The Sheikh's Pregnant Wife - Leslie North Page 0,12

to get Yaseen to see her side. It was even more exhausting to be six months pregnant.

“I’m going to bed,” she told him as he escorted her inside. “I’m tired out.” Her balanced swayed beneath her. She’d always known that pregnancy made women tired, but she hadn’t guessed that it made them this tired. She changed into a nightgown and sat down on the bed. Maybe she could only rest until dinner. Maybe—

A knock at the door woke her up. Kara blinked, clearing the sleep from her eyes. Dusk had settled purple on the horizon, trending toward full night. She stretched, letting out a soft groan.

“Come in.”

The door cracked open, and Yaseen appeared, balancing a silver tray in his hands. She smoothed the covers over her legs, feeling...shy. Shy? It was Yaseen. But her hair was rumpled and so was the nightgown, and she’d been asleep.

“Dinner,” he said softly, “and some tea. It’ll help you get a good night’s rest.”

“I don’t think anything could keep me from a good night’s rest.” A laugh took her by surprise. “Anyway, you just want me to sleep in so we miss the community outing tomorrow.”

He settled on the edge of the bed and put the tray over her lap, balancing the legs carefully. “Not at all.” A wry smile played over his lips. “I’m genuinely sorry that the excursion this afternoon exhausted you. I should have known it might be too much.”

“It wasn’t too much.” She sat up tall in bed. “If you got the impression that it was beyond my ability then—then that was wrong. I don’t want to postpone anything about the project because of me.”

He gave her a quizzical look. “Who said anything about postponements?”

Kara bit her lip. Now she’d done it. She picked up the mug of tea and inhaled the steam deeply. “Chamomile—my favorite.”

Yaseen’s shoulders dropped a couple of inches. “I’d hoped it would be.”

She watched him, the tea hot and soothing on her tongue. In the low, dusky light of the room, Yaseen’s eyes looked almost black. Still, they managed to catch all the available light and turn it into something like embers.

“In any event,” he said into the silence, “tomorrow is our last day here. When we’re back in Raihanabad, you can have as much rest as you desire.” He got to his feet. “Goodnight, Kara.”

Yaseen bent to kiss her forehead, and on some deep instinct Kara tilted her face back and caught his lips instead. She felt him stiffen for a moment, but he didn’t pull away. Far from it. The kiss deepened, his lips firm on hers. Yaseen leaned over the tray and put a hand on the side of her neck, his fingers gliding up to the line of her jaw, his thumb caressing her cheek. The touch lit up every nerve ending. Her nipples peaked beneath the fabric of the nightgown. When he pulled back, Kara gasped.

He hesitated, his breath ragged, but stood up tall. Yaseen took half a step back. Kara had never felt so trapped as she did beneath the silver tray. She wanted to throw it off the bed and leap on him. Yaseen adjusted his collar.

“You’re better off with a good night’s rest,” he said, voice ringing with authority. The alternative hung in the air. Or not, Kara thought. I could be better off with you in my bed. All night, until the sun rises, and after—we can miss the meeting because we’re too wrapped up in each other to care about anything else. It glittered in the space between them. Every breath felt suffused with it. All he had to do was take a step back toward her, put the tray aside, and climb in beside her. She would put her arms around his neck and pull him in hard, and then—

“Good night, Kara,” Yaseen said, and then he went out, closing the door firmly behind him.

6

On the final day in Mennah, Kara woke up feeling wonderful. Honestly, being able to open her eyes without a struggle was a gift. Maybe Yaseen had been right about the tea. She didn’t remember chamomile having such a restorative effect back in the States, but what did that matter? She swung her feet out of bed and padded across the room to the bathroom. She almost felt...light. Which was a near impossibility, given how pregnant she was, but as she stepped into the shower she made a mental note to savor the feeling.

It would be easy on a day like