Page 28 of Sheikh's Unexpected Triplet Babies

Chapter Ten

It was perfect. It was nearly perfect.

The days passed, and though she did not see Jahin every single day, she saw him far more than she had any other person in the last few years.

Sometimes, business took him into the parliament house in the capital, and sometimes it took him into the elegant and impressive rooms in Dubai where deals were struck and allies made. Sometimes, he came back to the penthouse that became their base of operations in the capital of the province, and he would be grim and tired.

At first, Bedelia thought that more than anything else, he would want to be left alone when he was in that state. But soon enough, she realized she could soothe him, bring him out with gentle words and smiles until the care was erased from his brow.

There were plenty of days, however, where they were able to simply be with one another. He fulfilled his promise and took her to the beautiful and hidden spots of Muneazil, places where she would never have been allowed, places that she didn't even know existed. He took her to those places, he told her about them, and more often than not, he took her into his arms in a quiet corner and kissed her there.

"It's like you're giving me a kissing tour of Muneazil's most beautiful spots," she teased one night as they walked back to the car after exploring a gorgeous and ancient salt cave.

"No," he said, suddenly looking hard towards something to his right. "I am showing you to the history of my country."

"What?"

Of course, that was when he was saved by the bell. His phone went off, and there was something desperately urgent that he needed to attend to on the other line.

As he took care of it, however, Bedelia thought about his words. Why in the world would he want to show her off to the beautiful and sacred places of his people? What could it have meant?

She thought as they walked, but then when he got off the phone, there was another excursion to discuss, another event to consider, and she more or less forgot about the strange comment.

Perhaps of more pressing concern was the fact that he wanted to spend money on her. Not long after their excursion to the royal stables, he noticed how small her suitcase was.

"Is that truly all you have with you?" he asked, his voice so fascinated that she laughed.

"It's almost all I have in the world," she admitted. "I got rid of a lot of stuff before I moved. This is the bulk of what was left. I figured that whenever I got back stateside, I would start to rebuild my wardrobe."

"Well, that will hardly do," he said. "I am sending for a personal shopper to get you some clothing."

She started to protest, but he sent her a quelling look.

"This is not a place where you can argue with me," he said firmly. "Next week, I am hoping to take you to one of the ancient mosques. That means that you must be dressed respectfully and decently."

"All right," she relented, "but seriously, just make it a few pieces, all right? I don't like to be in anyone's debt."

She had thought that the conversation was over, but then he took her into his arms, making her look up into those gorgeous copper eyes.

"This isn't a matter of being in anyone's debt," he said gently. "Tell me, do you like having nice things?"

She frowned at him, because what kind of question was that?

"Sure, I do," she said cautiously.

"And I like buying nice things for you," he said firmly. “We are not negotiating here, not really. We are simply giving each other...what we want. That is all. Nothing more."

Well, it was only a few pieces of clothing, she decided, nothing to get too worried about.

Of course, she was very, very wrong.

The shopper came in with racks and racks of clothes, and some of those clothes were just for finding which things would fit her well. Then there were discussions of events and materials and fiber and wear, and by the end, Bedelia was so stunned that she had no idea what in the world she was signing up for.

"I...I don't know what you need to know," she said finally, and her personal shopper winked.

"You should leave it all up to me, my dear," she said. "After all, this is not going on your tab..."

Before Bedelia could wonder if that was some kind of strange dig or insult, the woman was off again, and Bedelia found out somewhat helplessly that she was someone who looked very good in warm colors.

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