“Maria, you don’t have to apologize. The whole situation is strange, and we’re making the best of it.”
“Yeah, but I know that you’re in a hurry to get to your destination, even if you won’t tell me why.”
“I’m not keeping secrets from you, Maria.” Sighing, he stared out at the water before replying. “There are things I’d rather not discuss until I have more information. I hope that you will understand.”
She paled slightly. “Jarik, are you in danger?”
“No. At least nothing more than usual.” At her look of concern, he attempted a smile. “I’m the second son of a crowned sheikh. There’s always potential for trouble,” he answered. “But I’m not about to take any chances with you around. Once I finish in
Lebanon, I’ll tell you everything. Now. Let’s talk about the terms of my donation.”
Gordon whistled and set their baskets of food on the counter by the window. Jarik grabbed them and sat at the table. Despite the warm weather, there were no other customers, so he felt comfortable talking freely with her.
Surprisingly, Maria didn’t switch into business mode. She touched him frequently, smiled often, and didn’t shy away when he flirted.
Remarkably, she didn’t flinch when they talked about money. For the first time ever, he felt like she was finally comfortable with him.
Afterward, when the sun started to set, he reached across the table and took her hand. “We have to go back,” he murmured quietly.
“I know.”
“Do you feel a little more relaxed?”
“Jarik, I’m more than relaxed. I feel charged and ready. Even optimistic. I guess I had no idea how badly I needed to let my hair down. Thank you for this.”
Leaning over, he kissed her gently. She tasted sweet and silky, and his body stirred in remembrance of how she felt. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time to act on it.
He felt at peace sitting next to her, holding her hand. It felt right. Still, he couldn’t help but forget the words that she’d whispered.
I can’t.
He was in the shower when Maria woke up the next morning. She felt almost bereft when she reached over and found a cold spot where his body should have been. Yesterday and last night had introduced her to pleasures that she hadn’t even known possible.
Jarik was one talented man.
Her muscles were still sore when she pushed herself up from the bed. Her phone vibrated, and she yawned and absentmindedly grabbed it from the nightstand.
“Hello?”
“Maria?”
“Sebastian?” Wide awake, she gasped and jolted up. “Are you okay? You better tell me that you’re in the hospital dying or I’m going to kill you next time I get my hands on you. Why have you been ignoring my calls? Do you realize what day it is? Do you realize that I’m not in Syria? I’m stuck in Riyadh. I’m grateful for the extra toys, but I don’t understand why I had to fly here to get them. I’m panicked, Sebastian. You know how important this is!”
“Sis,” Sebastian said quickly. “Take a deep breath. Everything is okay.”
She had a few more choice words to say to him, but instead, she clenched her jaw and tried to hold her temper. Her brother could be sensitive. If she was too hard on him, he’d disappear and she really would be doing this on her own.
“I’m calm,” she growled. “Explain.”
“I haven’t been ignoring your calls. I’ve been busy. Those extra toys are because of press releases that I’ve made recently. I flew out last night, and I’m currently at a layover. I’ll be in Syria in a few hours, and I’ll help Tessa out. You should be happy about this.”
“Okay.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Although, I’ll be happier when I’m in Syria with the toys. I should be able to fly out this morning, so I should also be there tonight.”
“Excellent. See, everything is going to be great! I’ll see you then, sis!”
He disconnected the call, and she stared at the phone. Her brother was a positive person in general, but there was something odd in his voice. Feeling uneasy, she pulled up the internet on her phone and did a quick search for the press releases that Sebastian was talking about it.
As she skimmed through the articles, her stomach did a nose-dive. Sebastian was promising an expansion of the Christmas Crates deliveries to other countries, as well as in the United States. Easter. Thanksgiving. There was no way that they could manage deliveries on Thanksgiving and Christmas. While the flights wouldn’t be that difficult, he was offering not only food but medical supplies and other basic necessities.