The Sheikh’s Tempted Prisoner by Holly Rayner Page 0,43

nearly choked on the last two words, and Atnan was at his side in an instant, the pair hugging as they reconciled over years of unspoken hurt. Finally, Atnan moved back to his chair, taking Lily’s hand. He pressed the back of it to his lips.

“Now, you must tell me where you’ve been and how this came to be,” the Sheikh said, glancing from Atnan to Lily.

Together they told him their tale of hiding out at the desert palace as Atnan worked to clear his name. The Sheikh frowned at that part of the story.

“Perhaps your brother will require some kind of punishment for this behavior,” he mused, but Atnan shook his head.

“We are working on rebuilding a friendship, Father. If you punish him, it will only hinder our progress. Please, leave that part to me.”

Amman frowned, though he agreed to let Atnan handle the situation as he saw fit.

After glancing at Lily, Atnan turned back to his father.

“There is a sensitive matter I would like to discuss with you for a moment—if that is all right with you, my love?” he said, turning toward Lily at the last part with a question in his eyes.

She nodded, happy to explore the royal gardens on her own.

“Of course. Take all the time you need,” she said.

Atnan’s eyes were sparkling as he led his father away, and Lily’s heart was warm at seeing the two of them together once again. In that moment, she knew everything would work out exactly as it was meant to. As to whatever Atnan had planned that she couldn’t yet know about…

Well, Lily knew she’d find out, all in good time.

Epilogue

“So, you can see now how the conjunction complements the verb. Any questions?”

Lily stared out at her classroom and the sea of faces. When no one raised a hand, she nodded.

“All right. There will be a quiz on Tuesday, so don’t forget to study over the weekend. I don’t want to see any tears over bad scores.”

A general chuckle rumbled around the room as students began shuffling around, scooping their notebooks and laptops into backpacks, and bidding Lily a fond farewell as they exited her class. She waved good-bye to each of them before returning to her wooden desk to stare out at the room.

It had been a whole year since she had arrived in Al Yibri. One year, and what a year it had been! After moving her few belongings into Atnan’s apartment, he had insisted on taking her on a grand shopping spree, and the two of them had had a wonderful time building her life in Al Yibri. Together, they had explored the city, learning new things while Atnan taught her all about the history and culture of the country.

It had been, without a doubt, one of the most spectacular years of her life.

She had interviewed for a few positions, and she was certainly popular after getting a picture snapped while kissing the Sheikh, but in the end, she accepted a position at the local university to teach freshman English. It was by far the best job she had ever had, and she enjoyed working with the college students of Al Yibri. They were kind and respectful, though she often wondered if they were staying in line so as not to get in trouble with the Sheikh, who had popped his head in a time or two to say hello.

After inhaling the scent of academia, she released the breath, feeling intense gratitude for the change that had come into her life. Her cell phone buzzed on her desk, and she glanced down, smiling as she read a text from Atnan.

Dinner soon?

Picking up the phone, she typed a response, letting him know she would be delighted to join him and would be heading out in five minutes. She packed up her bag and was about to leave as a student walked in.

“Miss Hawthorne?”

The young boy could be no older than eighteen, his dark eyes shy as he approached her desk.

“How can I help you?” she asked.

The boy stepped forward hesitantly, his eyes darting from hers to the ground and up again.

“It’s just that everyone says this is the best English class they’ve taken, and as you can hear, my English isn’t all that good. I want to get into international business someday, and I was hoping you could help me. Can I enroll, please?”

Lily looked upon him kindly even as she gulped at the idea of filling her already robust classroom with another person.

“Of course