The Sheikh's American Bride (The Sharqi Sheikhs Series Book 2) (8 page)

Claire was enjoying her new job in the research library at MIT. After sneaking away from Taleb that morning, she’d wandered aimlessly around campus too wrapped up in her thoughts to go home. She ended up at the Commons and overheard two staff members discussing an opening in a library at MIT.

Well, if the Dean wasn’t going to put a transfer through for her, maybe she could find a position on her own. Rushing home, she quickly showered, changed into something presentable and drove over to the university to speak to the head librarian who was pleased to take her on immediately.

Since the law library had yet to find a replacement for her, she agreed to work the night of the Gala, as she was sure that no one would show up that she didn’t want to see. While she felt guilty avoiding Taleb, she knew that it was for the best.

She had fallen for him and she needed to put as much distance between them as possible to avoid her heart breaking. She was glad that he intended to return home after securing a bride because she really wasn’t sure how much longer she could avoid him. Several of the staff members had told her that both he and Malil had been to the library looking for her.

Claire stood behind the reception desk processing book requests when two of her coworkers walked into the library.

“Claire, you cannot believe what just happened,” Tracy, another librarian, said excitedly as they approached her.

“What?” Claire asked, stacking books into a pile.

“The auction made a splash,” Martha, another librarian, told her

“What do you mean? What happened?” Claire was suddenly intrigued.

“Zoe Donahue was the talk of the event.”

Claire rolled her eyes. It was bad enough that Zoe was everything Claire wasn’t, she had to steal her boyfriend, Daniel, too.

“Must we discuss her?” Claire mumbled under her breath.

“Well, she was part of the auction,” Martha began.

“Was she now?” Claire asked sarcastically.

“Yes, and she received the highest bid.”

Claire turned to check out a student’s books so the women couldn’t see how much talking about Zoe affected her.

“Guess how high.” Tracy said to her.

“How high?”

“Ten thousand dollars.”

Claire raised her eyebrows. “That is a lot of money. Who was it?” she asked.

“The new hot guy; Taleb Sharqi,” Martha said. Claire shook her head. There was no way Martha had just said Taleb. No way, it couldn’t be.

“Who?” Claire wanted to hear it again to make sure.

“Sheik Taleb Sharqi, the cute Middle Eastern guy,” Tracy told her.

Claire was speechless. Of all the guys at the university, it had to be Taleb who bid on Zoe. She felt as though someone had stabbed her in the chest. The same woman that had slept with her boyfriend was the same one that Taleb bid on and won.

The fact that Zoe was a tall, blonde with blue eyes did not help the situation. She fit Taleb's damn criteria perfectly, and this time she was not there to change his mind. She was also from a rich family. She was exactly what Taleb wanted.

“She doesn't deserve him,” Martha stated, noticing the change in Claire’s mood.

No, she freaking does not!
Claire wanted to yell but she had to keep her cool. Once again, she was on the sidelines while someone was chosen instead of her. Why was it that she was always the last one to be picked? First, her mother gave up custody of her to her father, then her father chose his new wife over her, then Daniel and now….

No no no no no
, Claire repeated over and over in her head, feeling a knot rise in her stomach. She knew damn well that she was never going to be with Taleb but why did it have to be Zoe who got him?

“She is nothing but a whore,” Tracy commented smugly.

“He is still new, that's why he bid on her. He doesn't know what kind of woman she is but he will soon find out,” Martha added.

“Everyone deserves a clean slate,” Claire said as she ran her hand through her hair.

“Not this girl and not right now. What she did was despicable,” Tracy stated vehemently. Claire was lucky to have such nice coworkers. They had been there for her when she found out about Zoe and Daniel and even shunned her for Claire's sake.

“Are you going to be alright?” Martha asked her as she looked at her with concern. Claire nodded.

“I have to finish up here and then I’m done for the night.”

“Are you sure?” Tracy asked.

“Definitely.”

Martha and Tracy rubbed Claire's shoulder before they left. Claire couldn’t understand why she was so mad at Taleb. He had done nothing wrong and she knew that she wasn’t wife material when she slept with him. She just wished that he would find someone other than Zoe Donahue. Anyone else.

It had been two days since the charity dinner and Taleb was getting ready for his picnic lunch date with Zoe. She was simply stunning. Even though she had slept with her professor and was the talk of the campus, Taleb did not mind being seen with her. She was easy to talk to and she was friendly. He was intrigued to find out more about her.

As Taleb finished dressing, he looked at his bed and remembered the night of passion he shared with Claire. She had shown him that there was more to a relationship than a list, but more importantly, he missed spending time with her. When she had disappeared on him, he wanted to call Kim to find out what happened, but he wasn’t ready to share his feelings about her with anyone.

Where was she? It was so strange that Claire had disappeared right after they had made love. Usually women did not want to leave; she was the first to sneak out in the morning like a thief. Having been raised by a father who tended to view women with disdain, Taleb was not one to chase the same woman, but he could not stop thinking about her.

“Taleb?” Malil knocked on the door causing him to snap out of his thoughts.

“Come in,” he called out. Malil opened the door and popped his head in.

“Your car is ready.”

“Okay.” Taleb nodded as he followed Malil out.

Taleb arrived at the location where he was meeting Zoe moments later. She was already there waiting for him and had laid out what looked to be an elaborate picnic lunch. She stood up when she saw him pull to the curb and waved. She was wearing a knee length white dress and platform heels.

Her long blonde hair was draped around her shoulders and hung down her back in waves. She looked lovely. Taleb couldn't help but notice that she was not only punctual but prepared. The first time he had met Claire, she was late and he was forced to wait for her.

“Hello, Zoe,” Taleb said as he joined her.

“Hi,” she replied cheerily. Taleb kissed both her cheeks before they both sat down on the blanket she had laid out.

“How are you?”

“I am fine, and you?”

“I am well.”

Looking out along the water, Taleb realized that they were picnicking near where he had been kayaking with Claire. He smiled when he remembered the look on her face when he splashed her back.

Turning his attention back to Zoe, he accepted the appetizers she offered him along with a glass of wine. As they chatted, he couldn't help but wonder why Zoe had an affair with her professor. The more he got to know her, the more it seemed very out of character. She seemed different from what people were saying about her. 

“Zoe, if I may ask you something?” he asked.

“Sure.”

“Why did you have an affair with your professor?”

Zoe shrugged her shoulders as she lifted her head to look at him. “Because you cannot control who you love,” she said simply. Her words hit him hard. He felt like all the air has been sucked out of his lungs as the words repeated in his head.
You cannot control who you love.

He had been trying so hard to control everything about his search for the perfect wife that he left out one important criterion -- love.

All this time, Claire was in his heart and he had not even noticed. She was different from all the other women that he had met. She was fun, carefree and loved to laugh. How had it taken him this long to realize that the perfect wife for him had been standing in front of him all that time?

He had barely paid attention to Vanessa even though she was drop dead gorgeous and was everything that he had wanted in a spouse. Except that she was not Claire.

He
loved
Claire.

“Taleb?” Zoe had been speaking but Taleb was not responding.

“Yes, sorry.” Taleb replied. He tried to listen to what Zoe was saying but all he could think about was Claire and how much of a fool he had been. All this time she was right before his eyes and he hadn't even seen her.

“I’m sorry, Zoe. I realize that you went to all this trouble to make this delightful picnic but I have to go. Please, excuse me,” he said as he stood up and headed to his car. Zoe looked confused as she stared up at him.

“Where are you going?” she called after him but he didn’t reply.

Arriving on campus, he parked his car and headed over to Dean Parker’s office. Rushing into his office, his secretary looked up startled, as he panted:

“I’m looking for Claire Anderson,” he told her. “She doesn’t work at the law library anymore, where is she?”

Before she could reply, the Dean opened his office door. “Sheik Sharqi, it is good to see you,” the Dean told him as he exited his office to shake his hand.

Frowning, Taleb was not in the mood for the Dean’s chatter, as he repeated his question.

“Why don’t you come into my office and we can talk,” the Dean offered as Taleb shook his head.

“I’m sorry. I’m looking for Claire; I do not have time to...” Before Taleb could finish, the Dean had stepped back into his office and held the door open for him. Sighing, he followed him inside and reluctantly sat down.

“So, why are you looking for Miss Anderson?” the Dean asked.

“There is something that I must speak to her about, immediately,” Taleb responded.

“I am sorry, she left yesterday.”

Taleb straightened, “Left? Left for where?”

“She left the university. She no longer works here.”

Taleb's face dropped. This could not be happening. He suddenly realized his feelings for her and now she was gone. Taleb felt like punching something.

“Where did she go?” he asked.

“I am sorry, I’m not at liberty to say,” the Dean replied, as he looked at Taleb curiously.

“Are you kidding me?” he shouted. He ran his hand through his hair as he got up to leave.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” the Dean asked as Taleb opened his office door to leave.

Shaking his head, he left the office and returned to his car. He punched the steering wheel a couple of times and swore under his breath. Claire was gone and nowhere to be found. He was too late.

Claire was finally officially starting at MIT’s library. It was nice and quiet, not as impressive as Harvard was, but there was no Zoe, no Daniel, and no Taleb. It was a fresh start for her and one that she knew she needed.

She still missed Taleb. Desperately so. When she had confessed to Kim that she had slept with him, she was prepared to fly to the States immediately to be with her, but Claire managed to put her off.

She wasn’t even sure why she was wasting her time thinking about him, as she wondered how Zoe measured up to his list of expectations in a wife. While she definitely fit all the physical attributes, having never met her, she had no idea what her personality was like. Claire sighed as she placed a stack of books on the cart and headed toward their designated location.

As she walked, she couldn’t help but notice that most of the students seemed to be eating, which was prohibited in the library. Pushing the cart to the side, she was about to say something when she realized that it was Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. Puzzled, she started looking at all of them and saw that they were all eating Ben and Jerry’s.

What on earth is going on?

“Claire,” came a deep voice from behind her. She almost jumped out of her skin as she turned to see a man walking toward her carrying two more containers of Ben and Jerry’s. Handing her the cookie dough one, she accepted it as she looked at him.

“Taleb,” she breathed. “How did you find me?”

“It was not easy. Can we please go someplace more private to talk?” he asked her as he opened his container, pulled out the plastic scoop, dipped it in and took a bite. Closing his eyes, he savored his bite as he looked at her with a smile, “I must admit that I prefer this flavor to your cookie dough.”

Clutching the ice cream, Claire turned on her heel and led him into one of the study rooms. Turning on the light, she stared blindly around as he shut the door behind them and locked it.

“Aren’t you going to eat your ice cream?” he asked her as he looked at her in bemusement. Staring at it, Claire set it down. “Well, that’s a first,” he commented.

Claire blinked a couple times. She was having a hard time comprehending the situation. Had Taleb really come to look for her? Why would he look for her? Surely if he needed another tour guide, he could easily find one. And was he really eating ice cream?

“What do you want, Taleb?” she finally asked.

“Well, more ice cream for one. Are…you…not…hungry?” he asked as she shook her head distractedly. Reaching for her abandoned ice cream, he pulled the top off and took a bite. She was right, it really was good.

Reaching for the chair in front of her, Claire clutched the back, digging her fingers into it. “Taleb.”
 

“How could you just up and leave like that?”

“I...I didn't.” Claire cleared her throat. “I was going to transfer anyway.”

“You were going to transfer all this while and yet you never said anything?” Taleb sounded annoyed. He set the ice cream down as Claire shrugged her shoulders.

“Why would I tell you that?” Claire crossed her arms over her chest. “Why are you even here?”

“I have been looking for you.”

“Why?”

“Because you left without saying a word. You simply left.”

Claire raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I left...” Claire’s voice trailed off because she did not understand why he was so bothered about her leaving. So bothered that he had come to find her. Taleb sighed heavily and moved closer to Claire. He held her shoulders and searched her brown eyes.

“I am here because I have fallen in love with you,” he said to her. Claire's eyes flew open.

“What?” She wasn’t sure what she was hearing was correct. There was no way that he had fallen in love with her. Things like that didn’t happen.

“Claire, I love you,” he repeated.

“Impossible,” she whispered.

“Why is that impossible?” he asked her as Claire turned her head away. She couldn’t look at him.

“Because I do not fit your criteria.”

“Well, screw the damn criteria.”

Claire looked up at him startled and stared into his eyes. She needed to know that his words were true.

“I have been trying so hard to control every aspect of my life, and in doing so, I failed to realize that you cannot choose who you love.”

“What has gotten into you?” she asked him, as she stared at him.

“You have!” Taleb pulled Claire closer to him. “You made your way into my heart.”

“I have?”

“Yes. Claire, I love you and only you. I do not want anyone else and I am not going to let you get away.”

“Not even Zoe?”

“No, I want you, Claire. I pick you.”

Claire still wasn’t sure she believed what he was saying. “Why not? She fits your criteria.”

“Not all of it. It seems that I left the most important item off my list.” At Claire’s quizzical look, he cupped the side of her face as he smiled down at her, “You.”

A tremulous smile began to appear on Claire’s face as she reached her hand up to touch Taleb's face. Her insecurities had almost cost her Taleb. He was there in her face, telling her how much he loved her and she was still doubting him. 

“I love you, too,” she whispered. Taleb reached into his pocket and pulled out a red velvet box. He dropped to one knee.

“Claire, I love you and I want you. I tried to search for the perfect woman when you were right there under my nose the entire time. I regret how long it took me to realize it and I will not waste another second without you. Marry me.”

Claire stared at the ring and then at Taleb and then back again. Tears threatened to fall as she realized that for the first time in her life, she was being picked first.

“Yes! Yes! I will marry you,” she told him as she let the tears fall.

“Yes?”

“Yes.” Claire nodded vigorously. Taleb laughed and took the huge diamond ring out of the box and placed it on her finger. He kissed her hand, rose to his feet and wrapped his arms around her before kissing her breathless.

Claire giggled.

“What’s so funny?” Taleb asked her.

“It seems that libraries are good luck charms for us. We shared our first kiss in a library and now you’ve just proposed to me in a library.”

Pulling her tightly against him, he leaned his head against her ear, “Well, the door is locked. Is there another first you would like to have in a library?”

Grinning ear to ear, “Oh, my, yes,” Claire responded as she pushed against his chest. Sitting on the table, she reached for the discarded ice cream. “I’ve never eaten in the library,” she told him with a mischievous grin. Looking down, she frowned, “And I guess I won’t be since it’s already melted.”

“Claire, if it would make you happy, we will have Ben and Jerry’s at every meal,” he told her solemnly.

“Really?”

“Oh, Claire, I love you so much. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you,” he whispered as Claire threw her arms around him.

“I love you, too, Taleb,” she told him as she kissed him. “But since the ice cream has melted, come to think of it, there is something else I haven’t done in a library yet. You did say the door was locked, right?”

Claire laughed as Taleb pushed her back on the table and followed her down. Kissing her senseless, his hand found its way to the hem of her shirt, as he lifted it up and slid his hand under to cup her breast. Moaning, she arched into his hand as her nipple puckered beneath his warm hand.

Standing, he stepped between her legs as he lifted her skirt up around her waist. Reaching for her panties, he pulled them off and tossed them on the table before dragging a chair over to sit down.

“I have to say that in situations like this, I’m really glad that you do occasionally wear a skirt,” he teased as he draped her legs over his shoulders.

Before she could respond, he blew a hot breath on her already swollen tissue causing her to moan in response. Wrapping his hands around her thighs, he lifted her toward his mouth, as he licked up her slit. Finding her clit, he pushed her hood up exposing the hard little nub before he swiped his tongue over it.

Claire bit her finger to keep from crying out. She had never felt so naughty in her life as she briefly wondered what the people in the library would think if they knew what was going on inside the study room.

She gasped when he inserted first one and then two fingers between her folds and began to pump in and out as he sucked on her clit.

Moaning, Claire rocked her hips up toward him, as he began to pump faster. With a small cry, she arched up into his mouth, as he chuckled, the vibration increasing the intensity of her orgasm.

As she was coming down, she could hear an insistent tapping, as Taleb straightened her skirt and helped her to sit up. Still feeling dazed, she couldn’t figure out what was causing the noise until he cracked the door open.

Looking up, she was surprised to see Malil standing there as they exchanged quiet words. As Taleb was shutting the door, Claire caught Malil’s stare as he nodded and smiled at her.

Turning around, Taleb watched Claire slap her hand over her mouth as she laughed into it, kicking her legs as she laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

Shaking her head, “Nothing really. It’s just that I’ve never enjoyed wearing dresses or skirts but I’ve had to wear them for work and well, seriously rethinking that now,” she replied as she continued to laugh.