The Sheikh's Green Card Bride by Holly Rayner, Lara Hunter Read Free Book Online

Sheikh. Please, you would honor me by coming to the restaurant and having a bite. The food is just as delicious as you will remember, I am certain! My husband is still the chef,” she said with a wide grin. She was missing a few teeth, and her skin was deeply wrinkled with old age, but her youthful exuberance shone through.
     
    As if on cue, Nicole’s stomach rumbled at the thought of food. Her face turned bright red, and there was a pause as she glanced from Bahir to Akilah, then the two of them burst out laughing.
     
    The woman gestured for them to follow her. “You have already answered my question. Come, follow me. Don’t get lost in the crowd!”
     
    Bahir turned back to look at Nicole with a glint of humor shining in his eyes. He was way more handsome like this, she thought, when he was relaxed and having fun.
     
    Nicole found herself seeing Bahir in a totally different light, and tried to remember that he was her boss, and that this was only a snapshot in time. The next day he would likely be right back to business as usual.
     
    He held out his hand for her to take. “No getting lost,” he said, his gaze full of challenge.
     
    Was it appropriate to hold the hand of her employer? Glancing down at his outstretched hand, Nicole found that in that moment she really didn’t care. Let tomorrow come when it came, and today would be a fond memory she could hold onto when the work got overwhelming once again.
     
    She placed her hand in his, and felt a small shock of electricity shoot straight to her heart.
     
    Bahir didn’t seem to notice. He grasped her hand and led her through the busy streets, trying to keep an eye on Akilah as she pressed on toward a small white building off the main road.
     
    The restaurant was filled with locals, though it didn’t feel crowded; just comfortable. Akilah led them to a table near a corner and gestured for them to sit down.
     
    “Sit, sit! I will bring you some bread and oil while Abdul cooks you up some of our best delicacies!”
     
    A young woman in a purple hijab approached the table with some glasses of water.
     
    “Bahir, this is my daughter, Farah. She is very pretty, yes?” Akilah said.
     
    The girl blushed as she peered at Bahir from beneath lowered lashes, and he gave her his most debonair smile.
     
    “It’s nice to meet you, Farah,” he said, accepting a glass from her.
     
    The girl set down Nicole’s glass with a curious stare before returning all her attention back to Bahir.
     
    This was another thing Nicole had gotten used to. One didn’t spend time in the company of an eligible bachelor and not get accustomed to being completely ignored at every turn. That was just part of the job description.
     
    Akilah spent another minute praising her daughter before they both left the table. Farah returned shortly after with a basket of bread and a shy smile for Bahir.
     
    “Do you ever get used to it?” Nicole asked, tearing off a piece of warm flatbread and dipping it in oil before taking a bite.
     
    Akilah was right. The food was delicious. Of course, the fact that Nicole was starving and rarely ate an actual meal could have also contributed to that fact.
     
    Bahir looked at her, taking his own piece of bread. “Used to what?” he asked, tucking in.
     
    Nicole blinked, trying not to get lost as she gazed at him. “The adoring public. Being treated like a god everywhere you go.”
     
    Bahir scoffed, taking another bite and swallowing. “I am not treated like a god. People are simply nice to me. They always have been.”
     
    “Are you really so naïve as to think that it’s because people are inherently kind?”
     
    “What, you think people are inherently evil?” he countered.
     
    Nicole frowned. “I think people are born with the capacity to be good or evil, and each person makes that choice over and over again as they age. Saying that, I don’t think you see how much better you are treated than the general public.”
     
    Bahir