Page 4 of The Sheikh's Defiant Girlfriend

“We’d better get back before the light is gone,” Amir said.

They folded the blanket and rode back toward the barn, at a more reasonable pace this time. This time, she was glad to sit up against his back, her arms around his waist, if only for the warmth. As they rode through the twilight, she wondered if she’d done the right thing by agreeing to his proposal. Knowing Amir as she did, she knew there wasn’t much chance he would stick to their deal. She was quite certain she’d be seeing him far more than was ideal. And weirdly, that thought warmed her almost as much as having his broad back pressed up against her.

* * *

Amir pulled his car up in front of Soraya’s house. It was…cute. Tiny. But it looked well-kept, at least from what he could see. The light was completely gone from the sky now, but he felt like he was glowing. He’d loved the feel of her pressed to his back, her hands and arms on his body. He probably shouldn’t have ridden Najma so fast over the desert sand with a novice rider behind him, but when the horse had sped up and Soraya had tightened her hold, the temptation to keep her there had been too strong to resist. Najma was bred from desert bloodlines. She could run forever if he asked her to.

He walked Soraya to the door.

“Thank you for indulging me,” he said and leaned in a little, hoping for a kiss.

She leaned back the same distance. “It’s not like I had much choice.”

A light breeze brushed Soraya’s hair back from her perfect cheekbones. He wanted to hold her in his arms and plant a small kiss on those cheekbones. He wanted to kiss her lips. He wanted to keep her close. He didn’t know when his feelings for her had sprouted, but now, she was all he thought about.

“But you enjoyed it,” he said with a grin. “Don’t try to tell me you didn’t enjoy your first time on a horse, your first sunset across the desert.”

“Fine. Yes, I enjoyed it. Goodnight, Amir.” And with that, she disappeared into the house.

Amir waited until he saw the lights turn on before returning to his car. He wanted all her firsts to be with him. Was she a virgin? He hoped she was. He wanted her first time to be with him. The thought of another man touching her drove him crazy. But he would have to bide his time before he found out. Before he could claim her as his own.

2

The next day, Amir sat with his family out on the patio. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, and Sara’s mum, Tariq, Amir, and Fiddah were all having lunch by the pool. Little Leylah was asleep upstairs, and the nanny was with her. It had been two weeks since Sara had returned from the hospital with Amir’s new baby niece, Leylah, and while Sara looked happier than Amir had ever seen her, she was obviously still tired and sore. Tariq helped her sit down and pushed the chair in for her.

“My grandson is so smitten,” Fiddah said and smiled. “I’ve never seen you with a woman, Tariq, let alone so attentive. Only a few months ago, you were determined not to wed, yet here you are with a fiancée and a new baby.”

“It’s still so new to me too,” Amir said and turned to look at Sara. “How are you?” he asked.

“Hungry,” Sara replied with a smile as she picked up her fork. “Hospital food was so horrible, and apparently breastfeeding means I’m hungry all the time.”

“When we returned from the hospital, the kitchen was the first room she went to,” Tariq said. Everyone laughed. They were all very aware of how much Sara loved food. She didn’t even bother to defend herself and carried on eating.

“Who would have thought my baby girl would be getting married so soon,” Mrs. Matthews said. “She still can’t even walk without tripping over herself.”

Amir snorted with amusement. He had witnessed many of Sara’s clumsy moments and was often the one to catch her, especially when she’d worked with him every day as his assistant. Sara looked up and narrowed her gaze at her mother.

Amir’s phone vibrated. Hoping it was something from Soraya, he took it out and quickly read the message before slipping it back into his pocket. Sadly, it wasn’t from her.

Sara moved closer to him and whispered, “Something up?”

“It’s nothing important,” Amir said and gestured for her to eat. Sara turned back to her plate. She would no doubt grill him about it later. Sara was like a dog with a bone, and Amir feared she would not stop until she knew all there was to know about his relationship with Soraya—not that there was much to know, but he was working on it.

“Is there a date set for the wedding?” Fiddah asked.

“The doctor says it will take almost two months for me to be completely recovered from the C-section,” Sara said. “And dress fittings will be easier if my body is more or less back to normal.”

Her mother and Fiddah both laughed. “Oh, darling,” her mother said, “even if you lose all the baby weight, your body will never go back to how it used to be.”

“Indeed,” Fiddah commented and rolled her eyes. Both women knew the troubles of shedding pregnancy weight.

Tariq leaned toward her. “It will be more beautiful, because it nurtured our daughter.”

“You’re the perfect man. Do you know that?” Sara said, smiling at him.

Amir rolled his eyes. “Tariq, you’ve become positively sappy. I approve. I think Sara is the only one who can teach you to enjoy life.”

As they finished lunch, the nanny arrived with a fussy Leylah in her arms. “She wants her mama,” the woman said. “She’s hungry again.”

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