Page 29 of The Sheikh's Fake Bride Scheme

KAREEM

The moment they arrived back in Qalmar, Kareem found himself missing Monaco. Ordinarily, it would have been good to be home — it would have been refreshing and calming to be back in the place that was more familiar to him than any other.

But a part of him felt as if something vital had been left behind in Monaco. While they had been there, he had felt free to enjoy himself with Keira. He had stopped thinking about the fact that their relationship was a sham, that they needed to make sure to perform every moment so they wouldn’t be caught. He had simply gotten to know her better — and he’d liked it.

Now that they were back in Qalmar, though, things were different.

He spread the paperwork detailing his agreement with the racing venue before him and tried again to focus on what he was doing. These papers needed to be signed and returned today. Renting the space was the biggest investment they were going to have to make, and once they had done so, it would be very hard to undo what they’d done. But Kareem knew this was where hewould take his largest risk, as well. Putting his name down on paper officially meant that people here in Qalmar would know what he was doing. They would know that he was trying to organize a race. And once that became known, it was only a matter of time until the word got back to his father.

“What are you doing?”

He looked up. Keira was standing in the doorway, watching him.

For a moment, he felt robbed of breath. He couldn’t seem to get used to his beautiful she was. She’d allowed her auburn curls to hang loose around her shoulders today, and she wore linen pants and a tunic — a Qalmese style. It was exciting to see her adapting to the culture here, and every time Kareem saw her take another step into living life as a Qalmese woman, it made it more difficult for him to remember that she would not be staying. Eventually, she’d go back to America, and he’d never see her again.

It doesn’t have to be like that. We’re friends now, aren’t we? And friends keep in touch with one another.

Yes, they were friends. But their lives were so different. He didn’t know how he would manage to maintain a friendship with a woman who lived so far away. They could write emails and text one another, but it wouldn’t be the same as seeing each other every day, and eventually they would grow apart.

This was always the plan. Why do I care so much all of a sudden?

“Are you okay?” Keira asked, stepping into the office. “You seem a million miles away.”

“I’m all right,” Kareem assured her. “I’m just looking over these documents.”

“Is everything what we expected it to be?”

“It is, yes.”

“Then you should sign them so we can return them quickly,” she said. “It’s for the best if we don’t keep the venue waiting. After all, we can’t do anything until we’re sure we have that.”

“No, I know,” Kareem said. “It’s just that… once I put my name down on this form, it’s official.”

“Don’t you want it to be official?”

“Yes. I just don’t want my father to find out.”

Keira sighed.

“What?”

“Nothing, I just… I don’t like how fearful you are when we’re in Qalmar.”

“I’m not afraid of my father,” Kareem said. “But I am realistic about the power he wields. He has the ability to shut this down. All he would have to do would be to discover what we’re doing, and I’m sure he would put a stop to it. You don’t want that any more than I do.”

“No, I don’t,” Keira agreed. “But we’re going to have to take that chance. If your father finds out what we’re doing, he will stop us — you’re right. But if we never sign the papers, the event will never get off the ground in the first place, and that isn’t any better — right?”

Kareem found himself smiling. “You’re right,” he admitted. “The only thing to do is to take the risk.”

He scrawled his name on the signature line.

“Perfect,” Keira said, picking up the papers. “I’ll get these faxed over right away.”

“You don’t have to do that.” Kareem felt a stab of guilt. Handling faxes seemed like a job for a secretary or an assistant, and he didn’t want Keira to feel like he thought of her as beneath him in any way.

She laughed. “Kareem, you don’t know how to use the fax machine.”

“Well. There’s some truth to that.”

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