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Rami held the hat away from his body, trying to picture exactly how ridiculous it would look.
Catelyn watched him, her blue eyes sparkling. “It’s a mini rodeo. Everyone will be wearing something similar, I promise you. If you don’t look the part, it’ll only stand out. And attract the wrong kind of attention from Lydia.” Her phone buzzed again. Since the plane had touched down in Texas, the device had been pinging nonstop with texts and calls. Rami noticed the way she paused, catching herself, and looked him in the eye. “If you really don’t want to wear it, I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
“Answer your messages,” he told her.
She closed the distance between them, rising on tiptoe to press a kiss to his lips. “I’ll be right back.”
Catelyn moved lightly to the door of the suite they were sharing at Lydia’s estate. As it closed behind her, Rami heard her say, “Mom? What’s up? No, I’ll see everyone at the party—”
Her voice trailed off as she went down the hall.
Rami turned and surveyed himself in the mirror. There was no way anyone would mistake him for a cowboy, ever. But Catelyn was right. He needed to prove to Lydia that he was willing to play her game. He needed to charm her. And if wearing this stupid hat would do it—
He put it on, feeling instantly embarrassed. He stuck his hands in his pockets and stared himself down in the mirror, trying to shove away his embarrassment and focus on the positives. The hat fit his head, at least. It wasn’t too big or too small. That was all he could dredge up. He left it on for as long as he could stand it before sweeping it off and putting it gently on one of the side tables.
The minutes ticked by, empty without Catelyn, and Rami felt a stab of irritation. This was supposed to be something they were tackling together, and it seemed as if she’d been consumed with other people since they’d stepped off the plane. She couldn’t walk five feet on the estate without someone stopping her to congratulate them on their marriage or ask her about her business. Rami appreciated the good wishes, but that’s never where they ended. Everyone wanted some of her time. Everyone wanted a picture.
Catelyn’s mother had played more than a supporting role in that department. Even from the middle of the ocean, she’d managed to get the word out. Rami hadn’t fully understood how much one woman could affect the social atmosphere until so many people in the States had proven themselves to be intimately acquainted with his recent nuptials. When he’d asked Catelyn about it, she only replied, with a shake of her head: “My mother.”
The door to the suite opened, and Catelyn rushed in, blonde hair loose around her face. “I’m sorry that took so long,” she said, giving Rami an apologetic smile. “First my mom called, and then—”
“Hasn’t she called three times today?”
Catelyn tossed her phone onto the bed and hustled into the bathroom. The opening event of the negotiations weekend was a mini rodeo followed by a true Texas-style dinner in Lydia’s ballro
om, and all the calls and texts had eaten up most of the time they had to get ready.
“Yes. For some reason, even though she’s supposed to be on her honeymoon, she still feels the need to guide me through this event. I told her I’d be busy the rest of the evening.”
“Honeymoon?”
“Didn’t I tell you? She and my dad got married. Again.”
“I didn’t know they were divorced.”
“You never can tell with my parents.”
“They didn’t invite you to the wedding?”
Catelyn came out from the bathroom wearing a pair of jeans that were scandalously skintight and rose up over the curve of her hips, accentuating her bare waist. The sight of her breasts in a lacy bra made Rami’s mouth water, and she must have seen his expression change because she gave him a wicked grin.
“It was apparently on the boat at the beginning of the cruise.” She made her way across the hotel room, swaying her hips, and went to the closet. “Are you ready for a surprise?”
“I hope the surprise involves you taking off those pants.”
She shook her head, still smiling, and brought a shirt out of the closet. “Look.”
It was a Texas-style shirt, short-sleeved, but it was made of bright fabric from the dressmaker’s shop in Al-Dashalid. The sight of it thrilled him in a way he never would have expected.
“Want to see it on?” Before he could answer, Catelyn was putting her arms through the sleeves and drawing the top button closed. Rami could see instantly that the shape of it was going to drive him mad with desire all night.
He didn’t let her get to the second button.
“That’s enough,” he said, closing the distance between them.
Catelyn’s eyes went wide. “You don’t like the shirt?”
“I love the shirt,” he growled. “Keep it on while I—” He undid the button of her jeans and slipped his hands underneath, using the fabric of her panties to draw her close so he could kiss her. She tasted like sweetness and mint, and her lips parted for his with a little gasp. He pulled himself away. “I was going to ask you to look over the dossiers for the negotiations, but—”
