Macho Man had a squirming toddler in his lap, and he didn’t seem to mind.
Seated across from Rayad Rostam at the lengthy dining table, for the past ten minutes Sunny had witnessed his remarkable patience with brown-haired, chatty, two-year-old Cala, daughter of the former playboy prince, Zain Mehdi, and his wife, Madison, the resident palace fixer of all things scandalous. The patient sheikh didn’t seem concerned that the little girl had dotted his T-shirt with cheese cracker remnants. He didn’t appear to care when she poked at his mouth, as if it held some sort of magic. Sunny suspected it probably did. The tolerant sheikh simply kept his lips sealed against the intrusion and gently extracted her hand from his face, followed by a kiss on her palm.
She certainly couldn’t fault a guy who apparently had an affinity for children. She also hadn’t been able to ignore the furtive glances he’d tossed her way during dinner, even though the to-die-for skewered chicken, tasty cheese and hummus side dish should have earned all her attention. Fortunately, no one else seemed to notice, thanks to the ongoing adult conversation and occasional screech from an overstimulated infant, namely her nephew, Sam.
When Cala wriggled from Rayad’s lap, Sunny noticed discomfort pass over his face as his hand went to his upper right side. The wound Piper mentioned apparently involved his rib cage. Another mystery solved, several more to go, including the hint of sadness in his eyes as Cala turned and waved to him before claiming a spot in her father’s lap.
But at the moment, the effects of jet lag had Sunny considering putting off her sheikh fact-finding mission until a later date. And when the queen and king rose from their chairs and excused themselves, followed by Zain and Madison and their twins, she saw that as an excuse to make her escape.
Sunny tossed her napkin aside, came to her feet and regarded Piper, who was seated next to the silent Rayad. “Dinner was great,” she began, “but I really need to retire before I nod off in the dessert plate.”
Piper stood and removed Sam from his highchair then turned him around to face Sunny. “Tell your auntie good-night, sweetie.” The baby responded by flailing his arms around and making motoring noises.
“A chip off the old pilot block,” Adan said, displaying a dimpled grin as he stood with Rayad following suit. “I do hope you find your quarters satisfactory, Sunny.”
“They’re more than satisfactory,” she replied as she rounded the table to kiss her nephew good-night, very aware that Rayad visually followed her movements. “I’m sure I’ll sleep well as soon as I take my nightly walk. Any suggestions where I should do that?”
Adan nodded to the open dining room doors. “After you exit, take a right, and you’ll find the entry to the courtyard.”
“But be careful,” Piper cautioned. “The grounds are like a maze. You might want to grab some bread crumbs and leave a trail, just in case.”
“I have a fairly good sense of direction, so no worries.”
After giving her twin a hug, and bidding everyone good-night, Sunny left the room and immediately located the doors leading to the expansive garden. She followed the labyrinth of stone walkways using the three-quarter moon as her guide, occasionally glancing behind her to keep the palace within her sights. When the path ended at a low retaining wall, she paused to study the twinkling lights dotting the valley below. A warm November breeze ruffled her hair, bringing with it the scent of exotic flowers. Back home the weather would be much cooler, and much of the fragrant foliage gone until spring. But not in this region. Most days brought pleasant weather, according to her hosts, yet rain had been forecasted in the next couple of days.
Feeling surprisingly serene, she looked up at the night sky to study the host of diamond-like stars. She welcomed the sense of peace she experienced for the first time in quite some time...
“Have you lost your way?”
For the second time that day, Sunny’s heart vaulted into her throat. She spun around to face the familiar man standing in the shadows behind her. “I’m not lost, and do you have some bizarre need to scare me to death?”
“No. I was simply concerned for your well-being.”
“Look, Mr....Sheikh... What exactly is your official title?”
He took a step toward her, his handsome face only partially revealed in the limited light. “You may call me Rayad.”
She’d like to call him a few unflattering names at the moment, and she would if he wasn’t so darn intimidating—in an overtly male sort of way. “Look, Rayad, I have traveled to some of the most remote places in the world and navigated some of the most treacherous terrain. I can handle a palace garden.”
“A garden that has been known to house deadly insects and asps.”
Just when her heart had returned to its rightful place, he’d mentioned her biggest fear. Correction. Second biggest fear, if the truth were known. “Really? Snakes?”
“Yes.”
She refused to let him see her uneasiness. “Would that be the reptile or human variety?”
“I have not personally encountered either in this garden,” he said without even a touch of lightness in his tone. “However, I have been conditioned to protect women. Therefore, I feel it is necessary to ensure your safe return.”
Her perfect opportunity to get to know him, but then he went and ruined it with the whole he-man posturing. Now she was determined to make a hasty escape and prove she could make it back to safety on her own. She had survived much, much worse. “Not all women need protection, Sheikh Rostam. Have a nice night.”
After Sunny brushed past him, she paused to survey four directional options, crossed her fingers and chose the path to her right.
“You are going the wrong way.”
Somewhat annoyed by his interference, and her irritating female reaction to the sexy timbre of his voice, she reluctantly faced him again. “I’m sure every way eventually leads back to the palace.”
He moved closer. “Not necessarily. If you continue on your current course, you will reach the road leading to the village. And if not careful, you could tumble down the cliff if you lose your footing.”
Wasn’t he just the bearer of good news? If she refused his offer, she could be allowing pride to overrule safety, a mistake she’d already made that had brought about severe consequences. If she accepted his aid, she could find out what made him tick, and avoid falling to her death. Option two sounded the most favorable, although not completely without risk. “Fine. Lead the way.”
After Rayad chose the trail heading in the opposite direction, Sunny came to his side and kept her focus straight ahead. And as they walked a few yards in silence, she mentally dashed through a list of subtle questions, choosing the most logical query to begin her impromptu interview. “Piper mentioned you’d recently suffered an injury during military training.”
“Broken ribs.”
“Did you run into something?”
“A fist.”
Definitely a man of few words, or two words, as the case might be. “Must’ve been some tough hand-to-hand combat. Is training troops primarily your duty?”
“No. Intelligence.”
Figured. “So you’re a spy guy, huh?”
“In a manner of speaking.”
“I bet you have a code name like Scorpion, or perhaps Snake.”
“That information is classified.”
She wondered if he ever let down his guard, or smiled, for that matter. “How long have you been serving?”
“Twelve years. I entered the military at the age of twenty-one.”
Progress. She now knew