Sure enough, a dark figure pushed through the snow heading toward the house. His gut tightened as he watched.
Samir had never thought the floor collapsing was anything other than an accident. It didn’t occur to him that he and his brothers were in real danger or that someone would follow him to the safe house. As far as he knew, the location of each safe house was practically a State secret. Not only would an assailant have to uncover the location, but he would also have to brave the increasing levels of snow outside to get to him.
Had he put Poppy in danger?
Glancing over his shoulder, his eyes widened at what he saw. She sat on the floor, her knees to her chest, and slowly rocked back and forth.
“Habibti,” he murmured as he knelt down. “It’s okay. You’re completely safe in here. No one can get to you.”
She kept her eyes squeezed tight and shook her head. “It’s so small,” she gasped. “I can’t breathe.”
Small? Perplexed, he reached out and stroked her arm. “What’s small? Look at me, Poppy.”
Instead of complying, she continued to rock back and forth. It took a minute for Samir to understand.
Poppy was claustrophobic. Shit.
“What do I do?” he asked softly. “Tell me what to do.”
“Let me out. I need to get out.”
“I can’t,” he said desperately as he glanced at the television screen. The shadowy figure of a man continued his slow trek to the house, and Melka was nowhere in sight. “I can’t, Poppy. I have to keep you safe.”
Her eyes flew open, and she stared at him. “Who is out there? Is someone trying to kill you? Tell me. Distract me.”
Rearranging himself so he sat on the floor with his back against the wall, he gently pulled her forward so that she straddled him. Her gaze was so focused on him that she didn’t fight him. Samir wasn’t even sure that she knew that she’d moved. “It was a letter,” he murmured as he stroked her back, trying to comfort her. Her arms were still wrapped around her body, but she stopped rocking.
The stimulation in his lap eased his discomfort. If she scooted up any farther in his lap, he wouldn’t be able to hide his erection. “Melka said he found it stuck to the car. I was on my way to spend a few weeks in Italy, and we were on the way to the airport. We stopped at a store because I’d forgotten something, and when we came back, this letter was shoved under the windshield.”
Her eyes widened as he spoke, and he tried not to laugh. It didn’t seem all that threatening to him, but she was enthralled. At least she was distracted. “A death threat?”
“Apparently. According to Melka, I’d paid too much attention to a married lady in the past, and the husband was not happy with me.”
Poppy snorted. “Paid too much attention? You mean you slept with a married woman?”
Samir continued to stroke her back. Vaguely, he wondered what she would do if he slipped his hands under her shirt and ran his fingertips over her skin. He felt almost shameless speaking of such transgressions while contemplating making another. “If I did, it wasn’t on purpose. Despite what my reputation says about me, I don’t go out of my way to make trouble. The most-likely scenario is that the woman lied to me. I’m sure it’s not the first time that has happened. Women lie.”
“Excuse you,” she snapped. “Not all women lie.”
Laughing, Samir gently pulled her forward. Her eyes widened, but she didn’
t stop him. “Melka thought I should lay low for a little while, and here I am. Whoever wrote the note may think ill of me, but I seriously doubt they’ll try to kill me. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Does this kind of thing happen to you often?”
Samir leaned in closer and smiled when she didn’t pull away. “The women or the death threats?
“The death threats,” she laughed. “I already know that you’re very experienced with women!”
“I’m told I’m very good at pleasing women,” he said huskily. “But no, there are virtually no threats against me or my family. It’s a rather peaceful country. That’s not to say that I haven’t been in a few fights here and there, but they were mostly brawls. As kids, my brothers and I often fought.”
“I can’t imagine you as a kid,” Poppy snorted. They fell into silence, and Samir watched as her eyes darted around the walls again. He watched her features tighten and glanced back up to the television again. There was no sign of Melka or the trespasser. Samir wanted to get up and switch the monitors so he could see what was going on, but he didn’t want to leave Poppy.
“Easy,” he murmured soothingly as he moved his hands from her back to her sides. His thumbs brushed up against the outsides of her breasts, and her chest swelled as she inhaled sharply. He now sported a full-blown erection.
Cursing himself, he knew he needed to untangle them. It wouldn’t be fair for him to use her fear to seduce her. “I’m going to check the cameras and see what’s going on,” he said hoarsely.
Poppy immediately placed her hands on his chest and leaned forward. “Samir, don’t leave me.”