Page 14 of The Sheikh’s Christmas Present

Hanging up the phone, she gave the customs officer a smile. “Hi. I’m Maria Walken. I’m picking up some cargo for Christmas Crates.”

The stern man didn’t crack a smile. He rifled through some paperwork on his clipboard before pulling out some forms. “Sign these,” he said curtly.

Eagerly, she took the forms and placed them flat against the wall. Tilting her pen up, she skimmed through it and signed it at the bottom. “Great. When can I get it loaded? I’m still fueled and ready to go.”

“Tomorrow.”

He turned to leave, but Maria reached out and grabbed his arm. “Tomorrow?” He glared at her, and she immediately released him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to grab you. Did you say tomorrow? Tomorrow is not okay. I need to be in Syria tonight.”

The officer shook his head. “The crates have been inspected, but they still need to be on Riyadh soil for another twelve hours before we can load them. There’s a forty-eight-hour minimum layover for cargo passing through our airport. Nothing you can do about it.”

Maria opened her mouth to argue, but he’d already shut the door in her face. Closing her eyes, she dropped her head and moaned. Was nothing going to go right on this trip?

Feeling almost defeated, she dragged her feet getting back to the plane to tell Jarik the news. She knew for sure that he’d get another flight out, and she’d have to make the rest of the trip alone. It would be fine. She was used to being alone, but for some reason, she wasn’t ready to let go of Jarik so soon.

“From the look on your face, I would say that things didn’t go well,” he said wryly.

“No, they did not. Riyadh has a forty-eight-hour mandatory hold on all cargo going through customs, which means that I can’t get my hands on it until tomorrow. I don’t understand why Sebastian would ship anything through this airport. Normally, if we need to add something at the last minute, we ship it straight to the destination country precisely to avoid holdups like this.” Shaking her head, she struggled once again with the feeling that something was wrong. “Anyway, there are several flights heading out in the next few hours that can take you wherever you need to go.”

“We’ve already gone over this. I’ll grab your things, and we can get a taxi.”

“Okay. I’ve never stayed here before, but I’m sure I can find us a place to stay the night.”

“Forget it. I’m not staying anywhere that you pick out. This can be a rough city, and we’re not separating. I can get us a room.”

Great. They were going to have to go through this again. “Jarik, I’m not staying at one of your fancy hotels.”

“And I’m not arguing with you over this. Not when it’s a matter of your safety,” he growled. “This is non-negotiable. You want my money, so we’re doing it my way.”

Folding her arms, she widened her stance and prepared herself to argue, but he was already inside the plane grabbing their things.

Clearly, he thought that the argument was finished.

“Why is it so hard for you to accept that I can take care of myself?” she grumbled when he emerged.

“I’m not saying that you can’t. But I do know that none of the budget hotels you’d be interested in would provide enough security. Have you so quickly forgotten last night?”

How could she forget? It was one of the most terrifying experiences of her life. Grabbing her bag from him, she sighed. “Fine. Just deduct it…”

“I know,” he cut her off with a grin. “Deduct it from the final amount that I owe you.”

Damn, he was sexy when he smiled like that. It was almost unfair that someone with that body could have that face. It was getting harder and harder to resist him.

Of course, after the way she’d reacted to his kiss, there would probably be nothing to resist. He wouldn’t try again.

Her mood darkened. Shouldering her bag, she waved for him to step ahead of her and trudged along behind him. She really needed to get to Syria so at least the refugees could have a happy Christmas. Her own holiday season was shaping up to be full of frustration of every kind.

7

Unlike the last hotel room, there were no barriers in this one. It was one massive room with an impressive view over the city, a canopied king-sized bed, a large sectional couch, and a full bar in the corner.

Part of Maria wanted to ask why he didn’t get them a second room, but she also didn’t want to know what the price of a single room was.

She didn’t mind sleeping on the couch again. It would probably be more comfortable than the bed at any hotel she could afford. What she did mind was sleeping in the same room as Jarik.

Even though they wouldn’t be near each other, it would still be intimate. She’d be able to see him and hear him breathing and moving around in the bed.

He’d be able to see her. Hear her. She was thankful she didn’t snore, but what other sounds might she make? She paced the room, feeling like she was in a cage.

---