Page 65 of The Geek and the Sheikh

“Freshen up? Do you have any idea how worried your mother, brothers, and I have been? I thought Qadir and Tarek were going to kill Yahya and Hyder!” Melik replied in a gruff tone.

Before Jameel could defend the men, his father enveloped him in a bear hug and squeezed. The air in his lungs expelled with a swoosh. For a man in his sixties, his father was strong!

“I’m glad you’re safe. Now, who is this lovely creature?” Melik asked, releasing him just as quickly as he had embraced him.

“Dad, this is—”

“I’m Junebug. Some people call me Bugs. I’m Midnight’s sister,” Junebug introduced.

“Junebug. What a lovely name. I should shoot anyone who calls you Bugs. You are far too beautiful to ever be given such an insult,” Melik responded, embracing her in a gentle bear hug before releasing her.

“There are a lot of beautiful bugs in the world. There is the Picasso bug. Mm, it is pretty but it is also a stink bug. Oh, there’s orchid mantises. They are like these really pretty bugs that have an ethereal beauty to them. They look like tiny, flower-like bugs, but they are also pretty bloodthirsty. They lure in unsuspecting pollinators and eat them. I guess I wouldn’t want to be compared to them either,” she replied, returning Melik’s teasing grin.

“How about the ladybug? They are both beautiful and helpful,” Melik suggested with a hearty chuckle.

“That just happens to be my favorite bug of all—next to a Junebug, of course,” she confessed.

“Of course. I like her, son. She is witty as well as beautiful—just like your mother. Speaking of your mother, she is waiting for us. I promised I would bring you to her as soon as we were told that you were arriving,” Melik said.

Jameel lifted an eyebrow at his father. “Couldn’t you have sent a messenger? It isn’t like the king can’t just pick up the phone and summon me,” he dryly replied.

“Of course I could have sent a messenger, but I needed to get my steps in. Your mother has a point about the many boring meetings I sit through. I don't get out enough,” his father said.

“What he isn’t telling you is that he offered so he could stop by the kitchen and have a cup of coffee,” an amused female voice added.

“Mother!”

Jameel strode forward and wrapped his arms around his mother in a tender hug. She returned his embrace, pulling back to study his face before she lifted each cheek for him to kiss. Threading her arm through his, Ihab smiled at the guilty expression on her husband’s face before she turned curious eyes to Junebug.

“I’m Ihab, mother to four very adventuresome princes, and wife to a husband who keeps me on my toes,” Ihab greeted with a serene smile.

* * *

Junebug stepped forward, unsure of the etiquette for greeting royalty. In her games, the characters usually bowed or curtsied or killed the royalty so they didn't have to worry about it.

“Killing the royalty is out, so I’ll go with a curtsy,” she muttered.

Jameel’s snort of laughter and his parents' startled expressions made her realize that she must have spoken aloud. She froze, memories of Harlem’s impatience with her when she blurted things out coming back to haunt her. She stiffened her shoulders and began tapping her fingertips together.

“How about a hug? I find them much more comforting,” Ihab gently suggested.

Junebug nodded. The movement felt stiff and awkward. She took a step forward… and was enfolded in a hug that bought back a different set of memories.

“You hug like my mom,” Junebug whispered on a slight hiccup of emotion.

Ihab stepped back, sliding her hands down Junebug’s arms until they were clasping hands. Junebug stared back at Ihab. She gave Jameel’s mom a crooked smile of uncertainty.

“You look at me like my mom used to do, too,” she said.

Ihab laughed and drew her close again. “You honor me with such a compliment. Why don’t I escort you to Jameel’s apartments? You can tell me about your adventures.”

Junebug grinned. “It has been exciting! I never knew how exciting life could be on the outside. We got shot at! Well, Idella’s safehouse got shot at but she had bullet-resistant glass and before that we had this super amazing car chase in London and before that James was shooting as a distraction and then there was the shooting at Idella’s safehouse—oh, maybe I shouldn’t have said ‘safehouse’. Do you know about Idella? If you don’t, then forget I said 'safehouse'.”

Junebug knew she shouldn’t be talking so much but it was easy to do with Ihab. The woman reminded her so much of her mom. Rainbow had the same, calming manner that seemed to open the floodgates and made her want to share things. Midnight was a little like that, but her sister had spent her life trying to help Junebug learn to put a filter on her mouth, and of course that was a lost cause when the only people Junebug spoke to were Midnight and online gamers, and those were people who didn'tneedher to have a filter.

“Yes, I know about Idella and your sister, who we love as our new daughters. I’m so happy to add you to the family. Do you know Aimee?” Ihab asked.

“Aimee? Wheels? Yes! She is awesome. Oh, yeah. She’s with Qadir, isn’t she? I haven’t seen her since I was little. Her mom used to bring her to the park and we would play together. After her mom died and we moved out of—well, after we moved, I didn’t see her again,” Junebug said.

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