The Sheikh's Island (Sheikh's Wedding Bet Series Book 4) (4 page)

Standing, she smoothed a hand over her skirt and leaned over his seat. “Don’t think you’re going to get away from me again,” she said softly. “If you don’t plan some alone time with me by tomorrow, I’m going to appeal to your mother. I’m shameless like that.”

“Sweetheart, if I knew you wanted so desperately to be alone with me, I would have made time long ago,” he said wickedly.

“I’m serious. I’m trying to be professional, but I am not above using your mother to get what I want.”

He rolled his eyes. “And you think I'm petty.”

Wynifred couldn't help but be a little distracted by the muscles in his arm as he turned the wheel. Angry with herself for being so easily distracted, she shot him what she hoped was a seething look and pushed away.

“If you really wanted to help your mother, you'd cooperate with me,” she said in a low voice. She saw the muscle in his jaw clench, and she knew that he'd call her tomorrow. She felt a little guilty about preying on his fears like that, but overall, she knew it might be the only way.

R
ameez tossed back
a shot of bourbon and closed his eyes. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, he couldn't get Wynifred off his mind. She was irritatingly positive, and she kept spouting that ideal that love conquers all. She obviously led a cushy life. One where everything was handed to her, and she never had to work for anything.

Not that Rameez had led a harsh life. His mother had worked hard, even after his father was gone, to make sure that he had everything that he needed. And now that he was successful with friends in high places, he had everything that he wanted. Unfortunately, at some point, he'd stopped paying attention to things. His mother had deteriorated right before his eyes, and the guilt was eating him alive.

Why couldn't Haris concede that he was the disease that was destroying his mother? Why couldn't he man up and admit that he needed to change? Haris seemed to care about Shifa. It didn't seem to be enough.

Maybe Wynifred could be their solution, but he needed her to root less for the both of them, and more for him.

It was time to turn things around to his advantage. Reaching across the table, he poured himself another drink, but this time, he wasn't drinking to drown his frustrations.

He was drinking in celebration.

Grabbing the business card from his pocket, he flipped it around in his hand a few times before he grabbed the phone.

She answered on the second ring. “Wynifred Fellows,” she said sounding distracted. “How can I help you?”

“It's Rameez,” he said in a silky voice. He listened as she quickly inhaled. He had her attention now. “I was thinking about what you said, and you're right. I certainly haven't been paying enough attention to what you bring to the table. I'd like to remedy that. Have dinner with me tomorrow night.”

“Rameez, I'm very happy that you're coming around to my way of thinking, but I'm having dinner with your cousin tomorrow.”

“Excellent, he said with a chuckle. “We’ll take his reservations. My cousin does have good taste in cuisine. I’m sure you can make him understand the importance of us having some alone time.”

Before she could argue, he hung up the phone. Unable to help himself, he grinned at the thought of how pissed his cousin would be. Two birds, one stone.

Haris needed to realize that this truce Rameez was proposing wasn’t a sign of weakness. He'd get Haris to change his attitude if he had to force him to do it. He would do whatever it took to mend his mother’s broken spirit.

* * *

S
he was already waiting
for him when he got there. Haris had made reservations at one of the nicest restaurants in the city, and she had dressed accordingly. Wynifred looked ravishing wearing a beautiful, ankle-length black dress with a high slit up the side. Instead of pulling her naturally wavy hair back, she left it down and it wrapped around her shoulders like a silken shawl. For a moment, he simply blinked and stared before a slow smile crept across his face as he admired her. The irritatingly bubbly women who dressed in bright pastels and clutched her notebook like a lifeline had transformed into sexy sophistication.

“Hi,” she said with a small smile, a blush crept across her cheeks when she realized he was staring. “I got here a little early so I could sneak a peek at the menu. Haris has taken me to some fabulous restaurants, and I have no doubt that this one will be just as good!”

Jealousy suddenly coiled tight in his belly, and he frowned. Exactly, how often were Wynifred and Haris alone? Was he trying to seduce her to his side?

Giving her a tight smile, he nodded his head. “We do know how to eat,” he said as he tried to push his anger away. As he made his way to the hostess stand, she joined him.

After he provided his cousin’s name, the hostess walked them to their table. Haris had apparently reserved a table on the terrace, and they were the only ones out there. Rose petals sprinkled along the floor, and three candles danced in the moonlight. A live band played soft music in the corner, and a bottle of champagne was already chilling in a stand. The hostess gave them a wink. “Have a wonderful dinner,” she said coyly.

Rameez watched as Wynifred froze and stared at the table. He was about to open his mouth and explain that none of this was his doing when a wide smile broke out across her face. “Rameez!” She said breathlessly. “You sure do know how to show a girl a good time!”

Clearing his throat, he pulled a chair out of her. “It seems that I do,” he said softly. What the hell had Haris been thinking when he set this up? It was too over-the-top for Rameez’s taste, but Wynifred didn’t even bat an eye as she looked around.

“Are we going to be the only one’s out here? That would certainly afford us some privacy!”

“I’m not sure,” he said hesitantly. Privacy was the last thing on his mind, but he wasn’t about to lose control of the situation. “But I hope so. I’d love nothing more than to be alone with you.” He kept his voice soft and seductive, and she whipped her head around.

“Really?” she asked suspiciously. “Because just yesterday you didn’t want to have anything to do with me. What changed your mind?”

Before he could answer, the waiter walked out and opened their bottle of champagne. Thankful for the interruption, he took the time to glance over the menu while Wynifred grilled the poor man on the best selections to eat. After they had ordered, she immediately reached for her glass.

“I can’t remember the last time I had champagne,” she murmured as she drank deeply from the glass.

Rameez widened his eyes. “I’d probably suggest that you slow down or you’ll need another sabbatical before you enjoy it again. The bubbles might hit you pretty hard.”

“Oh, right,” she said sheepishly as she put the glass down. “I guess I forgot that this is a business dinner and not pleasure.” She reached back to her purse and pulled out her notebook.

“And there it is,” he said softly.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.” He shook his head and grabbed his own glass of champagne. “Wynifred, I know that you’re doing your job, but when was the last time that you sat back and had a good time?”

His question was genuine, and she paused. “I’ve been busy lately, and I suppose I am due for a little fun, but this isn’t the time for it. Getting you alone is like pulling teeth, and I’m not about to waste the opportunity.”

Rameez studied her openly. She squirmed under his gaze, and he had to make the effort not to smile in triumph. Even though she hid behind her job, she was attracted to him. That was all he needed. “Let’s get this over with.”

Glaring at him, she tapped her finger on the cover. “You do realize that half the problem stems from your attitude. You and Haris both. You’re so damn cavalier about this feud. It’s obvious that neither one of you really wants to fix things, so we’re going to have to focus on the one thing you two do seem to care about. Although Haris doesn’t seem close with your mother, he does speak of her fondly. I assume that since your mother helped raise him, they’re close? He sees her as his own mother?”

Rameez shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “I don’t know what Haris sees,” he said in a sullen voice.

“Shifa says that he’s over there often when you’re not there to check up on her. Do you two not communicate when it comes to her care?”

Were they going to talk all night about his cousin? He thought she wanted to talk about him. “She’s my mother. He’s her aunt. No matter what he might think, it’s a completely different relationship,” he said hotly.

“Did you guys have family dinners when you were kids?”

The waiter came back to drop off some bread, and Rameez grabbed the basket and offered her one. She looked almost surprised and smiled a little when she accepted one. “Thank you,” she said softly.

“I’m not a barbarian, you know. I do know how to treat women,” he scowled.

“Excuse me?”

He nodded his head to the basket. “You seemed surprised that I would offer you a roll before taking one myself. It’s a little hurtful that you think I’m rude.”

“Well, you’ve been nothing but rude to me, so what am I supposed to think?”

“My being rude to you has nothing to do with my feelings towards women. I happen to enjoy women greatly. It’s not that I don’t appreciate you as a woman, because believe me, you are easy to appreciate. I happen not to like your role in this own mediation thing.” He clutched the napkin tightly as he dragged it onto his lap hoping she didn’t notice how ridiculous his outburst sounded. Was he really that inarticulate around her?

“And by my role, you mean the fact that I’m heading up this mediation?”

It was obvious by the flush on her cheeks that she was deliberately ignoring his remarks about her. “I didn’t hire you to help me out. Haris did. The way I see it, you’re only going to complicate things.”

Wynifred snorted. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were making such headway before I came along.”

“You have no idea what kind of headway I was making,” he argued. “You’ve only heard Haris’ side of things.”

“That’s because you were ignoring me,” she said pointedly.

Clenching his jaw, he narrowed his eyes. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

“You know, I deal with a lot of problems in my line of work. Men don’t always respect my role in their problems, but they do eventually come around, and they never have an issue with venting. They want to open up about how much they hate their wives. You don’t want to talk about Haris. You don’t want to talk about you. So what do you want to talk about?”

Slowly, he smiled. Pushing his chair back, he stood and held his hand out to her. “Why don’t we dance a little, and maybe I’ll feel like talking afterward?”

“Dancing and talking have nothing to do with each other,” she muttered, but she still rose and took his hand. His skin tingled when she touched him, and she gasped a little. “Actually, this might not be such a good idea.” She stepped back to return to her chair, but he refused to release her hand.

“Relax.” He told her, his voice husky, and guided her away from the table. She flowed easily into his arms, and he was shocked by how quickly his body responded to her. She’d barely brushed up against him, and he was already hardening. “Maybe the reason I don’t want to open up to you is because I don’t know you.”

Wynifred gazed up at him and bit her bottom lip. “What do you want to know?” For a moment, she looked completely vulnerable and unsure of herself. He tightened his grip on her back feeling the need to make her feel safer.

“What made you decide you wanted to be a mediator?”

“I feel like I’ve been playing peacemaker all my life. I didn’t have any siblings to fight with, so I couldn’t really understand why my friends never seemed to get along with theirs. We’d all hang out together after school, and I’d step in to mediate their fights. The babysitter always joked that I had a gift, but it wasn’t until my parents separated that I really felt the need to help. It took me four months to get them back together, but I was also personally invested in the situation. So, I took a few psychology classes my freshman year of college and fell in love. After college, I started working for a family counseling center, and after a couple of years, I started freelancing.”

She was warm against his skin, and he resisted the urge to nuzzle her neck. She smelled sweet and intoxicating. “So if you enjoy it so much, why do you seem so stressed all the time?”

Chuckling, she swayed against him. The music wrapped around them, pulled them closer together, bonded them. “It’s not the job. It’s the book deal. I had no idea that it would take so much work, or that it would involve so many people.”

“Book deals are good. It means more business.”

“It does, but I didn’t really need more business. I simply wanted to get something out there that would help the people I couldn’t reach. If we trusted more in the love that we feel, we’d have fewer problems.”

The music kept going, but he stopped and looked down at her. His lips hovered mere inches above her, and for a moment, he wondered what she would do if he closed that distance. If he bent his head to taste her, would she part for him? Let him in? “You actually believe that, don’t you?” he whispered.

Her eyes moved down as she studied his mouth, and his breath quickened. “There’s nothing wrong with believing in love,” she murmured as she stepped a little closer to him. The woman was all but begging him to kiss her, and it was taking every ounce of self-control that he had not to give her what she wanted.

What they both wanted.

“Relationships take work,” he murmured huskily. “But they have to start somewhere. Attraction. Tension. Sexual release. But it’s not love. It’s chemistry.”

Before she could argue, he bent down and gave into his desire. Her body immediately molded to him as she parted her lips on a moan, and he slipped his tongue inside her. It was supposed to be a seductive kiss, teasing and light, but the moment the little moan escaped her, he was lost. Pulling her tight against him, he changed the angle and kissed her like a man starving. He wanted to consume her, burying himself inside her until neither could tell where one ended and the other began.