Not that she wanted to see Nadim naked in her bed. She watched his bare forearm beneath his rolled-up white shirt as he took a sip of his beer. Damnit. She loved a firm forearm. In actuality, she did want to see him naked, but she didn’t want to want to see him naked.

Maybe.

Wait, what were they talking about? Reena needed to get a grip before the undercurrent of attraction took her down.

New strategy: focus on his negatives. “I see you haven’t hired a maid yet either.”

He snorted before getting up and closing the door to his bedroom. “So, how is it you ended up locked out of your apartment and on the floor beside my door with bare toes and a bag of baguettes? I’m not exactly sure how you figured out my exact fantasies, but since you appear to hate me, I doubt you were there as a housewarming gift.”

“I don’t hate you.”

“Oh, come on, you bolted faster than a gazelle catching a whiff of lion when we met.”

“Nice. An African metaphor.”

He beamed. “Thank you. It sounds better in Swahili.”

“Anyway, how can I hate you? I don’t know you. At all. I guess … I hate what you represent. My parents butting into my life again.”

He watched her hands for several seconds, his thick brows in a straight line on his forehead. This was awkward. Eventually, one of them would have to say something about the fact that they were supposed to get married, despite him thinking she hated him, all while she was imagining him naked in her bed.

No. No one needed to talk about the naked part. That could be her secret.

“So, should we acknowledge the elephant in the room?” he finally asked.

She turned to the carved animal on the TV stand. “It’s a nice piece. I have a giraffe in my bedroom. Did you get it in Dar es Salaam?”

He laughed, head tilting backward as his shiny teeth reflected the overhead light. Reena flushed as her eyes darted around the room. Was there another elephant around? The beer?

“You’re precious,” he said. “And no, I didn’t mean that elephant. It’s an expression. The obvious thing we are reluctant to talk about.”

Reena felt herself turning red but giggled. Man, this guy had thrown her completely off-kilter. “Yeah, I get it now.” She raised her knees, hugging them to her chest. “I’ve told my parents to stop introducing me to eligible men, but they’re persistent.”

He rubbed the back of his hand in a nervous gesture before turning to look out the window. “Yeah, that. I’ve been meaning to thank you.”

Thank her for what? Bolting midconversation the last time they spoke? Insulting his decorating and cleanliness? Reena exhaled. She was usually better mannered than this. “Why? I haven’t exactly been a great neighbor or anything …”

“You have. You obviously didn’t tell your father that we met on the weekend. And you didn’t tell him about my, you know, less-than-model-son-in-law behavior.”