After dinner, Jacqui asked for one more walk on the beach. They strolled hand in hand along the water’s edge and watched the sunset.
Jacqui stopped to pick up a shell, which she carefully wiped off and put in her skirt pocket. Khizar tucked a stray strand of hair behind her hair, and then softly brushed his fingers across her cheek.
“Did you have a good weekend?” he asked.
“The best. I think any vacation in Hawaii would have been amazing, but this weekend with you has been really special. Thank you, Khizar.”
He shook his head.
“Thank you. I’d forgotten what it was like to have a life outside of work, and just enjoy being with someone else. You are special to me, Jacqui.”
Jacqui looked up at him and sucked in a breath at the emotion she saw in his eyes. He reached his hand out to cradle her face, and then slowly leaned down to kiss her.
Jacqui closed her eyes and let the sensations take over. The slightly rough feel of Khizar’s lips against hers, the breeze teasing at her hair, the sound of her heart beating faster in her ears. She laid one hand flat on his chest, and wrapped the other around his neck, pulling him closer into her.
When he pulled back, his breathing ragged, Khizar rested his forehead against hers.
“That was pretty special, too,” he whispered.
Jacqui smiled and leaned up to kiss him quickly one more time.
“Yes, it was. The perfect end to the perfect weekend.”
Khizar wrapped his arms around her and they watched the stars appear over the water until they had to leave. Jacqui felt like her world had moved into place, like something right had just clicked.
On the flight back, Jacqui couldn’t stop smiling. Even when Khizar insisted she take the bedroom to get some sleep, and was getting ready for bed, she knew she had a sappy grin pasted across her face.
Jacqui also knew that she had completely fallen for Khizar. As she fell asleep, she thought of how happy she was and how she couldn’t wait to get even closer to him.
Chapter 8
Jacqui
Jacqui had never been so happy—not that she could remember, anyway. Even the prospect of having to shut down her bakery seemed like a minor concern. She felt, somehow, that things would work out, one way or another.
She was spending the same amount of time at the bakery, but her time outside work was mostly taken up by the handsome man that had blown into her life only three weeks earlier.
Khizar had taken her out almost every night during those three weeks and continued to treat her like a princess. They visited the theatre, attended concerts, and ate at fabulous restaurants. Jacqui had stopped questioning the extravagant gifts and dates; she didn’t need them, but they were fun.
The Sheikh had a business trip that took him to Los Angeles for a few nights, and he tried to get Jacqui to go with him. She declined, wishing she could go, but also not wanting to leave the bakery again. While he was gone, he called every night and sent her flowers and gifts every day.
As much as Jacqui loved their evenings out, she did insist on a quieter evening here and there. She cooked dinner for them a few times, and they spent those evenings curled up on her couch watching movies.
Khizar asked her about what her childhood was like before her parents died, about culinary school, and about everything in between. Jacqui felt like no one had ever known her as well as Khizar.
He talked occasionally about his work, telling her about the pieces he was acquiring and the mines he was considering buying. There were stories about store owners and master craftsmen, but he didn’t mention his family very often.
Jacqui got the feeling that Khizar was trying to distinguish himself from his royal relatives, and even though he felt the responsibility and worked hard to do right by his country, he didn’t want to spend a lot of time talking about being a sheikh.
By being open herself, Jacqui hoped to build trust between them. She wanted to show Khizar that he could talk to her, that she liked him for who he was, not for his title or wealth. So, she told him her fears and desires, and shared her life with him as best she knew how.
One night, while Khizar was in Los Angeles, Jacqui realized she hadn’t called her parents in over a week. She settled on her couch and dialed the number. When her father answered, Jacqui felt a pang of guilt for not calling sooner.
“Hi, darlin’. Your mother and I were beginning to wonder if you’d fallen into that giant mixer of yours.”
Ah, dad jokes. She really had missed her adoptive parents.
“Hi, Dad. Sorry, it’s just been a busy few weeks.”
“How’s business?”
“Picking up, actually. New customers are coming in, and we seem to building some word-of-mouth buzz.”
“That’s great, Jacqui.” There was a pause on the other end. “Hang on, your mother wants to talk to you.”