Read Online A Family Affair by Fern Michaels - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Fern Michaels
Tags: United States, Literary, Romance, Literature & Fiction, Contemporary, Sagas, Genre Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary Women, Family Saga, Women's Fiction
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faiths. How could he expect her to know or understand what he was thinking if he didn’t tell her? The playing field had to be level; only then did the game start.
Not that any of this was a game, though in a way it was. He’d thought that by inviting her here, she’d know he cared about her. So, he screwed up there. He’d waited too long to tell her how he felt.
Malik popped another Budweiser, then another and a third and a fourth. When he consumed the fifth bottle, he stopped. By the time he had the bottles lined up like soldiers, he had a good buzz on. And with the buzz came clarity of a sort. He looked at his watch: 4:55 a.m. He squared his shoulders, looked around for his baseball cap, and jammed it on his head. He left his cave and strode down the hall, then down another hall, around two corners, until he got to Trish’s suite. He didn’t bother knocking. Why should he? He owned the joint. He knew eyes were on him, but he didn’t care. He walked toward the bedroom, and here he did knock. He waited until he saw the light go on, then opened the door.
Trish sat up in bed, a look of alarm on her face. “What’s wrong?” she managed to gasp.
“Everything is wrong! I did everything wrong! I’m sorry! Will you marry me?”
Will you marry me? Four of the most beautiful words Trish had ever heard in her life. She tried to make her tongue work. It refused. So she nodded and leapt out of bed and into Malik’s arms.
“Since you said yes, I can kiss you now.” And he did, until they were both so light-headed, they had to hold on to one another to stay on their feet.
Trish found her tongue. “What took you so long to ask me? I would have said yes on the first day.”
“You would have?” Malik said in stunned surprise.
“Uh-huh. Kiss me again. I liked it.”
When they broke apart the second time, Trish said, “I thought there was something wrong with me, that I had bad breath, I smelled, that I wasn’t good enough for you. I thought a hundred different things. How many beers did you have?”
“Five!” Malik said proudly. “I needed them for courage. I’m not supposed to be in here without a chaperone.”
“I won’t tell anyone.”
“Everyone already knows, trust me. I’m going to leave you now. I’ll see you at breakfast.”
“Are you going to kiss me again?”
Malik looked at the bed. “No!”
Trish laughed. She waved good-bye and absolutely loved the silly grin she saw on Malik’s face. She wondered how she looked to the eyes that were watching her, not that she cared. When the door closed, she turned around and hopped up on her bed and did a jig among the tangled silk sheets. Oh my God, I am getting married!
Chapter 6
P ROMPTLY AT FIVE MINUTES TO SEVEN , T RISH AND HER SHADOW made their way to the dining room, where Malik was waiting for her, a silly grin on his face. Trish knew her grin was just as silly. He held her chair, the silly grin still on his face.
“I’m not sure I can eat. I didn’t go back to sleep. I couldn’t wait to get here this morning. I am sooo happy,” Trish babbled.
It was all Malik could do not to sweep her up and run from the room. There was so much he wanted to say, so much he wanted to do for this woman sitting across from him. First, he wanted to get up on his feet and shout to the palace that he was in love, but that would have been stupid. Everyone in the palace already knew.
Instead of going back to bed, he had gone to Rashid’s room and woken him for a second time to inform him about what he had done.
Rashid had grumbled good-naturedly but had got up and sat down on a settee alongside his old friend. “Now what?”
“Now you plan my wedding, Rashid. I have things to do. Maybe Soraya will give you some advice. She loves telling people what to do. Don’t we have wedding planners here at the palace? You know, like that crazy movie we saw back in the States.”
Rashid rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Let me make sure I have this right. You
Not that any of this was a game, though in a way it was. He’d thought that by inviting her here, she’d know he cared about her. So, he screwed up there. He’d waited too long to tell her how he felt.
Malik popped another Budweiser, then another and a third and a fourth. When he consumed the fifth bottle, he stopped. By the time he had the bottles lined up like soldiers, he had a good buzz on. And with the buzz came clarity of a sort. He looked at his watch: 4:55 a.m. He squared his shoulders, looked around for his baseball cap, and jammed it on his head. He left his cave and strode down the hall, then down another hall, around two corners, until he got to Trish’s suite. He didn’t bother knocking. Why should he? He owned the joint. He knew eyes were on him, but he didn’t care. He walked toward the bedroom, and here he did knock. He waited until he saw the light go on, then opened the door.
Trish sat up in bed, a look of alarm on her face. “What’s wrong?” she managed to gasp.
“Everything is wrong! I did everything wrong! I’m sorry! Will you marry me?”
Will you marry me? Four of the most beautiful words Trish had ever heard in her life. She tried to make her tongue work. It refused. So she nodded and leapt out of bed and into Malik’s arms.
“Since you said yes, I can kiss you now.” And he did, until they were both so light-headed, they had to hold on to one another to stay on their feet.
Trish found her tongue. “What took you so long to ask me? I would have said yes on the first day.”
“You would have?” Malik said in stunned surprise.
“Uh-huh. Kiss me again. I liked it.”
When they broke apart the second time, Trish said, “I thought there was something wrong with me, that I had bad breath, I smelled, that I wasn’t good enough for you. I thought a hundred different things. How many beers did you have?”
“Five!” Malik said proudly. “I needed them for courage. I’m not supposed to be in here without a chaperone.”
“I won’t tell anyone.”
“Everyone already knows, trust me. I’m going to leave you now. I’ll see you at breakfast.”
“Are you going to kiss me again?”
Malik looked at the bed. “No!”
Trish laughed. She waved good-bye and absolutely loved the silly grin she saw on Malik’s face. She wondered how she looked to the eyes that were watching her, not that she cared. When the door closed, she turned around and hopped up on her bed and did a jig among the tangled silk sheets. Oh my God, I am getting married!
Chapter 6
P ROMPTLY AT FIVE MINUTES TO SEVEN , T RISH AND HER SHADOW made their way to the dining room, where Malik was waiting for her, a silly grin on his face. Trish knew her grin was just as silly. He held her chair, the silly grin still on his face.
“I’m not sure I can eat. I didn’t go back to sleep. I couldn’t wait to get here this morning. I am sooo happy,” Trish babbled.
It was all Malik could do not to sweep her up and run from the room. There was so much he wanted to say, so much he wanted to do for this woman sitting across from him. First, he wanted to get up on his feet and shout to the palace that he was in love, but that would have been stupid. Everyone in the palace already knew.
Instead of going back to bed, he had gone to Rashid’s room and woken him for a second time to inform him about what he had done.
Rashid had grumbled good-naturedly but had got up and sat down on a settee alongside his old friend. “Now what?”
“Now you plan my wedding, Rashid. I have things to do. Maybe Soraya will give you some advice. She loves telling people what to do. Don’t we have wedding planners here at the palace? You know, like that crazy movie we saw back in the States.”
Rashid rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Let me make sure I have this right. You
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