The Sheikh's Virgin Bride(71)

They parted ways, then, Amir heading back in the direction of his bedroom, and Kaye making her way to the guest house. When she got there, she realized pretty quickly that she was stuck in the wedding dress. Poking her head out, she noticed one of the crew walking by with some flowers.

“Hey, can you help me real fast?” she asked.

The woman nodded, stepping inside. When she saw Kaye’s predicament, she laughed.

“I guess we thought of everything except how to get you free of this dress, huh?”

“So it would seem,” Kaye agreed, anxious to leave the fa?ade and go be her real self with the real Amir.

The woman managed to free her to the point that she could step out of the garment, and Kaye thanked her profusely before she made her exit, back to cleaning up.

Rifling around in her closet, Kaye searched for the perfect dress to wear for a night on the town. She came across a little black dress that seemed to fit the bill, and after a little more poking around, she found a pair of black heels to match. Leaving her hair and makeup as it was, she slid into the dress, feeling a bit more toned-down as she walked across the small distance between her room and the main house.

Above her, the sky was a light cotton candy blue, the clouds wispy and pink as the sun made its way beyond the horizon. Somehow, in the middle of the wedding, she had lost track of time.

Her heels clicked on the floor as she made her way to the front door, where she usually met with Amir before they filmed anything together outside of the house. She didn’t have to wait long. He stepped into the main hallway, having changed into a slightly less elaborate suit, but between the two of them, they still looked perfectly formal.

“You look…” Amir trailed off, his eyes devouring her.

She imagined her gaze was just as hungry. Then again, she could be wrong about him. Perhaps Amir looked at every woman that way—he did have a playboy reputation, after all. There was no way of knowing. He had managed to keep her perfectly in the dark about any feelings he might have toward her, which was just as well. They had agreed to that, after all.

“You look good, too. Now, let’s get going. I’m famished. Getting married can work up quite the appetite,” she said with a grin.

“You can say that again,” he agreed, meeting her at the door and pulling it open.

Together, they made their way to his private garage, and he selected a black sports car for the night. Kaye slid into the passenger seat, feeling like a million bucks as Amir sat beside her. He had put on some kind of cologne, and the scent was intoxicating. Kaye allowed herself to breathe it in, her senses tingling as he pulled out of the drive and headed in the direction of the ocean.

They drove past the Santa Monica Pier, the flashing lights of the Ferris wheel glistening against the backdrop of the shimmering sunset ocean. Kaye rolled her window down and took a deep breath of the sea air. It was a scent she would always cherish—it smelled like home, to her.

Thinking of home made her frown.

“What is it?” Amir asked, glancing over at her.

“Nothing,” she replied, a little too quickly.

“Come now, we’re married! You can tell me things,” Amir said.

His tone was jovial, but there was hesitation behind it. They were navigating in uncertain terrain, and Kaye found some comfort in the fact that he clearly didn’t know how to manage it fully, either.

“I was thinking about my mom and dad,” she admitted, her voice low.

Amir released a breath.

“You’re going to work things out with them, Kaye. They’re your parents and they love you. I saw that, even in the short time we were at their house. It took my parents some time to forgive me for leaving, too, but you see where we are now.”

“I didn’t get a chance to talk to your parents after our little ceremony,” Kaye said, regret filling her voice.

“It’s all right. I managed to say goodbye before they left. While they’re here, they wanted to do some sightseeing, but I imagine they’ll just be dining with some celebrities and then going to bed.”

“They know some famous people?”

Amir shrugged.

“They’re royalty. Celebrities like to entertain royalty. Besides, there’s a few folks around that have filmed in Al Rayyan before and became friendly with my parents. It’s a little hard not to.”

Kaye smiled, thinking of his parents’ warm demeanor and easy humor.

“That is very true,” she agreed.

Amir pulled the car up to an exclusive-looking, ocean-side restaurant. The gentle lap of the waves echoed across the beach as Amir and Kaye exited the car, a valet quick to drive it off. When they stepped inside the chic establishment, the hostess smiled at them.

“Amir, good to see you.”

Kaye laughed.

“Is there anyone you don’t know?” she asked, gazing up at him.

He smiled down at her before looking back at the hostess.

“Hey, Ali. This is Kaye. We’re working on a show together.”

“Ooh, something exciting, I hope!”

“I think it’ll be the next big thing, for sure. Until then, can I have my table?”

“Of course you can. Right this way.”

Ali pulled a pair of menus from beneath her stand and led the way to a private outdoor terrace overlooking the sea. The sun had recently set, the sky an indigo purple as stars slowly poked through. Kaye sat across from Amir as she stared out into the night.