The Sheikh's First Christmas - A Warm and Cozy Christmas Romance by Holly Rayner
Authors: Holly Rayner
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knowing I'd created this mess myself didn't make it feel any better.
I headed to the kitchen and made coffee and toast. As I ate, I tried to form a plan, but I didn't get far. I couldn't get another phone, or even hire a taxi. I was out of jail, but essentially a prisoner in my home. I still had Sadiq's phone number, but quickly rejected the idea of calling him. He'd done enough for me. I didn't want him to feel as though I were using him. I didn't want to be that to him; some useless girl always in trouble. I wanted him to see me as strong, the way he had last night.
Despite my determination to resolve my issues myself, I was more than relieved when, an hour later, just as I was washing the dishes, a black Jaguar pulled into my driveway. I turned off the water and dried my hands, watching from the window over the sink as Sadiq got out of the car. He'd driven himself today, and he'd opted for khakis and a blazer instead of the formal suit he'd worn to the police station the night before. He didn't appear to notice me watching him from the window as he walked to my front door and knocked.
I remembered as I opened it that I'd intended to work on scraping off the police notice before I'd gone to bed.
Oh, well. I'll have lots of time to work on that while I'm trapped at home this week.
"Hello," I said, opening the door.
"Good afternoon," Sadiq said.
"Would you like to come in?"
I poured him a cup of coffee, and he drank it at the square, linoleum-topped table that had been sat in the kitchen for as long as I could remember. I didn't imagine the police had any concerns that I might have stolen it—I'd had to have been robbing houses since the early seventies in order to have picked that one up new.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked.
"Really well, actually." I sat down across from him. "I don't think I've ever been so tired."
"I can imagine. From the looks of you last night, it seems you gave the police quite a chase." He shook his head, but he sounded amused.
"Not exactly. I tried to get to my car, but they caught up with me."
"You looked as though you'd wrestled a bear in the mud."
"Well, I guess the police don't appreciate it when you make them run. The one that arrested me pushed me down to put the cuffs on. So really, I got to play in the snow twice in two days." I laughed dryly.
Sadiq didn’t laugh. He sat very still, appearing to examine the rim of his mug as he spoke.
"But you're so tiny; it seems unnecessary for them to have treated you like that."
"It wasn't exactly excessive force, Sadiq. They didn't know who I was, or that I wasn't going to fight them. Once the cuffs were on, they were fine." I smiled, trying to reassure him.
He was quiet for a moment.
"You could have been killed, Annabelle."
My smile disappeared.
"Yeah, I know."
We sat together in silence for a minute or two, then I got up and poured another cup of coffee.
"By the way, I wanted to say thank you, for last night," I said, my back turned to him. "And I’m sorry I forgot to say it before. I was so glad to get out of that place, you see. I don't know how I'll ever repay you." I turned to face him, leaning against the counter and holding the hot mug in both my hands.
He shook his head, and waved his hand in dismissal.
"Oh, don't concern yourself with that. It's trivial."
"Sadiq, it's not trivial. I—"
"Of course I came for you." He cut me off, his voice hard. "Of course I didn’t leave you in that place. You don't need to thank me for that. I’d be insulted if you thought I'd have done otherwise."
My eyes went wide.
"I didn't mean to insult you," I said, confused.
He sighed and set his cup aside. He rose to his feet and came over to where I stood, looking down at my cup. With the gentle touch of his fingertips, he lifted my chin so that I was looking at him.
"I don't know why you matter so much to me,"
I headed to the kitchen and made coffee and toast. As I ate, I tried to form a plan, but I didn't get far. I couldn't get another phone, or even hire a taxi. I was out of jail, but essentially a prisoner in my home. I still had Sadiq's phone number, but quickly rejected the idea of calling him. He'd done enough for me. I didn't want him to feel as though I were using him. I didn't want to be that to him; some useless girl always in trouble. I wanted him to see me as strong, the way he had last night.
Despite my determination to resolve my issues myself, I was more than relieved when, an hour later, just as I was washing the dishes, a black Jaguar pulled into my driveway. I turned off the water and dried my hands, watching from the window over the sink as Sadiq got out of the car. He'd driven himself today, and he'd opted for khakis and a blazer instead of the formal suit he'd worn to the police station the night before. He didn't appear to notice me watching him from the window as he walked to my front door and knocked.
I remembered as I opened it that I'd intended to work on scraping off the police notice before I'd gone to bed.
Oh, well. I'll have lots of time to work on that while I'm trapped at home this week.
"Hello," I said, opening the door.
"Good afternoon," Sadiq said.
"Would you like to come in?"
I poured him a cup of coffee, and he drank it at the square, linoleum-topped table that had been sat in the kitchen for as long as I could remember. I didn't imagine the police had any concerns that I might have stolen it—I'd had to have been robbing houses since the early seventies in order to have picked that one up new.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked.
"Really well, actually." I sat down across from him. "I don't think I've ever been so tired."
"I can imagine. From the looks of you last night, it seems you gave the police quite a chase." He shook his head, but he sounded amused.
"Not exactly. I tried to get to my car, but they caught up with me."
"You looked as though you'd wrestled a bear in the mud."
"Well, I guess the police don't appreciate it when you make them run. The one that arrested me pushed me down to put the cuffs on. So really, I got to play in the snow twice in two days." I laughed dryly.
Sadiq didn’t laugh. He sat very still, appearing to examine the rim of his mug as he spoke.
"But you're so tiny; it seems unnecessary for them to have treated you like that."
"It wasn't exactly excessive force, Sadiq. They didn't know who I was, or that I wasn't going to fight them. Once the cuffs were on, they were fine." I smiled, trying to reassure him.
He was quiet for a moment.
"You could have been killed, Annabelle."
My smile disappeared.
"Yeah, I know."
We sat together in silence for a minute or two, then I got up and poured another cup of coffee.
"By the way, I wanted to say thank you, for last night," I said, my back turned to him. "And I’m sorry I forgot to say it before. I was so glad to get out of that place, you see. I don't know how I'll ever repay you." I turned to face him, leaning against the counter and holding the hot mug in both my hands.
He shook his head, and waved his hand in dismissal.
"Oh, don't concern yourself with that. It's trivial."
"Sadiq, it's not trivial. I—"
"Of course I came for you." He cut me off, his voice hard. "Of course I didn’t leave you in that place. You don't need to thank me for that. I’d be insulted if you thought I'd have done otherwise."
My eyes went wide.
"I didn't mean to insult you," I said, confused.
He sighed and set his cup aside. He rose to his feet and came over to where I stood, looking down at my cup. With the gentle touch of his fingertips, he lifted my chin so that I was looking at him.
"I don't know why you matter so much to me,"
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