also fear for herself. She had not been able to resist this man once before. She was afraid she might not resist him again...and now so much more was at stake. Her son. Her life.
But...two weeks. It wasn’t a lifetime, and she liked the thought of showing her family and neighbours that she wasn’t quite the screw-up they all silently seemed to think she was. Instead of being a struggling single mom, she had a glamorous and important man arrive to sweep both her and Sam away, at least for a little while. Was she shallow to care about that? Did it make her weak?
In that moment she didn’t care. Malik was waiting for her response, his silvery gaze resting intently on her, and his reasons made sense.
‘All right,’ she said, and released the breath she hadn’t realised she was holding. ‘We’ll come for two weeks.’
Malik’s answering smile broke over her like a wave, left her dazed and reeling. He was irresistible when he smiled. His eyes lightened and he reminded her of who he’d used to be. Who she’d once thought he was. Dangerous, that smile. She’d have to develop an immunity to it.
‘Thank you, Grace,’ Malik said, and he leaned over and squeezed her hand. That was dangerous, too, the slide of his fingers over hers making Gracie want to shiver. Tremble. More memories tumbled through her mind, a sensual kaleidoscope she had to suppress. She couldn’t survive two weeks with Malik al Bahjat if he was going to turn on the charm.
‘When would you like us to go?’ she asked, determined to recapture a little of the brisk practicality she’d been hoping to have for this meeting.
‘Tomorrow.’
‘What?’ So much for that. ‘We can’t go tomorrow, Malik. Sam doesn’t even have a passport.’
‘That can be arranged.’
Gracie shook her head, unsure whether to be impressed or terrified by the extent of Malik’s power. She was both. ‘Why do we have to move so fast? And what am I to tell Sam? And my family—’
‘The truth.’ For a second an edge of iron entered Malik’s voice, reminding Gracie just who she was dealing with. He could turn on the charm, and he could just as easily and quickly turn it off.
‘Which is?’ she demanded, refusing to be cowed. ‘Do I tell Sam you’re his father?’
‘I’ll tell him,’ Malik stated. ‘When the time is right. And why not tell your parents you’ve been swept away by a sheikh for the holiday of a lifetime?’
He smiled again, and she was not immune. Not yet, anyway. ‘So not the truth, then.’
‘A version of it, at least.’
‘Some version.’ She shook her head, sensing how futile it was to resist Malik’s will and yet needing to try anyway, for her own sake. ‘You’re being unreasonable. I have to give notice at school—there’s still a week left. And Sam, as well...’
‘Like I said, it can be arranged. I am the leader of a country, Grace. I cannot wait around here while Sam finishes a couple days of school.’ Their first course arrived with a flourish, and Gracie glanced down at the oysters lying in their shells on a bed of crushed ice.
She glanced at Malik’s plate of langoustines and did not know which dish looked more awkward to eat. ‘Well, this is an adventure,’ she said with a touch of acerbity, and Malik laughed, a rich, full-bodied sound that had her blinking in surprise. She’d never heard him laugh like that.
‘I think you’ll like them,’ he said. ‘Do you know how to eat them?’
‘There’s a method?’
‘Only if you don’t want to get them all over yourself.’ He leaned across, taking the tiny fork that had been left with the plate and freeing an oyster from its shell. Gracie expected him to sit back, but instead he took the oyster in his hand and lifted it to her lips. She jerked back in surprise.
‘What...?’
‘You just slurp it down,’ he said, his voice low and sensual. His eyes, hot and heavy-lidded, were on her. Gracie felt entirely discomfited.
‘Slurp it,’ she repeated, unconvinced. She did not think she would look particularly attractive slurping raw fish from Malik’s hand. But why did she care about looking attractive?
‘Go ahead, Grace,’ Malik murmured. ‘I think you’ll like it.’ Was she imagining the suggestive note in his voice, the hint of humour, the promise of sensuality? Why was he doing this? He had to be toying with her. The realisation both annoyed and hurt and in one gulp she took the oyster in her mouth and it slithered down her throat.
‘Delicious?’ Malik prompted, and Gracie tried not to make a face. She wasn’t as adventurous as all that, apparently. ‘They’re an aphrodisiac, you know.’
‘So I’ve heard,’ Gracie returned tartly. ‘I remain unconvinced.’
‘You need convincing?’
Her heart lurched, tangling with her ribs. ‘Don’t, Malik,’ she said quietly, not daring to say more, and Malik sat back, watching her with a thoughtful, assessing gaze.
For lack of anything else to do she ate another oyster on her own. Malik took one of his langoustines and cracked it open in one swift movement, neatly extracting the tail meat.
‘I think you’ve lived a very quiet life for the last ten years,’ he said.
‘If you mean I haven’t gone to places like this and eaten oysters, then you’d be right,’ Gracie retorted, stung.
‘It wasn’t meant to be a criticism.’
‘Funny, it felt like one. I’ve liked my life fine, you know, but obviously I still seem like a country bumpkin to you.’ She heard the throb of hurt in her voice and closed her eyes. Why had she said that?
‘Grace.’ Malik’s voice was like a caress. ‘I never thought of you like that.’
‘It doesn’t matter.’ She plucked another oyster and popped it into her mouth. She was almost starting to like these suckers. ‘As you said before, that was the past, and this is the present. The last thing either of us needs to do now is a postmortem on that ill-conceived night a million years ago.’
Malik tilted his head. ‘Ill-conceived?’ he repeated softly, and Gracie flushed.
‘Of course I didn’t mean it like that. Sam is the best thing that ever happened to me.’
‘And to me,’ Malik said with such heartfelt sincerity that Gracie was left blinking, her mouth opening and closing without a word coming out.
‘But you don’t even know him,’ she managed.
‘I will remedy that situation tomorrow,’ Malik returned. ‘Happily.’
‘And who do I tell him you are?’ Gracie asked. ‘How do I explain this huge holiday?’
‘Do ten-year-old boys need explanations for holidays?’ Malik asked with a whimsical lift of his brows. ‘I doubt he will question it.’
Gracie
