The Sheikh's Pregnant Wife - Leslie North Page 0,3
city forever. But that wasn’t in the cards today.
Yaseen stood at the door to the home they’d moved into after the wedding ceremony. Even after six months, her breath still caught at the sight of him. Not that Kara was in love with Yaseen. Not that being in love with Yaseen was a requirement of the marriage—it certainly wasn’t. But she still found him exactly as attractive as she had that night in the club. Perhaps more.
“Hi,” she called across the empty space between them in front of the luxurious house. Two columns decorated the entrance, and they provided a perfect frame for Yaseen’s gorgeous body as he came down to meet her.
“Hello,” he said, a formal edge to his voice. He took her hand in his and brushed a kiss to her knuckles. Kara’s cheeks heated. They’d been married a week, but he still seemed so far away. The SUV pulled away behind her, a second close on its bumper. The second car would be packed and ready for their trip to the town of Mennah, in the Raihani countryside. “How are you feeling? Up to the travel?”
“Oh, yes,” she said. “I’m up to it. I can’t wait to visit the site again.”
Yaseen helped her back into the blessed air conditioning of the second SUV. “Don’t you feel like you’ve seen it all already? You’ve been poring over blueprints for weeks.”
“Blueprints don’t tell you the whole story of a place,” Kara said. “Imagination can only take you so far. And I want to talk to the people.” She put her seatbelt on and rubbed her hands together. Community Connections had had its big break as an NGO with this partnership—one with the royal family. The plan? A youth outreach and sports center in Mennah. “We’re going to be able to make so many connections with the community.” Her laugh sounded tinny, even to herself. “I know that’s the name of the game, but it’s true.”
Yaseen gave her a sidelong look that heated something inside her. “And have you run the numbers on profitability?” He studied her from across the backseat of the SUV. Behind that academic look, Kara swore she saw a flare of desire. But no matter what he felt, Yaseen said nothing about it. “There’s little point in investing in a complex like this if it won’t turn a profit for the crown.”
They rolled through the capital city. Yaseen had chosen a home in the most affluent district outside the palace. Kara’s ride to the Community Connections office took thirty minutes in the morning. The ride to the helipad used by the royal family only took ten. Kara was still considering the best answer to Yaseen’s question as they boarded the helicopter, followed by their security detail and one of Yaseen’s aides. Mennah was within driving distance of the capital, but because of her condition, they were avoiding the bumpy roads and hours in the SUV. Kara put on a luxe headset attached to the helicopter’s communication system. They lifted into the air, the rotor beating above them, but the smooth glide of the earphones shut out the noise.
“Look down.” Yaseen’s voice came over the headphones, low and sultry, and made her blush. But Kara simply looked at the landscape below.
“Oh, wow. Wow.” The cityscape petered out, the glinting buildings giving way to a patchwork of agricultural sectors that grew verdant and green. A wide swath of desert appeared like a river of bronze paint, and then the foothills. The narrow road carved a path through. “That’s the road?” She gave Yaseen a thankful smile over her shoulder. “You had the right idea, taking a helicopter.”
“Of course I did,” he said, amusement shading his voice. They followed a ridge of hills until Kara’s eyes caught on a burst of green, this one far smaller than the one encircling the capital city. This, way out here, in a green valley, was Mennah. The helicopter descended, the town coming into view. There was so much space. It was the perfect place to focus their efforts. Mennah was too far from the bustle of the capital city to benefit from its economic activity, so the results would be easy to observe and document. They could try so many things.
“I’m so excited,” she said, and clapped her hands. “This could be the best project Community Connections has ever worked on. It will be the best project.”
“We’ll see,” said Yaseen.
“You will see.” Kara kept her eyes on the landscape below for as