same one she wore when she went to the pool to swim laps in the mornings, but now she half-wished she’d brought something a little more flattering.

Nina quickly shook that thought out of her head. The blue suit was a good choice, and it wasn’t like she had anyone to show off for. Certainly, she wasn’t trying to look nice for Rashad — just because he’d turned out to be a lot less of a jerk than she’d anticipated, that didn’t mean that she was interested in him. She could be around an attractive, nice-smelling, intriguing man while wearing her regular, practical, boring swimsuit.

Nina put on a little sunblock of her own, then led the kids out to meet Rashad. While they were gone, he’d prepared the dinghy and changed into a pair of swim trunks with no shirt. Nina tried not to stare at the clearly defined muscles of his chest, abs, and shoulders as he effortlessly tossed a cooler bag and an inflatable raft into the dinghy.

Rashad turned, smiling, and caught sight of Nina. For a long moment, his eyes seemed to catch on her as he swept his gazefrom her flip-flop-clad feet to her broad sunhat, then quickly to her face. She saw something there — desire, perhaps. Or perhaps the warm sun and excitement of the day was making her jump to conclusions.

“Ready to go?”

“Yep.” Nina crossed her arms over her stomach self-consciously, before quickly returning them to her sides.

“Let me help you in.” Rashad held out a hand to Nina, who used it as a stabilizer while she climbed into the dinghy. Next, Rashad handed Kate, then Miles, into the dinghy, both kids giggling excitedly at the prospect of an adventure. The dinghy had a small motor on the back, which Rashad used to navigate them to the white-sand beach nearest the yacht. When they arrived on shore, Kate and Miles couldn’t wiggle out of the boat fast enough.

“You know the rules,” Nina said.

“Stay in sight. Only go in the water with you,” Miles and Kate chorused.

“Good job.”

With everyone satisfied that the rules were being followed, the twins leaped from the boat and began to chase each other around in the sand. Nina and Rashad disembarked at a more sedate pace.

“This is beautiful.” Nina scuffed her foot through the warm, soft sand, leaving a line in her wake. The sound of the waves crashing and the seagulls calling and the wind in the palms made her feel like she was on a tropical island in the middle of the Pacific, far from all her worries. “Have you been here before?”

“No, but I spotted it on the map this morning.” Rashad smiled. “I thought the kids would enjoy it.”

“Cleary, you were wrong.” Nina winked to show that she was joking, though it would have been obvious from the way the twins were now making sand angels on the ground.

“Clearly.” Rashad nudged her shoulder with his own. “I’m hoping their mother will enjoy the excursion, too. It seems like you could use a vacation.”

“Do I look that tired?” Nina raised her eyebrows.

“No, not at all?—”

“I’m messing with you. I coulddefinitelyuse a vacation — but so could you. You clearly work incredibly hard.”

“Running a business is a lot, but you run a businessandraise a family.”

“Honestly, it’s hard, but I think my family reminds me of why my business is so important. It might be harder to do one without the other. I want to leave a legacy for Aunt Katherine, but I also want to create a legacy forthem.” Nina nodded to the twins, who were now trying to draw sandy smiley faces on the sand angels they’d made. “I want them to be proud someday when they tell people who their mother is.”

“They’ll definitely be proud.” Rashad nodded slowly, then took a seat on the sand. Nina sat beside him, stretching her legs in front of her and enjoying the warmth of the sand on the backs of her bare legs.

“Thanks. I hope so.” Nina dug her toes into the sand, hesitating. “Do you think you’ll ever want a family?”

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