The Sheikh's Stolen Bride-To-Be(32)

"Pardon me, but what?" I asked.



There were snickers in the background. Sarah cleared her throat.  "Nothing. Just a thing that could potentially be fun. Definitely not  something that has already happened."



I grinned. "You're wild. I would never have been able to do that."



"True," Sarah said. "But you did end up shacking up with bona fide royalty for the night. I think you're doing okay."



I was still having trouble wrapping my head around that concept. I, a  nurse from San Diego who had barely traveled and had spent most of the  past five years up to my elbows in grime of some kind, had charmed a  sheikh into bed.



Talk about surreal.



"Well I'm just going to go for a swim with Jalaal and have some  breakfast," I said. "After that I'll come back and tell you guys all  about it."



The protests came so quickly that I couldn't tell who was saying what.  Eventually Sarah managed to quite everyone down enough to talk.



"You need to stay, Skyler," she insisted. "Who knows when you could get another opportunity like this?"



"But it's your bachelorette weekend, Sarah!" I furrowed my brow. "I  can't just abandon you because some hot guy wants to hang out with me."



"That is so not what is happening here," she replied. "You're looking at this all wrong."



"Enlighten me."



"You are a hardworking single mother who desperately needs a break.  You're clearly having a ton of fun with this guy, and I would be so mad  at you if you gave that up just because you felt a duty to be by my side  while I do a bunch of stuff that you probably wouldn't want to do  anyway."



She had a point.



"Are you sure?" I asked.



This time it was words of encouragement that piled on top of each other.



I really loved my friends. I didn't get to see them much, and our lives  had taken us in wildly different directions, but I could always count on  them to look out for my best interests.



"I'll keep you guys posted," I grinned, strolling toward the gift shop  on the other side of the reception desk. "Make sure you have a ton of  fun."



"You too, girl!"



I hung up the phone and strode into the gift shop like I owned the  place. Maybe I didn't, but the guy buying me a swimsuit did. Speaking of  swimsuits, I tried not to look at the price tags after I caught a  glimpse of the first one. The shop assistant helped me pick out a cute  but modest bikini, her eyes flashing with interest as soon as I told her  which room to bill it to. She treated me like a queen-even though she  probably made more working in that shop than I did as a nurse.



I could get used to this.









The sun spilled into the elevator when I reached Jalaal's penthouse, bringing with it a sense of unbridled joy.



"Skyler? Is that you?" he called from somewhere vaguely past the living  room. I assumed he was in the kitchen, but I didn't know where that was  since we hadn't gotten around to the tour last night.         

     



 



"Yeah, it's me!" I called back.



I stepped through into the living room, where he met me a moment later, a dish towel tossed over his shoulder.



"You're just in time." Jalaal grabbed my hand and pulled me with him down a long, bright hallway.



At the end of the hallway was a kitchen, the likes of which I'd never  seen before. I marveled at the dark granite countertops, gleaming  stainless steel appliances, and bright white shaker cabinets. An island  in the center of the room had a platter of fresh fruit on it, which I  presumed Jalaal had just finished cutting up.



"Is there any part of your home that isn't amazing?" I asked. "I feel like I've walked onto a movie set."



Jalaal chuckled and seated me on one of the barstools at the island, pushing a plate toward me. "Do you want yogurt?" he asked.



"Sure."



Moments later, Jalaal set in front of me three yogurt choices and a cup of steaming black coffee.



"What are your plans today?" he asked.



I was munching on a piece of mango at the time, but he waited patiently for me to swallow it.



"I don't really have any plans."



Jalaal's lips pulled back into a smile. "You do now."



My heart did a flip. I hadn't had someone pay me this much attention in  such a long time, and I was at a bit of a loss as to what to do.



"What do you want to do?" I asked. I popped a strawberry in my mouth to  prevent me from saying anything else and ruining the moment.



He stood across from me, leaning against the counter with folded arms. I  could have watched him stand like that all day. The lean muscles of his  arms and chest bulged deliciously against his T-shirt.



Honestly, he could have told me he wanted to go watch paint dry for the  next twelve hours and I would have happily complied. Too happily. I  struggled to think of something boring enough that I wouldn't want to do  it with him. My mind came up blank.



"I've got a few ideas," Jalaal said, then gestured toward my plate. "Eat up. You're going to need the energy."





EIGHT





I needed the energy, all right.



After taking a swim in the most terrifying-but-amazing pool I'd ever  been in-it hung off the side of a building that was dozens of stories  tall, for crying out loud-Jalaal took me out shopping for a new dress to  wear for the day. I told him I could just grab one from my hotel room,  but alas, he insisted on treating me, and I could only put him off for  so long.



After shopping, we spent the day wandering around some of Vegas'  classiest restaurants and casinos. We gambled. We drank. We ate. I  couldn't remember the last time I had so much fun.



I felt a bit guilty for thinking that. After all, shouldn't anything I  did with Jalaal pale in comparison to the time I spent with my son? But  it felt a little more complicated than that. The time I spent with my  son was for us. Me and my little guy, taking on the world together. But  at the end of the day, I would always be looking after Sam. Jalaal  looked after me.



I couldn't remember the last time somebody took care of me. Not even I had taken care of me recently.



Soon, the sun's journey across the sky reached its zenith and then  continued on. I dreaded the night, because I figured I would have to  leave Jalaal. I would be foolish to expect a two-night sleepover, even  though he'd treated me like a queen all day.



Then he surprised me with two tickets to the newest Cirque du Soleil  show. It was one the girls and I had thought about going to, but it had  sold out months in advance. And, of course, they were the best seats in  the house, too.



As the performers did their final bow, Jalaal revealed he had another surprise for me.



"Did you enjoy the show?" he asked.



My hands hurt from clapping. My face hurt from smiling. I couldn't hope  to quantify in words just how much I'd enjoyed the show, or the day in  general. But I did my best.



"I loved it. The things the human body can do are incredible." I grabbed his hand. "Thank you so much for bringing me here."



Jalaal raised my hand to his lips and kissed it gently. Even after  spending all night and all day with him, every time our skin touched I  felt like somebody had tasered me, and I meant that in the best way  possible.         

     



 



"You're more than welcome," Jalaal said. "But we're not done yet."



"What?"



He grinned. "Don't you want to go to the after-party?"



I gaped. "After-party? You mean with the performers and stuff?"



"A few celebrities generally show up as well," he said, shrugging. A  tiny smirk was the only indication he knew exactly how crazy that all  sounded.



"Yes, I want to go to the after-party!" I declared. "This is amazing. I'm so lucky."



Jalaal ran his hand along my cheek. I stared into the depths of his eyes, which were so dark they were almost black.



A girl could get lost in those eyes.



Who was I kidding? I was already lost in them.



"I'm the one who is lucky," Jalaal murmured. "I'm so lucky to have met you, Skyler."



Time might as well have stopped. I blocked out the hustle and bustle of  the theater around me, the chatter, the lights, the music in the  background. For one perfect second, there was nobody else. Just us.



But the sights and sounds came back, as did the realization that it  wasn't just us. Not in this theater, not in this life. I had a son, and I  still had no idea how to tell Jalaal that. Did I have to? This was just  a crazy weekend in Vegas, right? I didn't need to toss all my cards on  the table for Jalaal to rummage through at his leisure; nor did I need  to sort through his.



Jalaal, unaware of the dialogue running through my mind, led me out of  the theater and down the hall. We passed some hefty looking security  guards and entered a conference room. Or what was usually a conference  hall, at least. Tonight it was where the party was.