Chapter 6—Sheiks IX by CJ
Shawna remained absolutely mute. Rafee held his breath for a long moment, praying she didn’t reject his idea now that he was so excited about it. He’d been planning all day and the more he planned, the more he could see this quaint little cottage becoming their home. Well, at least their part-time home when they were in California. The rest of the time had to be spent in Kumar. There was no way around that. He had a business to run and a family to protect. But in the summers and on school vacations…well, they could certainly hide away here and pretend to be a normal all-American family like Shawna had always wanted.
When his wife continued to just stare in awe and say nothing, Rafee grasped her face in his hands and said beseechingly, “Shawna, if you hate the idea, I’ll…I’ll make other plans. If you want a brand new place, we can tear this down. But both contractors today assured me its still a good, solid structure. A bit neglected, perhaps, but it could be a nice, warm home. I know you’re still angry with me for the war…for dying…and you have every right to be. But please…I’m trying here. I don’t know what else to do. I don’t know how else to act. I’ve been patient, I’ve been remorseful, I’ve been…”
Lifting a tear-stained face to his, Shawna wrapped her arms around his neck and blurted out, “Oh, just shut-up already!” Then she kissed him and that was all it took for him to be lost.
He cupped her face and met her tongue. She moaned with that desire he had always felt from her and had always been able to evoke until lately. But lately, they hadn’t been themselves. Perhaps this plan for the future, perhaps this dusty little cottage is what they had needed to feel like a couple again…to feel like a family.
Breathing heavily, Rafee moved his lips down Shawna’s neck. She smelled slightly of wild-flower perfume, a scent he’d bought for her in Paris, a scent that drove him mad with need. He could feel the affects of their kiss on the rapid pulse beating in her neck. He pressed his lips to it and heard her moan again and whisper his name.
“I want you beneath me, Shawna,” Rafee insisted huskily as Shawna knotted her hands in his blue cotton shirt and pressed her face to his chest. “I want you above me. I want you beside me. I want you naked for the next forty-eight hours.”
She giggled and looked up at him. Her green eyes danced merrily in the candlelight. “Well, considering we have fifty-million guests and three kids waiting for us back at Villa Serena, I don’t think that’s possible.”
He lifted a naughty eyebrow and asked, “Would you settle for one hour?”
“I can settle for one hour, the only problem is…one hour on that table over there and my butt will be bruised.”
Rafee chuckled, always loving the way his wife teased no matter what the circumstance, and led her toward a closed bedroom door.
“I can remedy that,” he insisted, his hand on the doorknob. “Not only did I meet with contractors today, I made a small purchase…just in case we end up spending lots of time here renovating and such.”
“What?” Shawna asked just as Rafee flung open the bedroom door. More candles filled the room, bathing it in yellow light. And smack in the middle of the room was a brand new bed filled with dark red pillows and Egyptian Cotton black sheets and a soft, feather-filled red down comforter.
Rafee picked Shawna up and tossed her onto the bed. She laughed and he immediately joined her, corralling her in underneath him and nuzzling her neck.
“One hour,” he demanded. “That’s all ask.”
“Hmmm, maybe I’ll even let you have two hours if you promise to call up to the house to remind someone to feed the baby,” she said.
“Hell, darling, someone will figure that out, I’m sure. We don’t have to call, we just have to disappear for a while and no one will come looking.”
Rafee’s hands were already eager, trailing under Shawna’s sweater and rimming the underside of her lace bra. Her breasts were nearly spilling over the cups--one of the added benefits of just having had a baby.
“And if they do come looking, I think I may just have to smack someone around,” Shawna added with a mischievous grin but that grin disappeared as soon as Rafee’s hand landed on the snap to Shawna’s jeans.
“Gee, soldier-boy,” she teased, “you don’t waste any time, do you?”
He shook his head, smiling at her words and nipping at the hem of her sweater, tugging it up her chest with his teeth.
“I’ve been away at war for months, darling. I won’t last long. Have to be quick, you know,” he joked back, but it was certainly no joke the way his arousal wanted to escape his jeans and the way he wanted to bury himself forever in his wife.
Though he wanted to be rough and fast, he knew this had to be gentle. And so he loved her slowly, loved her carefully. She responded as she always had, with body and soul, holding nothing back. And in this one act of joining, they bridged the gaps the war had created in their relationship. They reaffirmed their love and commitment and all it had taken was the chance to be alone and to be intimate again.
The one hour turned into two and then more. As it neared three hours, Shawna groaned as she looked at her watch.
“Rafee, look how late it is. We should return,” she insisted and she started to pull away from him.
She’d been in his arms for nearly three hours and he wasn’t ready to let her go yet. He yanked her back in.
“Not yet,” he argued. “I was without you for so long, I don’t want to let you go yet.”
Smiling sweetly up at him and caressing his face, Shawna said, “I won’t be going anywhere but back up to the main house with you to fetch our kids. I’m sure Alexi is fussy by now and its time for Kess to go to bed. And as for Kadeem…he more than likely needs to see you, to be reassured that everything is okay in this new place. And then there’s Abra…she looks like a lost girl.”
Rafee sighed, thinking of all the responsibilities he and Shawna now had. They weren’t burdens by any means, just responsibilities that couldn’t be overlooked.
“I know,” he agreed. “So many people need our attention right now. But before we can truly give to others what they need, we have to be right again. Are we right again, Shawna?”
She leaned forward and kissed him. “Yeah, we’re right again. I’ll get past what happened, you don’t have to worry about me anymore. And I feel so good knowing we have something to look forward to. This little house…this is perfect, Rafee. Thanks.”
He smiled at her, watched her green eyes light with affection and love. “I knew you would love it. And I will give you anything, darling. The only problem is, you never ask for much.”
“Well, then. I’d like a new Mercedes, a fifteen karat diamond ring and a trip to
Rafee nuzzled at her neck, heard her laugh and then he declared, “I’d give it all to you, but I know you would hate it all.”
“Hmmm, maybe I wouldn’t entirely hate the new Mercedes. You know, one of those two-seater roadsters with a convertible top.”
Rafee wrinkled his brow and looked at her. This was an unusual request from his wife, but it didn’t matter, money and material goods were no object to him.
“Really?” he asked.
She smiled and nodded silently.
“Why?”
Her smile broke into a grin. “Because that way, we’d have an excuse to take off for a romantic drive, all by ourselves, without any family or kids. After all, with two seats, no one else would fit.”
Rafee chuckled and then kissed her lips. “Then your wish is my command, Shawna. I love you entirely and completely.”
“I know. Same here, Rafee. Same here.”
**
Agent Dutton Banks rapped on his office door. Marcus gave him the okay to enter, set aside the new intelligence files he’d been reading, and lifted his eyes to his friend and co-worker.
Banks held up a small memory stick in his hand and announced, “My contact in California came through. This just arrived for you.”
Marcus wrinkled his brow. So fast? He had barely spoken to Banks but a few days ago about looking in on Shawna, but he hadn’t expected such quick results. He took the memory stick anyhow.
“Thanks, Banks. I owe you one,” Marcus drawled, staring at the memory device like it was alien.
Should he do it? Should he take a peak at Shawna’s life now? Would it be right? Or worse yet, would it kill him to see?
“I didn’t look at it, Snow. I have no idea what’s on it. But I think you should take a look. It’ll ease your mind either way. It’s got to,” Banks said before he left the office.
Marcus relented and shoved the stick into his computer. After a few seconds, thumbnails of pictures, lots and lots of pictures, came on screen and with reluctant fingers he clicked on the first one.
Shawna and Rafee were strolling hand in hand along a gravel path. It was evening, nearing dark. The pictures were dim, yet Marcus could see the couple appeared calm and serene as they walked together.
Another picture of a cottage, surrounded by white candles. The fire light blurred in the picture some, but Rafee and Shawna were walking hand and hand into the small house.
The next picture was through a window and showed them kissing.
Marcus closed his eyes to the image. Again, he was caught somewhere between regret, jealousy and joy. He regretted how he had lost Shawna and the kids. He was jealous that Rafee now had them back. Yet ultimately, he was so happy they were back together as a family.
And the other photos were of them as a family. Daytime, each holding a kid, walking into a grocery store. Driving off in an SUV with the kids in the backseat, strapped in their car-seats. Another of Shawna, Rafee and their cousin Samad. They were at a car dealership; Shawna was smiling and checking out a shiny black Mercedes roadster. Apparently Rafee bought it for her, because two pictures later she was laughing and hugging him, his arms tightly around her, lifting her from the ground. Samad looked on with a grin himself.
Marcus took one last look at Shawna, then pulled the memory stick from the computer. The pictures disappeared and he sighed. It was a weary sigh, but also a sigh of relief. Shawna was fine. The kids were fine. And the Armanjani family looked like they were getting back to normal. It was for the best and now that Marcus could sleep well knowing that the woman he loved was happy again with her husband, he could get on with his own life. The Armanjanis were no longer his concern.
**
Three days after their tryst in the cottage house, the place was crawling with workers. Shawna pulled up in her new black Mercedes roadster, spotted her husband in jeans and a T-shirt working with a contractor and giving orders, and when he looked up, she waved him over.
The workers all stared for a brief moment, no doubt checking out the new car. Shawna didn’t mind, she loved her new car. It wasn’t very often she wanted something so luxurious, but she figured she had a right to celebrate after all that had happened.
Rafee smiled and walked toward her. He looked rugged wearing tan work books, worn jeans and a white T-shirt, slightly soiled with dirt and dust. His hair was tousled from sweat and work and Shawna thought he was more gorgeous in this attire than in any fine designer suit he wore.
“Hey,” she said as he approached.
“Hey yourself,” he said, leaning down and kissing the top of her head. “What brings you by?”
“Oh, just thought you’d like a lunch break,” she announced, as she patted the small cooler she’d packed.
“I suppose I could take a half-hour break. But I want to get back here and make sure my plans are followed precisely.”
Shawna rolled her eyes. “You are such a micro-manager, Rafee. Have some faith in your contractor. Besides, you can’t stay out here all day. Samad leaves tonight. Don’t you want to spend some time with him?”
“I spent all day with him yesterday and eight months with him in a cave. I think he and I have seen enough of one another,” Rafee replied as he rounded the car and slid into the passenger seat.
Shawna revved the engine of her powerful sports car and some of the workers whistled. She waved and sped off down the gravel drive, flinging rocks and dust in all directions. Rafee laughed beside her and then grabbed the dash board as she made a hard left before the stables and tore down a dirt road heading toward a line of trees.
“Hey,” Rafee complained.
“Seatbelt, darling,” she returned and then skidded to a halt in a little grassy alcove amidst the tall shade trees and next to the estate’s creek.
“This is nice,” Rafee said and then he reached for the cooler. “And I’m starved.”
Shawna yanked the cooler away from him and crawled across the center console.
“Later, Rafee, I have other plans for you right now.”
As she straddled him in the passenger seat he was her complete prisoner. Though he didn’t exactly look like an unwilling prisoner, especially when she hiked her long blue skirt up her legs.
She took his face in her hands and kissed him. He responded in that raw, animal way he had about him. He may have been raised a spoiled, refined prince, but nothing about him said spoiled or refined when they made love. Especially lately. No, lately it had been filled with complete abandon.
“I like this kind of lunch break,” Rafee growled as he bit at her bottom lip and his hands climbed under her white shirt. Just for his pleasure she had left her undergarments behind. After all, this little excursion had been carefully planned. With three kids, the Armanjani family and an army of construction workers prowling the estate, they had to be creative in order to find time alone. And thanks to Shawna’s creativity, they had this time all to themselves.
“Well, we had to break in the new car, didn’t we?” she teased and then she gasped as she felt his hands land on her breasts.
“Reminds me of when we first met and you were lusting after me in the back of my Mustang,” Rafee reminisced with a sly grin.
“No, you were lusting after me and we were in the back of my Mustang,” she reminded him.
Suddenly his door opened and he was lifting her from the car and standing.
“Unfortunately, darling, there isn’t enough room in this car to do what I want to do to you,” he insisted and then laid her on the hood of the shiny black car. “Just like there is never enough room in the Mustang for us to have fun either.”
Rafee wasted no time hiking her skirt higher, unbuttoning his jeans and sliding inside her. Their love-making was quick and fierce. Within minutes they were both crying out with pleasure and it was an intense, satisfying release.
After they recovered, Rafee fixed his pants, pulled Shawna off the car and kissed her lips.
“So, lunch tomorrow, same place, same time?” he inquired and Shawna smiled.
“Sure. I suppose I could spare a few minutes again for hot sex with my even hotter husband,” she agreed seductively.
“Keep that up, darling, and this next time won’t be a few minutes. I’ll have you here all afternoon,” he warned.
Knowing there were kids and family members expecting her back at the house and that Rafee really wanted to get the work done on their cottage as soon as possible, Shawna moved away, popped the trunk and pulled an Indian weave blanket from the back.
“Then perhaps we should eat. You said you were starving.” She laid the blanket on the ground and grabbed the cooler from the car.
Rafee sat down next to her and constantly teased her by nipping at her neck, poking her ribs or running his fingers through her hair while she tried to ready his lunch. It felt like a new relationship all over again—just like when they had first fallen in love and married. And that was fine with Shawna. She enjoyed her husband when he was light and teasing. And she suspected he needed to be that way to get over what had happened in the war. Being with her, being with his family and laughing and teasing and playing was what would heal him. It’s what would heal them all.
They ate together in silence, listening to the running water in the creek and the sound of the breeze in the trees. The afternoon was warm, the sun bright, and when the food was gone, they laid down next to each other and just stared at the clouds moving through the sky.
“So, what time does Samad leave?” Rafee asked.
“Seven.”
“Are we driving him?”
“If you want.”
“Sure,” Rafee agreed, then added, “You’ll miss him, won’t you?”
“I’ll miss him. But I have more than enough to keep me occupied these days. Alexi is starting to get more and more demanding. Kadeem is still so quiet and unsure of things. And…oh, yeah…Kess wants a pony.”
Rafee chuckled. “A pony? What’s wrong with all the other horses around here?”
“They aren’t small and cute and fuzzy, that’s what’s wrong.”
“Do you think she’s serious and will ride everyday?” Rafee inquired.
“Well, she’s had you down at the stables leading that old gray horse around every morning, hasn’t she? I think she’s serious.”
“Then we’ll look for a pony. An old, slow, half-lame, no-toothed pony,” he joked.
“Really? You’ll get her one?” Shawna asked, turning her head to look at her husband who seemed so completely relaxed.
“Yes, I’ll get her one. I’ll get you all whatever you want....at least for now. So take advantage of me while I’m being so generous.”
Shawna rolled and laid her head on his chest. His arm wrapped around her.
“You’re always generous, Rafee, we just never ask for anything,” Shawna said. “At least, nothing material that is.”
“No, just my time and affection and I am more than willing to provide that,” he insisted, then asked, “Do I seem to be myself again?”
“Yeah, you’re you again. We’re us again. Maybe we’re having way too much sex, but you don’t mind, do you?” She pushed up to an elbow and he smiled up at her.
“No, you won’t catch me complaining.” Then his smile faded as he fingered a lock of her hair. “Doctor Chen thinks I’m an anomaly, did I tell you that?”
Shawna wondered why he had changed the subject so abruptly, but she had a feeling he hadn’t told her everything the day he had returned from the doctor’s office. He had merely told her that all tests proved he was healthy, then he’d acted distracted and she hadn’t pushed. She had wondered if there had been more and now he was finally admitting it all.
“What does that mean?” she asked.
“There was no evidence on the x-ray of my arm being broken in the war,” he admitted.
“Then perhaps you never broke your arm.”
“But I did break my arm when I was younger and there was no evidence of that break either. There’s something odd about me, isn’t there?”
Shawna laughed. “You’re just now asking that, darling? Of course there’s something wrong with you! You’re ornery and aggressive and fight way too much for your own good.”
“I don’t mean that exactly. I mean…I’m different. I should have died in that attack. I didn’t. I should have been shot at the Johar palace. I wasn’t.”
He was being serious and Shawna sighed and sat up. “Rafee, what you have is damn good luck. And I, for one, am glad. There is nothing strange about you. You are perfectly normal.”
“Perfectly normal, huh?”
“Well, perhaps somewhat normal. But you’re not odd, you’re not a supernatural freak. You’re human. Just a damned lucky, handsome, strong human.” She bent down and kissed him one last time, then stood and tugged him to his feet. “Come on, back to work. I want my house done as soon as possible. And I am going to pick out all the paint colors and furniture, got it?”
“Really? Then what do I get to pick out?” he asked as he stood.
“You get to pick out the guy stuff—patio furniture and the grill. Oh, and you can find that pony for Kess too.”
“Gee, thanks, darling,” he said in mock disappointment then slapped her behind and headed for the car. “I’m driving back. You almost killed me on the way here.”
She laughed, tossed him the keys and threw the cooler and blanket in the trunk. She slid into the gray leather interior next to her husband and declared, “If we didn’t have kids and other responsibilities, I’d tell you to just keep driving.”
He leaned over and kissed her mouth for a good, long time. “If we didn’t have kids and responsibilities, I’d do just that. Thanks for lunch, Shawna.”
“You’re welcome, Rafee,” she returned, then he revved the engine and they were gone.
**
The scenery was something Abra had never seen in person before. Only on television shows had she been exposed to such wonderfully rolling hills and acres upon acres of green vines. Of course, she suspected that in the spring, the vines were greener than the yellowish-green they now were. But still, this place she had come to was gorgeous and surreal.
Granted, everything was surreal these days. Ever since her husband had died, her life had just seemed like a bad dream. The only light in her life had been Kadeem and Rafee. She thanked her Maker for them everyday. Without Kadeem’s needy affection and Rafee’s support, she would never have been able to survive her husband’s death. Or to survive Ali’s death.
She sat outside by the pool, still dressed much like she had always dressed in Johar and watched as the large, hulking Omar swam in the pool with Kadeem. The boy wasn’t the strongest swimmer, though Ali had tried to expose him to some things in his young life. But Omar was working with him daily and the boy was getting better.
Kadeem had taken to the large security man. When Rafee wasn’t around, Kadeem sought out Omar. Though the man seemed to be more scary-looking than patient, it was amazing how good he was with the boy. He reminded Abra of a gentle-giant when she watched him with Kadeem, despite the fact that the man had not said a word to her.
It wasn’t unusual, however, for the more conservative men in their culture to ignore women socially. Despite the western ways of the Armanjanis, it could be that Omar was more reserved, more committed to the “old ways.” It didn’t matter to Abra, however, she was simply here to watch Kadeem and ensure his safety at all times. She felt as responsible for the boy as Rafee did.
Shawna emerged from the house in a black swim-suit, holding Kess’s hand and carrying the baby. Samad was with her and he took Kess’s hand for Shawna and led the toddler to the pool steps. Shawna laid a towel down on a lounge chair next to Abra and held the baby on her lap.
“Hello,” Shawna said in English.
Abra returned the greeting. Though her English was still abominable, Shawna and Tara had been working with her daily. She was picking up the language quickly and the two women were so kind, she didn’t feel silly when she made a mistake.
Abra adored Rafee’s wife. She was so American and so…normal. Abra had never been able to imagine what kind of woman could tame Rafee, but after meeting Shawna, she could see why the woman was his wife.
It always amused Abra to watch Rafee with Shawna. He was affectionate with her, teasing, sarcastic. And the best was seeing how Shawna could order Rafee around without any consequences. The man actually listened to his wife in a way that Abra was positive he didn’t listen to anyone else.
Samad and Kess were splashing away in the pool now and Abra heard Samad call to Shawna. Shawna shook her head, indicating the baby and knowing that Shawna and Samad were close, knowing that the brave and humorous man that she had known in Johar was leaving tonight, Abra wanted Shawna to be able to spend some time with him.
“I take baby,” Abra insisted and held out her arms. She smiled at Alexi, the dark-haired baby who so greatly resembled his father and Alexi gurgled. “You…swim.”
Shawna smiled with appreciation, said “Thanks” and handed Alexi off. Abra relished in holding the baby, feeling saddened that she and her husband had never conceived. Maybe some time in the future Abra would be lucky enough to find another husband. Maybe then she could have children of her own. For now, however, she enjoyed spending time with Kadeem and the Armanjani kids.
“Abra, watch!” Kadeem called out in their native tongue and she looked up just in time to see the boy diving into the pool. Omar was treading water not far from him and ensured he surfaced safely.
“Wonderful, Kadeem!” Abra said with enthusiasm, happy to see the boy flourishing so. “Omar has taught you well.”
The giant man said nothing, but his dark eyes did flit her way for a moment. That moment came and went as another figure approached from the back corner. Omar greeted Rafee warmly and Kadeem immediately began talking a mile a minute, commanding Rafee’s attention for several moments.
Then Kess got out of the pool and ran to Rafee. He hugged her, spoke for a moment, then she scurried back into the pool. He waved to Shawna and Samad, then made his way toward Abra and the baby.
“How’s my little boy doing?” he asked Abra in Arabic and she smiled up at him.
“Ah, he’s a perfect gentleman,” Abra replied. “Like his father always is.”
Rafee chuckled sarcastically and returned, “My wife would argue with you on that point, Abra.”
She smiled at him, then returned her eyes to the baby in her arms. “No matter, Rafee. But I do adore this little baby. Alexi Rafee…tell me how you and Shawna came up with his name?”
Rafee’s face pulled a confused frown and he was silent for a moment as if thinking. “You know, I have no idea. I get the middle name, but I don’t know how Shawna came up with Alexi. We haven’t talked about it yet.”
“No, you’ve been too busy building that house of yours,” she insisted. “When will it be done?”
“If I stay on top of the workers…in a few weeks.”
“And you will have room for Kadeem?” she inquired, always worried about the boy.
“Of course I will, Abra,” Rafee assured her with a gentle smile. “I promised Ali, didn’t I?”
“You did. And I know you are a man of your word.”
Rafee titled his head some and then informed her, “You will have a place here if you want. Nikash has already said you can always stay at Villa Serena. And when Shawna and I travel back to Kumar, you will have a room at the palace.”
She blushed some, feeling a bit self-conscious because she was so reliant on the kindness of these people, and returned, “I thank you, Rafee. I would have no place else to go without you and your family.”
Rafee’s eyes suddenly flicked away and landed on the security man who was hanging on the edge of the pool nearby. Kadeem was swimming with Shawna and Samad now and Abra noticed that Omar seemed more than interested in their conversation.
“Omar? You have an opinion on this matter?” Rafee inquired and the man nodded.
“I was thinking that Edgar could move back into the gate house with me. That would give Abra her own cottage by the stables. Perhaps she would feel more comfortable with a space of her own while she is here at Villa Serena.”
Rafee raised an eyebrow and looked at Abra. “Omar has a point, Abra. Do you agree?”
She flicked her gaze to the security man. He was looking directly at her and she found that odd for he had barely glanced her way in days. Now, however, his dark eyes were intense, almost pleading. The baby fussed, giving her a good reason to look away and she finally answered Rafee saying, “I wouldn’t want to put anyone out.”
“Oh, it would be no imposition, Omar and Edgar are good friends. Isn’t that right, Omar?”
“Edgar and I get along fine,” Omar replied. “And if Abra wants to remain in
Remain in
“You want to stay in
“I…uh, I don’t know. I never thought about it,” she answered honestly.
“Well, think about it,” Rafee told her. “You have all the opportunities in the world, Abra. I know you may not see that now. You’re still upset over your husband’s death, over Ali’s death. But in time, you will see all that you can do.”
It was so odd to hear such words from men. Of course, her husband had been very supportive of her, but besides their work with the rebel alliance, there had been no other opportunities for her. Life for both men and women was simpler in Johar. One usually lived in a village, married, had kids, and remained in that village until death, doing the work their parents had done before them. Only the few who ventured into the capital city lived a different life. But now, Abra was in
“I will think about it, Omar,” she said to the security man. “Thank you for the offer.”
He swam away and Rafee smiled at her, gave his son a little tweak then rose. “I’m going to get cleaned up. Can you keep the baby?”
“Of course,” she answered.
“We’re all going into San Francisco to take Samad to the airport. Would you like to come along and see some of the city? We could make a weekend of it,” Rafee said.
Abra smiled. “I would love to.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The Sheiks of Kumar IX: Family Reunion – Chapter 7