Page 32 of Her Irresistible Sheik (Al-Sintra Family #9)

“I need to check in with my family,” Nahla announced a few days later.

They were curled up on the library sofa again, half-reading, half-dozing.

The warmth from the stone fireplace complemented the afternoon sun streaming in through narrow windows, and Nahla felt utterly relaxed in Mikail’s arms. Granted, he had kept her awake for most of the night—but who was she to complain about hours of slow kisses, whispered secrets, and playful teasing that had eventually dissolved into something far more breathless and passionate?

Spooning with him had become her favorite way to sleep. But that moment of comfort shattered the instant her words left her mouth.

Mikail tensed.

Not just a subtle shift in muscle, but a full-body lock, as if her words had activated some internal alarm.

“Why?” he asked, his voice low and taut.

Nahla blinked, caught off guard by the immediate change in tone. “Because… they worry if I don’t talk to them regularly,” she said slowly, turning slightly in his arms to see his face. “We’ve been here for a week, Mikail. When I was in the capital, I talked to Zayn or my parents every day.”

He reached out and gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. His fingers were soft, but his eyes… they were watching her too closely. “We have internet here. I know you’ve been sending them texts.”

“Yeah, but that’s not the same as hearing their voices.” She sat up now, trying to gauge what had shifted. His entire energy had changed. “I need to actually speak with them.”

He nodded once, but there was a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. “Okay.”

That was it. Just okay . But it wasn’t okay . Not with that shuttered expression on his face.

“I’m not going to tell them about us, Mikail.” She placed her hand on his chest, palm flat, trying to ease the tension between them. “I wouldn’t do that.”

His eyes stayed on her, unreadable. “Why not?”

That stopped her cold.

She pulled back, frowning. “Because…?” Her mind scrambled for an answer. “I don’t know. I guess I thought—” She faltered, then asked, “Do you want me to tell them about… us?”

For a beat, he didn’t move. And then, something in him closed off. Nahla could see it happen—the flicker of emotion behind his eyes dimming, the subtle pull of his mouth into a neutral line. “It’s up to you, Nahla.”

And then he stood. Just like that.

He shifted away from her, his warmth vanishing, and the sudden space between them felt wider than the length of the sofa.

“I need to make some calls,” he said abruptly. He didn’t look at her. He didn’t kiss her like he usually did before leaving the room. He didn’t even pick up the book he’d been reading. “I’ll have someone take you to the communications room. There’s a secure line there.”

Then he walked out.

Just like that.

Nahla stared after him, stunned. What had just happened ?

It wasn’t the request to speak to her family that upset him. No—he hadn’t flinched until she said she wouldn’t tell them about the two of them.

Had that hurt him?

Was he angry because he thought she was ashamed?

Her chest tightened. That wasn’t it. That wasn’t it at all! She just… hadn’t thought that this was something to share. Not yet. Not until she understood what this really was .

And that brought her to another realization. She didn’t know what this was. She loved him. Completely. Without doubt. But had she imagined the tenderness in his touches? The emotion behind his kiss? The way he watched her when he thought she wasn’t looking?

Or was she just another obligation? Another secret to protect? After all, her cousin Saif had arranged this. But what had that arrangement entailed?

Was she part of the deal?

The thought made her stomach churn.

No. No, Saif wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t offer her up like some sort of reward for a favor. Her cousin was fiercely protective—so was her brother. They would never put her in a situation like that.

But something had shifted in Mikail. That much was clear. And now she was left to untangle the knots in her own chest without him beside her.

She needed clarity. And she knew exactly where to get it.

Zayn would know. Her brother would help her sort through this. He’d explain what Mikail might be feeling, or thinking, or assuming. And he’d tell her if she was being foolish—or if she needed to demand something more.

Resolved, Nahla stood, abandoning the book she’d been pretending to read. She’d find that mysterious office Mikail had mentioned. She’d seen hints of it in her explorations—a stone chamber with old brass fixtures and reinforced doors.

This fortress was a maze of old-world strength and new-world technology.

The rooms were carved out of the desert stone, thick and cool and timeless.

There were no cell signals in the rooms—too many layers of rock—but internet access was possible in designated rooms thanks to fiber lines drilled through the cliffs.

It was time to find that room.

And it was time to get answers.