Sleeping with the Sheikh: The Sheikh's Bidding / Delaney's Desert Sheikh / Desert Warrior

“You don’t look crazy,” Tess said. “You look like a break in the clouds after the rain. Now come here and give me a hug.”

Sam complied, lifting Tess off her feet as he had so many times before. After setting her down, he asked, “You don’t happen to have any of your famous coffee on to brew, do you?”

Tess favored him with a sunny smile. “You know I always keep a pot on. Come into the kitchen and sit a spell.”

The bodyguard remained positioned at the door while Andi followed Tess and Sam into the breakfast room. Once there, Tess poured him a cup of coffee and said, “I’m going to run upstairs and check on the boy. You two have a nice visit.” She hurried away, leaving Andi alone to face her past.

Sam took the chair with its back to the bay window, the place he’d always sat during family dinners. Andi refused to sit, resenting the fact that Sam had made himself comfortable as if he planned to stay awhile. Except for his clothing, he even looked comfortable, at home, as if he’d never left. But he had left, and Andi couldn’t believe that Tess had acted as if he’d only been gone for a week or so, as if nothing had changed. When in fact everything had changed. But Tess had always loved Sam just the way she loved Andi and Paul. Just the way she loved Chance.

“Mama?”

Andi’s gaze shot to the doorway leading to the hall where her son now stood, his large brown eyes focused on the man he considered a fascinating stranger. Tess was nowhere to be seen, leading Andi to believe that her aunt had a hand in this spontaneous introduction of father and son.

Andi didn’t know what to do, what to say. But if she didn’t act normal, Chance would immediately sense something was wrong, and she didn’t want to frighten him.

She held out her hand to him. “Come here, sweetie.”

When Chance walked forward and stood in front of her, Andi braced her palms on his frail shoulders. “Honey, this is Mr. Yaman.”

Sam rose, and Andi immediately noticed the wonder in his eyes, the undeniable emotion as he looked upon his child. With his thick dark hair, his coffee-colored eyes, Chance was almost the mirror image of his father. There was no longer any use in denying the truth.

“I’m Samir,” he finally said, his smile now aimed at his child, not Andi. “You may call me Sam.”

Chance’s mouth opened in surprise. “That’s kind of like my name, the Sam part, anyway. Chance Samuel Paul Hamilton. Aunt Tess sometimes calls me Little Bit.” He sounded as if that was totally distasteful.

“You have a good strong name.” Sam sent only a cursory glance in Andi’s direction before turning his attention back to his son, but not before she saw another glimpse of regret and sadness. He was probably thinking about Paul, maybe even thinking about how much he’d missed in Chance’s life. Andi couldn’t let that sway her. She had to stay strong for her child’s sake.

Tess suddenly reappeared into the kitchen. “Don’t be scared, Little Bit. Shake the man’s hand. He’s an old friend.”

Chance looked back at Andi, and she nodded her approval, then he moved forward and took the hand his father offered. Sam’s smile revealed his pride. Andi couldn’t blame him. She had felt that way about her child from the moment he was born.

After a hearty, exaggerated shake, Chance asked, “What’s that on your head?”

“It’s a kaffiyeh,” Sam said.

“What’s it for?”

“It’s part of my official dress. I come from a country far away. I am a sheikh.”

“Well, I’ll be durned,” Tess muttered.

Chance still looked confused. “A sheet?”

“A prince,” Andi stated, grateful that Sam had enough wherewithal not to announce he was her son’s father.

Chance glanced back at her. “Like The Little Prince?”

Andi smiled over the reference to one of his favorite books. “More like Aladdin.”

“Oh.” He stared at Sam a moment longer. “Do you have a flying carpet?”

Sam laughed then, a low rich laugh that brought back more of Andi’s cherished memories. “I’m afraid I have no magic carpet.”

“Just a big black car,” Chance said, sounding awed over that fact.

Andi took Chance’s hand, determined to usher him out before he asked more questions. “Honey, it’s time to go to camp. If we don’t leave, you’ll miss your bus.”

Amazingly, Chance looked disappointed over leaving his newfound friend. He’d been bugging her for weeks, counting the days until his first trip to camp, something Andi had been dreading even though she knew it would be good for him. Now he looked as if he couldn’t care less. “Can I stay and talk to the prince a little longer?”

“How long will you be away at this camp?” Sam asked.

“Two weeks,” Andi answered for her son. “I’m sure you’ll be gone—”

“I promise I will be here when you return,” Sam said, his eyes still leveled on his child.

Chance’s grin widened, revealing the left-sided dimple that served as another reminder of his parentage. “Can I ride in your car when I get home?”

“Most certainly.”

Andi gave Chance a nudge toward the door. “Let’s go.”

“Andrea,” Sam said from behind her. “One other thing.”

She looked back to find that Tess had taken a chair across from Sam who had seated himself once again, his hands folded before him, looking much too cozy for Andi’s comfort.

“What other thing?” she asked, although she wasn’t certain she really wanted to know.

“I will be here when you return.”

Exactly what Andi had longed for through many yesterdays, and what she greatly feared today.

Chapter Two

He had viewed the many ruins in Rome, Sacreé Coeur at Montmartre in Paris, the Acropolis in Athens. Yet those experiences had paled in comparison to gazing upon his child for the first time.

Now Sam could only sit in silence, holding fast to the wish that he could recapture the years and experience every one of his son’s milestones. But that was not possible, and not enough hours existed to make up for lost time.

“Are you okay, Sam?”

He looked up from his untouched coffee and met Tess’s compassionate, gray eyes. “As well as can be expected.”

“I guess finding out about the boy kind of shocked you.”

“I knew about him before I arrived.”

Tess’s eyes widened. “You knew?”

“Did Andrea not tell you that we spoke last night following the auction?”