The Sheikh's Stolen Bride-To-Be(33)

String lights in shades of gold and silver hung in random rows from the  ceiling. People were already milling about under the effusive glow of  the lights. Some were dancing, some were chatting, but all were  drinking.



Jalaal took me around the room and introduced me to a score of people,  including a few actors and musicians. I recognized a couple of them, and  had to force myself to act calm around one in particular. And, the more  people I was introduced to, the worse I felt about not telling Jalaal  about my son. Now, more people knew me as just Skyler, the nurse from  San Diego. Nobody knew about Sam.



Jalaal had been upfront about who he was. Some would argue that  introducing yourself as a fabulously wealthy sheikh was different than  introducing yourself as a dirt-poor single mom. But I wasn't ashamed of  Sam. I was never ashamed of Sam.



So why not say anything?



I could tell myself it was because I wouldn't know him much longer, but  that would be a lie. I whipped out pictures of Sam to show to people I  talked to on the bus sometimes. I was damn proud of him.



But I was afraid.



If Jalaal knew about Sam, would he still want me? Or would it ruin  whatever fantasy he'd constructed in his head that made him want me in  the first place?



"Everything okay?" Jalaal asked as I stared into my glass of champagne.



I blinked up at him. "Fine." With a smile, I added, "Just thinking about going back to work and how much that's going to suck."



"There's a simple solution to that." Jalaal took the glass from my hand  and placed it on the tray of a passing waiter. I didn't mind, since I  knew all I had to do to get another was put my empty hand in the air and  wait for it to be filled. He pulled me over to the dance floor and  wrapped his arm around my waist. His other hand clasped mine and held it  level with my shoulder.



"What's your simple solution?" I asked, giggling. Being in his arms was making me feel giddy.



Jalaal's smile lit a fire deep in my belly. "Quit. Stay in Las Vegas  forever. Every day could be like this." He screwed up his nose. "Well,  not every day. That would get boring and I do have work I have to do.  But lots of days."



My mouth went dry at the thought of it. I couldn't tell if he was being serious or not. I wasn't sure if he could, either.



If I didn't have Sam, could this be an offer I would accept? It was  crazy, right? Like something out of a Disney movie. But, then again,  this whole weekend had been cut straight from the reel of a  rags-to-riches fantasy. And, so far, nothing had turned back into a  pumpkin.         

     



 



"And what would I do with my time?" I asked. "With no job, I think I'd get bored pretty quickly."



Jalaal spun me in a boisterous circle. I landed back against his chest,  splaying my hand out over his hard pec. We giggled at that. We were both  a little drunk.



"Whatever you wanted to do," he reasoned. "Shop. Swim. Volunteer. When you're a beautiful pearl, the world is your oyster."



"So cheesy!" I chastised. "Do lines like that actually work?"



Jalaal fixed me with a cheeky grin. "I don't know," he purred. "Let me check."



He lowered his lips to mine and I was lost. My legs quivered beneath me,  and I sent more of my weight forward into Jalaal's chest. He held me,  swaying to the slow, silken beat. Our lips meshed together, moving in  perfect harmony. I sighed into his mouth, so content with my life in  this alternate reality.



I just wished there was room for Jalaal in my real life. I wished I didn't have to give him up tomorrow. But I did.



My real life wasn't glamorous parties and swoon-worthy kisses. It was  laundry, bodily fluids, and bedtime stories. I tried not to think about  it-not to let the realization that it couldn't last influence my  enjoyment of the here and now.



That was the attitude I channeled when Jalaal asked if I wanted to go to  an after-after-party at one of the more exclusive, high-roller casinos.  Even though I felt like a fish out of water among the filthy rich party  denizens, I knew I would have fun. I had fun everywhere I went with  Jalaal.



The first big win of the night was at the craps table. After buying in, Jalaal handed me a blue chip.



"What's this?" I asked.



He grinned. "Hang on to it."



"Why?" I stared at him, puzzled.



"You're my good luck charm," he explained. "Call me superstitious if  you'd like, but I think I'll be luckier if you hold my chip."



I shrugged and tucked it into my bra. Jalaal watched with hungry eyes.



"What?" I said, grinning. "This dress doesn't have pockets."



He laughed and slung an arm around my waist, pulling me tightly against him as he rolled the dice.



It didn't surprise me at all that he won big.



But nobody in that casino-not even the casino itself-won bigger than me  that night, because I got to go home with Jalaal Afsal and make love to  him on a bed of ebony silk, thousands of feet in the air.





NINE





The gravity of my situation hit me like a falling brick come Sunday morning.



After the second-best sleep of my life-rivalled only by our first night  together-I woke up in Jalaal's powerful arms. The sun played with the  lines of his face, casting shadows over his cheeks that made him look  like a painting. I watched him sleep a little longer, unsure how to  broach the topic of my departure.



I had a flight that afternoon. I would have to leave sometime in the  next hour. It was a surprise my phone wasn't ringing off the hook  already, my friends calling to see where I was. I wouldn't have blamed  them.



But what if I told Jalaal I was leaving and he asked me to stay? I would  have to tell him I couldn't-and I would have to tell him why. I didn't  have an excuse for why we couldn't see each other again. Nor would I be  able to think of one. But I couldn't give him my phone number either. I  would need to tell him about Sam if I did, and I didn't want to ruin  this perfect weekend with the foul taste of rejection on my tongue.



I was in a pickle. I'd put off telling him for too long, and now there was no going back.



Jalaal groaned and turned onto his side, folding me underneath him.



"Hey!" I squawked in protest. "You're squishing me."



Jalaal's laugh vibrated through me, sending heat to my belly. He pulled  back so he was still draped atop me but no longer resting his weight on  me.



"It's not my fault you're so breakable," he argued.



"Breakable? Pfft." I smacked his arm lightly. "It's not my fault you're twice my size. Why do you have to be so tall?"         

     



 



He pressed a kiss to the side of my face. "What would it take to make  you happy, woman? I'm very attached to my feet, but I'll cut them off if  that's what it would take."



I laughed and pushed at his chest. "I'll believe that when I see it."



He growled playfully and nipped at my earlobe. Then he rolled to the  other side of the bed and grabbed his phone from the nightstand. After  looking at it for a minute, he frowned.



"What is it?" I asked.



He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I forgot that I'm due to  meet an important guest at one of my hotels across town. I'll get  somebody else to go. If they're offended, too bad."



After that clipped sentence, he rolled back over and took me in his arms.



"No!" I protested. "You should go."



Jalaal's dark eyes locked onto mine. "I don't mind missing it. I'd rather stay with you."



"I'd feel bad if you let me get in the way of your business," I told him. "I'll be fine. I'm a big girl."



He poked me in the side. "I thought we just established that you are actually very small."



I frowned. "You know what I mean."



Jalaal nipped the end of my nose with his teeth, sending me into a flurry of giggles.



"Are you sure you wouldn't mind?" he asked. "If you'd rather I cancel, just say the word."



"I think you should go," I insisted. "I would feel bad if you didn't."



Jalaal studied me for a moment as he deliberated. I tried to look as  innocent as possible, and not like I was planning to jet out of there at  the first available moment.



"Okay," he said finally. "I'll go. You'll be here when I get back?"



"Totally," I lied. "I'll probably be really lazy and go back to sleep."



I watched Jalaal dress, my dread evolving into full-blown panic. This  was the last time I would ever see him. I felt horrible for lying to  him, but I supposed it was par for the course. I'd already omitted that I  had a child-it was a slippery slope from there.



Jalaal kissed me sweetly on the lips and told me to help myself to  anything in the kitchen. I told him I would, if I could even find the  kitchen again. He laughed, put on his shoes, and was gone.



I stayed in bed a moment longer than I'd intended to. I told myself it  was because I was still a bit groggy, but really I was just trying to  absorb as much of his scent as possible. I was going to miss him. I  didn't know him all that well, but I felt like we'd connected on a much  deeper level than was the norm.