Free Anything He Wants: Castaway #2 (Anything He Wants 7) by Sara Fawkes Page B

lay ahead of me now.
    And finding that I couldn’t bring myself to care.
    ––––––––
    “I have something to show you.”
    I sat on the bed while the other girl busied herself in the large bathroom. Amyrah’s suite was almost as large as mine and, as far as I could tell, seemed to be more like an apartment than a hotel room. Pictures of her brother and what I guessed were family lined the walls, and the closet that I had briefly seen was full of clothes. In a way it made sense; her brother owned a share of this hotel, perhaps they also lived here full time.
    “You ready?”
    I nodded, then realizing she couldn’t see me called out, “Ready.”
    Still there was a pause, then finally the door opened and Amyrah stepped out. “What do you think?”
    My mouth dropped open, and a genuine smile stretched across my lips. “You bought it!” I exclaimed, grinning up at the shy girl. The red dress looked as good now as it had in the store, and I could tell my pleasure made the other girl happy.
    Amyrah blushed and bit her lip, but sashayed over to a full-length mirror in one corner of the room. She turned this way and that, admiring herself. “I’ve never owned anything like this,” she said. “I don’t know if I’d have the courage to wear it out of this room.”
    “Sure you can!”
    The other girl rolled her eyes. “My brother will think I am crazy,” she murmured, smiling at her reflection in the mirror.
    “Screw your brother.” The words were out of my mouth before I even considered how inappropriate they were. It was one thing to make fun of your own family, another thing for someone else to say such things.
    But my comment just elicited a startled laugh from the other girl. “Screw my brother,” she repeated, then giggled. “He would not like it if I told him that.” She studied her reflection for a moment, then lifted her arms to shoulder level and began moving her body like the dancers from the previous night.
    I clapped my hands as she twisted her hips, moving in a small circle and ending with one last hip bump. “I’ll bet he wouldn’t like that either.”
    Amyrah looked pleased with herself. “He is my brother,” she said, as if that answered everything. Perhaps it did. “I know he will love me, even if I choose to become a dancer.”
    The idea of the conservative girl before me running off with the Bedouin camp to be a dancer should have been funny, but instead of laughter, I felt tears well up in my eyes. My breaths grew labored as I struggled against the sudden and inexplicable need to break down. No matter what I did however, I couldn’t stop the shivering that began in my belly and spread throughout my body.
    Amyrah caught my eye in the mirror and spun around. “Are you all right?” she exclaimed, kneeling down beside me on the bed.
    I nodded my head repeatedly, but couldn’t say anything. Finally, I shook my head. “No,” I croaked.
    “Lucy, what happened?”
    The concern in her voice bolstered me enough to get myself back together, at least somewhat. “I made a mistake. A huge mistake, and I’m...” Afraid. God, I was so afraid. Not about what would happen to me, but what would happen to Jeremiah when he found out what I had done. I knew he loved me, knew it with every fiber of my being.
    And I knew my betrayal had destroyed that forever.
    Amyrah grabbed my hand, pulling me forward, and I collapsed sobbing onto her shoulder. Breathing was difficult but I didn’t care. Anguish about what I knew I had to do coursed through me, spilling out in wrenching gasps and muffled cries. Soft arms wrapped around me, holding me tight like I hadn’t been held since before my parents died. Guilt and agony poured out of me, and I clung to the woman before me.
    Eventually, I realized I was blubbering all over a beautiful red gown, being held by a girl who had known me barely a couple days. I leaned back, scooting over on the bed, but Amyrah kept a tight grip on my hand. “What