The Sheikh's Christmas Maid (Shadid Sheikhs 1)

They were never a close family; at least, they weren’t after his mother had died. Samir was too young to remember a change in his father’s mood, but he sometimes heard the servants whispering about it, saying that a part of his father was buried with her. Kashif was rarely at the palace. If he wasn’t chasing some new adventure, he was touring the country under Jibreel’s tutelage. Samir and Jarik constantly butted heads. Jarik wanted Samir to be more responsible, and Samir thought that Jarik needed to loosen up.

When the scandal broke with Kivi, an old family friend, and Jarik, it was the first time that he’d actually seen his brother falter. While no one ever suspected that Jarik had anything to do with Kivi swindling their friends, Samir couldn’t resist making a jab at the situation and had gotten a black eye for his efforts.

He hadn’t really spoken to him since. Of course now, with the death threat against him, he supposed Jarik would get his revenge. Maybe then, they’d be even.

Did his father really want them all under the same roof? Together?

That was a disaster waiting to happen.

3

Poppy didn’t sleep very well that night. She was used to the cabin being completely quiet at night, but she was all too aware of Samir’s presence. Every time she closed her eyes, she couldn’t help but imagine what he was hiding under his shirt. Washboard abs that she could skim her fingers over, lower, until she could undo the clasp on those pants and tug them down, exposing her to her favorite fantasy.

When the sun finally rose, Poppy felt as if she hadn’t slept at all. Her neck was tense, and her body was heavy. “Oh, it’s going to be a long day,” she muttered.

His royal highness probably slept until noon, but there were things that needed doing, and her stomach rumbled. He hadn’t needed dinner, but with all the excitement happening last night, she had skipped her own dinner and the angry grumbling spurred her on.

Slipping on a pair of jeans and a baggy sweatshirt, she pulled her hair up in a ponytail and glanced at herself in the mirror. There would be no make-up while Samir was sleeping upstairs. She’d seen the lust in his eyes, and it needed dampening. Poppy needed money, and she wasn’t about to lose her job because her boss couldn’t keep his hands off her.

When she opened the door, voices floated from the stairwell. Realizing that Melka and Samir were up, she froze behind the open door and listened.

“Melka, let it go,” Samir said easily. “You told me that there was nothing suspicious in her file.”

“That doesn’t mean that she’s not still dangerous. It’s obvious that she needs money. She could be working for someone else.”

“If she was working for a criminal, she wouldn’t need money,” Samir responded. “Relax. I’m sure this is nothing, and we’ll be able to go back to the palace soon. Until then, consider this a vacation.”

“Vacation? We’re in the middle of nowhere,” Melka grumbled.

For the first time since she’d heard that they’d be having guests, Poppy wondered why Samir was here. When she had taken this job, Emine had handed her a large binder containing the protocols to follow in the event of danger. From her reading, she knew that if something had happened to make the royal guards feel the brothers were in danger, they would have been separated. What if Samir really was in danger? Was she now in danger too? Having never expected to meet any member of the royal family, up until this very moment, she had never considered the ramifications of one of the Shadids being here.

Emerging from her bedroom, she tried to look relaxed as the two men looked up when she entered the living room. With one look at Samir’s gorgeous face, she frowned.

It simply wasn’t fair that a man who looked that good would also be royal and rich.

“Morning,” she said as Samir stared at her. “I was going to make some breakfast. Hungry?”

“I sure am,” Samir said darkly. The underlying message was clear, and a shudder ran down her spine. Could the man not go more than a few days without sex? Is that why he was hitting on her?

“I’ll be watching you cook breakfast.” Melka’s voice was cold as he strode past her and into the kitchen. Did the man think that she’d poison them? With a quick look at Samir, she hurried behind Melka.

The man watched in stony silence as she pulled out the eggs. “I know that you have a job to do,” she told the bodyguard quietly. “Is there something that I can explain to make you feel easier around me?”

“Why are you here?”

“It’s a dream job,” Poppy said with a small smile. “I get to live on the property, and your boss pays well. I’m saving up to go back to school.”

“Why don’t you go back to America to work?”

That was one question Poppy didn’t want to answer. She was aware of Melka watching her as she worked, and she blew out her breath and turned her head. “I like traveling.”

“That’s evasive,’ Melka growled.

“Look, Mr. Bodyguard…”

“Melka is fine.”

“I don’t know anything about the royal family. I didn’t even know who was coming here last night until you showed up. All I want to do is my job and collect my money. You two being here actually upsets my flow. I’m not all that close to my family, so I’m happy traveling and making money wherever I can. It’s freeing.”