Page 48 of Midnight Shadows

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“Looks like we have company,” Issa muttered.

“The woman behind the counter was sharing the love. I’ll wait in the car,” she said.

Junayd shot her a teasing glance. “You’re going to leave me unprotected?”

She glanced at the group of mostly teens. “I’m off duty. Let Issa and Ziya handle them,” she dryly replied.

She walked around to the passenger side and climbed in. The heavily tinted windows not only protected the passengers inside from the intense sunlight, but also from prying eyes. She placed two bottles of water in the cup holders before watching as Junayd greeted the locals who came to see him.

He moved with a natural grace, taking time to listen to their excited comments, laughing when a boy who looked like he was about eight asked him a question, and squatting down to listen to a little girl.

She rubbed her hand over her heart. What was it that made him different from every other man she had ever met? She thought about his reply that it was more than just biology or chemistry. That there was something almost cosmic in their attraction.

What had he called it? Almukhtar, the Chosen?

She wasn’t sure exactly whatAlmukhtarentailed, but if her reaction to him was caused by some mythical force, she was well and truly screwed. The last few hours traveling with him had been nothing short of amazing. They talked, they even sometimes argued, about different topics ranging from having a pet to what their ideal world would be.

She realized that she had shared more about her life and her personal thoughts with Junayd than she had with anyone else—including her sister. She flushed when Junayd turned to look back at the car almost as if he sensed she was staring at him. She reached up and removed one side of her scarf to fan herself.

A moment later, the driver’s door opened and Junayd slid inside. He immediately started the engine and a cool blast of air conditioning hit her. She adjusted the vent.

“I’m sorry about that,” he said with a grimace.

“No worries. It was interesting seeing everyone’s reaction. It reminds me of people around Idella.”

He handed her a folded paper. She took it and unfolded it. It was a picture of a woman on a horse with a man standing next to her. They were obviously in the desert. Behind him, there was an oasis with palms.

“What is this?” she asked.

“Aamina, the little girl, drew that for the lady who rides with the prince,” he said.

A trickle of laughter slipped from her when she saw the woman had a scarf across the lower half of her face. She had no idea when the girl had time to draw the picture. She looked back at the young artist. She was being held by a tall, lanky man.

“I’ll have to write her a thank you note,” she mused.

“I asked her father to contact Ashar and leave his information with him,” he replied.

“Thank you.”

“We have another three hours before we reach our destination. We could have flown, but I thought you might like to see a bit more of Jawahir and the best way is by land,” he said.

“This has been amazing. I’m… normally sleeping during this part of the day,” she confessed.

“If you need to rest, you can recline the seat,” he suggested.

She shook her head. “No. I took the nap on the plane. I don’t need more than four or five hours of sleep.”

“Mm, I think I met the perfect woman,” he teased.

“Oh? Insomniacs do it for you?”

She twisted in her seat and looked at him with a curious expression. He grinned and glanced both ways before turning onto the highway.

She tapped her fingers with growing impatience when he didn’t immediately answer.

“I can think of a thousand and one things we can do to fill the night that don't involve sleep,” he replied in a seductive tone.

She rolled her eyes and sat back in her seat. “Is sex all you ever think about?”


Tags: S.E. Smith Romance