The Sheikh's Reunion Bride (Qazhar Sheikhs 4) (15 page)

Mia sighed. "I'm not sure I can give those assurances, Naima. That will be Rafiq's decision, not mine."

Naima nodded. "That is just as I suspected."

Naima came to Mia and laid a hand on Mia's arm. Mia could feel Naima's hand shaking and the look in the woman's eyes had been transformed from fury to fear.

"Despite what I said to you Mia, you seem like a woman who is wise beyond her years," Naima said. "If I tell you the truth, can you at least promise you will do your best to persuade Rafiq of the worthiness of my actions?"

"Your actions?" Mia asked.

Naima nodded. "Sayid had nothing to do with the money going missing."

Mia frowned at Naima. "But his signature is on the documents."

"I persuaded him to sign that, believing that the funds were intended for the normal transfer destination. But, it was not the case," Naima said.

"What are you talking about?" Mia demanded, incredulity creeping into her voice.

"The money was transferred to my family. I arranged it without Sayid knowing," Naima said.

Mia squinted at Naima. "Your family? Why?"

Naima sighed and all the tension seemed to drain out of her body. There was an air of weary defeat about the woman now, and Mia felt a tug of sympathy in her heart. Naima's features had softened. Gone was the confrontational expression, to be replaced by a look that spoke of absolute surrender.

"I hinted at the political problems back in my country," Naima said.

Mia nodded.
 

Naima continued: "Well, one of the consequences of those problems was that there were many worthy social programs which had to be curtailed or even halted completely. Politics is a dirty game and it has its costs. It affects the lives of too many people, for my liking."

There was a sudden resolute quality to Naima's voice now, as if a raw nerve had been touched.

"I saw the suffering that instability has caused and I made my mind up to do something about it. I asked Sayid to approach Rafiq and seek help, but Sayid was reluctant. It appears Rafiq is not well disposed toward me after the cancellation of our marriage," Naima admitted. "I suppose I can hardly blame him," she said wearily.

Mia felt something clutch at her insides at the mention of marriage.

"So, you arranged for funds to be transferred to your kingdom?" Mia asked seeing how the pieces fitted together.

Naima nodded. "Sayid knew nothing of this. It was my doing and I am sorry it has caused this trouble to come down upon him. But, I felt it had to be done."

"Why didn't you just ask Rafiq?" Mia said. "I'm sure he would have been happy to assist, if you had given him the details."

Naima rolled her eyes. "It appears you and I have different views of what kind of person Rafiq is, Mia," she said.

Mia gasped and shook her head. "I can't believe that Rafiq wouldn't have seen the merit of your request," she said.

Naima grinned softly. "That's the thing, Mia. I wasn't brave enough to make that request. Not after what I did to him. I turned him down at the request of other people. He will never forgive me for doing that," Naima said.

"I don't believe Rafiq is so bitter that he cannot forgive. I know him. I know he is capable of forgiveness," Mia said said. "I just know he is," she added emphatically.

Mia suddenly realized what she had said, that she had admitted to a knowledge of Rafiq that went way beyond the merely professional. Naima glanced at Mia, and smiled.

"What can be done about this?" Naima asked.

Mia frowned and shook her head. "I don't know. Can the funds be returned?"

Naima nodded gravely. Now she did look defeated. "I believe they can. If it is necessary. However the good causes they were intended for will suffer."

Mia thought hard for a few moments. There had to be a simple solution to this situation. Mia felt in her bones that if she could only explain things to Rafiq he would be willing to forgive and enable the assistance to go ahead.

"You know this was wrong, Naima. Don't you?"

Naima nodded. "I do. All I want is for the harm to be undone."

"Leave it with me," Mia said. "I'll speak with Rafiq."

Naima's eyes brightened suddenly. "You will?" she asked eagerly.

"I'm sure I can persuade him to see what's the right thing to do, under the circumstances," Mia said.

"He can be difficult to persuade," Naima said. "Rafiq is a law unto himself."

"I already know that, Naima," Mia said with a weak smile. "But I think I might be able to get him to see things my way."

CHAPTER TEN

Sayid and Naima left soon after they all returned to the palace after the walk in the garden. There had been an awkward silence between the four of them, and Mia couldn't help wondering what Rafiq and Sayid had talked about during their walk in the garden. Friend talk, she supposed. Or perhaps more business discussion.
 

Mia speculated whether or not Rafiq had been able to get any answers out of Sayid. It would have been unlikely, she told herself. Naima had really been the one behind everything.

On their way back to the palace, Naima had told Mia all about how the funds were to have been used. So many cutbacks had been made in her kingdom, and the one which had pained Naima the most had been the cuts to medical support for children. It seemed that there was a center in her home city which had been pressing for extra funding for vitally needed medical equipment, only for the requests to be turned down. So, the funds provided by Naima had gone some way to plugging the gap.

 
Mia couldn't help feeling slightly ashamed of herself for assuming the worst. The funds that had gone missing were being used for a truly good cause and she was sure she was going to be able to help Rafiq see the good sense in letting things stand as they were.

Unsure how to broach the subject with Rafiq, Mia had decided to spend a few hours going over the paperwork. She needed a chance to think things over. What she really needed, though, was some time away from Rafiq. The memory of the previous night still lingered and Mia had to admit that her
 
body hadn't forgotten the sensations Rafiq had evoked in Mia.

When Mia had told Rafiq that she needed some time alone to go over the paperwork he'd arranged to be brought from the Qazhar city office, she could tell that he was unsure about the truthfulness of her explanation. Was he thinking about last night as much as her?
 

Mia was glad that at least one unresolved issue had been sorted out. She had little doubt that Rafiq would see sense and do the right thing, irrespective of any lingering resentment he might still feel about Naima.

Mia had enjoyed her time alone in Rafiq's office. She sat at his desk, perched on his huge leather executive seat. There was something reassuring about being surrounded by a huge pile of paperwork. It made her feel busy, helped her forget her troubles.
 

One of the things it couldn't make her forget, though, was the simple fact that her job in Qazhar was virtually done. Once the loose ends had been tied up, Mia realized she could be on her way back to London within a day. This might be her last night in Qazhar.

Now, why had that thought caused a flurry of emotion in her belly? Had that been a spasm of disappointment? Surely not. Things between her and Rafiq were clear and simple. They'd both enjoyed a playful duel that had resulted in a near thing, a close encounter that would be as quickly forgotten. The events of the previous evening would join the events of that summer in England; a sweet memory and nothing more. Mia's innocence was intact.

Mia scowled at that thought and immediately busied herself with a particularly thick pile of invoices. There really was nothing for her to find in this morass of paper other than a temporary peace. All she needed to do was hold onto that peace until she was safely back in London.

Surely, that wasn't going to be too difficult. Was it?

****

What on earth was she doing in that office? Rafiq paced the floor of his library, feeling the tension in his middle rising inexorably.

After Naima and Sayid had left, Mia had raced off with barely any explanation. She had locked herself inside Rafiq's office and no amount of cajoling had persuaded her to open the door. She'd muttered something about explaining things to him later. The only thing which had resulted from Mia's refusal to speak to Rafiq was the ratcheting up of his tension levels a few more notches. Impatience was burning him up.

Now it was getting late. Nearly dinner time and Rafiq was desperate to know what was going on. When Naima had left, she had given Rafiq a look which had confused and troubled him. He had no idea what Mia and Naima had discussed during their little chat in the garden. He knew what he'd managed to get out of Sayid.

Nothing.

Every attempt by Rafiq at getting answers from his friend had resulted in stony silence.

It seemed like everyone knew something and the only person completely in the dark was Rafiq.

That wasn't something he was comfortable with, nor was he willing to accept it for much longer.

He started down the corridor and toward his office. He arrived at the door and knocked.

"Yes?" he heard Mia call out from inside.

"Aren't you finished?"

"Not yet," she replied.

There was a long silence, then Rafiq's patience snapped. He pounded the door. "Come on out of there, Mia," he roared. "Time for dinner."

"I'm not hungry," she replied.

Rafiq grunted impatiently. "You can't hide in there all day."

"I'm not hiding. What gave you that idea?"

"Oh, I don't know. The fact that you've spent the entire afternoon avoiding me."

"I am not avoiding you, Rafiq," Mia insisted.

Rafiq rolled his eyes. Mia could be so stubborn when she wanted to be. Why did that thought create a flicker of desire inside him? It wasn't the first time her resistance had prompted an impulse to make demands of her, to do everything in his power to show her how she affected him.

"What have you found out?" he asked, trying to calm himself.

"Found out?"

"Yes. With all those papers I gave you. And, what did Naima tell you in the garden?"

There was a long silence. Rafiq felt his heart pounding, gritted his teeth waiting for a reply. The silence seemed to go on forever, and then finally he heard the lock turn in the door and Mia's sweet face appeared, gazing with curiosity at Rafiq.

"Did you say dinner was ready?" Mia asked.

"I thought you said you weren't hungry," Rafiq replied.

Mia's brows furrowed. How he loved the sight of that expression on her face, Rafiq told himself. She looked so feisty, so stubborn when she squinted at him like that. Once again he felt a visceral reaction, a familiar tightness, a tension that demanded immediate easing. Rafiq couldn't suppress a smile and he was pleased when she responded with a smile of her own.

Seeing her insanely pretty face had immediately lit up his day. He was staggered when he realized just how much he had missed her these past few hours. What was happening to him?
 

"I changed my mind," she said pushing the door aside for him to enter. Rafiq strode in and gasped. "What happened here?" he said gazing at the chaotic mess of papers that were strewn all over every flat surface in the room.

Mia shrugged. "A girls gotta do what she has to do if she's to get a job done," she said casually. He suddenly had the thought that she was playing with him again, the way she had the previous night.

"Have you found anything?" he asked watching her beautiful, elegant legs step over some piles of papers. Her hips bumped to the side, accentuating her curves as she placed one foot carefully to one side. When she turned around and looked at him he could see her breasts through the fabric of her loosely tied blouse. He suddenly wanted to pick her up and throw her down onto that sofa in the far corner, crush her on top of all those papers and have his way with her, irrespective of the wisdom of such an act. What was this madness she provoked in him?

"I think I have an answer," Mia said.

"You do?"

Mia nodded. "But first, I need to eat something. Then we can have a chat."

"A chat?" he asked with more than a hint of suspicion in his voice. "Just a chat?"

Mia nodded and quirked a brow at Rafiq. "Ready?"

She sauntered past Rafiq and he caught her scent as she glided by him. It fired off another spasm of desire. Up close he could see the color on her cheeks, knew that Mia had felt something, now that he was in close proximity to her. What was happening between the two of them?
 

Rafiq followed Mia out the room. They walked down the corridor. Rafiq felt a sudden comfort settle on him. It was good to be with Mia. Until this moment he hadn't realized just how much he had missed being with her, how comfortable he felt trading words. He was starting to love how they were continually testing each other with little insults that he was convinced were nothing more than signs of something more profound between them.

They reached the sitting room and Rafiq asked for tea to be brought. He also informed the kitchen that dinner would be required.

He sat on the sofa next to Mia, savoring her presence, feeling incredibly fortunate to have her by is side.

But for how long?

That question took him by surprise. Surely she hadn't already completed her job. The thought of her leaving, going back to London, produced a sharp stab of anxiety inside his gut. He needed an answer.

"So, what have you found?"

Mia frowned. "I told you we can discuss it after dinner."

Rafiq twisted his body so that it faced Mia directly. "Can't you at least give me an idea if we still have something to worry about? Are we finished?"

"What do you mean?"

"About the money, of course. What else did you think I was talking about?"

Mia shook her head. "Nothing."

Rafiq leaned closer and he saw Mia's eyes widen. She looked so incredibly beautiful, Rafiq told himself. Like a delicate flower waiting to be plucked. There definitely was something indefinably innocent about Mia. He'd always seen it, but right now it was even more obvious than it had ever been.