Her Royal Bed by Laura Wright

man. But we all do things that live in the gray. Was this deal with Callahan one of those moments?”
    His mouth set in a thin line, Sakir uttered, “You ask your brother such a question?”
    â€œI ask my brother for the truth, that’s all.” She sighed,sat in the chair opposite him and laid a hand over his. “I’m a big girl, Sakir. I can handle the truth. Whatever it is.”
    The ire in his eyes and the tight expression of a businessman he wore, softened. “You will always receive the truth from me. Be assured of that.”
    She offered him a gentle smile. “Thank you.”
    He nodded, then exhaled heavily. “There was no maliciousness in the procurement of Bobby Callahan’s land. After the drilling company left, the land was in a bad state. They had dug and torn the soil and spilled oil everywhere. It was an environmental nightmare. The elder Callahan could not care for, or repair, the property, and the bank was foreclosing. If it had not been I who made the purchase, it would have been someone else. And I have no doubt that buyer would not have been as generous in the end.”
    â€œYou’re talking about how you allowed Bobby to buy back a few acres of the land?”
    â€œCorrect. I am sorry about his father’s death, but the anger he has for me is misplaced. And his unreasonable manner and quick anger make him dangerous.”
    â€œThat’s ridiculous,” Jane tossed out, but in the back of her mind she couldn’t help but wonder. Her stomach tightened with worry, and the reaction irritated her no end.
    â€œYou saw him last night,” Sakir continued. “He was acting like a madman.”
    â€œHe was angry, and he clearly holds a grudge the size of Texas against you. But a madman? No way.”
    â€œI will not allow you to walk into that fire, Jane.”
    She slipped her hand from his and laughed. “Allow me?”
    It had been close to ten years since she’d heard words like that, and even then she’d rejected them. Most of the time. Coming from a man, a command such as this one really made her blood simmer. After all, she’d had no father, no male figure of authority in her life, and she wasn’t looking for one now.
    Leaning back in his chair, Sakir stared at her, his eyebrows set. “You must understand. You are Al-Nayhal. You are my sister, and I—” He broke off, looking rather embarrassed, but continued at any rate. “I have come to care for you a great deal.”
    An understanding smile nudged at the corner of her mouth. Clearly, it was far easier for her to show emotion than Sakir. “I love you, too, big brother.”
    â€œI do not want to see you hurt. Can you not understand this?”
    â€œOf course.”
    â€œThen you will abide by my decision.”
    â€œNo.” She wasn’t about to roll over and play the “little sister,” no matter what judgments Sakir had made about Bobby’s motives in asking her out.
    â€œYou are as stubborn as my wife,” Sakir grumbled.
    She laughed and stood. “Thank you. I take that as a compliment. Rita’s wonderful.”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œListen, I’ve been making my own choices for ten years now, and I’ve done a pretty good job of it.” She walked around his desk, leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Trust me, okay?”
    His gaze found hers, and there was unabashed worry there. “It is Bobby Callahan I do not trust.”
    The doorbell rang just then, and Jane offered Sakir one last, faith-inducing smile before she turned her back on him and left the room.
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    If it were possible, Jane looked even more beautiful in a pair of form-fitting white jeans than she had in all that finery she’d worn the first night they’d met. Course, that could be just his taste, Bobby thought, shoving his truck into third as he shot up Hollyhock Drive. Sure, he liked dresses on a woman, but nothing