Malik finished discussing security with his guards then made several phone calls to his chief of staff, giving him instructions. By the time he hung up the phone, dawn was almost breaking over the horizon and he was exhausted, but Malik knew that he wouldn’t be able to sleep.
He opened the door to the room where he knew his family was sleeping and was shocked to find Jina on the floor curled up around the baby carrier. There was no need for her to sleep there. He moved his still-sleeping daughter out of the way, then lifted Jina up and placed her onto the bed. Covering her up, he looked at her for several long moments. She was still beautiful despite the fatigue that had caused her complexion to turn into the color of bland oatmeal instead of the peaches and cream he remembered from the last time they’d been together.
Damn, he thought. She’d been trying to protect him all this time! What a little lioness, he thought. All of the anger and resentment he’d been feeling since the day she’d left him dissolved with this new information. She shouldn’t have left him, he thought. She should have come to him and explained what she’d heard.
It was probably a prank, he thought. No one who entered the palace would dare to threaten him. It was treason and punishable by death. But his beautiful Jina wouldn’t know how thoroughly the palace staff was investigated before they were allowed to enter the palace. Only Jina had gotten close to him before she’d been thoroughly investigated by his guards. Only she’d broken through to his heart.
And now she was back and he wasn’t going to ever let her go. Never again.
The tiny human being squawked as if she were about to wake up. He glanced over at Jina, then down at the baby. His daughter!
Just thinking those words sent a thrill through his body. He had a daughter!
Malik lifted the carrier and brought the little baby into the living room. Setting the carrier on the table, he simply stared at the tiny baby, amazement running through him. He inventoried all of her features, trying to see himself in her face. But with her eyes closed, he wasn’t sure. Her skin was darker than Jina’s but…
And then those tiny eyes opened up and he was staring at his own dark eyes. Something in his gut twisted and he was spellbound.
His daughter wasn’t one to wait around though. When she wasn’t immediately lifted up, she opened her tiny mouth and let out a scream louder than he thought possible coming from a human that size.
His guards came running into the room, weapons drawn as they looked around for the threat. When their eyes all focused on the tiny human being, they quickly put their weapons away.
His head of security, Aaron, came closer at the sound. Malik and Aaron looked down at the baby then to each other. “What should I do?” Malik asked, which was an odd question since Malik always knew what to do. But those situations had to do with oil prices, stock prices, property values and politics. The concept of how to care for a baby was beyond both of their experience.
“Wake up your wife,” Aaron stated firmly, as if that were the only option.
The baby screamed harder, getting her arms and legs into the effort as they wiggled in the air. Malik could just wake up Jina, but he didn’t want to do that. She was exhausted and had been caring for their child for the past six months. Longer if he counted her pregnancy.
“Maybe pick her up?” Aaron suggested.
Malik looked back down at the baby. “Probably the right thing to do,” he replied. But still he stared, wary of picking up such a tiny human being. He was a large man with large hands. He was worried that he might hurt the infant. But in the end, the little girl’s face was turning red with her rage at not being picked up, so he relented, determined not to hurt his daughter with his big hands.
It took him several minutes to figure out how to open straps of the baby carrier off of her tiny shoulders but when the clasp was finally released, the little girl tried to lift her body out. She was too small yet to do that so Malik lifted her into his arms.
The crying instantly stopped as father and daughter stared at each other for the first time. The little girl had the most atrocious frown on her face as she tried to figure out if the person holding her was good or bad. She still hadn’t made up her mind yet, but looking around, she realized that her mother wasn’t in sight.
Her lower lip quivered slightly and Aaron rushed over to the bag. “Maybe she needs food?” he suggested.
There were several bottles of baby food in the bag along with diapers and a change of clothes. “Or a diaper change?”
Malik felt the baby’s bottom and, sure enough, it felt heavy. “Okay, so change her,” he said, starting to hand the girl over to the guard.
The girl looked over at the other man and opened her mouth to cry again. “No no!” Malik soothed, bringing her back to him. Instantly, his daughter went back to simply frowning, glaring at the other man as if he were the enemy.
Malik looked over at Aaron who was enormously relieved to not have diaper duty. “Okay, so now what?” he asked.
Another guard walked in and saw what was going on. “There’s probably a changing thing in the bag,” he explained.
Malik looked at the other guard curiously. “What’s a changing thing?” he asked.
The man’s hands dove into the bag and came up with a plastic covered pad. “My wife lays our son down on this when she changes his diaper.”
Malik took the pad and laid it on the coffee table. “Now what?” he asked.
The other man shrugged his massive shoulders. “No clue. I get out of there fast.”
Malik sighed. “You’re not helping,” he said to the other man.
Aaron smothered his amusement. The three men examined the baby’s clothes. “I think those snaps at the bottom come open.”
Malik laid the little girl down on the table and tried to unsnap the bottom of her cotton outfit. But her tiny legs kept getting in the way. “Stay still!” he commanded to his daughter.
The little girl wiggled even more, trying to catch his hands. Finally, Malik took the cotton outfit and just pulled. The bottom miraculously came apart to reveal a very wet diaper. Three men pulled back, horrified at the idea of changing the diaper.
“Now what?” Malik asked, keeping a hand on his wiggling daughter’s tummy so she didn’t fall off of the coffee table.
Aaron handed Malik the clean diaper and the three men stared at it. “How does it open up?”
Aaron took it back, fiddling with it but he eventually figured it out and handed it back to Malik. “Okay, so how do I get the other one off?”
Once more, the men stared at the tiny human. Finally, Aaron handed Malik a lethal looking knife. Malik looked up at the man with an Are-You-Kidding look. The man sheepishly put the knife away. “Scissors then,” he said and instantly moved away to search in the kitchen for a pair of scissors. He came back moments later with a pair and Malik carefully cut the wet diaper away from his daughter and pushed it away from all of them.
She was obviously loving this because she smiled and wiggled her arms and legs faster, looking at the three men curiously. It still took Malik several tries to get the dry diaper underneath her tiny bottom and between her legs. But then the next problem surfaced. “Okay, now how to I keep it closed?” he asked, looking back up at the two guards that had grown to four. All of whom shrugged their shoulders.
“Tape!” one of them snapped and he raced away in search of tape.
A few minutes later, he came back with an enormous roll of silver duct tape. “Really?” Malik asked, looking suspiciously at the roll of industrial strength tape in his hands.
Aaron shrugged as well. “Do you have a better idea?”
Malik tilted his head in acknowledgement. “Good point.” And he pulled a long strip of duct tape, ripping it off with his teeth. With one hand, he held his daughter and with the other, he laid the tape over the diaper, sealing it shut. “That worked,” he said with a great deal of satisfaction. “Now how do I close this thing?” he asked, referring to the clothing.
All of a sudden, he was alone with just Aaron, the two men looking around and both wondering where the other guards had vanished. “Cowards,” Aaron grunted.
Malik bent lower, looking at the material. “I think I just close the snaps again.”
It took fifteen minutes, but Malik eventually got both of his daughter’s legs back in the material and the snaps closed up. When he was done, he lifted the tiny girl up into the air, a feeling of success coming over him. “There!” he said, proud that he’d changed his first diaper. He’d taken care of his daughter!
Aaron stood behind his ruler and grunted in appreciation. “Now you have to feed her,” he said and stepped back. “I’ll go out and get supplies,” he explained, backing away quickly so that his boss wouldn’t ask any more questions. That was the extent of his knowledge of babies and he was sticking to it!
Malik glared at the man’s retreating back but he was determined to figure this out.
Jina woke up and stretched, feeling better than she had in a long time. She snuggled down into the soft, warm bed and closed her eyes, enjoying the moment of pleasure.
But then she realized what was wrong! Lika! She was missing!
Jumping out of the bed, she almost slipped on the wood floor in her cotton socks. Where was her daughter? She’d fallen asleep on the floor and Lika had been right next to her! She was sure of it! And then the memories from the night before flooded back to her and she gasped. “Malik!”
She almost screamed his name, wanting to get to him and tell him that someone had taken Lika! She raced out of the room, searching frantically for Malik. She’d warned him that this would happen! She’d told him to just leave! To go back to his country and everyone would be safe!
She came to a skidding halt when she walked into the enormous living room and found Malik on the floor, her tiny daughter sitting on a blanket surrounded by new toys. And Lika was laughing! Her little baby girl was laughing!
She just stared for a long time, watching Malik play with their daughter. Oh goodness, she thought she’d never see this! The threat to Malik’s life had convinced her that Lika would never know her father but here he was! And she seemed to have accepted him completely.
Jina watched as Lika stuffed one of the plastic rings into her mouth. Or tried to. The ring was too big but she rubbed her gums on the toy, making them feel a little better.
“She’s okay,” Jina whispered, relief surging through her.
Her words caused both father and daughter to turn and look at her. Malik’s sexy eyes went up and down her figure and she looked down, realizing that she was still wearing those hideous sweats and tee-shirt along with the boring white sox.
“Good morning,” she said self-consciously, pushing her hair back behind her ear and wishing she’d remembered to bring a change of clothes with her last night.
Malik lifted Lika up into his arms and stood up, coming over to her. “Good afternoon,” he corrected.
Jina glanced out the window, surprised to see that the sun was higher in the sky than she’d anticipated. “What time is it?” she asked.
“Two o’clock,” he replied and adjusted Lika on his hip.
Jina gasped, her hands going to her forehead. “Oh no! I didn’t call in sick to work! I didn’t tell them that I wouldn’t be in today! I’m going to be fired! It was an important day!”
Malik looked at her shirt. “Are you okay?” he asked, noticing the wet spots appearing on her shirt.
Jina glanced down and wished that the earth would just swallow her up. “Oh no!” she sobbed, covering her breasts with her arms. “I haven’t fed Lika yet,” and she reached for her daughter. “Please,” she said and blinked back the tears. “I need to feed her.”
Malik released his daughter into Jina’s arms and watched with fascination as she walked back out of the room. “Where are you going?”
“I need to feed Lika,” was all she said.
Jina found a chair in the corner of the room she’d slept in and pulled her daughter closer. Lika knew instantly what was going on and eagerly found her lunch. Jina closed her eyes, feeling the release of her milk as her daughter nursed. And the whole time, Jina tried to figure out what was going on.
Okay, it is afternoon, she told herself. And she’d missed work. She could fix this, she thought. She could just call in to her supervisor and tell them what was going on. But this had been an important day. She wasn’t sure her supervisor would accept any excuse.
Lika nursed from one breast and then Jina shifted her over to the other. Thankfully, Lika was hungry and it took less than a half hour before her belly was full and Jina’s breasts felt much better.
“I didn’t know you were breast-feeding,” Malik said from the doorway.
Jina jerked and twisted around, staring at him in horror. “How long have you been standing there?” she asked.
Malik pushed away from the doorframe, walking towards her. “Long enough. It was beautiful,” he told her. “You’re a very good mother.”
She pulled her tee-shirt down, painfully self-conscious of the ugly nursing bra she had to wear. “Thank you,” was all she could say in reply. Jina felt too self-conscious sitting here in the bedroom with Malik looking down at her. She stood up and walked out of the bedroom, needing space and a place that didn’t have a bed.
Back out in the elegant living room, she blinked at the sight in front of her. Jina wasn’t sure what was going on so she rubbed her forehead, trying to understand. Gone was the beautifully decorated room and in its place, a nursery had exploded with toys and every conceivable baby contraption ever invented. She looked around, confused. “Where did all of this come from?”
Malik glanced at the room, but his eyes were drawn right back to his daughter and the woman who had mysteriously walked out of his life a year ago. “I had one of my guards go out and pick up a few items.”
Jina looked at the floor that was now covered with toys, a large, soft blanket, a baby swing, high chair, stroller…as if she could take Lika out now!
The danger was higher now! There would be no casual strolls through the park today or any day in the near or distant future!
“We have to go,” she said, unable to look at Malik. She cuddled Lika closer, smelling her daughter’s sweet, baby scent to reassure herself that Lika was still okay.
Malik crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re not leaving, Jina. I don’t understand why you left but we’re going to solve this. You were too tired last night to make any sense, but do you think you could sit down and explain things now?”
Jina looked around at the beautiful penthouse, the ambiance destroyed by the baby paraphernalia. “No. It isn’t safe. Not for you or for Lika.” She sent him a pleading look. “Please, Malik. Just go back to Sarkit and pretend that you don’t know about Lika.”
He almost laughed at her plea. “Would you be able to leave her?” He moved closer, noticed the rapid pulse at the base of her slender neck. “Would you leave Lika with me and promise never to see her again? Never ask about her? Never know what she’s doing or see her smiles?”
“No,” Jina replied furiously.
Malik nodded. “Good. Then don’t ask me to do that. I know about her. I’ve spent the last several hours with her. I can’t leave my child.”
Jina’s eyes teared up because the danger was so very strong. “You have to.”
“I won’t. You’re going to talk to my head of security. I’m going to hire a nanny and we’re going to get to the bottom of this.”
Jina pulled Lika closer. “NO! No nanny! You don’t know how deep this goes.”
Malik sighed and rubbed a hand over his neck. “Be realistic, Jina. You can’t take care of Lika all the time. Even now, your arm is getting tired of holding her.”
Jina looked down at Lika who was happily gnawing on the colored, plastic donut. “I’m fine,” she argued.
Malik rubbed the back of his neck, knowing that she was probably still too tired right now. “How about this. Why don’t you go take a shower, which might help you feel better? I’ll have some coffee ready for you…”
“No coffee,” she told him.
His eyes narrowed. “You love coffee,” he argued.
She shook her head, feeling her cheeks turn red once again. “Malik, please…just…no coffee.”
And in that instant, his narrowed eyes dropped to her breasts, the heat zinging throughout her whole body with that gaze. “Ah,” was all he said for a long moment - a moment when his eyes didn’t leave her breasts and she felt her nipples harden in reaction. She shifted Lika so that she was in front of her instead of on her hip and Malik chuckled, a soft, sexy sound that made her body ache. She remembered that laugh! Oh goodness, he’d made that sound when they were in bed together and he did something she liked!
She took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind. “A shower would be wonderful though.”
“Do you trust me to watch Lika while you shower?” He moved closer. “Or I could watch you.”
Jina gasped at that offer. And boy, she wished she could take him up on it! She missed him so much! All she wanted was to throw herself into his arms and feel his strength and power. She remembered so many nights in his arms and he’d never left her wanting.
With trembling arms, she offered their daughter to him.
Malik reached out and took hold of Lika and, thankfully, he had a good grip on her because the back of his hand slid against her breast. Her eyes slashed up to his as her body reacted. Had he done that on purpose? Looking at his features, she was pretty sure that the innocent expression on his face was feigned. Malik was never innocent!
“I’m going to shower,” she told him and crossed her arms over her chest, trying once again to hide her reaction. “Alone,” she asserted firmly, just in case he got any naughty ideas. Which he always did.
She heard him chuckle as she walked away which only proved her point about his innocence. Non-existent!
She went back to the bathroom attached to the room she’d slept in, vaguely noticing that the bed was already remade even though she hadn’t seen any of the staff. But she was too eager for a shower to think about where the staff might be hiding. She quickly stripped off her clothes and stepped into the warm shower, reveling in how wonderful it felt to be clean once again. And well rested! Oh goodness, the world seemed like a completely different place after a good night’s sleep!
She used the scented shower gel all over her body, hoping that it would help her skin soften after months of neglect. She lathered her hair twice with the hotel’s shampoo. Not because her hair was especially dirty, but more because the shampoo just smelled so amazing and the lather was soft. After conditioning her hair and rinsing once more in the warm spray, she turned off the water and dried her body with the soft, fluffy towels. When she stepped out of the shower, she saw her clothes on the floor and sighed. Goodness, she really didn’t want to put those back on!
But she picked them up off the floor and stepped out into the bedroom, prepared to just wear these clothes until she could get back home and grab something different. She wondered if she could fit back into her skinny jeans. Had she lost enough of the pregnancy weight? She hadn’t had the courage to even try them on. Nor did she look in the mirror without clothes on. She was just too afraid of what she might see. Her body had changed so much during pregnancy. Would she look the same? Had her figure come back? The look in Malik’s eyes suggested that it was possible, but what did he know?
As soon as she stepped into the bedroom, she stopped in her tracks. Laying on the bed was a pair of beautiful black slacks and a burgundy cashmere sweater. She reached out and touched the sweater, feeling the incredible softness. It was also a cardigan, so she could nurse more easily. Oh my, she thought with relish as she investigated the pile of luxurious clothing. There was even sexy underwear! She couldn’t wear the bra, her current, hated maternity bra a necessity for nursing, but goodness, she would love to feel the lace panties against her skin.
Could she do it? Could she wear these clothes, even knowing that she couldn’t stay with Malik? She looked down at the ancient, stretched out tee-shirt and the stained sweat pants. Yes. She could definitely wear these clothes! Now that she had an alternative, there was no way she was going to let Malik see her in those horrible clothes again. A woman had pride, she thought!
Tossing the old ones into the garbage can, she eagerly slipped the slacks on, praying that they would fit her. When she slid the zipper up and buttoned the waist, she felt a hundred percent better! And the burgundy sweater slid over her skin like a soft caress. Oh my, she thought and ran her hands over the material one more time.
There were even shoes, a cute pair of two-inch heels that gave her a bit more confidence.
She found a hair dryer and styled her hair, realizing that she desperately needed a trim. She hadn’t been to a hairdresser in…well, since before she’d met Malik! Goodness, her hair was a mess. She pulled it into a bun but didn’t have the pins to hold it there. It would just have to fall around her shoulders like a tangled mess, she realized.
She had makeup, but it was in her purse which was out in the living room. At least, she hoped it was in the living room. Last night was a bit of a blur and she wasn’t sure what was going on right now.
So, fresh faced and freshly cleaned, she stepped back out into the living room feeling much more human.
“What have you done with my daughter!” she cried out when she saw her daughter hanging from Malik’s hands. “Don’t you dare get close to her baby skin with those scissors!” she yelled just as Malik’s guard was about to…well, she had no idea what he was about to do.
She took in the guard, looking stunned with the scissors frozen halfway in the air, Malik holding Lika up with both hands, and Lika dangling in the air, her tiny legs wiggling and a smile on her face as if all of this was simply a happy moment in her life.
“She needs a new diaper. We’re just going to get the diaper off of her,” Malik explained, then nodded to Aaron again to go ahead with the scissors.
“Stop!” she called out again. Once more, everyone froze. Well, everyone except Lika who had no idea what a dangerous situation she was in at the moment. “Explain why you need scissors to get a diaper off. And what in the world is that pink stuff?”
Malik and Aaron both looked at Lika’s chubby tummy, then back to her. “That’s duct tape.”
She shook her head and closed her eyes. “Duct tape is silver. That’s pink! Duct tape is not pink!” She then opened her eyes and glared at the two men, not daring to look at her daughter again.
Aaron grimaced. “Well, ma’am, we ran out of the other kind. When we called down for more, the hotel didn’t have the silver kind but one of the maids had this so they sent that up for us.”
Jina’s mouth fell open and she tried to work through what they were telling her. But it just didn’t make any sense. “Let me see if I understand this correctly.” She paused, her hand moving to her forehead as she sorted through everything they’d just told her. “Lika needed a new diaper and, instead of just using the convenient tabs on the side of the diaper, you’ve duct taped the diaper together. And you’ve used so much duct tape that…” she paused because the hilarity of the situation was just too much for her to go on with a straight face, “that you had to request more from the hotel staff and they sent up the craft type of duct tape.” She looked at her daughter who was still grinning and wiggling. “And you have to cut the diapers off with scissors.”
Malik pulled Lika closer. “It was scissors or a knife,” he explained, then muttered a curse when he saw Jina’s eyes widen in horror. “I probably shouldn’t have mentioned that part.”
Aaron knew when to retreat and he did so quickly, leaving the scissors on the table. Malik saw the man depart and shook his head. “Now who is the coward?” he muttered under his breath.
Facing Jina, he held out his hand. “I’d at least like you to acknowledge that I figured out how to change her diaper. I understood how nervous you were about getting in a nanny so the only alternative was to do it myself. And you got more sleep, right?”
She wasn’t sure if she should laugh or be angry with him. Instead, she walked over to him and took her daughter out of his arms. “Duct tape? Really?” She then walked over to the table where the changing mat was laying along with bags of diapers that were lined up against the wall. She had no idea how long he was planning to stay here in this penthouse suite but he was fully prepared with diapers for the next millennium.
She tore the pink duct tape away…or at least she tried to tear it away. The diaper tore but it didn’t come apart. The stupid diaper had so many layers, so much stuffing! The stupid thing didn’t look like it had this much inside of it!
“Good grief!” she groaned. After several more minutes of trying to get the obnoxious diaper off, she glared at him as she grabbed the scissors, ignoring his chuckle as she cut the stupid thing off.
She grabbed another diaper and made short work of putting the dry diaper on. “Tabs!” she showed him, lifting the small tabs on each side of the diaper. When the diaper was secure, she efficiently stuffed Lika’s legs back into the onesie and lifted her up into her arms. “Tabs, Malik,” and smacked the scissors against his chest before walking away to sit down on the extremely comfortable sofa.
Malik stared at the scissors, then at Jina. “That’s not fair,” he told her, walking over to the sofa to stand over her. “Those tabs weren’t on the other diapers.”
She laughed, shaking her head. “That’s the story you’re going with?” she asked, lifting Lika up for a kiss.
Malik glared down at her, irritated that she wasn’t intimidated. “Absolutely. And there’s no evidence to prove otherwise,” he stated with finality, putting the scissors on a high shelf where Lika couldn’t reach them accidentally.
“We need to talk,” he told her firmly.
Jina felt like a completely different woman now that she’d slept for more than four hours, was showered and in beautiful clothes. And she admitted that a break from taking care of Lika had done her a world of good. She loved her daughter with all of her heart, but having some time alone, even just enough time to take a long, leisurely shower where she didn’t have to race to take care of Lika, had made her feel human again.
She kissed Lika’s tummy, causing the tiny girl to giggle. “What would you like to talk about?” she asked and kissed her tummy again. Jina was unaware of Malik watching the two of them, stunned by the sweet sound of his daughter giggling. He’d taken care of her all morning and afternoon but he hadn’t heard her make that sound.
When there was only silence, she looked up at Malik. He was staring at her with a strange look to his eyes. “What’s wrong?” she asked softly.
Malik jerked out of his trance, shaking his head. Sitting down across from the two of them so that he had a better view, he asked, “Tell me about her,” he commanded.
Jina smiled slightly. This was the Malik she remembered. All alpha male and demanding. When they’d first met, he’d tried order her around, expecting her to be enthralled by his attention. But she’d just thought he was a handsome, arrogant jerk.
She looked at Lika who had one foot on each of Jina’s knees, trying to stand. “You tried that tone of voice with me before. Remember how far that got you?”
Malik chuckled and leaned back in the chair. “I remember that you were eventually in my bed, screaming out your pleasure,” he came right back.
Jina leaned back against the soft cushions, her mind instantly going back to that time and she rejected the allure. She couldn’t go there! She had to make him safe! This man was…everything. And she couldn’t have him. She had to be cautious and maybe, eventually, the threat would go away.
“Don’t do that,” Malik commanded, taking her hands and gently squeezing them to reassure her. “We’re going to talk about this and figure out what is going on.”
Jina shook her head. “No, Malik. We can’t. I can’t be here with you. I have to…”
“Aaron!” Malik called, interrupting whatever she’d been about to say.
The head of security instantly stepped into the room, walking towards his boss. He looked at Jina, his eyes intent. “Tell me whatever you can about the incident,” the big, burly man said as he stood at the end of both sofas and looked ready to go into battle.
Jina opened and closed her mouth, not sure if she could trust this man. Her blue eyes slashed over to Malik and he nodded his head.
Shifting Lika on her lap, she compressed her lips. “Malik, why won’t you trust me? I can…”
He raised his hand, stopping her from whatever she’d been about to say. “Because you want to run from this. I don’t agree with that path. From what I can gather, someone has threatened my life. We have to confront people like this. If we let them threaten our lives, then we lose and I’m not willing to lose.” He paused to let those words sink in. “Are you willing to lose me, Jina? Again?”
Her hands were rubbing Lika’s back, trying to figure out the best thing to do, the best way to handle this. “Malik…”
“Tell me about the day, Jina. What was going on?”
She sighed. Malik had the tenacity of a pit bull. He wouldn’t let this go. He would poke and poke until she told him everything. Taking a deep breath, she explained what had happened that day, about the pictures, the voice, everything.
When she was finished, Lika was sleeping on her chest and she looked at Malik, begging him to understand. “So, you see? I can’t really…”
Malik shook his head. “Jina, you are my wife now. You will be returning with me to Sarkit and we will announce our marriage.” He turned to Aaron. “Do you have enough? At least for now?”
Aaron nodded his head. “I have several ideas.”
Jina’s eyes widened with the other man’s words. “You’re not going to…”
Aaron quickly shook his head. “No. This will be done quietly. I will handle the details of the investigation myself.” He turned to Jina and bowed. “I will also personally oversee the selection of your personal guards, Your Highness. And we will be extremely careful in the selection of someone to help with the care of Lika. She will not be harmed.” With that, he bowed and walked out of the room.
Jina stared at the man, stunned that he’d bowed and at the way he’d addressed her a moment ago. “Why did he…?”
Malik watched the woman with his adorable daughter, smiling as Lika slept despite the tension in the room. “Because you are my wife now, Jina. He addressed you with the formality that your title requires.”
Jina shook her head. “That’s crazy.”
He raised a dark eyebrow. “No, Jina. That is protocol. Get used to it.”
He stood up. “Aaron is making arrangements for us to return to Sarkit. I was supposed to be back already. You and Lika will be with me this time.”
Jina’s heart was pounding hard. “No! Please, you can’t…”
He wasn’t going to listen to her protests. Not this time! And he would ensure her safety on this trip. No one would get close to her or his daughter! “It is done, Jina. I will not abandon my family.”
A knock sounded on the door and Jina’s eyes slashed in that direction. Aaron stepped in front of the doorway, spoke softly, then nodded as he was handed a large, black box. He locked the door again and walked over to Malik. He opened the box and Jina gasped. The sparkles that were shining out of that box were nothing short of astounding!
“What is that for?” she asked, shifting Lika, who was now sound asleep for her afternoon nap, in front of her as if the tiny child could somehow protect her from the diamonds. Or more specifically, what the diamonds implied. “I can’t…”
Malik ignored her protests and lifted a diamond ring up, examining the stone carefully. He nodded his head then set it aside. Looking again, he examined the other rings and found another that looked more like a wedding band but was covered in diamonds. Carrying both, he moved over to Jina and took her hand, ignoring her protests and holding her hand firmly when she tried to pull away.
With little effort, he slid both rings onto her slender fingers and Jina stared down at the sparkling weight. The rings were stunningly beautiful and she swallowed painfully. This wasn’t happening! After all she’d done over the past year to protect him, to protect Lika, this couldn’t be happening! She’d left her last engagement ring back at the palace when she’d left. This one was larger, more beautiful and she had to fight back the tears that threatened once again.
Malik saw the emotions in her beautiful blue eyes and touched her cheek. “Stop,” he said softly, closing her fingers around the bands. “It will be okay. Trust me.”
-Em's EORD-