“I slept fine,” she muttered. “Thanks for the blanket.”
The air shifted around them, and he watched her body stiffen. She clearly hadn’t wanted to add the last part.
Did she know what he was thinking when he had draped the blanket over her? That he’d wanted to protect her, comfort her? He grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. “Can we grab a cup of coffee on the way to the airport?”
“You can grab coffee at the airport,” she said with a perky smile as she reached for her bag. “How much do I owe you for the hotel room?”
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her the truth. Instead, he stuck his tongue in his cheek and tried not to smile. “Given that you slept on the couch, I really don’t see the need for you to reimburse me but if it will make you happy, I’ll deduct it from the amount I owe you when you get me to Syria.”
“Fine.”
“Maria. Tell me what’s wrong.” His voice was soft as he tried to coax the truth from her. He knew that it had to be more than just his presence.
&nbs
p; She bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes. “Something is wrong. I can’t get a hold of my brother. It’s not like Sebastian to be unreachable when we’re this close to Christmas. He’s got all the paperwork, and he’s supposed to be handling the press.”
“Sounds like he has a lot to do this time of year. I’m sure he has everything under control.”
“You don’t understand. If we can’t account for every cent of our donors’ money, we’ll be finished. There won’t be any more Christmases for the refugees.”
Jarik saw the threat of tears in her eyes, dropped his bag, and crossed the room in two steps. Enveloping her in his arms, he held her tight. She didn’t even resist, and that alone worried him. Although he hadn’t known her very long, he had a feeling that embraces were not something she indulged in very often.
She fit perfectly in his arms. Bowing his head, he softly inhaled her scent and had to restrain himself from pressing his lips to her soft hair. He was used to women pressing themselves against him, but it was more than desire that awoke within him.
He wanted to comfort her and protect her.
The thought made him stiffen, and she immediately stepped away from him. It was clear to both of them that something had shifted between them, but neither of them wanted to talk about it.
“I’m sure everything will be fine,” he said gruffly. “For all you know, your brother is on a plane right now, and that’s why you can’t get a hold of him.”
“You’re probably right.” Maria tucked her hair nervously behind her ear and swung her duffle bag over her shoulder. Flashing him a tight smile, she nodded her head. “How long will it take you to get ready?”
“Give me ten minutes. An airport breakfast. What every Sheikh looks forward to,” he mumbled.
She shot him a dark look, and he couldn’t help but smile, as he walked into the bathroom and shut the door. This woman heated his blood.
Pulling a hat on, he zipped up his jacket and prayed that no one would recognize him as they made their way to the airport. She immediately abandoned him at a food kiosk as she went in search for news about her plane. He grabbed them two cups of coffee and a bowl of fruit with some yogurt. When he found her again, she looked angry.
Really angry.
The poor mechanic trying to talk to her looked terrified. Jarik took pity on him and tried to intervene.
“What do you mean hours? It’s a simple fix. I could do it. I don’t care what other planes you have to work on. I have a deadline, and I need to make it. If I don’t, an entire refugee camp is going to have a bunch of unhappy children. Do you want to be responsible for ruining Christmas for all those kids? Well? Do you?” Maria yelled.
The poor man looked like he was going to cry. He glanced nervously around as though he were searching for someone to rescue him.
Jarik tried to put a comforting hand on Maria’s shoulder, but she shot him an icy glare. “Everything okay?” he asked cautiously.
“No. No, it’s not okay. This idiot is refusing to fix my plane until after noon.”
“She was already told that she couldn’t get back up in the air until this evening,” the mechanic said as he cast a pleading look at Jarik. “I’ve got five other planes that I have to inspect that were already on the schedule.”
“It wouldn’t take any more than an hour to fix, and I’m very familiar with this airport. The only reason they are pushing my plane back is because they have rich clientele who dock their planes in a private hangar, and those planes are supposed to be ready to go at a moment’s notice. This isn’t about their scheduled flights.”
“They pay good money…” the mechanic argued.
“But they’re not going anywhere, and I am,” Maria scowled.