Jalaal brought over a glass of dark liquid and slipped it into my hand. "Sort of."
"Sort of?"
I followed him to the couch and took a seat next to him. It seemed silly for us to sit so close together when there was so much room to spread out, but I felt like a magnet was pulling me closer and closer to him with every breath.
Jalaal glanced down at me, took a sip of his drink, and then spoke. "I own the whole building."
I nearly dropped my glass.
"Are you serious?"
He nodded. "This, and a few properties along the West Coast."
It was a good month if my bank account never dropped below zero. The kind of money it would take to purchase even just one building like this was beyond my cognition.
"Sounds like you need a lot of humbling," I joked, but my throat had gone dry. I took a sip of bourbon and struggled not to cough.
Jalaal flashed his teeth. "Are you sure you're up for the job?"
"Not even a little," I said. "But I'll give it the ol' college try."
I shouldn't have felt as comfortable as I did. Jalaal was way out of my league, he was richer than Croesus, and he essentially had no business hanging out with me. But it didn't matter. Something about his warm expression, or maybe the way his eyes crinkled just a little every time he looked at me, made me feel like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
"What's your first recommendation?" Jalaal asked.
I didn't know where it came from. Maybe it was the drinks, or the tender way he looked at me. Maybe it was the lonely side of me calling out, begging for me to take something I wanted for once in my life.
Whatever it was, the words that came out of my mouth surprised both of us.
"Kiss me."
Jalaal didn't hesitate for a second. He pressed his mouth to mine and pulled me close, folding me into his arms.
I hadn't had a kiss like that in a long, long time. Had I ever had one quite so good? I felt it all over my body, and each one of my nerves tingled with appreciation. His lips were as soft as feathers, but firm and demanding at the same time. I melted into him, all thoughts of the past and future obliterated like glass smashed with a hammer.
Jalaal's heat enveloped me. I sighed and fell in further, urging him to consume me. A fire awoke in my belly and burned hotter than the sun. I needed him. And from the feel of his hand in my hair and his teeth on my lip, I knew he needed me too.
"Would you like to see the rest of my home?" Jalaal murmured. His voice was hoarse, desire snaking up his throat.
Decision time.
Who was I kidding? I'd made the decision the first time I clapped eyes on Jalaal. There was no going back now. And I loved it.
"Yes," I whispered. "Let's start with your bedroom."
I felt him smile against my lips. "Good idea."
SEVEN
I woke with the sun on my face and a smile on my lips. I couldn't remember the last time I'd slept so peacefully. It could have been the luxurious bed, but I suspected my good sleep had more to do with the person I was sharing said bed with.
"Good morning," Jalaal mumbled.
I lifted my head off his tawny chest and rested my chin on it instead. "Good morning."
"How did you sleep?"
I chuckled. "Very well." With a wink, I added, "Which is no surprise, since I was exhausted."
He rubbed my back, a lazy grin spreading over his lips. His half-closed eyes were edged with long, black lashes. I reached up and rubbed a hand over his cheek, trying to memorize every detail. I knew how this worked. I had to leave.
"I should probably get going," I said. "I'm sure you've got a busy day of being rich and fabulous ahead of you, and my ladies are probably wondering where I am."
Jalaal's eyes popped open, alert. "No. You can't leave now."
"I can't?" I asked, my heart fluttering.
He rolled over, trapping me beneath him with a roguish grin. I giggled, splaying my hands over his chest in a weak show of resistance.
"I haven't even made you breakfast yet," he purred. "And I thought it looked like a nice morning for a swim."
As if on cue, my stomach rumbled. And, though I wasn't much of a swimmer, I'd never heard anything that sounded as appealing as a swim with Jalaal. There was only one problem.
"I don't have a swimsuit."
Jalaal nuzzled into my neck, pressing gentle kisses down to my collarbone. "That's okay." He murmured, nipping lightly at the sensitive skin. "Just go down to the gift shop and get one while I make breakfast. You can put it on my tab."
"Jalaal … " I sighed. "I can't accept that. It's too much."
He laughed and pulled back up to my face, his eyes dancing in the morning light. "It's a bathing suit," he deadpanned. "I'm sure my ventures will survive the financial blow."
I pinched his chest. "Don't be rude," I said, laughing.
"Don't be coy," he retorted, nibbling on my earlobe as I wiggled beneath him.
We didn't make it out of bed for another half hour, but when we did I headed straight for the gift shop. If anything, it gave me an opportunity to answer all my missed calls and texts.
Once I reached the lobby, I shot off a text to Sarah to say I'd call her in a few minutes, and then I dialed my dad's number.
"Hello?" he said, picking up.
"Hey, Dad," I said. "How's my boy doing?"
"Well, I'm a little achy from the godawful couch bed your sister's got me sleeping on, but otherwise I'm okay."
In the background, I heard Dawn yelling at him in protest.
I rolled my eyes. "I meant my other boy, Dad. How's Sam?"
"Is that Mommy?" a voice called out in the background.
My heart did a somersault just from hearing his voice. I couldn't believe I still had almost a full week until I would get to see him next. God, I missed the little devil so damn much.
"Yes, it's Mommy," Dad said to Sam. "Do you want to talk to her?"
"Yes!"
"Yes, what?"
"Yes, please," Sam corrected. "May I please talk to Mommy?"
My dad came back on the line. "Before I pass you to Sam, was there anything you needed to tell me, or is everything fine on your end?"
"No. Everything's fine." I let my gaze wander along the polished marble floors and over to the ivory fountain. Everything was much better than fine. "Anything on your end?"
"Just the same old same old. I'm sure Sammy will tell you all about it." He let out a rumbling laugh. "I miss you, kid. I hope you're having fun."
"Lots." My face flashed with heat at the thought of just how much fun. "I miss you, too."
The line clattered, and in the next moment I heard my son's angelic voice. "Hi, Mommy! Auntie Dawn made me oatmeal for breakfast just like you do. Did you teach her how to do that?"
I chuckled. "Actually, your grandma taught us how to make oatmeal like that," I said. "But I'm glad to hear you're enjoying your breakfast."
Sam liked his oatmeal the same way Dawn and I had as kids-with a little bit of extra milk. It always warmed my heart when he picked up things for himself that I'd liked as a kid.
"We're going to go to that big bridge today and Grandpa said he'd let me take as many pictures as I want," Sam continued. "I'm going to bring back a few rocks for my collection, but Grandpa says I can't bring any bugs 'cause we have the same bugs in San Diego."
"You should listen to your grandpa," I replied, cringing at the thought of unpacking a bagful of bugs when Sam got home. "He's a smart guy. That's why I left him in charge."
For the next few minutes, Sam continued to blast me with everything he'd done in the past twenty-four hours. I soaked it up greedily, even though it made me miss him horribly. After we said our goodbyes, I called up Sarah. She was even more excited to talk to me.
"You're on speaker," she warned. "Spill. Everything."
"Well hello to you, too," I joked.
"Please tell me you slept with the Sheikh," Sarah said. "That would officially make this the coolest bachelorette weekend ever."
"Shouldn't the qualifier for best bachelorette party ever be how much fun the bachelorette has?" I asked. "Not just her friend?"
I felt more than a little guilty about abandoning my friends for a guy. It was the kind of thing I'd never done in the past, but I'd heard plenty about how much it annoyed other people.
"Are you kidding?" Sarah exclaimed. "I made you spend all this money to come out here. It would be selfish of me to expect you to give up an opportunity like that just because I want to do Jell-O shots off a male model."