Page 1 of The Sheikh's Defiant Girlfriend

1

Amir Botros parked his car near the bus stop. He waited only a couple minutes before he saw a familiar figure walking toward him. The woman passed the bus stop and approached the car. He smiled and pressed the button to open the window. He’d thought he might have to chase her to get her attention.

“Amir, why are you here?” the woman asked him, barely sparing him a look.

“To pick you up. Why else?”

“I’m perfectly capable of getting myself home. Thanks, though.” She turned to walk off.

“Soraya, come on!” Amir called out after her.

She walked back to the car, this time leaning forward to look through the open window. “I don’t trust you, Amir.”

“When have I ever led you astray?” He gave her his most charming smile.

“There was the time you and my brother persuaded me to play hide-and-seek with you, and instead of seeking, you locked me in the broom closet. I was in there for hours until one of the maids found me. And then there was the time you drove me to Yusuf’s graduation party at his family’s estate. You left with another woman, and I had no ride home.”

Amir rubbed the back of his neck. He’d forgotten about those incidents. He and Malik, her older brother, had played some tricks on her when they were children. He was sure she could come up with more if he gave her the time. And she’d only need a second.

“I’ve reformed since then,” he said quickly. “I would never abandon you that way now.” And he wouldn’t. Soraya occupied his mind every waking moment. Her lithe body, flowing chestnut hair, the way her skin seemed to shimmer in the sunlight. The knowing way she looked at him, and the way she called him out for his misbehavior. The way she didn’t fall into his lap at the slightest provocation. She knew him too well from their shared childhood to fall prey to his charms. She remained aloof, pushing him away at every opportunity. “Come on. I promise I’ll get you home safely.”

At that moment, a city bus pulled up, slowing but not stopping. Not seeing anyone waiting at the stop, it pulled away and headed off down the street.

“Dammit, Amir. That was my bus.”

“Lucky for you, I’m here to give you a ride.” He grinned.

She rolled her eyes, opened the car door, and got in.

“You did that on purpose,” she said.

He actually hadn’t, but he did wish he’d thought of it.

“Where shall we go?” Amir asked as he started the car.

“Home,” she said as if he were stupid for even asking the question.

“Are you hungry?”

“I ate at work. It’s one of the perks of being a server at the best restaurant in town. And no, I don’t want to go for a drink, either. No dates or anything that looks like a date.”

“We’ve been on one before.” He pulled away from the curb, his brain working on the next step of his plan. For the moment, he would head toward her home.

“That doesn’t count. You know full well I was expecting someone else that night. Did you pay him to stand me up, or did you steal his phone to ask me out, so I would think it was him?”

Amir ignored her question. Explaining that he had bought a phone for the sole purpose of pretending to be someone else so she’d agree to meet him for dinner would not win him any points. She had her serious face on, and getting her to relax was a long and delicate process. Making her laugh would be a multi-day mission. One that he enjoyed.

“How was work?” Amir asked. Her part-time job helped pay for the degree in accounting and finance she was working toward. She’d never wanted to rely on her family’s money. That independent streak of hers was part of what he liked about her. He turned onto the road that led out of the city.

“Fine,” Soraya replied. “Erm, this is not the way to my house.”

“You’re very uptight,” he replied.

“What?” She sounded confused by his sudden change of topic.

He turned and smiled at her. He’d finally settled on where to take her. Oh, he’d keep his promise and get her home safely. Eventually. But right now, he wanted to take her out, do something spontaneous. He wanted to put a smile on her face.

“Amir, what are we doing way out here?” Soraya asked as they left the city behind.

---