Sleeping with the Sheikh: The Sheikh's Bidding / Delaney's Desert Sheikh / Desert Warrior

The passion that was so much a part of Andrea came out in the kiss. Her hands roved over his back in steady strokes as if she were memorizing this moment. He caught a handful of her hair as if to moor himself against the onslaught of heat, of desperate desire. When she draped one leg over his thigh, he curved his palm over her waist. They parted for a moment, but only a moment, to draw air before their mouths united again. How easy it would be to touch her, Sam thought. How easy to show her pleasure. He slipped his hand between her thighs and Andrea wriggled her encouragement.

Reality soon caught hold and Sam became aware that if he continued, he would not be able to stop. He would toss away all his reasons for avoiding this very thing and carry her to bed, make love to her all through the night, destroying his determination not to hurt her more than he already had.

Breaking the kiss, he tipped his forehead against hers as he tried to regain his respiration. “You are still too hard to resist.”

“Then why even bother?”

He pulled back and searched her blue eyes. “You know the reasons why. Because I—”

“Have to go back to the magic kingdom,” she said, then scooted away from him to the other end of the sofa. “You don’t have to remind me again.”

“I’m glad you are finally beginning to understand.”

She picked up a throw pillow and held it against her breasts. “Now that we’ve established you’ll be leaving, for about the hundredth time, I’ve come to a decision.”

“About?”

“Chance. I’ve decided you can go with me to the camp.”

Sincerely pleased, Sam smiled. “Good. We can travel in the limo instead of that wreck you call a truck.”

He snared the pillow she tossed at him in one hand before it hit his face. “What’s wrong with my truck?”

“Nothing if you’re hauling feed and hay and traveling only a short distance. I believe my mode of transportation provides more comfort and reliability. And if you’ll recall, our son expressed his desire to ride in it. Rashid can drive us.”

Andrea chewed her bottom lip for a moment before raising her eyes to his. “Maybe that is a good idea. Plenty of room in the limo. Lots of room, in fact.” She smiled once again. A smile that could only mean trouble for Sam. “In fact, I just bet you could stretch out if you wanted to.”

“Andrea,” he said in a half-warning tone, a great effort considering the arrival of visions of Andrea beneath him, naked, in the dimly lit limousine.

She stretched her arms above her head, giving him a good view of her breasts unencumbered beneath the satin, then rose and stood above him. “Relax, Sam. I promise I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to do.”

Exactly what he feared, for if given the opportunity, Sam knew precisely what he would want to do—make love to her as if tomorrow would not arrive.

In many ways, at least in regard to his time with the mother of his child, that was very close to the truth.

“Got a minute to gab, Andi?” Tess asked the following day.

Andi looked up from gathering a few things for the trip to camp and gave her attention to Tess. “Sure. What’s up?”

Pacing the length of the bedroom, Tess paused to toy with various keepsakes on the bureau. “I have something I need to tell you.”

Andi tossed the picnic blanket aside and took a roost on the edge of the bed, gearing up for a “Sam” lecture. “I’ve agreed to let him go with me, if that’s what’s bugging you.”

Tess finally faced her. “I know. Sam told me. But this doesn’t have a thing to do with him.”

Realizing Tess meant serious business, Andi patted the mattress beside her. “Have a seat and tell me what’s got you in such a mood.”

Tess joined her and wrapped an arm around Andi’s shoulder. “Honey, Riley has asked me to marry him.”

“So what else is new?”

“This time I said yes.”

Andi’s heart took a nosedive over the prospect of losing the one person she had come to count on through thick and thin, a proverbial port in the storm, her touchstone.

Hiding her selfishness with a smile, Andi proclaimed with a goodnatured pat on Tess’s thigh, “Well it’s about damned time.”

Tess gave Andi’s shoulder a motherly squeeze. “Then you’re okay with this?”

“Are you asking my approval?”

“I’m asking how you feel about it.”

Rising from the bed, Andrea took her place at the bureau where Tess had been a few moments before, her back turned to her aunt so she wouldn’t give herself away. “Of course I’m okay with it. I’m thrilled.” She didn’t sound at all thrilled.

Biting back the tears, Andi drew in several cleansing breaths. Tess’s careworn hands coming to rest on her shoulders almost proved to be her undoing.

“I know the timing seems pretty bad with Sam here again,” Tess said, “but Riley bought himself one of those new-fangled homes on wheels and he wants to travel.”

That brought Andi around to face Tess. “You mean you’ll be gone all the time?”

“A lot of the time. We’d like to see the country in our golden years, before we’re too old to enjoy it.”

Andi attempted another smile, but her lips felt as stiff as a metal pipe. “That sounds great, Tess.”

Tess tried to smile, as well, but it, too, seemed forced. “During the summers you and Chance can come along with us, when he’s out of school.”

“Oh, yeah, Tess. I’m sure Riley would love having us along while you’re still on your honeymoon.”

“Next year, silly girl. We’re not going to tie the noose until after Sam leaves.”

Andi shrugged. “Why not now? Sam can be Riley’s best man. Heck, how many people can say they have a prince standing up for them during the nuptials?” Her attempt at humor rang false, and she realized her aunt saw right through her.

Tess brushed Andi’s hair away from her shoulders, a gesture so endearing and familiar it made Andi’s heart ache, and the stubborn tears threatened to appear once again. “Your time will come, Andi girl. You only have to open yourself up. You can do that once Sam’s gone again.”

Did everyone have to keep reminding her about Sam’s impending departure? Was everyone so bent on believing that her world revolved around him?

Andi swallowed past the boulder in her throat, determined not to cry over something she couldn’t control. “Whether Sam’s here or not makes no difference to me, except where Chance is concerned. There’s nothing more between us.” If only Andi had sounded more convincing. If only she really believed that.

“There will always be something between you two, Andi. A child, and two different worlds. He can’t give you what you need, but someday you’ll find a man who can.”

Andrea wanted to stomp her foot and cuss like a ranch hand. She wanted to scream that this supposed “special” man didn’t exist in any world, especially hers. Instead, she said, “I’m satisfied with my life, Tess. My work and Chance are all I need. And I’m thrilled for you and Riley. You’ve been the only mother I’ve ever known, and if you hadn’t been there when Daddy and Paul died, I don’t know what I would’ve done. You deserve some happiness, too.”

Tess tugged her into a solid embrace. “I’ll always be here for you, honey, God willing.” She pulled back and studied Andi’s face through the eyes of a mother concerned for her child. “Just like I was for all the hurts and heartaches, and for Chance’s entry into this crazy world, I’ll be there when your prince leaves again.”

Your prince. Andi had never been one to put much stock in fairy tales, or to believe that some knight would come along and rescue her. Sheikh Samir Yaman had shattered those dreams long ago, and he would shred her life again if she let him.

But she wouldn’t let him destroy her. As always, she would survive. She and Chance together. Andi didn’t need a prince, even one she would probably love forever.

Chapter Five

Sam regarded Andrea over the magazine he’d pretended to read for the better part of the trip to the camp. Thankfully she had retired early the night before without further mention of lovemaking. In fact, she had said very little at all, then and now. At the moment she sat across from him wringing her hands and staring with an unfocused gaze out the tinted window.

Curious over her uncharacteristic silence, Sam tossed the magazine aside and studied her. “Are you afraid that our son has forgotten his mother?”

She turned startled eyes on him. “Of course not. Why would you think that?”

“You seem very nervous.”

She tightened the rubber band around her hair. “Can you blame me? I mean, I’m about to take you to camp. Even if Chance doesn’t question your resemblance to him, other people are going to automatically assume you’re his father.”

“That is not necessarily so.”

“Oh, come on, Sam. He looks just like you, right down to the blasted dimple.”

Sam couldn’t contain his pride or his smile. “He has your nose.”

Andi placed her fingertips on the tip of her nose as if to verify that fact. “He does at the moment, but he’s still just a baby. I’m sure he’ll have your aristocratic honker by the time he’s a teenager.”

“Honker?”

“That’s what Chance calls noses.”

“You do not care for my nose?”

“Your nose is fine. Very sophisticated.”

“I am relieved it meets with your approval.”

Her grin came out of hiding. “Everything about you meets with my approval. All those parts seen and unseen, or as best I can remember, because it’s been a while since I’ve seen all your parts.”

Sam shifted in his seat and resisted the urge to offer an inspection. At least they had survived the duration of this trip without utilizing the privacy of the limo. But on the ride home…

“Looks like we’re here.” The limo had barely come to a stop before Andrea slid out the door. Sam hurried out behind her, afraid she would abandon him and leave him to his own devices. He knew nothing about how he should act at this camp. He had no idea how to answer any questions that might arise about his relationship with Andrea and Chance. He would simply have to allow Andrea to handle the situation in the way she saw fit. He suspected he would not care for her explanations.

Sam caught up with Andrea immediately outside a large cedar cabin surrounded by several adults. A young woman approached them and held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Trish, Ms. Hamilton.”

“Nice to meet you, Trish,” Andrea replied politely.

“You don’t remember me? We met when you came to check out the camp.”

Andrea continued her hand kneading. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long drive.”

Trish seemed unfazed by Andrea’s lack of memory and continued on at a vibrant pace. “We’re glad you could come today. Chance is so excited. He’s a fantastic little boy. Quite the happy camper.”

Andrea’s gaze roamed the immediate area. “Where is he?”

“In the dining hall finishing up breakfast. He’ll be right out.” Trish turned her smile on Sam. “And you must be Mr. Hamilton.”

“His name is Mr. Yaman,” Andrea added quickly. “A family friend.”

The woman looked flustered. “Well, I’m sorry. It’s just that Chance looks so much like you.”

Andrea produced a nervous smile. “I know. Isn’t that weird?”

Sam hated the denial, hated that Andrea didn’t see a need for the truth. “Chance’s father and I are from the same country,” Sam offered along with his hand.

“Cool,” Trish said after a brief handshake.

A spattering of laughter and shouts broke the awkward moment as myriad children came rushing out the doors of the largest cabin to the left.

“Mama! You came!”

Chance rushed Andrea and engaged her in a voracious hug. She picked him up and held him tightly against her breasts. “I’ve missed you, sweetie. Are you having fun?”

He squirmed in her grasp. “Yeah. Lots of fun. Put me down, Mom, before the other guys see.”

Looking heartsick, Andrea complied but kept her hand on his shoulder. “Guess that wouldn’t be cool,” she said in a voice that sounded much like the camp counselor.

Chance stared up at Sam with surprise as if he’d only now realized his presence. “How come you didn’t tell me you were bringing the prince?”

Andrea sent a quick glance at Sam, then said, “We only decided a few days ago.”

Sam held out his hand. “I hope that is all right with you, Chance.”

Chance displayed his approval with a jerk of his head and a hearty handshake. “Sure. Did you bring the car?”

Sam hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “In the parking lot.”

His son’s eyes grew large with wonder, reminding Sam of Andrea. “Can I take the guys for a ride?”

“Not now, sweetie,” Andrea said. “Maybe before we head back. Right now we have to play some games.”

Andrea took Chance by the hand and headed off toward the group of parents gathered at the flagpole. Sam stood in place watching mother and child walk away, hand in hand, without concern that they had left him behind. He despised feeling the outsider, welcome only because of his car—a symbol of his wealth—not as a part of this family.

Perhaps it would be best if Chance never knew the truth. Perhaps he should walk away and never look back, knowing it would be favorable for everyone concerned, especially his son. Yet it would prove to be a most difficult choice.

Then suddenly Chance tugged his hand from Andrea’s grasp and came running back to Sam. He toed the dirt beneath his feet then stared at Sam with eyes much like his own. “Can I ask you somethin’?”

Sam ruffled the boy’s dark head. “Certainly.”

“It’s kind of a favor.”

Kneeling on Chance’s level, Sam’s expression softened as did something deep inside him. “Do not be afraid to ask anything of me.”

“Can you pretend to be my dad today?”

Andi hadn’t minded that Chance requested Sam be his “pretend” father, even though it wasn’t at all pretend. She hadn’t minded that Sam seemed to garner all the attention during the day-long activities. After all, he was a prince. She hadn’t minded that he had been chosen to anchor the tug-of-war rope for Chance’s team since he was well built for the challenge. Nor had she really cared that Chance took great pains in introducing Sam to everyone while she seemed almost inconsequential. Besides, when Chance scraped his knee during the softball game, he had sought out his mother to kiss away the hurt.

Yet she couldn’t help but feel a little jealous when Chance told Sam that he’d had the best time ever, even more fun than when Andi had entered him and his pony in the local Fourth of July parade. How could she compete with that?

She couldn’t, and she shouldn’t want to. In fact, she should be thrilled that father and son had hit it off. But she couldn’t be totally happy, knowing that in a matter of days Sam would be gone from their lives, maybe even for good, before Chance really got to know him as his father.

While Rashid took one last circle around the parking lot in the limo accompanied by Sam, Chance and a half dozen other boys, Andi stood alone and waited patiently. She would give them these special moments together without complaint, knowing they might be some of the last.

The car came to a stop nearby and a group of chatty boys piled out, then headed off at a run toward the dining hall for the evening meal. Chance hung back to talk with Sam while Andi leaned into the limo to load her bag and blanket into the car. After she was done, she found Sam crouched on Chance’s level near the trunk, explaining the finer points of Thoroughbred racing. Funny, Chance had never seemed to care all that much about Andi’s explanations of the sport.

She approached quietly and rested her hand on Chance’s hair still damp from their afternoon swim. “It’s time for you to go on back, honey. Dinner’s ready and we need to get home to check on the horses.”

Chance looked up, disappointment in his eyes. “Okay. But can Sam pick me up in the limo next weekend?”

“I don’t know, sweetie. You’ll have to ask—”

“I will make it a point to be here,” Sam interjected.

Andi pulled Chance into an embrace, thankful that he allowed it. “You be good.”

“I will, Mom.”

“Eat right and check your levels.”

“Yeah, Mom.”

“Be sure to get plenty of rest and—”

“Can I go now, Mother? I’m hungry.”

Mother? Since when had she stopped being Mama?

After popping a kiss on his cheek, Andi released Chance knowing that she would eventually have to learn to let him go, something that was all too familiar where the men in her life were concerned.

Chance turned to Sam and gave him a high-five. “Later, Mr. Sheikh.”

Sam grinned. “Later.”

With a last wave, Chance set off toward the cabin, taking a tiny piece of Andi’s heart with him.

Sam gestured toward the open door. “Shall we?”

Andi took another glance toward the cabin only to discover that her son had disappeared. “I guess so,” she said, then slid inside the limo.

For the first few minutes they rode in silence, yet Sam couldn’t seem to stop smiling. Andi reluctantly admitted she appreciated his joy and understood it. Spending time with your child was the greatest experience on earth.

“So did you have fun, Sheikh Yaman?” she asked in a teasing tone.

His grin deepened. “Yes, I did most certainly.”

“I’m glad.” Andi paused for a moment, frustrated that he was going to make her drag a conversation out of him. “I noticed you really seemed to enjoy the swim.”

“Very much.”

“The women sure seemed to enjoy watching you swim.”

He frowned. “I do not understand.”

“Are you saying you didn’t notice they were all staring at you when you rose from the water like some Arabian god?”

Sam laughed. “Andrea, your imagination is second only to your love of good horseflesh.”

“I’m not imagining things. I thought I might have to do CPR on them when you executed that perfect dive. Of course, those swim trunks did tend to enhance your finer features.”

“They are plain, Andrea. Simple black. Adequate cover.”

“Nancy sure seemed to like them, and everything in them.”

He raised one dark brow. “Nancy?”

“Yeah. Little Bubba’s mother. The divorced one who wore four-inch heels with her metallic gold thong and kept gushing over you all day.”

“I do not remember her.”

“Oh, I’m so sure.”

His gaze slid over Andi, and she suddenly found herself covered in gooseflesh. “I would not have noticed this Nancy with you present. The suit you wore drew attention, as well, and not from me alone. The blue brought out the color of your eyes and the fit enhanced your figure. Very nice indeed.”

Andi wanted to laugh. Her suit was a relatively modest two-piece, and for most of the day she’d worn her oversize cover-up. “I just bet you say that to all the girls in your harem.”

“I have no harem.”

Andi tossed up her hands in mock exasperation. “Well, darn. There went my desert fantasy.”

Sam rubbed a large hand down his thigh, bare because of the shorts he now wore, capturing Andi’s attention. “I am sorry to disappoint you.”

In reality he hadn’t disappointed her. Yet. But the night was young, and she had only one major goal in mind—to convince Sam that spending the next two hours in the limo could be as boring, or as exciting, as they chose to make it.

On that thought, she fanned her face. “It’s rather warm in here, don’t you think?”

His expression went as taut as the black leather covering the seats. “I am comfortable.”

“Well, I’m not.” She unbuttoned her blouse and let it fall open to reveal the top of her less-than-comfortable bra. “That’s a little better.”

“I will ask Rashid to adjust the air.” Depressing the intercom button to his right, he made the request then settled back against the seat with the magazine he’d been reading earlier.

This would not do, Andi thought. She refused to let him ignore her. Feeling brave, she reached for the button on her denim shorts then reconsidered. “Speaking of Rashid, can he see back here?”

Sam sent her a suspicious look. “Not as long as the privacy window is intact. Why do you ask?”

“Just wondering.”

Muttering something in Arabic that Andi couldn’t understand, Sam went back to the magazine and Andi went back to tugging off her shorts. On afterthought, she unfastened her bra and slipped it off through the armholes then tossed it onto the floor to join her shorts. Now she wore only a white sleeveless cotton shirt and a pair of skimpy black panties. If that didn’t get his attention, Andi doubted anything would, short of leaning out the window naked and hollering at the top of her lungs.

When Sam failed to look at her, she decided to take matters into her own hands, or whatever else she needed to take into her hands to earn his notice. All day long she’d endured the sidelong glances aimed at Sam. And all the while she’d had to pretend they were old friends.

She was tired of the whole charade because he was more than a friend. He was the father of her child, and at one time her lover. Just once more before he disappeared again, she wanted to experience all that he had to offer, if she could just convince him to cooperate.

On that thought, Andi slipped to her knees and crawled to the opposite seat to move between Sam’s parted legs. When he looked up, she noted a hint of surprise in his expression.

She grabbed the magazine and tossed it behind her, then slipped her fingertips immediately underneath the hem of his khaki shorts. “Is that magazine so darned interesting that you can’t give me a little of your time?”

He nailed her with his dark eyes. “Is my time all you want, Andrea? If so, you do not have to resort to such measures as crawling on your knees.”

“You don’t like me on my knees?” she asked, topped off with a suggestive grin.

His glance fell to her open blouse that now revealed a good deal of her breasts. “I would like you to return to your seat and put your clothes back on before I…”

His words trailed off, leading Andi to believe that he was entertaining some of the same naughty ideas.

“Before you what?”

“Before Rashid sees you.”

She frowned. “I thought you said he couldn’t see back here with the window up.”

“I do not believe he can, but I’ve never ridden in the front to test the window’s merits. It would be unwise to take that risk.”

Andi’s wicked side surfaced, and she climbed onto the seat on her knees, straddling Sam’s thighs. “Why don’t we just hope for the best? Besides, you can always say you had something in your eye and I was trying to remove it.”

He braced his hands on her waist but didn’t attempt to move her out of the way. “I doubt that Rashid would buy such a weak excuse.”

“Considering this car’s owner, I’d just bet Rashid has probably seen it all.”

“What are you saying?”

“You and other women engaging in some hankypanky.”

“I use this car for business purposes and nothing more.”

She rimmed her tongue along the shell of his ear and whispered, “Then maybe we should get down to business.”

“Andrea, why are you so intent on pursuing this?”

Pulling back, she locked into his dark gaze, determined to have her say—and her way. “Because I have to know if I only imagined how wonderful you made me feel, or if it’s just the fact I had no one to compare you to.” She ran the tip of her tongue across the seam of his lips. “I want to know if you’re really all that great.”

Sam tightened his grip on her waist, and his eyes went almost black. “Are you saying that you wish to know how I compare to other men? Have there been so many, Andrea?”

There had been only one other man, a brief affair that had been more than disappointing, but revealing that fact wouldn’t help her cause. “I’m saying it was a long time ago and that maybe my recollections are incorrect.”

“Yet you have told me repeatedly you do not wish to resurrect the past.”

“I’m telling you now that I need you to refresh my memory.” She moved against him, immediately noting the slight swell beneath her bottom. “Is that a camel in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?”