The Sheikh's Christmas Present (Shadid Sheikhs 2)

Two men.

Shit.

Her wallet was on top. If she could slip it and her phone into her coat pocket, she could hand over the tote bag and not be too stranded.

“Hey, pretty lady,” one man leered, as they got closer. “I see you left your man behind.”

Rolling her eyes, Maria quickly judged the distance between her and the hotel. They were too close. Even if they didn’t have weapons, she probably couldn’t outrun them. Keeping her head down, she kept walking while she tried to move her wallet, keys, and phone.

“Hey? You deaf? I’m talking to you!”

They sped up until they cut her off. Stopping, she faced them with a grim expression. “I’m not deaf. You didn’t ask me a question, so I didn’t feel the need to stop and talk to you.”

“Smart mouth, huh? Let’s see if we can’t put that mouth to good use.”

“That’s original,” Maria muttered. “You want my purse?” She dug the teddy bear out and tucked it under her arm. “Here. Just take it and go.”

Instead of taking the bag, the man reached forward and yanked the bear from under her arm. Panicked, Maria reached out to grab it, but the man was too quick. He danced just out of reach and laughed. “A teddy bear?” the man laughed. “Baby, I’ve got something much bigger for you to cuddle with tonight. Want to see?”

Suddenly, the smile died from his face. Maria stiffened when she felt someone touch her arm.

Jarik.

“I suggest you give the lady back her things and be on your way,” he said in a low voice. “I promise you, she will not need your company tonight.”

“You, pretty face?” the man jeered. “You gonna take the two of us on?”

“Jarik, no,” Maria whispered. It was one thing to tease the Sheikh, but it was another thing entirely if he got into a fight in the middle of an alley in the bad part of town. She’d probably be blamed if he even got a scratch on that delicious body of his. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Yeah. Why don’t you walk away, pretty boy?”

Jarik didn’t look at all anxious. “I’ll ask you once more to return the lady’s possession before I step in to get involved.”

The man threw the bear up in the air and caught it easily as he laughed. “I don’t think so.”

Maria gasped, and Jarik suddenly struck like a snake coiled in darkness. The two muggers never stood a chance. In less than ten seconds, the two men were cursing, holding their bleeding faces and hobbling away.

Impressive. She slowly moved forward and grabbed the bear from the street where it was dropped. Trying to brush off the dirt and mud, she couldn’t even turn to face him.

“Maria?” Jarik asked quietly. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Thank you,” she said stiffly. Rather than tucking the bear back in her tote bag, she clutched it to her chest and started toward the hotel. Before she could get far, he grabbed her elbow.

“You’re not staying here. You’re coming back to my hotel with me, and you will not argue with me.”

She was still a little stunned and didn’t say anything as he guided her back to the street. Waving down a taxi, he didn’t say anything as he opened the door.

“I’ve never been mugged before,” she muttered. The warm fuzzy feelings from earlier were gone, and she felt cold, as she wrapped her jacket tightly around her. “I thought that they would just take my purse and go.”

“I think that they had more than mugging in mind,” he said gruffly. “What’s with the bear?”

“What?” Absently, she looked up at him and immediately regretted it. There was a storm brewing in his eyes, and he stared at her coldly. She shrank back into the seat, and he immediately softened his expression.

“The bear, Maria. The teddy bear you didn’t want the men to take.”

“Oh.” Swallowing hard, she tucked the bear back into her bag. “I saw it on the way to the bus, and I wanted to add it to the crates of toys. It looked like it needed a good home. I can’t really explain it. You’re very fast.”

“Yes, I am,” he agreed.