ROMANCE: THE SHEIKH'S GAMES: A Sheikh Romance by Kylie Knight Read Free Book Online Page B

her hands behind her as Al-Hafeez turned to see what had captured Jameela’s attention. Selena waved then and hurried off.
    “Now is a great time,” Jameela smiled and stood. She saw the woman again when she was leaving and she gave her the thumbs up sign.
    “So, I made reservations at one of the best places I like to eat,” he told her.
    “And where would that be? Five-star restaurant along the coast?” she asked as she tried to think of somewhere expensive he might like.
    “No,” he said and laughed. “Home.”
    Jameela froze after he spoke. “Wait, we are going to the palace?” she asked him.
    “That would be where I live,” he agreed. “There is no place I prefer eating than home.”
    He had this childlike deference about him when he spoke of home that melted Jameela, and distracted her from her present anxiety. “I had you completely wrong,” she told him.
    “Is that so?” he asked her. “Can’t say I blame you; we each started out on bad footing. When I first came to the office I was instantly taken by you, but under the circumstances, and after that snowball you tossed at me, I reacted.”
    “You reacted?” she asked and laughed. “That’s quite a reaction.” She suddenly grew quiet and her eyes focused on the scenery as they came closer to his home. “I have to be honest with you about something. There was a reason behind my being so cold to you from the start.” She sighed and looked over at curious eyes. “Remember when I told you my grandfather had a gambling problem? He had an estate along the coast, just a few miles from here. I used to love going there in the summertime.” A wave of nostalgia hit her and she smiled as she reflected, until she saw his face and was once again riveted to the present. She cleared her throat and continued. “He made a habit of going to the gentlemen’s clubs and gambling houses. He wagered more than he had one night, and when he couldn’t pay, the man he lost to asked for the deed to the house. That man was your grandfather. I figured I’d let you pay for him robbing me of my inheritance.”
    “Why did you change your mind?” he asked, a shocked expression on his face as he tried to absorb what she was saying.
    “When I went to the precinct and saw the victim’s brother,” she told him. “I guess something within me wouldn’t let a man be punished for a crime he didn’t commit,” she told him.
    “Life has a funny way of getting back at us,” he told her. “What are the odds we meet like this?”
    “What indeed?” she asked. She sat up straight then when she saw them approaching the huge bronze gate, and she looked over nervously at him.
    “Don’t worry,” he told her as the gates opened and he drove along the all too familiar path that circled the fountain at the main entrance. “They will love you.”
    “Why am I here again?” Jameela asked nervously, suddenly intimidated by the elegance and glamour of the palace. She had never had more than a passing glance, and she was surprised there weren’t guards posted everywhere like the Buckingham Palace.
    “For lunch,” he reminded her and took her hand as they met at the front of the car. “And no, we don’t care much for an array of guards; Father prefers the palace looking like home still,” he said as if he was able to read her mind. “No, I can’t read minds either,” he leaned over and teased. “It just seems to be the first thing everyone notices. I would know, I’ve witnessed enough tours.”
    “And now I get my own personal guide,” she said and walked off next to him.
    “That you do,” he replied and stroked her hand that was now draped through his. For the remainder of the afternoon Jameela enjoyed the Ramadan hospitality. She met the kitchen and wait staff, was served a delightful lunch, and later received a tour of the palace. She was surprised to find that beneath the grandeur of the place, there was a sincere feeling of homeliness. She had always thought it