Page 308 of The Skeikh's Games

“Your invitation was rather prompt, but of course, I am happy to join you,” she muttered.

Kamal’s eyes widened in surprise. She was angry. He could feel it simmering just below the surface. He’d been so wrapped up in the fact that he didn’t want to do this that he didn’t even consider how she would feel. Once again, he was treating her like she was nothing.

With a shake of his head, he reached over and took her hand. She looked up, startled, and even he was surprised at the zing of electricity when he touched her. Her skin was soft and smooth beneath his, and he wanted to rub the pad of his thumb over the inner palm of her hand. Immediately, he banished the thought. Clearly it had been too long since he had a woman. “I’m glad that you’re happy to see me, but I should have notified you first and made sure that it was okay with you. My father insisted on this meeting, and I wrongly assumed that you would be available.”

“I appreciate the apology,” she said softly. Her eyes held genuine appreciation, and he felt almost relieved. It occurred to him that she might not be happy about the match, and how he was acting was making things worse. First he ignored her, and then he was rude to her. He didn’t love the idea of marrying her, but he didn’t need to make it worse. He was going to spend the rest of his life with her. He should be making things more pleasant for the both of them.

“Where would you like to go for lunch?” he asked suddenly.

She chuckled. “We’re on our way to a restaurant, and now you want to know where I would like to go?”

“I should have asked soon, but that, at least, is easily remedied. We can go wherever you would like.”

Jada cocked her head and studied. After a moment, she leaned forward and whispered something in the driver’s ear. He met Kamal’s eyes in the rearview mirror, and Kamal nodded.

“Does it have to be a secret?” he asked, amused.

“You seem like the type of man who has everything planned. A little spontaneity and surprise never hurt anyone,” she said with a smile. He saw the mischief twinkling in her eyes and could not help but laugh. Sometimes she was so different than she first appeared. He hoped that after the wedding, she would feel relaxed enough to be herself.

When the car finally stopped, he looked out the window and frowned. “Jada, there isn’t anything here.”

She didn’t say anything but smiled secretively. After an exaggerated suffering sigh, he got out and held out his hand. Even after she got out, he held on and let her drag him around the corner until he saw an opening in the alley. When they ducked in, he was delighted to see a little café that held only ten tables.

“What is this place?” he asked as she guided him to a table in the back.

“This is one of my favorite places. It’s a hole in the wall and pretty poor, but the owners are magnificent and the food is remarkable. You will not regret trusting me on this.”

He took her word for it and ordered from the small paper menus. While they waited for their food, he stared at her from across table. “When we were kids, you said that if you ever left this place, you would never come back. What happened?”

Jada shrugged. “I was too young to understand the politics behind our play dates. You have responsibilities and obligations as the future Sheikh, and I have obligations as the proposed future Sheikh’s wife. You must have known that this is what they were planning.”

Kamal shook his head. “The thought had occurred to me when we were younger, but then you left for Europe and I left for America. I thought that was all there was to it. What did you do in Europe?”

“I was educated. I made friends, I read books, and I wrote articles. I, of course, also had private tutors that worked with me to teach me politics and how to conduct myself as the Sheikh’s wife. It was very structured, but I got to travel and learn new cultures, and that was beautiful. What did you do in America?”

He grew quiet as he thought of a response. He also was educated, but outside of his studies, he only had Sara. He didn’t travel or socialize with other people. It was almost sad now to think of the life he could have led. But then he would never have met the woman that he so desperately loved, and he wouldn’t give that up for the world. “Same as you, only I imagine what I learned about culture is very different from what you learned about culture,” he said wryly. “If you didn’t marry me, what would you be doing?”

There food came at that moment, and he was surprised to see the change over her. Where she’d been smiling and comfortable, she was now veiled and quiet. “I can imagine many different paths for my life, but there’s no point in speaking things out loud. Talking about what could be is to talk of dreams, but to talk about what could never be is just awkward. Now, tell me that this isn’t the best food that you’ve ever had. I have no doubt that while your cooks are the best in the country, this place is even better!”

He felt his heart break a little as he listened to her, but instead of prolonging the conversation, he dug into his couscous and chicken. His eyes widened in surprise at the robust flavors. “This is amazing,” he said with his mouth full. “Do you think I can hire them?”

Jada rolled her eyes. “I’m sure they’d love to pass up their dream of owning their own place so they can hide away in the Sheikh’s kitchen.” Immediately, she looked down. “Sorry, that was rude.”

Kamal could only shake his head. “No, please. I prefer you to be genuine. Stop being what you think I want you to be, and just be the woman that you are.”

His bride-to-be only took another bit of her food and avoided his gaze. He blew out his breath in frustration, and they ate the rest of their meal in awkward silence. Whatever spell they’d been under was now broken. Instead of Kamal and Jada, they were future Sheikh and future wife. The pressure squeezed his chest, and he finally nodded curtly to the owners when their meal was over. He was almost anxious to return her so he could get back to the comfort of his office.

“I enjoyed lunch very much, and I’ll make an effort to see you more before the wedding,” he said formally as he helped her from the car outside her home.

Jada shook her head. “That’s not necessary. This situation is strange for both of us, and I think it might be best if we just focus on the wedding. We’ll have the rest of our lives to get to know each other,” she said lightly.

Kamal leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek. He was almost pleased to see her face warm under his touch. “Take care, Jada,” he said softly as he walked away.

She was right, of course. There was no point in courting her, and if it did nothing to ease the path into the marriage, what was the point? Still he couldn’t help but feeling a little bereft as he slid into the car. Kamal had imagined that his wife would be one who would want to spend every waking moment with him.

Now he would have one who didn’t even want to see him during the few weeks that led up to the wedding. What was he supposed to do with that information?

Chapter Four

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