The Sheikh's Green Card Bride by Holly Rayner, Lara Hunter

are you doing?” Nicole asked.
     
    Bahir smirked. “Can’t a guy buy lunch, every once in a while?”
     
    “Technically you buy lunch every time,” she pointed out, and Bahir broke the contact by swiping up the check and placing a hefty pile of bills on top of it.
     
    “Humor me, then,” he said as he stood, and Nicole rose as well, waving farewell to Akilah’s family as they exited the establishment.
     
    As they walked down the street, Nicole’s phone started beeping furiously, indicating a quick succession of emails.
     
    And just like that, the spell was broken.
     
    Pulling out her phone, Nicole read that a crisis was spreading across the office in Dubai. The legal team were missing documents that only she had access to, back at the computer in her apartment.
     
    “Damn,” she said.
     
    “What is it?”
     
    “It’s the Monroe case documents. The legal team needs them now and I have them saved on my computer back at my apartment in Dubai. I’ve got to get them back today.”
     
    “I’ll come with you,” Bahir said, and she held up a hand.
     
    “No,” Nicole said, not used to contradicting him, but not wanting to be around him at that moment. He was too mesmerizing, and she needed to clear her head. “There’s nothing you can do. Besides, you’re actually taking time off to enjoy yourself. I’m sure you know other people in the village, maybe even some family you might want to visit?”
     
    Bahir looked reluctant. Ah, there he was. The annoying boss micromanaging her every move.
     
    “Bahir, I’ve got this. I’ll keep you posted, but it should be an easy fix. I’ve just got to take care of it now.”
     
    “Well let’s get back to the limo…” he said, heading in that direction.
     
    Nicole passed him and waved down a cab on the small side street. The driver pulled over, waiting for her to get in.
     
    “I’ve got it. You enjoy your day, and I’ll give you the update this evening,” she said, not allowing him to argue as she hopped in the cab and gave the driver directions to her apartment. He balked at the distance back to the city, but when she showed him a pile of cash, he happily whistled as he drove on, leaving Bahir behind them in the dust.
     
    Nicole knew she was running, but she didn’t care. Her feelings were irrational, and she needed some space to think, away from Bahir. Had she really just confided her darkest secret to her boss?
     
    All the talk of love and commitment was going right to her head, when what she really needed was to get back into work mode. Bahir Al-Jabbar was too tempting to resist. Checking her email one more time, she frowned as she saw no reply from Simon and Jenkins Associates.
     
    She needed to get her thoughts in order, fast, before she did something she regretted.

 
     
    FIVE

Nicole stared out her apartment window at the rising sun, cradling a mug of sweet mint tea. It was a Middle-Eastern delicacy she’d grown quite fond of, and the local tea was some of the best she’d ever had. She’d spent the rest of the previous afternoon at her computer, putting out fires and sending out important documentation. It was the perfect thing to keep her mind off the way her hand had fit perfectly into Bahir’s, and the way his eyes had danced in a rare moment of carefree fun.
     
    She stretched her arms up into the air, her black tank top and comfortable pajama bottoms hanging loosely from her body. Before getting home she had had the presence of mind to grab some groceries, and had been able to bake some delicious-smelling blueberry muffins in her apartment’s small oven. The scent was wafting throughout the room, and she sought comfort in it as she began processing what she needed to do that day.
     
    Her first task would be heading to the US Embassy to attempt to sort out Bahir’s visa issue. It was not a trip Nicole was looking forward to. Government bureaucracy took hours upon hours of waiting and dealing with incompetence. Bahir hadn’t