The Sheikh’s Tempted Prisoner by Holly Rayner Page 0,39
actually all belong to me. This is my private garage.”
Lily’s eyes widened, though she said nothing, simply taking in her new life.
Atnan pulled out of the garage, setting off in the direction of Marissa’s house. Having only been in the country for a few weeks, Lily had no concept of how to get back there without her phone providing directions, and they got lost three times before she finally saw a street she recognized. For his part, Atnan was the model of patience, though Lily suspected he was simply grateful to be able to drive around the city again without fear of being hunted down.
As they pulled up to Marissa’s apartment, Lily gasped at the beautiful new car sitting in the driveway. She turned to look at Atnan, who began to whistle innocently.
“You did this?” she asked, and he shrugged.
“I told you I’d handle it. Her other car had over a hundred-thousand miles on it. This one has twelve. I think your friend will have to forgive you after she sees the exchange.”
Lily gave him a small smile. She would never be able to repay his kindness, though, deep down, she knew that her help had meant more to him than all the riches money could buy.
She frowned as she looked up at the apartment building.
“Here’s another important thing I forgot: the key to her apartment. It was in my purse, which I abandoned back at the palace when I…”
She didn’t want to finish the statement. Talking about the day she ran away was painful. She wanted to leave that memory behind her as she began a new adventure with Atnan.
Atnan held up a finger and reached into the backseat of the car. When he pulled his hand back, her purse was in it.
“You actually left this in the car the day we met. You must have forgotten, being a little distracted as we were.”
Lily laughed and took the purse to hold it to her chest. It was so nice to have something that belonged to her!
“You are going to make an excellent ruler, you know. You’ve certainly thought of every detail!”
Atnan’s smile was a little bashful.
“I hope so. Is the key in there?”
Lily unzipped the purse and pulled out a set of car keys, to which the silver house key was attached.
“Just where I left it,” she said, feeling happy.
They stepped out of the car and opened the door to Marissa’s apartment. It still had that underlying scent of incense, and Lily’s suitcase sat exactly where she had left it, as though waiting for her to return. She gazed around the apartment, thinking about the moment she had arrived and the nights she had spent stressed and sleepless, searching in vain for a job and getting doors closed in her face.
Those days were officially over.
As Lily repacked her suitcase, Atnan read news articles on his phone, reading out bits and pieces of the ones that talked about his cleared name and how people were generally taking to the news positively.
“I can’t wait to see my father again,” he said, and Lily poked her head out from the bathroom.
“Have you called him yet?” she asked.
Atnan shook his head, his gaze distant as he looked out Marissa’s small living room window.
“I don’t know what I would say,” he replied, his voice nearly a whisper.
Lily stepped out of the bathroom, setting her toothbrush in her suitcase before she moved to sit next to him.
“You’ll find the words. I’m sure he’s been missing you very much,” she said, squeezing his hand tightly.
“Lily?”
Marissa stood in the doorway, her hair in a messy bun, her clothes wrinkled and travel-worn. Lily stood up, smiling.
“Hey there!”
Marissa continued to look bewildered as she stared at her friend.
“Whose car is that in my driveway? Also, where is my car?”
Lily looked at Atnan, who pulled a set of car keys from his pocket and tossed them to her. She turned to Marissa and handed them over. Her friend stared at them with wide eyes.
“That car is yours. I’ve had a bit of an adventure since arriving in Al Yibri. We’ll have to get lunch once you’ve settled in a bit and I can tell you all about it.”
“You…got me a new car?”
“Yeah. The old one got a little damaged. Luckily, I had a little help from my…boyfriend,” Lily said, hesitating on the word as she gazed back at Atnan.
He smiled, letting her know that he was perfectly okay with that term. She supposed he would be, given that they had