His Irresistible Darling (12 page)

“Something caught your eye?” he seemed to ask innocently, but she knew he knew exactly what she’d been looking at.
Shit, caught red-handed…

As the metal deathtrap began its descent, she let out a soothing breath and risked her first glance out of the side window. She gasped, amazed by beauty of the scenery below.

“Feeling brave?” Jumal’s voice teased her intimately through the headset as her body reacted with a delightful shiver up her spine.

She closed her eyes briefly to the view. “Only with you,” she whispered honestly, grateful that she didn’t have to witness his reaction to her vulnerable yet honest confession.

She appreciated the long drive in the limo to the hotel, which gave her a chance to organise her thoughts, yet she missed the soothing touch of his hand and was itching to reach out for him again. But Jumal had latched onto his mobile, making calls and answering emails as soon as they had stepped from the helicopter.

Having initially gazed out the tinted window at the pretty views back across the Gulf towards Dubain, her eyes were now closed and her forehead rested against the cool glass. What was it he’d said?
Something caught your eye?

She felt her face flush again and quietly blew her fringe away from her forehead. Had he been serious? A week or so ago, she was confident that teasing wasn’t in Jumal Aldabbagh’s nature, but after their extended stay in the lift she wasn’t sure. So what was the alternative? Was it just his attempt at a distraction, which had actually worked to perfection? All thoughts of them crashing to earth in a metal fireball had vanished, replaced by even scarier thoughts. Or, in what must be some parallel universe, was he seriously asking her?

She hadn’t been able to meet his eyes and had quickly turned her focus back to the view out the window, her embarrassment complete, but now she wondered what she’d have seen. Would she have been faced with a friendly, teasing glint or would she have seen eyes filled with promises of dark deeds? She sighed. The bigger question she should be asking herself was why the hell did it matter? The man was engaged. Not available. Off the radar.

***

Jumal ended his call and risked a quick look over at Pippa, pleased he’d finally managed to get his ridiculously eager loins under control. When he’d grown aware of their bodies being in such close contact in the helicopter, his body had hardened automatically again and he’d shifted around in his chair to try to alleviate the discomfort. Unfortunately his fidgeting had brought her attention lower on his body and he’d felt his body heat further as her gaze seemed to zero in. He still couldn’t believe what had come out of his mouth. He’d most certainly never spoken to Faridah that way. He rationalised it on the basis that she’d needed a distraction from her fear of flying. Yes, that must have been the reason all his common sense had disappeared.
Something caught your eye?
Still as he’d felt the helicopter start to descend, he’d been desperate to have her response to his uncharacteristically uncouth question.
Did she like what she’d seen?

Jumal wondered if he had offended her and whether she was now ignoring him. He’d been so desperate to take hold of her hand again once they were safely in the limo that he had made needless calls back to the office to distract his hands from where they wanted to be.

Now, having finished his unnecessary calls, his eyes were drawn over towards her body, soft leather briefcase resting at her designer-shoe-encased feet, which were neatly crossed at the ankles. She wore a cream dress suit with a delicate gold chain belt, which highlighted her tiny waist—Dior if he wasn’t mistaken, and he rarely was when it came to designers. The matching three-quarter-arm-length jacket was folded neatly in her lap, covered by her perfectly manicured soft hands, which were tipped in pale pink polish. A mother-of-pearl and diamond bracelet watch graced her wrist, perhaps a gift from Matt for her birthday as he’d not seen her wear it before, and it matched the delicate mother-of-pearl drop earrings that decorated her ears. He deliberated on whether they were her mother’s or perhaps a twenty-first birthday gift.

He mused that he’d actually never seen her perfect ears because she usually chose to leave her long hair loose, falling around her shoulders. Today, it was pulled back in a neat chignon at the nape of her neck. A long, elegant neck, exposed as she tilted her head against the window. She looked—he paused whilst he thought of the right word—graceful, stylish, faultless, immaculate—but he couldn’t settle on just one English word. In his own language she was
Jameel-Helow.

He visualised leaning over the gap that separated them and pressing gentle kisses from the sensitive part where her neck met her shoulder to the tantalising skin behind her ear. He swallowed as he saw the barest sheen gleaming on her pale skin. He was dying to learn her taste, run his tongue and lick tentatively at the vein teasing him. He cursed to himself as he hardened once again at the thought. She shifted slightly and he jumped back in his seat and shook his head, surprised that he had unconsciously gravitated towards her. He mentally slapped himself on her behalf, annoyed at his inability to control his body’s reactions around her.
She’s barely an adult,
he reminded himself.
Despite her more sophisticated appearance today, she’s your friend’s sister.
That finally seemed to do the trick.

“Are you awake?” he asked abruptly, whilst leaning forward to make the air conditioning cooler.

Her body stiffened at his question. “Yes, of course,” she replied coolly, seemingly annoyed at his allegation that she might have drifted off. “I was just looking back over the bay at your building with the mountains in the distance. See, you can just make it out,” she offered, looking over at him before proudly pointing her finger.

“Hmm. Well it’s the tallest. The meeting will be held in our private conference room at the hotel followed by a formal dinner in the evening. Kahlid Al Ari will be representing the Dubai government at the official signing.”

“Right,” she replied curtly, turning away, no longer willing to look directly at him. “So what is it exactly that you need me to do? I’m assuming you don’t want me to teach Mr Al Ari Gangnam Style, for the dinner dance?”

His brow puckered in confusion. “
What
?” he asked, getting the distinct feeling that she was teasing him again.

She met his stare. “Never mind,” she admonished, shaking her head.

“You are to be at my side,” he informed her, a smile appearing on his lips, “at my beck and call, so to speak.” His eyes twinkled.

She let out a short laugh. “You’re kidding?” But she quickly dropped her smile. “You’re
not
kidding?” she amended slowly, shaking her head with a dawning realisation before continuing, “Right, right. I remember.” She paused briefly before turning her head away from him to look back out of the window and continuing, “No sense of humour. Did it hurt when they surgically removed it?” she asked rhetorically.

***

He was going to kill her. He was
actually
going to kill her—probably kiss her thoroughly beforehand—but then definitely kill her. Either way, his hands would be around her neck.

He’d been ignorant to her entrance, having had his back to the door, but felt unable to do anything other than turn as he watched, bewildered, as Kahlid’s mouth dropped open midway through their conversation. He followed the gaze of the man’s heavily dilated eyes and raised a brow.

He barely contained a growl from leaving his lips as his gawping was interrupted. “What did you say?”

Kahlid smiled knowingly at him as he drank from his glass of champagne. “I said you’re a very lucky man, Aldabbagh.”

Jumal turned his head back to Kahlid. “Luck has nothing to do with it, as you well know. My company had the finest proposal and will provide your country with the most robust, forceful military ships available in the world—” he drank from his own glass and nodded “—and you know it. Why are you smiling at me?” he asked, confused.

“I’m not talking about the contract, Aldabbagh.”

He sighed heavily. “Then what?” He was getting annoyed at the continued riddle.

Kahlid continued to smile and nodded towards the far side of the large dining room.

Jumal followed his gaze until it landed again on Pippa, who was now engaged in an animated conversation with a group of captivated government officials who all but surrounded her, observing her every move and hand gesture. He was sure if he looked close enough that he’d see tongues hanging out and drool. Jumal returned to glare at the man, but managed to loosen his tight grip on the stem of his glass before it shattered.

“Your fiancée, of course,” Kahlid explained.

“She is not my fiancée,” Jumal corrected, unwilling to dwell on the ache that statement caused. “She is my assistant.” And general pain in my arse, loins and heart…

Jumal regarded Kahlid as his lips thinned and he responded, “Huh,” before taking another drink from his glass, apparently shocked by the revelation.

“What does that mean?” Jumal pressed, shaking his head, confused by the response.

“Oh nothing,” Kahlid countered quickly. “I knew you were recently engaged and I just assumed, what with the way you are with her. Hey, my mistake,” he quickly added, holding his glass up. “So, is she single?” he asked, raising a brow.

Jumal wanted to punch the man. “No,” he responded curtly, glancing back over to the woman in question. “She is not.”

***

Pip was pleasantly surprised that she was enjoying the predinner conversations with the various government representatives she’d met earlier in the day. They made her feel welcome and involved in their conversations and treated her like a lady, an adult. She took a sip from her glass of champagne and tried to steal a glance at Jumal, who appeared deep in conversation with Kahlid, but quickly turned her eyes away when she saw Kahlid nod his head towards her. However, she was not quick enough to avoid catching sight of Jumal’s icy stare. Clearly he wasn’t happy about something she’d done.
Shocker.

She fidgeted, feeling his dark eyes glowering at her. Had she committed some breach of custom or etiquette by drinking the champagne or talking to the men? She took a deep breath and decided to try to ignore the man. If he had a problem with her, he’d just have to tell her.

As dinner was announced, she thanked the gentlemen for their company and started to make her way towards the large dinner table, but her confident stride was hijacked after only a couple of steps as Jumal took hold of her elbow to guide her to the room. He bent towards her and whispered in her ear, “What the hell are you wearing, Pippa? I said
conservative
.”

“What?” she growled back through gritted teeth, trying to keep a smile on her face, “This
is
conservative. It’s a cocktail dress for God’s sake, designed by the one and only Alix Anderson. You’ve met him, right? International fashion designer, best friend of my sister-in-law? So what is your problem?” she asked, smiling at the fellow attendees and trying to pull her arm away from Jumal’s tight grip.

“The problem,” he said, clearing his throat, “is that it is almost transparent and it looks like something you should be wearing
under
a dress.”

“No it isn’t,” she replied, glancing down. “It’s a black lace overlay and my arms and knees are covered, so it is completely
conservative
.”

Kahlid interrupted their debate. “I believe we are to be dinner companions, Miss Darling,” he said partially bowing, his eyes not leaving her. “Shall we?” he asked, politely offering his arm.

“Oh, how lovely,” she replied, returning his smile, taking his arm and allowing him to escort her to her seat.

She felt the brush of lips at her ear and tried to hide her gasp of pleasure as she placed her napkin in her lap, keeping her eyes focused on the glass of water being poured for her by Kahlid.

“This conversation
isn’t
over, Pippa.” She quickly turned to see Jumal straighten and leave to make his way to his own dinner place.

She let out a loud stage gasp. “You want to do
what
to me, Jumal? Is that even legal?” she asked audibly, feigning shock, her hand clasped to her chest.

If looks could kill…but she still smiled as he took his seat, knowing that she’d likely pay for it later and deciding it was worth it.

“Yummy,” she said to her dining companion as her starter was placed at her setting by a waiter. “This looks delicious.”

***

Jumal could barely contain his frustration. His fists were clenched tightly under the table and he was rudely ignoring his neighbour’s dreary conversation. His anger wasn’t directed at Pippa. Not this time. He was growing quite accustomed to her sense of humour and constant teasing. Other than his close friends, which he could easily count on one hand, she was the only one who really treated him like a human being.

Kahlid Al Ari was a marked man as far as he was concerned. The pair were sitting directly opposite him and the suave bastard was fawning all over Pippa, pouring her wine and generally fussing. The slimeball had even offered her a taste off his dessertspoon. The fact that Pippa had graciously declined, appearing to pat her stomach, saved the man’s life as far as Jumal was concerned.

His emotions were a complete mess. He’d never been a jealous man before. Never, ever reacted with such caveman aggression whenever a man had approached Faridah, never wanted to punch a man for simply offering his woman their arm. His woman? Christ, when had he started to think that she was
his
? He raked his fingers through his hair and took a sip of water.

Oh great, now she was laughing at the slimeball’s jokes. So Pippa liked a funny man, did she? Jumal cursed silently. When had he ever made a woman laugh out loud? In fact, the better question would be: when had he ever cared? Never.

Chapter Six

He closed his eyes in a desperate attempt to avoid having to watch Pippa have a good time with another man. He laughed bitterly to himself as he recalled his stupid attempts to get over his interest in Pippa Darling. He had tried to simply ignore her initially; that was never going to work though on the basis that she was his PA. He’d thought about dating other women, but that would simply lead to him comparing them unfavourably to Pippa and even he knew that wasn’t fair. Hell, he’d even agreed to the farce of an engagement not long after having returned from England having met Pippa again, amend that, having met the
all grown up
Pippa again.