Page 74 of Warming the Sheikh's Bed & Love in the Fast Lane

Cassie laughed. “I think he’s about to build a hospital at the palace unless we stop him.”

“Good, yes, a wise idea. We shall speak to him and make it easier.”

“No, no,” Cassie laughed. “Please. I don’t want all the fuss.”

“You will have it, nonetheless,” Adin winked at her.

After several more fruitless requests by Cassie to keep things calm and low-key, and several more increasingly excited pronouncements from Elena, Layth was finally able to whisk his bride away from the palace and into one of his fleet of Range Rovers.

“I didn’t even know you could drive,” she said with a droll tone, earning a laugh from her newly-minted husband.

“It is a relief to know I can continue surprising you even now.”

Cassie’s smile was comfortable. She was comfortable. Layth regarded her thoughtfully, wondering if the time was right to bring up the matter that had been worrying him lately. “Cass, I must ask you about your mother.”

A frisson of emotion flared dangerously in her system. She was instantly alert. “What about her?”

He hated having to unsettle his bride. “She has been attempting to contact you through official channels.”

“What do you mean?” She couldn’t believe it. She hadn’t even thought of her mother since marrying Layth.

“Iskander has been passing her messages to me.” He flicked her a gaze. “I am sorry to have kept this from you, but I did not want to trouble you while you were so unwell.”

“I see. And why are you telling me now?” She reached for his hand and squeezed it. “I’m not angry with you, Layth. I know you were protecting me.”

He cast her a look of admiration. His wife was kind and she was empathetic, and he loved her with every fibre in his being. “Your mother would like to come here to see you. To see your palace.”

Cassie sat up straighter. “She does?”

“Yes.” Layth measured his words carefully. “How do you feel about this?”

Cassie shook her head. “I lost my mother ten years ago. I’m no longer upset with her. The past is in the past. But I don’t know if I want to see her again.”

She was silent for a long while. “Is she suggesting that he would come too?”

“Yes.”

Cassie shivered. “I think it’s best if you put a stop to it, Layth.”

He nodded. “I agree.”

“You do?”

“Cassie, if your stepfather ever sets one foot on Takisabad land, I will have him thrown in prison for the rest of his life.” He gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were white. “I have wondered if I should encourage the visit simply so that I might do so. When I think of this man living out his life without any consequences, I am apoplectic.”

“Layth,” despite the seriousness of his words, Cassie couldn’t help but smile. “He’s not worth your time. Trust me.” Cassie leaned back in her seat and yawned. “But I’d prefer not to see them again. You’re my family now. You and Jude and Melinda and Renee, and your parents who are lovely, and your uncle who is brave.”

Layth’s heart swelled. “You should sleep, my dear one. It is a long drive.”

“Yes.” She closed her eyes and sighed. She hardly needed prompting these days. She felt as though she was exhausted just about all the time.

The day was hot too, as most days in Takisabad were proving to be. But Layth had been right, when he had described the Kingdom as uniquely beautiful. Cassie wasn’t sure she’d ever seen a country so diverse and stunning.

Her eyes drifted shut somewhere north of the City, and it wasn’t until the sound of the ocean reached her ears that she stirred. The sun was dropping down in the sky, casting an orange glow over the sea. Waves were rolling gently to the shore, and stars were beginning to twinkle overhead.

She smiled contentedly, unaware of the way Layth was staring at her. “Where is this?”

“Our beach.”

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