“You know, I really have to pee,” she forced out, coming to standing. Really, she wanted to give her mom a piece of her mind. But with emotion clogging her throat and the threat of a monsoon of tears behind her eyes, this wasn’t the place or the time.

  She just needed to curl up into Amad’s chest and forget this had happened.

  “Oh, lordy, don’t I know it. I peed about every ten minutes when I was carrying Chase. You, on the other hand, were the easiest pregnancy. Not so much the easiest child, but that’s how those things work out.”

  Vanessa drew a fortifying breath as she walked back toward Amad. He and Gerardo were deep in conversation and looked like two business colleagues in the midst of a strategic planning session. Amad turned as she approached, a smile lighting up his face.

  “There you are,” he said, easing his arm around her.

  “I really need to use the restroom,” she said, looking deep into his eyes, hoping he’d catch her signal.

  “Oh, sure.” He adjusted his arm to reveal his watch from the sleeve of his sports coat, and then said, “Dang, Vanessa, did you see the time? We need to be heading out if we’re going to make dinner in Amatbah.”

  That was a lie, of course—they were spending the night in Dubai. But her mother didn’t need to know that.

  “You should stay longer!” Vanessa’s mom proclaimed, but there was no depth to her plea.

  “Sorry the visit was so quick,” Vanessa said, opening her arms up for a hug. It lasted a half second before her mom pulled away. Now that the end was in sight, she could feel composure returning to her. Still, the effects of this meetup, however brief, would probably haunt her for days. That’s how it always went with her mom.

  “But what good fortune that we could make it work!” Amad concluded, lending his special charming touch.

  “Great meeting both of you,” Amad said before they walked away. Vanessa waved and then grabbed his hand in a vice grip.

  “Let’s get out of here,” she hissed under her breath as they strode away, her chest hurting with the repressed emotion of the visit. She needed a good cry later, but only once she was alone. She didn’t want him to see her unravel like that, in the way only her mother could cause.

  She didn’t even want him to know how bad her mom really was, lest he suspect her of being the same.

  Because one thing was certain.

  She wasn’t her mother’s daughter.

  12

  Back in Amatbah, work on the fashion line consumed the tribe in a new way. Amad dove headfirst into mining his contacts for new leads. His attempts to reach out to Le Suiz corporate had failed in a huge way. His usual tactics of outreach and wooing the influencers just weren’t working in the fashion world, and the roadblocks were so frustrating that it made his blood boil sometimes.

  But on the home front, everything was happy. Vanessa seemed to be finding her footing among the women of the tribe, and Amad was happy to see that she liked spending so much time in the tents. It was nice of Calla to let Vanessa help in whatever way she could—he assumed it was mostly administrative tasks, since she reported without fail every morning at ten to assist Calla. Whatever kept the pregnant lady happy, he was for, even though he didn’t understand why she was so keen to be involved when she could be relaxing in luxury.

  One evening, after a particularly busy day of meetings with the tribal leaders, Amad and Vanessa finally rendezvoused in the bedroom.

  “There you are!” she exclaimed as she stepped out of a long swishy skirt she’d been wearing. “I haven’t heard a peep from you all day.”

  “I haven’t heard one from you either,” Amad said as he eased onto the side of the bed. He watched her flit between the stand-up mirror and the wardrobe, arranging accessories and examining outfits. “What are you up to?”

  “Just getting my new outfit ready,” she said, tossing him a breezy smile over her shoulder. Her pink satin bra was full to bursting with her breasts, and the sight of her, belly just starting to swell, had his cock twitching.

  “Is it something new?”

  She nodded, holding up what looked like a two-piece business suit. She beamed as she showed it off. “It’s maternity clothing.”

  “Huh.” He nodded, inspecting the chic ensemble. “I wouldn’t have guessed.”

  “Exactly.” She took the clothes off the hangers and stepped into the pants, and then slid the shirt over her shoulders. “And it is sooo comfy.”

  “Where’d you get that?”

  “Calla.” Vanessa assessed herself in the mirror, twisting from side to side. “This is one of her prototypes of a new design. We’ve been working on a maternity line together.”

  “Wow. A maternity line.” Amad couldn’t rip his eyes off her as she unzipped the pants and stepped out of them. “That’s a great idea.”

  “I thought so too.” She sat on a footstool nearby and started rubbing lotion onto her legs. The drool had to be dripping out of his mouth by now. He snapped out of his stupor.

  “Come here,” he said, gesturing for her to come to him on the bed. “You’re pregnant. You shouldn’t be doing that. Let me.”

  She smirked, peeking beneath her lashes at him. “Oh, is this too strenuous?”

  “Way too strenuous.” He gestured again. “You’re going to need to let me do that.”

  She laughed and did as he said, bringing the lotion with her. She lay out on the bed next to him, propping her ankles in his lap. “Have at it.”

  Amad doled out a generous squirt of lotion and rubbed it up and down her calves. She giggled as he massaged her ankles.

  “There we go.” Heat streaked through his veins. Every inch of this woman turned him on. She could be sick in bed with the flu and the sight of her shoulder would still turn him on. “Phase one of lotioning complete. Now it’s time for phase two.”

  “And what does phase two entail?” she asked, humor filling her voice.

  “Complete nudity and lying back on the bed,” he instructed, undoing his belt.

  “Ah.” Vanessa clucked her tongue. “I forgot about this very important second step of proper moisturizing.”

  “Most people overlook it,” Amad said, popping to his feet to shuck his pants. “But that’s why you have me around. To remind you of these things.”

  Vanessa giggled as he unbuttoned his shirt. He stepped out of his briefs. She tugged off her blouse and cast it aside.

  “Leave the bra,” Amad said, climbing onto the bed. “You look too sexy in it; it would be a crime to remove it.”

  “A crime,” Vanessa teased. “Like at Interpol level or something more severe?”

  “Much more severe.” He grazed kisses over her collarbone, then down to the swell of her breasts. Vanessa fidgeted beneath him as he moved slowly down her belly and over the mound of her pussy. He grazed his lips against the dampening crotch of her panties, then he tugged the scrap of fabric down her legs.

  “Thank you for helping me stay compliant,” she said breathily, jerking beneath him once his teeth crested the hard nub of her clit.

  “It’s my duty as your husband.” He palmed the length of his cock as he positioned himself between her legs. Thoughts ground to a halt as the swollen tip of his cock nudged her juicy entrance. She was always ready for him, always willing. And that was one of the things he loved most about this time in Amatbah. He and Vanessa existed in a dream state—halfway between a work trip and paradise, like some sort of dreamy vacation that included only occasional tasks at the office.

  He could get used to this.

  Vanessa moaned low and animalistic as he eased himself into her. The pregnancy had been a boon to their already booming sex life. He knew that would probably change in time, but for now, he wanted to relish it.

  “God, why do you always feel so good?” Vanessa dug her fingernails into the ridge of his shoulder, a move that always sent chills racing down his spine.

  “I should ask you the same.” He snagged her lips in a kiss, and as he surged forward, the tenderness collided with the lust in him, something much bigger and sweeter and more intense emerging. He didn’t want to dwell on it too much. Just wanted to enjoy this for the ride that it was.

  The soft grunts from her lips made it impossible to focus on anything other than the soft arc of her breasts, the golden-hued curve of her neck, the plump lips permanently parted, betraying just how good this was for her. Amad surged forward, again and again, sweat collecting at his temples as he fought the orgasm pooling in his core.

  With her, it was so easy to find the summit of pleasure. She could sometimes just glance at him and take him halfway there.

  “Vanessa,” he groaned, pushing himself in again. The tight cords around his control were slowly unraveling. Once they snapped, it would be the liquid downhill rush that he relished at her side. Sex never felt so good inside anyone else. It had to be the connection they shared—that lust for life, the lightheartedness that they both carried with them.

  The hot prickles in his lower belly swarmed and spread through his limbs. He groaned low and thrust again. “I’m there, babe.”

  Vanessa tightened herself around him, arching backward onto the bed. A gruff cry ripped out of him. His abs jerked as he came, pumping round after round into her as she moaned and writhed beneath him.

  Once the haze of satisfaction cleared a little, Amad peeled himself off her, finding a grin waiting for him.

  “You’re so noisy when you orgasm,” she teased, squeezing her thighs around him.

  “Well, you make it hard to be quiet,” he said, pressing a kiss to her collarbone before easing off to the side.

  She ruffled his hair and then rolled away. Once her feet hit the floor, he realized she wasn’t sticking around for post-coital cuddling like usual.

  “Where are you going?” he asked, flinging an arm into the empty space beside him.

  “I have to get ready,” she said, picking up her discarded panties and blouse. “I was in the middle of that, you know.”

  “For what, again?” He pushed up to his elbows, frowning as she stepped back into her clothes from before.

  “We’re having a girls’ night.” She smiled at him through the mirror as she pressed some pearl earrings into each lobe.

  The news hit Amad like a sack of bricks. His frown deepened. “Like, all night? I thought you were coming with me to the tribal dinner.” He’d wanted her to be at his side for this function. He’d only mentioned it in passing earlier that week, not figuring she’d need to pencil him in or anything. “I wanted you to help entertain the wives as I talk shop with the leaders.”

  She swore under her breath, stilling as she arranged her hair. “Shit. I totally forgot. Do you really need me there?”

  Amad weighed his options. He could pitch a fit about this if he wanted to. It did irritate him. But she seemed excited for the meetup. This would be her first girls’ night, so he could let it slide this once.

  “Pregnancy brain, huh?” He gnawed on the inside of his cheek, flopping back on the bed. “Have your girls’ night. I’ll manage.”

  Her face appeared over his as he lay staring at the ceiling. “Are you sure?”

  The excitement on her face was that of a child’s. It made him smile. “I’m positive. I want you to have fun.”

  She thanked him and pressed a long, sloppy kiss to his lips, then resumed getting ready at the wardrobe. He watched her for a little bit, lost in his thoughts, until he realized he needed to get himself ready as well.

  He’d gotten a little too used to having Vanessa at his beck and call. It had always been that way in Las Vegas. Whenever he swept into town, she was more than ready to receive him and spend the weekend fucking and lounging.

  But now? She was establishing herself here. She had a life separate from him, he realized, now that they were seeing each other more continuously than ever before.

  This was uncharted territory.

  And Amad wasn’t sure he liked it.

  13

  Vanessa had been pushing herself. Hard.

  The second trimester energy was apparently limited. She’d been so excited to feel normal again that she’d completely spent all her reserves.

  Or maybe she was just taking too much on. She wasn’t just eager to help Calla with the burgeoning maternity line, which was taking off in a huge way. She was also spreading herself to new areas of the tribe. Beyond being a tireless wife and expectant mother, she also wanted to be the model Amatbahn spouse.

  So she’d been filling her calendar with new tasks, the most recent one being reading to children at a local elementary school.

  But this morning?

  She just couldn’t.

  “Babe, are you okay?” Amad rolled over in bed, probably in response to her long, anguished groan.

  “I’m so tired,” she wailed, tears pricking at her eyes. She’d slept eight hours last night, but it wasn’t enough. Maybe she was coming down with something. Or maybe this was just the natural progression of creating life—both inside her belly and in a new country. She didn’t know anymore.

  “Just sleep in, then,” Amad said, stroking her hair. His soft voice at her ear calmed her.

  She scrubbed at her face, trying to rally. “But I have a commitment. I can’t back out of it. I would feel awful.”

  “What is so important?”

  She heaved a sigh. “I volunteered at the elementary school. I can’t let the kids down.” Tears came to her eyes again. Yes, this was pregnancy intensity.

  Amad clucked with sympathy. The bedcovers rustled as he rolled out of bed and came around to kneel at her side.

  “How can I help you?”

  She sniffled, wiping at her eyes. “I don’t know. Give me a shot of espresso? Except I can’t do that, so never mind.” She groaned, flopping onto her back. “I actually feel like I need three weeks of sleep. Maybe you should cryogenically freeze me.”

  Amad smirked. “Very funny. I have money at my disposal, but not that much.”

  “Yeah, and it would be dangerous for the baby.” She sighed, her eyes drifting shut. “I’ll have to cancel on the schoolkids, I guess.”

  Amad was quiet for a moment, brushing soft kisses over her knuckles. “Maybe I can find a way to help.”

  She launched her forearm over her eyes. “How?”

  “I can go in your place.”

  “Oh, Amad.” Tears arrived again, and this time she couldn’t prevent one from escaping. He brushed his thumb over her cheek to wipe it up. “Are you serious?”

  “What time does it begin?” he asked.

  “Nine thirty.” She swallowed a thick knot. “At the Al Ghuman elementary school.”

  Amad reached for her phone on the nightstand and checked the time. Then he nodded. “I can make that work. I have a meeting at noon in the tents, but the volunteering won’t take until then, right?”

  “No, it’s only supposed to be an hour,” she croaked.

  He nodded, then sent a bright smile her way. “I’ll be your stand-in today.”

  She crumpled with relief and rolled over to curl up against him. She clutched his waist. “You are amazing!”

  He chuckled softly, patting her back. “You deserve it. You’re carrying our child. Now I’ll go put in some time with other people’s children.”

  Vanessa grinned at him as he stood and started readying himself for the day. She drifted off to sleep once he disappeared into the closet and didn’t even notice when he let himself out of the room.

  She jolted awake hours later. She lay blinking at the ceiling as the sensations of the day slowly crested her body. Tired, still, but more rested. This time, she could consider getting out of bed.

  Her phone said 11:30—if she hurried, she could get ready and intercept Amad before his meeting began. Just to thank him one more time, press another kiss to those juicy lips, and then officially begin her day.

  She hurried through her morning routine, put on minimal makeup with a flowy dress, and hurried through the halls of the palace. When she reached the tents, Amad was nowhere to be seen. Tribal leaders were gathering around a large wooden table, per custom. Vanessa took a seat on the far edge so he wouldn’t miss her when he showed up.

  Her phone vibrated on the table with an incoming call. She frowned at the screen. It looked like a foreign number. One she didn’t recognize. Her gut clenched, urging her to answer it. She swiped it on.

  “Hello?”

  “Yes, is this Vanessa Hammerman?”

  Vanessa swallowed, the distantly French vowels registering as familiar somehow. “Yes, may I ask who is calling?”

  “This is Marie Frechard.” There was an intentional pause. “You sent me the lookbook for your upcoming maternity line last week, and I wanted to speak with you about what I thought.”

  Vanessa’s heart started racing. She glanced around at all the men in the room, searching for Amad. This was the call she’d been waiting for, sitting on pins and needles since firing off that email with the prototypes Calla had dreamt up. She just needed a few minutes to take this call before he showed up. To get the good—or bad—news and figure out how to break it to him.

  “Yes,” she blurted, trying to contain her excitement. If she was calling, it was because she liked what she’d seen. It had to be. “I’m so happy to hear from you! Let’s discuss!”

  The din of the chatter around her receded to a dull roar as Marie began speaking. “Well, a few pieces in particular stuck out to me. They really demonstrated an elegance of design, a flowing artistry that I’m eager to delve into.”

  As Marie waxed poetic about her likes and dislikes of the line, Vanessa’s excitement grew to a fervor. This was happening. It was really happening. Marie wanted to see the actual clothing and would have her assistant call over to set up a meeting. By the time they hung up, Vanessa was so blissed out that she could barely see straight.

  Amad ambled up toward the meeting, shaking hands with tribal leaders. She could see the question marks in his eyes as he made his way toward her.

  “Is everything okay, Vanessa?” He squeezed her shoulder, and she popped to her feet, pressing a small kiss to his cheek.