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“Well, that’s good news. Do you want to go see her?” As he asked, Shira’s stomach growled loudly, and she blushed. “Or perhaps you would prefer to get settled and get something to eat first.”
He was certain that Shira would want to go see her cousin first, but then her stomach growled again, and she wrapped her arms around her middle. “Am I a horrible person for not wanting to go see her immediately?”
Shaking his head, he leaned over to kiss the top of her head. “No, you’re not. Let’s get you something to eat.”
On the way across town to their hotel, Kale’s phone rang and he answered it, speaking quickly in Arabic, which caught Shira’s attention. He could see her trying to translate as he spoke with his brother. “We just landed and are on our way to the hotel. I was about to send you a text letting you know.”
His brother was abrupt as he spoke to him. “I’m in need of the plane. I will explain later. For the moment, I ask that you not worry Shira.”
Kale shifted and did his best to hide the concern in his tone. “Is everything okay?” He could hear his brother rustling on the other end of the line. “Kam?”
When his brother answered, he was all business as he told him curtly, “Erin will be coming to Jawhara without delay. I will send the plane back for your use as soon as I can.”
“Of course, brother.” Getting off the phone, Kale was puzzled. He didn’t feel comfortable keeping this information from Shira. He hoped that whatever was going on, he’d know more by morning.
Smiling to assuage Shira that anything was wrong, he said, “That was my brother. He had a question.” The limo pulled up outside their hotel, and he waited for the bodyguard to open the door. “Now, let’s get settled and get something to eat.”
As they walked inside, the hotel manager met them in the lobby, handing Kale key cards to their suite. The restaurant didn’t look particularly busy and just as he was about to suggest they eat first before going upstairs, Shira yawned. Slapping her hands over her mouth, she looked at him in shock.
He laughed and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Come, let’s go upstairs. We will order room service and get comfortable.”
Shira nodded in agreement. “How is it with all the sleeping I did on the plane, I’m still so tired?”
Chuckling, he kissed the top of her head as they entered the elevator. Leaning down, he whispered into her ear. “Well, admittedly, we weren’t doing that much sleeping.” Shira’s answering giggle made his heart soar, and he hugged her.
Once they were in their suite, Kale handed Shira the menu and suggested she pick something before she unpacked. She scanned the menu before deciding on a grilled chicken salad. Giving him a quick kiss, she left him to handle the food while she went to freshen up. As he placed their food order, he could hear the shower running.
When room service arrived, Shira had just exited their bedroom dressed casually in shorts and an over-sized shirt that exposed her shoulders. With her face freshly scrubbed, her freckles stood out, giving him ideas about starting with Shira as an appetizer, but he put that thought on hold when she plopped down in the chair and immediately started eating.
Shaking his head, he joined her, smiling. They enjoyed a quiet dinner, both of them lost in thought. After they ate, Shira reached for her phone to try to call her cousin again. She wrinkled her nose when she got voicemail. Not wanting to alarm her or break his brother’s confidence, he suggested that she send Erin a text or an email since she seemed more inclined to answer those. Shira agreed and sent off a message.
Setting the phone back down, Shira yawned again, then chuckled. “This is ridiculous. Should I even have jetlag so soon? I have so much I need to do, I don’t have time to sleep.”
Getting up from his chair, Kale scooped her up, and Shira giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “You know, I really like how you carry me around like this. I always feel so protected.”
Carrying her into the bedroom, he laid her on the bed. “Of course you are protected, habibti. You always will be when I am around.”
Removing his clothes, he turned out the light and joined her in bed, pulling the covers up around them. Wrapping his arms around her, he spooned her from behind before kissing her neck. “Go to sleep, little one. There will be plenty of time tomorrow to get started on that list I know you already have in your head.” Kale tapped her temple with his fingertip for emphasis.
Shira turned her head to kiss him. “You know it. There are so many things to do in such a short amount of time.”
“Tomorrow is soon enough to start.”
Shira nodded sleepily and settled into his embrace.
16
SHIRA
The next morning, Shira slept in. When she checked messages to see if she’d heard from her cousin, she saw an urgent message from Rick and Damon wanting to see her in the office. Worried that something might be wrong, she dressed quickly and together, she and Kale went to the Addams Group office. When she got there, she was directed to the conference room, and when they entered, she was surprised to see a CONGRATULATIONS! banner hanging on the wall. The conference table held a large food spread and what looked like presents.
“What’s this?” She looked at Kale, who seemed as surprised as she was. She heard her name and turned to see Rick and Damon entering with everyone else who worked there following them.
“Since we knew you were in town, we wanted to have a party to thank you for all your hard work and give you a proper send off as you officially take over Addams Group East,” Rick said as he hugged her.
Shira felt Kale stiffen beside her, and she couldn’t resist rolling her eyes at his slight growl. Giving him a mischievous grin, she turned to hug Damon as well, as he congratulated her on her promotion.
“Wait. My what?” Shira looked from Damon to Rick as they both smiled broadly at her.
