“I don’t know about that, but I do love kids.”
Without any prompting, he picked up his son and set him in the crook of his arm. “And I would say this lad is fairly taken with you. I cannot say that I blame him.”
Piper felt heat rise to her face over the compliment and his nearness. “You’re a great father, Adan. The two of you will make a good team for many, many years to come.”
The pride in his expression was unmistakable. “I am determined to do my best by him. Yet I already sense bedtime could be an issue. He does not appear at all ready to sleep.”
Piper checked the clock on the wall and noted the time at half past nine. “I had no idea it was that late. I slept through dinner.”
He gestured toward the door. “By all means, return to your quarters and I will have a tray sent up.”
She truly hated to leave him all alone on his first night as a father. “Are you sure? I’m really not that hungry.” A patent lie. Sam’s half-full bottle of formula set on the table was starting to look appetizing.
“I have to learn to do this by myself eventually,” he said. “You need food and sleep to sustain you during our shopping trip tomorrow.”
She sincerely looked forward to the outing. “All right, but please let me know if you need help with Sam at any point during the night.”
He reached over and pushed a damp strand of hair from her cheek. “You have done more than your share, Piper. I cannot express how much I appreciate your guidance.”
He had no idea how much she appreciated his willingness to take on raising a baby on his own. “It was my pleasure. And before I turn in for the night, I’ll make a list of things you’ll need for the baby.”
He grinned, showing his dimples to full advantage. “Perhaps I should purchase a pack mule while we’re out.”
She shrugged. “As long as you don’t mind showing your ass all over town.”
His laugh was gruff and extremely sexy. “I would rather show my son off all over town, so we will forgo the mule for the moment.”
Piper wanted to argue against creating too much attention to his newly discovered child, but Adan seemed so proud of Sam, she didn’t dare discourage him. In twenty-six years, her own mother had never expressed that devotion, nor would she ever.
Besides, the possibility of another scandal would fall on the royal family’s shoulders, and they’d most likely dealt with those issues before. And if they played their cards right, no one would discover the prince in disguise in their midst.
* * *
Piper would swear the store clerk had recognized Adan, even though he wore a New York Yankees baseball cap covering his dark hair, sunglasses covering his amber eyes, khaki cargo pants, black T-shirt and heavy boots. Not to mention he hadn’t shaved that morning, evident by the light blanket of whiskers along his chin, upper lip and jaw. She definitely liked that rugged, manly look. A lot. And maybe that was what had garnered the young woman’s attention—Adan’s sheer animal magnetism.
Yes, that had to be it. Why else would she giggle when Adan leaned over the counter and handed her the supply list? Unfortunately Piper couldn’t understand a word they were saying, which left her to guess. And she’d begun to assume the sheikh might be making a date.
The baby began to stir in the stroller they’d purchased on their first stop, drawing Piper’s attention and giving her a valid excuse to interrupt the exchange. “I believe Sam is going to want a bottle very soon.”
He pushed away from the counter and glanced at Sam, who looked as if he might be in precrying mode. “I believe you are correct. We should be finished here soon.”
After Adan spoke to the clerk again, she disappeared into a back room and returned a few moments later with a scowling, middle-aged man carrying three cardboard boxes. He set the boxes down hard on the counter, then eyed Adan suspiciously before he sent Piper a clear look of contempt. She had no idea what they had done to warrant his disdain, but she was relieved when he disappeared into the back area again. After the young woman placed the clothing, toys and other provisions they’d selected into several bags, Adan counted out cash—a lot of cash—then smiled when his admirer fumbled with the receipt before she finally set it in his open palm.
Ready for a quick escape before the love-struck clerk fainted, Piper flipped her sunglasses back into place—and immediately saw a problem with transporting the items since the driver had parked in an alley two blocks away to avoid detection. “Looks like we’re going to have to make several trips to get all of this to the car.”
“I’ll take care of that,” Adan replied as he headed out the exit, leaving her behind with a fussy baby and a smitten cashier.
Piper could easily remedy one problem by giving Sam a bottle. While she was rummaging through the diaper bag to do that very thing, she noticed the grumpy guy standing behind the counter, staring at her. She immediately glanced down to make sure the sundress hadn’t slipped down and exposed too much cleavage. Not the case at all. And when she scooped the baby from the stroller to feed him, he continued to look at her as if she was a scourge on society.
Fortunately Adan returned a few moments later, three teenage boys dressed in muslin tunics and pants trailing behind him. He handed them each a few bills, barked a few orders, and like a well-oiled human machine, the trio picked up the supplies, awaiting further instruction.
After opening the door, Adan made a sweeping gesture with one hand. “After you, fair lady.”
“Thank you, kind sir, and please bring the stroller and the bag.”
With Sam in her arms and the secret sheikh by her side, they stepped onto the stone sidewalk and traveled past clay-colored artisan shops and small eateries. The luscious scents of a nearby restaurant reminded Piper they hadn’t yet had lunch. The way people stared at them reminded her of the overly stern guy in the store. “Did you notice how that older man in the boutique kept looking at us?” she asked Adan as she handed him the empty bottle, then brought Sam up to her shoulder.
He dropped the bottle back into the bag resting in the stroller without breaking his stride. “Some of Bajul’s citizens are not particularly fond of foreigners.”
That made sense. Sort of. “He actually seemed angry.”
“Perhaps he noticed you were not wearing a ring and assumed we are unmarried with a child.”
“He would be wrong on all counts.”
Piper experienced a sudden melancholy over that fact. She’d learned long ago not to chase unattainable dreams, and wanting more from Adan would definitely qualify. She still wasn’t sure she could entirely trust him, although he seemed to be making an effort to earn it. Even so, she was clearly in danger of becoming too close to the baby—and the baby’s father.
As they rounded the corner and entered the alley, a series of shouts startled the sleeping baby awake. Sam began to cry and Piper began to panic when a crowd of people converged upon them on the way to the car. Most members of the press, she surmised when she noticed the microphones being thrust in Adan’s face. She hadn’t been able to understand the questions until one lanky blond English-speaking reporter stepped forward. “Whose child is this, Sheikh Mehdi?”
