The Sheik's Unexpected Bride

“Yes,” he replied firmly, touching her chin so that she looked directly into his eyes. “The past two months have been absolute hell, Luna. I’ve sent messages, but it wasn’t until today that I heard from you. I don’t want that again. I want you here, by my side, always.”

She grinned, thinking that she couldn’t believe how happy she was. “Well, I guess…?’

“No guessing. I love you, Luna,” he murmured into her ear, making her shiver.

“I love you too,” she whispered back.

“Then marry me.”

Luna laughed, feeling free and…and something licked her ankle. She turned, beaming down at the scruffy dog. “What do you think, Peter? Should I do it?”

The dog’s only response was another lick. Luna reached down and scratched behind Peter’s ears. “You’re right.” When she turned and looked at Tasim again, she smiled. “Okay, let’s do it. It sounds absolutely nuts, but I love you, Tasim. I can’t believe that I feel this way after only knowing you for a week.”

“We can make it work, Luna. I promise.”

She smiled, and cuddled closer to his chest. “I agree. Let’s do it!”

Epilogue

“I’m not doing it, Tasim!” Luna stated emphatically.

Tasim looked up as his wife waddled into his office. Even at eight and a half months pregnant, Luna still made his body go wild with lust. “You’re not doing what, love?” he asked, tossing his pen onto the desk as he turned and extended his hand to her, pulling her onto his lap.

“Having this baby,” she said, shuddering. “We helped Peter give birth to her puppies last night. I’m not going through that!”

He rubbed her round belly sympathetically. “You’re not?”

“No!” she replied firmly. “We’ll just have to find another way!”

Tasim chuckled, and kissed her sweetly. “Okay. I’ll get right on it.”

Luna shifted on his lap, not wanting him to lose circulation in his legs because of her weight. “Tasim, you’re patronizing me. But I’m serious. That looked absolutely awful and I’m not going through it!”

“I heard you, love.”

Luna sighed. “You’re charming me again, aren’t you?’

He grinned. “Is it working?”

Luna considered for a moment. “Yeah. Kinda.”

He laughed, kissing her again, still rubbing her belly. “It won’t hurt as much as what Peter went through. You’ll have drugs and an epidural.”

She leaned into him, loving how safe and protected she felt when he held her. “I think you’re lying to me.”

“I’m not. But we’ll get through this together.”

She didn’t believe him for a moment, but she loved him anyway.

Twenty-four hours later, Tasim woke to Peter barking.

Tasim lifted his head, looking around at the darkness. Peter barked again, but this time, Tasim he

ard the warning. This wasn’t just a bark. Peter never woke up in the middle of the night, unless it was an emergency. And the last emergency had been when she’d woken up to give birth to her babies.

Tasim looked around. The bed was empty except for him. “Luna? Honey?”

“I’m fine!” she yelled from the next room. But her voice told him that she wasn’t fine. Not by a long shot! He jumped out of bed and pulled on a soft pair of pajama pants before rushing out of the bedroom. Luna was sitting on the sofa in the dark, but he could feel her tension.