The Sheik's Secret Twins (8 page)

She would
call Malik as soon as they were settled
for the night
, she told herself. 
After they were tucked in, she would give him the news, they would talk, they would figure out how to move forward and arrange for a meeting with him and the boys.  He might not believe they were hers, she knew. 
And if he rejec
ted them, all the better.
  She would then have
done her part and tried to do the right thing.  If he tossed it back in her face, she would be ecstatically happy to have her sons all to herself once again. 

W
hen
they
walked into the house and both of them raced to the backyard, jumping up and
down,
begging her to let them play
outside
for just a little bit longer before dinner, she relented
with a sigh.  As she watched them roll around and play on their toddler sized swing and slide, she picked up her cell phone, deciding to get the pain over with as quickly as possible. 

Since Malik had called her earlier, she had his phone number in her cell phone.  She just had to press the re-dial button and she’d be connected to him.  Her finger shook as she pressed the button, wishing she could ignore what was right and just keep her precious boys all to herself. 

She listened carefully as Malik’s end rang once, twice, then went to voice mail.  It wasn’t his voice, but a computer generated message that asked the caller to leave a message. 

“Malik, this is Siri.  I…We…There’s something you should know,” she started off awkwardly.  “I mean, we need to talk.  I need to tell you something.”  She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.  “I’m sorry.  I’m making a mess of this.  Would you mind calling me back?”  She left her cell phone number,
then
felt silly since he already had her cell phone number, which was exactly why she had his number. 
As soon as he listened he would think she’d become a complete, rambling idiot! 

Needing to end the horrible conversation quickly, she finished with,
“Anyway, thanks and I look forward to hearing from you.” 

She pressed the end button,
then
tossed her phone into her purse, feeling ridiculous for sounding so insecure and tentative. 
And why in the world had she said she was ‘looking forward’ to hearing from him?  She was dreading the
next time she heard his voice, wanting to toss the cell phone into the freezer or oven just so she wouldn’t be able to hear it when he called back. 

Then again,
what was she supposed to say? 
‘
Would you mind stopping by at your convenience to meet your two sons?  Yes, they’re twins, three years old and adorable.  No, you can’t take them away from me either.
’
  Siri didn’t really feel like that was the best way to break the news to an ex-boyfriend about his
current
fatherhood. 

With a sigh, she watched Jacob as he climbed the ladder on the small play set she had set up in her fenced in back yard.  The boys loved that set, thought it was so wonderful but already they were
growing too big for it.  Sam slid down the two foot slide, laughing at the bottom as if it were a joke.  And then Jacob slid down, right on top of Sam causing both of them to laugh even harder. 
They were large for their age, always had been.  She remembered the doctor’s expression during each prenatal visit when he charted their growth, impressed with how quickly they were growing in utero.  It wasn’t such a surprise to Siri.  She knew how large and tall Malik was and her sons were showing every sign of taking after him in both brawn and height. 

As she watched them laughing and playing, their rambunctious activities made her laugh.  She was supposed to be making dinner and settling down for the evening but she chuckled at their antics, not wanting to slow them down by bringing them inside when they were having so much fun. 
What mother wouldn’t want to keep these little tykes in her life? 

Knowing they would be famished after all this
activity,
she pulled herself together and looked around in her pantry to figure out what to make for dinner. 
She got
out the pasta and whipped up their favorite meal of macaroni and cheese for dinner, adding in hot dogs which they loved
, even if they didn’t know the hot dogs were actually made out of tofu
.  When it was finished, she called them inside and told them to go wash their hands. 

When they were all cleaned up, they each climbed into their chairs and looked at the meal.  “Mac and cheese?  What’s the special occasion?” Sam asked, already looking into the casserole dish to smell the cheddar cheese.   “You know, Billy gets the mac and cheese in the box but this is much better,” he declared and jumped out of his chair to give her a hug. 

Siri accepted the hug with relish, then picked him up and plopped him back down
into his chair
.  “Let’s say grace,” she admonished before Sam could grab the handle of the spoon to serve himself.  The warning was
twofold
.  She wanted them to be grateful for their food, but she also knew that his little hand would dig the spoon in deep, and there was the strong possibility that he would fling some of the casserole onto the wall behind him.  Experience had taught her well. 

Both boys bowed their heads while Siri gave thanks, then they licked their lips as she took the serving spoon and
ladled
the mac and cheese onto their plates.  “Real hot dogs?” Sam asked. 

“Do they look real?” she questioned right back at them
, surprised that they were asking
. 
They continuously surprised her about what they’d figured out. 

Jacob laughed and shook his head.  “Not real,” he declared. 

Sam nodded his head and popped one into his mouth.  “Tofu dogs,” he claimed.  “
We
get real hot dogs at school.”

Siri didn’t correct him that they only served turkey hot dogs at school.  What they didn’t know, wouldn’t hurt them. 

She kept checking her cell phone for messages, wondering if she’d missed the call from Malik.  In the past, she hadn’t bothered him unless she knew he was on his way to her.  So she
wasn’t
sure what time lapse was normal when she needed him to call her back. 

Bath time passed by, their teeth brushed, their cute little bodies tucked into fleece pajamas and both of them
snuggled
into their beds in the room right across from hers.  And still no word from Malik.  It was relatively early in the evening, only eight o’clock, but she’d called him two hours ago.  Surely he’d gotten the message by now.

A small part of her hoped that the phone he
had used earlier in the day
to call her wasn’t really his.  That it was just a throw away that he used sometimes when he needed a phone.  That would let her off the hook and she
could
keep her boys all to herself, guilt free. 

The dishes
were finally
done, the
cozy
kitchen cleaned up and her family room all straightened out by the time she sat down and pulled her work bag towards her.  She was propped up on her overstuffed chair, and it occurred to her that this was almost the same position she was in when Malik had walked into her apartment four years ago.  Her tiny little cottage
style house
was bigger, but not by much.  The family room contained barely enough space for her sofa and two chairs, but this furniture was of much better quality than what she’d had back then.  And this time around, she had a wall separating the kitchen from her family room, which was extremely nice. 

It was funny how things changed, and yet they
still
remained excruciatingly familiar. 

Chapter
4

She was concentrating on reconciling the
current
inventory with the
recent
shipments when a
hard, loud
knock sounded on her
front
door.  She looked up
with worried eyes
and noticed that it was only eight thirty, but she couldn’t imagine who would be at her door
even at this time of the night
. 
Her neighbors were wonderful, but they also knew that her boys went to sleep early at night, and they would definitely call before stopping by for any reason. 

She peered
warily
through the
security
peep hole and her
nervous
breath caught in her throat.  Standing on her
front
stoop, looking exceptionally gorgeous, was Malik in a pair of
perfectly pressed,
casual slacks and a
sexy,
leather jacket. 

With a deep breath, she opened the door slowly, wishing she could just ignore him completely and keep her children to herself.  Do the right thing, she told herself sternly. 

“I thought you would call
me back
,
”
she said in lieu of a greeting
as she leaned against her front door as if it could somehow protect her from the impact this man continued to have on her
. 
An impact she resented now and wished she could banish from her life. 

He put a hand to her door and gently pressed the door open wider.  Once he was inside, he closed the door himself, looking at her with desire in his eyes.  “I didn’t want to wait.  I got your message and came over.”

She quickly retreated behind one of the large chairs, a new defense that she also realized was weak as he came closer and she could smell his subtle, spicy aftershave. 
“How did you know where I lived?”
she asked nervously, wishing her voice was stronger.  But he was looking at her as if he wanted to….well, taste her, she thought as she watched his eyes look at her trembling mouth. 

He moved slowly around the chair, never taking his eyes from his prey as he relentlessly stalked her. 
“Same resources that found your cell phone earlier.”

She stepped back and shook her head. “I really don’t like those resources.”

He stepped closer, his tall body crowding her and she stepped back, wanting space from the heat emanating from his body. 

“They’re good resources.”

“They’re nosy resources
that have invaded my privacy
,” she said b
ut this came out as a whisper.  Her eyes moved over him, noting his strong jaw, shoulders that were impossibly broad and muscled and a chest that tapered to slim hips and long, powerful legs. 

“You’re beautiful,” he said and this time he was less than an inch from her.  His hand came up, a finger gently caressing her cheek.  “I’m going t kiss you.”

“Please don’t,” she croaked out.  She tried to turn her head, but his finger stopped her, somehow holding her still while his head slowly, ever so slowly descended towards hers. 

“I don’t think I can
stop myself,” he replied and covered her mouth with his.  She gasped and his tongue took full advantage of the possibility, moving inside, tasting her, teasing her to participate in the kiss. 

She tried for all of two seconds to resist.  But those feelings that had been there four years ago were actually more powerful now.  He was more powerful, his ability to lure her in complete.  She wished she were stronger,
and
then she didn’t wish for anything except having his arms around her, his body pressing against hers the way he used to do for her.  She wanted him too desperately for anything intelligent to contradict.  With a moan, she wrapped her arms around his neck, her hands gripping his shoulders to pull him closer to her. 

He quickly complied, his hands moving from her head down her body, skimming against her back and her waist to reacquaint
himself
with her once again.  And she loved it, reveled in his touch and his scent and the way he felt against her.  It had been four years since any man had touched her like this and, truth be told, he was the only one who had ever tempted her to want this. 

He lifted her up and pressed her against him, his hands taking control but Siri needed no prompting.  Her legs automatic
ally wrapped around his waist and she pressed against him, wishing their clothing wasn’t in the way. 

Next thing she knew, she was falling but his arms were still securely
holding her.  When she felt the
mattress underneath her back, she almost sighed with relief, but that’s when he lifted himself up slightly and pulled her sweater over her head, his heated gaze looking at her with the red, lace bra.  She held her breath, praying that he wouldn’t just look but she shouldn’t have worried because his hand smoothed up her stomach, cupping her right breast in his long, strong fingers, his thumb rubbing the already taut nipple and making her body flinch with the need to feel him, her legs pulling him closer and her arms reaching for him as well.