His Irresistible Darling Read online

  “And, er, he’s leaving here soon then? I mean he’s not staying long term, right?” Malik checked.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Hmm, good. I mean right. He’ll have sheep and erm, cows to see to, won’t he.”

  Jumal took in a deep breath. “Why don’t you just tell her how you feel?” Jumal asked, not missing the hypocrisy of his advice.

  “Who, what—er, what, ha—” Malik, let out a humourless short laugh and raked a hand through his hair. “I don’t er, know what you mean. I just don’t want Melina to get hurt again.”

  “Mate, I’d have to be blind to miss the way you stare at her in meetings, how you come up to see me for absolutely no reason just so you can walk past her desk and say hello, sulking if she’s not there or she’s busy on the phone, how you rush to pour the coffee for her in the staffroom and serve it just the way she likes, how you save her a seat and offer her favourite biscuits, how you linger around the elevator at her home time just so you can ride down fifty floors with her and then wait until she’s left the car park so you can come back up, how I’ve seen you belly laugh at her jokes, which are appallingly bad. Need I go on?”

  Malik took a deep breath and screwed his face up. “I don’t sulk.”

  Jumal sat forward, propping his elbows on his knees, and allowed his head to fall forward into his cupped hands while pulling the towel over his head. Thankfully Malik had always been too distracted by Melina to notice that Jumal was himself guilty of every single one of those little actions—just for a different woman.

  ***

  “You sure you don’t mind?” Pip asked over her shoulder.

  James was laid out on one side of her bed, relaxing, arms behind his head, legs crossed at the ankles, looking like a man very much pleased with himself, yet Pippa was full of guilt at having to abandon him so quickly after his arrival. She crossed her room back from her wardrobe, arms full of random dresses, and placed them on the suitcase. She studied each one in turn, discarding most of them quickly for being to “liberal”.

  “Nope. It’s fine, hon, honestly. Mel is going to take me sand surfing out in the desert and then up some mountain. Should be fun. She said she couldn’t get you to go up there with her in the cable car,” he said, cheerily wiggling his eyebrows.

  “Mel?” she teased, smiling back, grateful for his understanding. “It still feels like a crappy thing for me to do after I’m the one who convinced you to come out to see me. So, you and Melina getting along nicely then?” she continued to tease, looking up at him from the pile of discarded clothes.

  “Hey, I’m on holiday and she’s good to spend time with,” he said, shrugging his shoulders and offering her a wolfish grin. “Although I was getting some murderous glances from some guy in a suit all night.”

  “Really, no idea who that could have been. She’s not seeing anyone,” she told him, inspecting another possible dress before dropping it to the floor. “You didn’t grope her, did you?”

  “Gee, thanks for thinking so highly of me, Pip,” he chided lightly. “I wouldn’t do that to her in public. I waited like a gentleman until we got back to her place,” he joked, wiggling his brows. “So anyway, what exactly happened with you leaving early last night? Jumal came up and said he needed your keys and the next thing he’d carted you off. Mel said you’d had too much to drink but I didn’t see you drinking too much.”

  Pip hadn’t mentioned the “drugging” to James or Melina. She knew without a doubt that James would tell Matt who would immediately fly out and put her on the next flight home without debate, and Melina would feel responsible simply for the fact that she had organised the party and been in charge of the guest list.

  “Cheeky bastard even offered to pay for me to stay in a hotel. As if I needed his charity,” James laughed coldly.

  “He did what?” she gasped, surprised that Jumal would even consider looking after her friend.

  “Yeah I know. Jerk. So what’s wrong with all those dresses?” he asked, nodding to the growing pile. “You’re only going for one night, aren’t you?”

  “I need something conservative. You know,” she said, blowing her fringe up, “with ample coverage. I still can’t believe he’s asked me to go. His fiancée was supposed to travel with him.” She discarded yet another dress on the floor.

  “He’s already engaged?” James asked surprised, popping his head up and leaning back on his elbows. “You’re kidding?”

  Pip looked up, briefly surprised at his tone, before quickly refocusing on her hopeless task. “Nope. To a real life Cruella de Vil. But why the surprise? Most women would give their right arm to even stand at his side.” Not that she was a masochist but she was intrigued as to why James seemed to be shocked by his engagement.

  He shrugged. “Huh, I just assumed from the vibes and death stares he was giving out last night that he had a thing for you. My mistake,” he said, twisting to sit up at the side of her bed and running a hand through his hair so it stuck up.

  “Right let’s see,” he mused, getting up and now rubbing his day-old stubble as he walked over to her wardrobe and began flicking along the rail she hadn’t got to yet. “Christ I see your shopping addiction hasn’t abated since arriving here. How the hell are you gonna get all this stuff home?”

  James went strangely quiet and she looked over at him to see what he’d found and was shaken at the strained look etched on his face. “You are coming home in the summer?” he demanded, nodding at her. “Right?” he pressed.

  “Of course,” she confirmed, nodding back, not entirely sure she was telling the truth. She’d grown to love the freedom living here gave her. She treasured her growing family completely but she’d never be able to lead a life without Matt’s brotherly concern. He would mean well of course, but still, she had enjoyed the independence and freedom this placement had given her.

  Seemingly satisfied at her response, he returned to his quest and Pippa let go of the breath she’d been holding, casting her eyes to the floor. What had James said about Jumal having a thing for her? Could he be right? But she quickly dismissed such ponderings as those of a stupid crush. Did nine years of wanting a man count as a crush?

  “How about this one?” he suggested, turning back to her and holding up the hanger, apparently pleased at his discovery, before continuing, “Personally, I think it will make my arse look big, but on you—hmm yeah, I think you can pull it off.”

  Assured that she’d fixed a convincing half smile on her face before she looked up, she took in his suggestion and was pleased that she could now offer James a genuine smile as he moulded the dress against his own body. “Perfect.”

  ***

  “We’re going in that!” Pip exclaimed and stilled, letting go of her holdall and pointing.

  “Yes. It’s the quickest way. We’ll be there in thirty-five minutes. Shall we?” he said, moving forward before realising that Pippa hadn’t moved and appeared frozen to the spot. “Pippa?” He glanced back.

  “B-but, it’s a helicopter,” she stammered. “A flying metal coffin,” she added weakly, biting her lip, her hands now tightly clenched together in front of her.

  Jumal cursed, taking a step back to her side. “Oh Christ, I forgot, Pippa. I’m sorry. Look, I can make alternative arrangements. Let’s go back inside. We can go by speedboat.” He bent to pick up her bag and tossed it over his shoulder, unconcerned by its weight.

  “N-no wait,” she called to him and appeared to take a deep breath and pushed her glasses back up her nose. “I can do this. Just…just give me a moment, okay?”

  He turned to face her. “If you want to do this, I’ll be right there with you, Pippa. I’ll sit with you. Nothing will happen,” he promised as he reached out to lift her chin. “I swear.” She looked up at him. Her eyes were wide with terror and darting around nervously. He watched mesmerised as she seemed to gather her resolve and finally, after a few moments, she nodded. Her stunning pale blue eyes now focused entirely on his, her glasses merely fra
ming and emphasising their appeal. Abruptly, the full force of his feelings for her hit Jumal like a tsunami. The fact that she was willing to trust him almost brought him to his knees. He knew what it cost her to show her vulnerability to him, to trust him with it and not to take advantage.

  On that otherwise innocuous Monday, standing with Pippa at the top of his building that provided the most amazing 360-degree panoramic view of the city, surrounded by warm early morning sunshine and with Pippa appearing ready to flee at any minute, Jumal accepted that his feelings for her were far more complex than pure lust. He wanted to protect her. He would protect this girl with his life, protect her from anything harmful or dangerous, which might just have to include him.

  “Come on,” he said encouragingly, taking her hand to lead the way.

  ***

  True to his word, Jumal hadn’t let her have a full meltdown in front of their pilots as he buckled her into the complex-looking safety belt and popped a huge set of headphones over her ears. He’d sat next to her and when she’d reached into her bag to take her stress ball he simply shook his head and offered her his hand, which she accepted with a grateful smile. She wasn’t sure if he was aware that he’d rubbed his thumb soothingly along her hand for the entire journey. He’d looked over at her occasionally, offering words of encouragement, before trying to get comfortable in his seat and returning to staring out of the window.

  It seemed he too had been struggling to get comfortable in those bucket seats. He hadn’t even complained when she’d squeezed his hand tightly and screamed when they’d hit some turbulence. Instead he’d asked her more about her degree course and home, and he’d told her secrets about Matt from their time studying at Oxford University. She knew it was a distraction technique but she was still grateful. Jumal had even offered to find a reputable therapist for her to see before she went home to try to help her get over her fears, and she was pleased that he hadn’t tried to dismiss her fears as ridiculous or childish.

  She felt a nervous sweat form on her brow as her mind once again raced off with thoughts of being trapped and how unnatural it was to be flying in this contraption. She took deep breaths as she lowered her eyes and popped on her sunglasses.

  Her eyes were drawn to the lengths of their bodies, which were forcibly pushed up against each other: thighs, hips, arms. Pip squirmed in her seat at the sensation of heat and strength permeating from his body, his powerful thighs parted in that typical male-dominant fashion. Her heart was now racing for another reason entirely and she convinced herself that the prescription sunglasses she’d just popped on covered the fact that she’d naughtily stared down towards his groin and gawped at the unmistakeable bulge, barely contained in his suit trousers. Is that—?

  “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.