The Sheikh's Virgin Bride(123)

They stared at each other in the shining light, a loaded silence passing between them.

“I should get going. I have a few more things to get done before tomorrow,” he said.

Yvonne felt a rush of disappointment, but hid it from him. She was the master of doing that—hiding her feelings from the handsome Sheikh.

“Do you need any help?” she asked.

She was beyond tired, but the thought of more time with Zadid was always appealing. He shook his head.

“I don’t. Besides, it’s getting late, and I’m assuming you have quite a bit of work to do tomorrow before we have our party.”

She grinned up at him.

“You assume correctly. It’s going to be great, and I’m glad I got to show you a little extra here, tonight, too.”

“Me, too,” he said, another pause spreading between them.

Yvonne wished she had the courage to say how she really felt. Instead, she opened the gate, the two of them walking past the lovebirds on the ice, waving farewell.

“You sure you don’t want to hang for even a little bit longer?” Mackenzie asked Yvonne, staring pointedly at Shane.

“I’m good, actually. Congrats again, you guys, and merry Christmas!”

Zadid walked her to her car before waving farewell and heading back inside the office. Yvonne watched his departing back until he was gone before turning on her car and heading home.

There was so much not being said between them. Yvonne just wished she knew what it was!





Chapter Six





As Yvonne pulled into the garage attached to her building, she found a parking spot reasonably close to the elevator and sat for a moment. She had managed to eat two large feasts and have a snowball fight with a handsome man, which had her feeling beyond exhausted. Her sweatpants were calling her name.

Stepping out into the heated interior, she reached the elevator and rode up to the tenth floor. She had often mused that her hallway looked more like a hotel than an apartment building. Muted sconces lined the walls, which were painted with red and cream-colored stripes.

As she reached her door, she made quick work of shoving her key into the lock before stepping inside, the warm scent of home wrapping around her like a comforting hug.

There were two things that had led Yvonne to pick the apartment she had. One was the red brick fireplace in the corner, which was currently festively set up with a garland of pine and a solitary stocking with her name on it. The other was the stunning view of the city, the National Monument glowing in the distance. A small balcony opened up toward that view, and Yvonne pulled the glass door open, stepping outside and wrapping her arms around herself.

Her mind drifted to the thought of Zadid at her door the next day for dinner, and her heart fluttered at the thought. He was everything in the world a man ought to be. He was a strong leader, a good friend, and a kind person. Yvonne had been there through every discussion when he had negotiated benefits for his team, and when he had pushed for more corporate charity work—through it all, he had others in his mind, and he was a very generous man.

Yvonne released a puff of air, breathing in the scent of snow not far off. As she stood alone on her balcony on Christmas Eve, she felt the emptiness that she had, for so long, been able to ignore. She remembered her two wishes, and idly wondered if there would be any chance of them coming true in the New Year. There was always hope, wasn’t there?

She shivered, stepping back inside her cozy little home and making her way to her bedroom, where she made quick work of changing into a pair of college sweatpants and a white T-shirt. Brushing her teeth, she plopped into bed, exhausted after a day of food, driving, and repressed emotions.

As she nestled into her pillow, she imagined Zadid wrapping his arms around her, the heat from his body enveloping her as they lay together, cozy and warm.

She was out within minutes.



*

It wasn’t until the sun was high in the sky that Yvonne cracked open an eyelid, peeking over at her bedside clock. It was nearly noon, and Zadid would be over in just a few hours!

Jumping out of bed, she padded over to a closet filled with boxes. She sifted through them, finding every scrap of Christmas décor she could. She wanted, more than anything, for Zadid to experience a true American Christmas, and she wanted to have all the bells and whistles ready.

She carried the box out of her bedroom and into the living room, where her sad little Christmas tree stood undecorated in a corner. She frowned at it, just now realizing that she had bought it with the best of intentions, only to never have time to actually decorate it. Kneeling down, she opened her large box and located her ornaments, setting them down next to the tree so that she and Zadid could decorate it together.

After putting up the rest of the decorations in her house, she found a pile of old Christmas movies that she loved, and squealed with delight.

“Ah! I haven’t watched this in so long! You, my friend, are going in right now,” she said, giddily talking to the DVD in her hand.

She plopped down on the couch, fully intending to have the movie on in the background while she got her apartment ready. She streaked her finger along the coffee table in her living room, only to find it coated with dust. She crossed her arms and looked around.

“First things first. Let’s get this place cleaned up.”

She picked up the remote, turning on her favorite festive movie, and spent the next hour scrubbing and tidying her apartment. She cleaned the kitchen and bathroom from top to bottom, all while singing along to the film’s score as songs came up.