Sheikh in disguise - completed

Chapter Twenty-Six

Stepping back, Annie offered her hand that he took and headed out together and confronted by her mother, still looking agitated. Her father shrugged.

To her mother, it was like sleeping together under her house, not married, never going to happen. Shakeel squeezed her hand and allowed her to take the lead. "Mum, there are only two beds. There are no other beds. All we are doing is sharing a bed for sleeping."

"You're not married," she sniffed indignant, folding her arms under her bustline.

Taking a deep breath, Annie held up her hand, showing the ring she was wearing. "This is a wedding ring, his mothers, we are married."

Her eyes narrowed, glaring at Shakeel. Annie stiffened, stepping in front of him. "You disrespect your mother's ring?"

"Janice," her father warned.

"He never would!" Annie defended, feeling Shakeel tension. "We are already married, in Cairo." Her mother paled in front of her, turning towards her husband.

"I want to go home. I don't know my daughter!"

"That is it," Shakeel stepped forward. "What did it matter if we were engaged or married? I would never disrespect my wife or her family. Annie will not be mine until an official wedding in my home."

"He married me to protect me and get me out of Egypt safely. Signed papers, which are going to be dissolved, longer than I thought." Eyeing him, who tugged at his ear, telling a different story. Turning back to her mother. That will be looked into later. "We have shared a bed before, for appearance's sake, nothing else."

Janice's eyes rested on Shakeel. "So you have no passion for my daughter?"

"Shakeel has plenty of passion," Annie defended. "He respects me, maybe I don't."

Shakeel's arm went around her and guided her hard against him. "I love your passion, Annie girl. I came here to show you a part of our world. As for your daughter, we will share a bed as she said for sleeping and will remain untouched from the day I met her on the balcony. Either you believe her or you don't. However, the situation won't change. Legally she is my wife that hasn't changed since Cairo," to be elbowed, yet she wasn't angry at him, tingling all over.

Still his legal wife.

"I think enough has been said about this, something that should never been brought up," Dan added, looking at his wife in warning.

Saying nothing more, Janice walked off.

Annie sighed, looking up at Shakeel with pleading eyes, who cradled the side of her face in his hand, kissing her other cheek. "You know where to find me." He walked off back into the study, where she ached to be.

Anywhere else other than here.

"Dad, you need to talk to Mum. She is ruining everything. It was meant to be time away from what happened in Australia. And I thought all that mattered I was happy. And I am, Shakeel makes me so happy."

"She does, but the other business, well, it is the way she was brought up."

"The world has changed. It doesn't make you immoral if you 'do'," she air quoted with her fingers. "Where Shakeel comes from, their beliefs are very much in that way of thinking. Here, it's illegal to have it before marriage. Yes, we are married, for my protection in a foreign land, under attack. Just signed papers, wearing his ring, on show, and that was it."

Annie released a long, drawn-out breath, raking a hand over her hair. "After we were safe, he asked me to marry him for real." She blinked back threatening tears. "Even you said you couldn't find anyone more perfect for me, so please tell her to get off her high horse. It's not fair on Shakeel, look what he has done for us," she waved around the Royal suite.