Sheik s Contract Bride

8/12/2019 Sheik s Contract Bride

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Teresa Southwick

The Sheikhs Contract Bride

(The second book in the Brothers of BhaKhar series)

Sheikh Malik Hourani, Crown Prince of BhaKhar, is a rich and powerful andedicated to rulin! his kin!do "but e#perience has ade hi war$ of lo%e&

Beth 'arrah has been betrothed to the sheikh since birth, but she has a secretShes not the wo an he thinks she is &


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CHAPTER ONE

SINCE she was headed for the seventh level of hell, now would be a good timeto suns reen her soul!

Alina "ethia #arrah $new truth was the best wa% to avoid the burning issues ofthe afterlife! And she&d admit to not alwa%s valuing honest% as mu h as sheshould have! "ut as mu h as she hated 'retending, she&d made a 'romise toswit h 'la es with her identi al twin and stand u' to the man her sister ouldn&t( His Ro%al Highness, )ali$ Hourani the Crown Prin e of "ha&*har!

"eth had onl% ever had her sister to ount on, and Adina was the onl% 'ersonwho had ever loved her! Her re+uest was the emotional e+uivalent of bleedingor being on fire! Sa%ing no wasn&t an o'tion!

"ut now that "eth was here in the 'ala e, waiting to meet the Prin e, there $less s'irit that had onvin ed her she ould 'ull this off om'letel%wim'ed out! As she stared at her suit ases lined u' on the e +uisite marblefloor of the entr%wa%, the de e'tion that in her -!A! a'artment had felt noble( wrong thing, right reason ( now .ust seemed wrong!

She was 'retending to be the woman who was going to marr% the shei$h be ause her sister wanted out of the marriage agreement!

As the firstborn b% two minutes! Addie had been betrothed b% their father, the"ha&*harian ambassador to the /nited States, to the ro%al heir! Now, Addiewas torn between being disowned b% the father she adored or marr%ing a manshe&d never met! Neither alternative was a''ealing, es'e iall% after she&d

begun dating a man ( 'ossibl% the man!

It had been several %ears sin e she&d ome of age, and she&d begun to ho'e theshei$h had forgotten their arrangement! "ut onl% a few wee$s ago he&d begunthe 'ro ess of finali0ing their betrothal with wedding vows 1 and he wanted todo it sooner rather than later! That was when Addie had ome u' with the ideaof swit hing 'la es!

Outs'o$en "eth had often run interferen e for intros'e tive Addie when the%were hildren, and had assumed her identit%! "ut this wasn&t about whi h twinhad bro$en the lam' or hadn&t eaten her "russels s'routs! This se ret ouldhave international re'er ussions!

"eth didn&t li$e se rets! "ut she li$ed her sister&s situation even less! "eth hadon e fallen for a gu% li$e the shei$h, a man from a 'oliti all% onne ted famil%who believed it was 'erfe tl% all right to be married and have a mistress! Hefelt entitled to 'la% b% different rules be ause he was a 'owerful man! Now hersister was engaged to one of the world&s most 'owerful men, and "eth ould


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onl% imagine what rules he lived b%! This arranged marriage was .ust wrong,and somehow "eth would get Addie out of it!

Now she waited for the Crown Prin e in the a'artment where the ro%alintended, or in this ase her fa simile, would sta% until the wedding! Nervous,"eth 'a ed and he $ed out the 'la e! The living room was s'a ious and

bright, and filled with e 'ensive art ( 'aintings, blown glass, and figurines!#ren h doors o'ened onto a bal on% overloo$ing the Arabian Sea, and whenshe 'ulled the doors wide the bree0e blowing off the o ean ooled her hot

hee$s!

She ould do this! She and her twin were inter hangeable2 no one ould tellthem a'art, not even their father! This should be as eas% as falling off a log,es'e iall% with a gu% who&d never met either of them!

The $no $ on the a'artment door startled her, even though she&d beene 'e ting it ( ma%be be ause she&d been e 'e ting it!

-etting out a long breath, she wal$ed through the a'artment, then o'ened thedoor and stared li$e a fool! The man standing there was tail and dar$ and13ow! Handsome was an understatement!

Pulling herself together, she said, 4Hi!5

4I am )ali$ Hourani5 3ith the barest movement of his shoulders and head, hee e uted a res'e tful bow!

4The Prin e65

4Indeed,5 he said!

4How do %ou do65

4I do ver% well!5 His dar$ e%es glowed with male a''roval! 4Although I regretthat I was not there when %our 'lane arrived!5

4Te hni all%, it&s %our 'lane!5

4That is true,5 he said seriousl%! 4"ut I did want to greet %ou and was unable todo so!5

4That&s all right!5 She&d been relieved! 4I was told that %ou&d be tied u' with business until this evening!5

4Things went better than I had e 'e ted and I am grateful as I was eager to

meet %ou! 3el ome to "ha&*har, Adina #arrah!5


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#irst hurdle rossed! At first sight he believed she was Addie! Her heart startedthum'ing reall% hard! She had no more time to 're'are herself! Here he was inthe flesh! And ver% ni e flesh it was 1 what she ould see of it! The e 'ensive

bla $ suit hid a lot, although it fit his tall, mus ular bod% 'erfe tl%! His leanhee$s and straight nose were e e'tionall% attra tive! "ut it was his mouth

that mesmeri0ed her and, she sus'e ted, ommanded the attention of an%female who was still breathing! There was an innate sensualit% to his li's, adefined urve as if arved from stone, %et the% were soft with the 'romise of

'assion!

"eth had never met a man who instantl% made her want to $now what hismouth would feel li$e against her own! Not until now! That was definitel% adistra tion, and she so didn&t need it! She needed to $ee' her wits shar' and

ome u' with a 'lausible reason for him to all her b% a name she woulda tuall% answer to!

4Hardl% an%one alls me Adina!5 she said!

43h%65

7ood +uestion! And this was where the truth wor$ed!

4Ever%one alls me "eth, for "ethia!5

4Oh5

She nodded! 4It&s m% middle name! Our 'arents didn&t thin$ it through whenm% sister and I were named! Adina! Alina5 She shrugged!

48ou are twins!5

43e are!5 Her heart 'ounded as she waited for him to re ogni0e her de e'tion,even though there was no reason for him to sus'e t an%thing! 3hen he waited

'atientl%, she said! 48ou an imagine the onfusion when our names sound somu h ali$e! So I be ame "eth!5 Alwa%s best to go with as mu h of the truth as

'ossible!

4Is that how %ou would 'refer to be addressed65

48es!5

He nodded! 4Then "eth is what I shall all %ou!5

4Than$ %ou, 8our Highness!5

4Please all me )ali$! I wish to 'ut %ou at ease!5


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So he had noti ed her nerves! Ho'efull% he&d hal$ it u' to the ir umstan es!4"eing an ambassador&s daughter! I learned the 'ro'er form of address fordistinguished 'ersons at an earl% age! It&s diffi ult for me to rela old habitsand training!5

4That is understandable! Thin$ of it this wa%! Sometimes I am alled His Ro%alHighness! Sometimes Sir! O asionall% I am alled things not fit to re'eat infront of a lad%!5 He grinned suddenl%, showing ver% white teeth against histanned s$in! 4However, in 'rivate, as we are now, m% given name is

'referable!5

3as it her imagination or had his voi e dro''ed and be ome se ier on theword 'rivate6 3as it also her imagination that the o %gen in this room hadsuddenl% thinned, ma$ing her want to ta$e long, dee' breaths6

4)ali$ it is, then,5 she said, tr%ing to rela , 4it&s a 'leasure to finall% meet%ou!5

4The 'leasure is mine, "eth!5 He held out his hand!

She 'ut hers into his 'alm and felt the warmth and strength of his long fingers!Then the tingles started! The% dan ed u' her arm and settled in her breasts, as ifhe were tou hing her there! His dar$ e%es turned smo$% and intense, as if hefelt the same flash of heat!

48es! O$a%! Introdu tions a om'lished,5 she said, 'ulling her hand from his!Again she ouldn&t thin$ straight! It was as if tou hing him short9 ir uited her

brain fun tions!

4Indeed 4He nodded toward the other room! 4-et us sit and rela , get to $nowone another!5

4All right!5

She ba $ed awa% from him! then turned and went into the living room, grateful

that she made it all the wa% to the sofa without her legs giving out! Rela ingwasn&t going to ha''en! She had a feeling that even if she wasn&t 'retending to

be her sister she&d be a fool to let down her guard around this man! The aura ofonfiden e and 'ower surrounding him ( the ver% +ualities that had landed

her in trouble before ( were om'elling and e iting!

4I wish %ou to tell me ever%thing about %ourself,5 he said!

3as that an order6 The im'erious tone tou hed a nerve before the words san$in! 4"ut we&re betrothed! :on&t %ou alread% $now ever%thing65


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He unbuttoned his suit oat, revealing a snow9white shirt and flat abdomen!Then he sat a foot awa% and met her ga0e! 4It is im'ossible to $now ever%thing!I $now %ou were raised in the /nited States until attending boarding s hool inSwit0erland and ollege in #ran e, where %ou re eived a degree in Histor%! I$now we are betrothed be ause %our father is m% father&s trusted ambassadorand friend! )a% I as$ how he is65

4#ine!5 The last time she&d seen him, and she ouldn&t remember when thatwas!

4I am 'leased that he is well! He has assured me of %our im'e able ba $ground and s'ea$s ver% highl% of %ou! "ut I have been su''lied onl% withdetails!5

The devil was in the details! She hated this, and it was on the ti' of her tongueto tell him what was going on, but she de ided to wait! 43ell, I don&t $nowwhat to sa%!5 And that was definitel% the truth!

He met her ga0e and his own dar$ened! 4I 'refer to a t as if we had met b%han e! I wish the fa ets of %our individualit% to be revealed as we indulge in

the dan e of learning about ea h other, I li$e sur'rises!5

That was good! If he ever found out she wasn&t who he thought, he was in for a big sur'rise! The thing was, when she and Addie were $ids, who dressed ali$eand wore their hair in identi al st%les, it had been far easier to fool ever%one!The%&d both gone to finishing s hool, but "eth had be ome a tea her andAddie ould throw a formal dinner 'art% for the 'o'ulation of a small ountr%!

4Pre'are to be sur'rised,5 she said! If her over was blown and the 'retensesto''ed here, Addie would 'a% a high 'ri e! The best 'lan was to tell the truthwhen at all 'ossible! 4I&m a tea her ( high s hool English!5 And this ruse washow she was s'ending her summer va ation!

4That is a detail I did not $now! So %ou have a areer65

48es!5

4:o %ou li$e tea hing65 His e 'ression a''eared to be one of genuine interest,not an aha9%ou&re9l%ing9and9now9%ou& re 9busted loo$!

48es!5

4And hildren65

4I li$e them ver% mu h! 3h% do %ou as$65

4"e ause I am e 'e ted to 'rodu e an heir to the throne!5


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4Then %ou be 'regnant and go through hildbirth!5 The words 'o''ed out ofher mouth before she ould sto' them! Her sister wouldn&t have sli''ed u' li$ethat!

He frowned! 48ou do not want hildren65

4Someda% I&d li$e to be a mother5 "ut she didn&t e 'e t it to ha''en! Notwithout love! And she reall% didn&t e 'e t that!

43ill %ou miss it when we are married65

43hat65

4Tea hing! 8our areer!5

So it was e 'e ted that being his bride would be a full9time .ob, one for whi hher sister had been e +uisitel% trained! "ut he&d as$ed her, "eth, and she&dwor$ed hard! She loved her .ob and felt she reall% onne ted with the teenagersshe taught! 4I have to be honest!5

4I e 'e t nothing less!5

4I would miss it ver% mu h! Is that a 'roblem65

He sat ba $ as he thought! 4It is a bridge we will ross when the time omes!5

S'o$en li$e a 'owerful 'oliti ian, she thought! Translation; we&ll do it m% wa%,and it doesn&t matter if %our heart gets bro$en! The woman he married would

be sub.e t to this attitude! "ut "eth wasn&t the woman he was su''osed tomarr%, than$ goodness!

4-ater wor$s for me!5 she said!

43hat do %ou Thin$ of "ha&*har65

4I haven&t seen mu h %et5 she admitted! 4"ut I remember going to the o'en9airmar$et when I was a hild! )% mother used to(5

She had a sudden, vivid vision of smells and sights and sounds, and the safe,se ure feeling of her hand in her mother&s! The em'tiness inside her was li$e a

bla $ hole that swallowed u' all the light! A 'art of her had sta%ed em't% eversin e her mother had abandoned her and Addie to be raised b% a stern!auto rati father! The s andal and abandonment had devastated "eth, but hertwin had ta$en it even harder!

43hat is it,5 he as$ed!


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4Nothing!5 The $not in her stoma h said different, but this wasn&t the righttime to dis uss it! 3hile she was in the ountr% she 'lanned to see her motherand tell her to her fa e e a tl% what she thought about someone who wouldabandon her hildren! And, more than that, "eth wanted to $now wh% she&ddone it!

S'ea$ing of interrogations, )ali$ was as$ing most of the +uestions! It was timeto ta$e the heat off herself and learn about him! #or Addie&s agenda to e tri ateherself from this ontra t, she told herself, not her own relu tant uriosit% abouta man who had shown a romanti strea$ in that 4dan e of learning about ea hother5 remar$!

4Tell me about %ou,5 she said!

He thought for a moment! 4I will soon be the *ing! #rom birth! I have been intraining to assume the throne and lead m% ountr% and m% 'eo'le into more

'ros'erit% than we urrentl% en.o%! )% father has been a great e am'le and hashallenged me ontinuousl% to sur'ass him 4

43here did %ou go to ollege65

The +uestion sli''ed out before she ould sto' it! That information was readil%available if she had ared to loo$! She ho'ed he was not offended that shehadn&t bothered to find out!

4I was edu ated at the 3harton S hool one of the most 'restigious businessolleges in the eastern /nited States! I have a )aster&s :egree in E onomi s!5


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4Is the same e 'e ted of a husband6 And what about the woman %ou marr%6Sin e she ( I ( was born into it, does that mean she ( I ( have to wor$harder at being a wife65

He frowned! 4I had not thought about it!5

4Newsflash, 8our Highness, the lo $ is ti $ing! It&s time to thin$ about it5

)ali$ dete ted an edge in her voi e! Not onl% that, he had noti ed immediatel%that she was nervous! It was evident in the tightness of her mouth, the hoodede 'ression in her light brown e%es and the swiftness with whi h she hadremoved her hand from his when he&d introdu ed himself!

In another woman he would have ta$en it as 'roof of a hidden agenda! After being 'la%ed for a fool and betra%ed b% su h a woman, he was war% of 'retenders! "ut "eth had reason for this show of an iet%! )eeting her betrothedfor the first time was worth% of an a ute ase of nerves!

He had to admit to some nervousness himself! He had onl% seen her in 'hotogra'hs! "eaut% was not a re+uirement for his bride2 truthfulness andintegrit% were of more im'ortan e! However, he had been e eedingl% 'leased

b% her features!

He li$ed the shin% dar$ hair that framed her oval fa e and fell to her slendershoulders! The sil$ blouse tu $ed into the small waist of her suit 'ants lung toher breasts and highlighted her 'leasing urves! "ut that was not all that hadsur'rised him! There was a strength about her that had not been a''arent in the

'i tures 'assed on to him b% her father!

The eight9b%9ten 'hotogra'hs did not a'ture the three9dimensional woman!The warmth!


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a wa% to 'rove he would ommit ever%thing to his dut%! /nli$e women, dut%was onstant and without 'retense!

4)% father has e 'ressed his wish to retire! He wants me to assume leadershi'res'onsibilities as soon as 'ossible!5

4I see!5 Silting on the edge of the sofa, she folded her hands in her la'! 4"ut%ou ould be *ing and ta$e over the government without getting married6Right65

48ou are orre t! "ut as I said before, it is m% dut% to 'rodu e an heir to thethrone and the hild must be legitimate! That re+uires marriage!5

A fa t the *ing had 'ointed out when )ali$ had attem'ted to dela% theinevitable! His father had also firml% staled that marriage gave a man stabilit%and dignit%, both of whi h were desirable +ualities in an effe tive ruler!"e ause his bride had been sele ted based on im'e able lineage, and raised to

be obedient, to 'ut their 'atrioti dut% before 'ersonal 'ursuits, there would beno han e of another embarrassing in ident!

However, "eth was a tea her, and that detail had not ome to his attention! Herfather had no doubt felt it unim'ortant, but )ali$ disagreed! It boded well forher maternal s$ills ( a desirable trait in the woman who would bear his

hildren!

4Still, what&s the rush65 she as$ed!

4"esides the *ing&s retirement6 It is sim'l% time to fulfill our destin%, and%ours is to be the =ueen of "ha&*har! To ta$e %our 'la e b% m% side in theservi e of our 'eo'le!5

Her big e%es grew bigger! 4Oh, wow(5

4Something troubles %ou65

48eah! =ueen of "ha&*har6 That&s a 'rett% overwhelming thought!5Something a$in to 'ani stirred in her ga0e!

4I do not understand! As %ou said, %ou&ve alwa%s $nown what was in %ourfuture 4

48es!5 She stood! 4"ut $nowing and doing are two different things! *ind ofli$e being e 'osed to the flu, then losing %our lun h!5

He stood and loo$ed down at her! 4I understand that a good deal of %our

e 'erien e and u'bringing ha''ened in the /nited Slates, and Ameri ans are


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more asual! It is one of their most uni+ue and harming +ualities! "ut I wish toma$e ertain > understand what %ou are sa%ing!5

4I&m sorr%!5 She sighed! 4That ame out a bit harsher than I intended! I sim'l%meant that it&s one thing to $now what&s going to ha''en and +uite another toa tuall% go through the ste's! -i$e being ondemned(5

He held u' his hand! 48ou are not ma$ing it better!5

4Sorr%!5

4)a% I as$ %ou a +uestion65

4:o %ou have to65

He refused to be distra ted b% her teasing or her beaut%! 4In all of %ourinstru tion on 'roto ol, di'loma %, and eti+uette, were %ou ever on e told thatit was 'oliti all% in orre t to om'are ro%al life to the flu or a death senten e65

Her hin lifted slightl% as she said, 4I&d li$e to be lear on something as well!5

4I am ha''% to dis uss an%thing with %ou!5 He noti ed that she had notanswered his +uestion! 43hat is it %ou wish to $now65

4Are %ou reall% all right with having %our bride 'i $ed out for %ou6 -i$e a tie6

Or a 'air of shoes65

48ou are hardl% a tie 4

She started 'a ing! 4"ut %ou $now what I mean! 3hat if we don&t get along63hat if I snore6 3hat if we don&t get ea h other&s sense of humor6 3hat if %oudon&t have one6 3hat if(5

He held u' a hand! 4Clearl% %ou have reservations about the betrothal!5

48es,5 she said with great feeling! 4:on&t %ou65

4No!5

She had been hosen and edu ated in the 'ro'er behavior of the wife of the*ing! Together the% would guide this ountr% into a 'owerful 'osition in theglobal ommunit%! That was all he needed to $now! And she had not on ementioned the matter that he would have e 'e ted a woman with doubts to

bring u'!

4Are %ou not on erned about love65 he as$ed!


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4No!5 Her tone was rife with une 'e ted 'assion!

48ou do not wish to be in love65

4Not even for mone%,5 she onfirmed! "ut her ga0e lowered .ust before sheturned awa% and started 'a ing again! 4-ove is not all it&s ra $ed u' to be!5

4I agree!5 He $new wh% he did not wish to e 'erien e the emotion again, buthe was most urious to $now what had 'oisoned her against it!

4That&s good!5

48es! A ord is something to be treasured between a man and his wife! That bodes well for15

43ait!5

43hat65 he as$ed!

4?ust be ause neither of us wants to be in love it doesn&t get us on the same 'lanet with a ord! -ove is sim'l% one issue! There are billions of things tothin$ about!5

4Again, I agree! After we are married we will have the rest of our lives to wor$out these things!5

She sto''ed in front of him! 4And there&s m% 'oint! A man and womanontem'lating s'ending the rest of their lives together usuall% wor$ the big

stuff out before the% get engaged!5

4Ro%alt% is different!5

Her loo$ was wr%! 4No $idding!5

4Is %our father aware of %our misgivings6 Have %ou dis ussed this with him65

Her ga0e s$ivered awa%! 4He&s more into issuing 'ro lamations and orders thanin having a tual dis ussions,5 she answered, whi h was not an answer at all!

4If %ou do not a e't the time9honored tradition of this betrothal, then wh% did%ou ome all this wa% to marr% me65

4That&s the thing,5 she said! Her ga0e was dire t when she met his! 4I ame allthis wa% to tal$ %ou out of it!5

CHAPTER T3O


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48ou ame halfwa% around the world to hange m% mind about an honored"ha&*harian tradition65

"eth win ed when he 'ut it li$e that! She&d ome be ause her sister had beggedher! Addie needed time to figure out how to brea$ off the engagement withoutalienating their father! An%thing less than blind obedien e would result in being

ut out of his life as if she&d never e isted! Addie was terrified to ta$e that ste'and lose the door on her relationshi' with the onl% 'arent she had!

"eth wasn&t as do ile as her sister and said what was on her mind 1 a flaw thathad alread% damaged her relationshi' with her father! Raised without a mother,she understood wh% Addie was des'erate to 'reserve her remaining famil%

onne tions! If not for her sister! "eth would have grown u' in an emotionalva uum! She&d have no blue'rint for love! 7ranted, she&d been burned b% theemotion, but better to have loved and lost, as the sa%ing went! She ouldn&tstand b% and do nothing when the sister who&d taught her to love might be utoff from it!

Tal$ing )ali$ out of this tradition made 'erfe t sense for ever%one! Puttingherself in his shoes 1 $nowing that his bride had been hosen and he&d had nosa% in the matter 1 ma%be she had a better than even han e of ma$ing himsee reason! #or 7od&s sa$e, he was going to be *ing! Shouldn&t he have a

hoi e about the woman who would hel' him shoulder that res'onsibilit%6

She loo$ed u' at him! 4Sometimes hange is good! Sha$e things u'!5

4Sometimes the old wa%s are better!5

4All right,5 she said, ta''ing her li'! 4"ut %ou never answered m% +uestionabout whether or not %ou&re o$a% with not hoosing %our own bride!5

4There are advantages to letting others with nothing louding their ob.e tivit%do the 'i $ing!5

4Pi $ing65 She 'ut her hands on her hi's as she met his ga0e! 48ou ma$e mesound li$e a ri'e 'lum!5

4On the ontrar%, 'lums are sweeter and more do ile! Aside from those twothings 15 he shrugged 4 1 I am well 'leased with the sele tion m% fathermade!5

"eth didn&t $now if she&d .ust been om'limented or insulted! Or both!

43ell, of ourse %ou&re 'leased! 3hat&s not to li$e65

4Please e 'lain,5 He folded his arms over his hest and gave her his fullattention!


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4An arranged marriage wor$s in %our favor be ause %ou&re a 'owerful man!5

He shoo$ his head! 4I do not understand what that has to do with an%thing!5

3as he deliberatel% being obtuse6 4"eing in a 'osition of 'ower means %ou getto ontrol ever%thing! 8ou an set the rules! Nothing about this situation wor$sin m% favor!5

4Nothing65 He frowned! 4:o %ou find me unattra tive65

4No!5 3hat she wanted to sa% was 7ood 7od, no! 48ou&re ver% handsome!5

One orner of his mouth lifted! 4:oes m% 'ersonalit% dis'lease %ou65

4Sin e we .ust met, it&s too soon to tell! So far %ou seem o$a%!5

He nodded! 4Is the 'ala e not to %our li$ing6 8ou ob.e t to living here65

4Oh! 'lease! 3hat I&ve seen of it is gorgeous, and %ou $now it!5

4Then I am at a loss to understand %our ob.e tions!5

4)% ob.e tions have to do with the fa t that there&s more to marriage than 'leasing loo$s, 'ersonalit% and a 'ala e!5 3hen 'ut li$e that, it o urred to herthat 'erha's her standards were a tad high! 4There&s something to be said for a

normal ourtshi'!5

4:efine this for me!5

The fa t that he needed a definition for normal should have been a big lue! "utshe was su''osed to be im'ersonating her sister, and Adina was nothing if not

oo'erative! 4O$a%! The average ourting ritual goes li$e this; girl meets bo%!7irl is wildl% attra ted to bo%! 7irl gets to $now bo% and falls in love!"ha&*harian tradition for hoosing its =ueen is robbing %ou of thise 'erien e!5

4)e65 he as$ed! 4Or %ou65

4"oth of us5

4In the s'irit of girl getting to $now bo%, I am told that I am +uite a at h!5

She&d heard her father tell Adina the same thing! 4It&s .ust that marriage is a bigste', and 'rett% s ar% when one doesn&t $now one&s intended from a ro $!5


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He wal$ed over to the #ren h doors and loo$ed out for several moments, thenturned! A frown had re'la ed the good9natured e 'ression on his fa e! 4@I donot believe an%one has ever om'ared me to a ro $!5

4That&s .ust an e 'ression! It means that I don&t $now %ou 15

4I understand the e 'ression! "ut there is something I do not om'rehend! In%our training to be the =ueen of "ha&*har, it should have been e 'lained thatthe 'eriod of engagement is the time to be ome a +uainted!5

4It was e 'lained!5 Probabl%! "ut the ste'9b%9ste' rules of ourtshi' were still being violated! #ather 'i $s bo%! 7irl is engaged to bo%! 7irl meets bo% and!after too brief a time, girl marries bo%! And the% live ha''il% ever after6 Theodds were so against that!

She wal$ed over to him and the bree0e from the o ean ooled her fa e!-oo$ing into his dar$ e%es, she as$ed, be ause she sin erel% wanted to $nowhow he felt! 43hat if it goes badl%6 3hat if %ou don&t li$e me6 3hat if I don&tli$e %ou6 3hat if we 15

He tou hed a finger to her li's to silen e her! 4:o %ou alwa%s borrow trouble65

43hat if I do6 Is that a deal9brea$er65

He laughed! 4If I did not $now better I would thin$ %ou are deliberatel% tr%ingto ma$e me disli$e %ou!5

4Is it wor$ing65

4I do not $now!5

4:o I need to tr% harder65

4That de'ends on %our 'ur'ose! I have not %et made u' m% mind about %ou!And %ou should not form an o'inion about me! either!5

4I&m not 're9.udging(5

4I disagree! 8ou ame all this wa% to tal$ me out of this marriage, whi h means%ou have alread% losed %our mind to the 'ossibilit% that this arrangement

ould be a good thing!5

She didn&t see how it ould be good, but that onl% 'roved his 'oint! 43hat if Ihave formed an o'inion alread%65


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He too$ a ste' loser! 4-et go of %our 're on eived ideas!5 He tou hed hisfinger to her hin, nudging it u' so their ga0es lo $ed! 4@7ive me a han e to

'rove that I am indeed a good at h!5

"eth didn&t $now whether to let out the breath she was holding or breathedee'l% and overdose on his s'i %, e iting s ent, letting it invade and on+uerher senses! A gleam stole into his e%es, a loo$ that both e ited and unnervedher It was a 'urel% mas uline e 'ression, full of male onfiden e in his 'owerto get what he wanted!

There was little doubt in her mind that he would 'ull out all the sto's in hismission to 'rove his worth, and sedu tion was right at the to' of his list! 3hileher romanti 'arts +uivered with enthusiasm, her rational 'arts struggled to

'revail!

4)ali$, I have no doubt that %ou re a 'erfe tl% ni e man! It was not m%intention to insult %ou! and I a'ologi0e if I have!5

48our misgivings are understandable!5

She wasn&t sure if his eas%going manner made the situation better or worse!Although he was ver% attra tive and harming, she had no reason to believe hewas an% different from the man who had dis arded her in favor of his alread%

hosen, 'oliti all% orre t wife! If an%thing! )ali$ was more 'owerful, andtherefore more dangerous!

If it was u' to her, she would tell this shei$h to ta$e a fl%ing lea'! "ut it wasAddie&s hoi e! And! be ause her sister was hoosing a time out! "eth wasthere to ma$e sure she had it! In that s'irit, she needed to dial down hero''osition! 4Than$ %ou for %our 'atien e, )ali$!5

48ou an re'a% me with 'atien e of %our own! -et us get to $now ea h other!3e will give it a han e and see what ha''ens! Then if either of us has doubtswe will hoose an a''ro'riate ourse of a tion!5

In essen e, he was as$ing for a tru e! It would ma$e things easier if he was a .er$ and she ould tell him what to do with his engagement!

On the other hand, if )ali$ de ided this arrangement didn&t wor$ for him eitherand alled off the wedding, Addie would be off me hoo$ and their father

ouldn&t hold it against her! So, ni e it was! She smiled! 4How an I sa% no65

Nine out of ten women would be over.o%ed to be his betrothed, %et )ali$found himself with number ten! Sur'risingl%, the idea did not ran$le as hewould have thought! Obedien e was a 'leasing hara teristi in a woman, but

after meeting "eth he reali0ed a fawning fian e would be boring!


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He was most urious about this lovel%, stubborn %oung woman who hallengedhim at ever% turn! 3hen she&d alled him a 'owerful man! the edge in hervoi e had warned him it was not a om'liment! Oddl% enough, he was loo$ingforward to this ourtshi', to the o''ortunit% for hanging her mind about himand dis overing the sour e of her misgivings about marriage!

)ali$ wal$ed into his dining room and tou hed the ontrol that lowered thehandelier illumination to a romanti glow! Then he lit the andles on either

side of the fragrant flower arrangement gra ing the table! He had a bottle of thefinest ham'agne ooling in a silver bu $et and r%stal flutes waitede 'e tantl%, as did he!

"eth would be here an% moment, and the dan e of learning about ea h otherwould ontinue! E itement hummed through him! and he reali0ed he had note 'erien ed su h a level of anti i'ation in longer than he ould remember! Of

ourse, it had been a long time sin e he had met su h a fas inating woman! Thelast time it had ha''ened he had been fooled! It was omforting and onvenientto $now there was no han e of re'eating the same mista$e with his betrothed!

He he $ed his a''earan e in the beveled gilt mirror in his suite&s ir ularentr% wa%! Ever% hair was in 'la e, and he&d shaved a short while before 1 in

ase he $issed her, whi h he ver% mu h wanted to do! His sil$ shirt, o'en at theollar, and his dar$ 'ants evo$ed .ust the right informal tone, whi h was

im'ortant, as he wished to 'ut her at ease!

He heard a $no $, so soft it would not have been audible had he not beenstanding near the door! "eth stood in the doorwa%, a vision of heaven in a high9ne $ed, sleeveless white linen dress with a wide bla $ belt that drew hisattention to her small waist! It was a sim'le, elegant loo$, full of so'histi ation!The allure was in what he ould not see as mu h as in what he ould! Then hemet her ga0e and noti ed the wariness in her large e%es 1 brown e%es, filledwith fle $s of gold!

He bowed slightl%! 47ood evening! "eth! Please ome in!5

4Than$ %ou!5

As she 'assed him, her subtle floral fragran e filled his head with visions thathad nothing to do with gardens and ever%thing to do with twisted sheets and

bare flesh! Instead of entering, she stood and loo$ed around! Of ourse shewould be urious!

43el ome to %our new home,5 he said! 4This is where we shall live after weare married!5

4About the whole marriage thing(5


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4"eth!5

She turned to loo$ at him! 43hat65

48ou 'romised to give it a han e,5 he reminded her!

4Promise ma% not be the right word! As I re all, m% e a t words were BHowan I sa% no6&5

He grinned! 4Nevertheless, %our res'onse im'lied %our agreement for us to getto $now ea h other In the s'irit of that! I would re+uest that for the duration ofthe evening %ou refrain from an% negative referen es to a state of marriage

between us!5

4Is that a 'ro lamation65

4It is a heartfelt 'lea! And, under the ir umstan es, it is +uite o'en9minded ofme!5

Her e%es s'ar$led with mis hief, as he&d ho'ed the% would! 4So, 8ourHighness, an we tal$ about %our humilit%65

4Of ourse!5 He held out a hand and indi ated the #ren h doors off the livingroom! 43ait for me on the terra e and I will bring ham'agne!5

4Is that an order65

He did not miss the war% e 'ression on her fa e, or the edge in her voi e!Clearl% she was e 'e ting him to sedu e her! It was a tem'ting thought, butthat was not his 'lan! Not %et! No, tonight was all about harming her! Therewas a full moon, a warm bree0e, and the fragran e of .asmine mi ed with thes ent of the sea! )other Nature would wra' them in roman e!

4Not an order A suggestion! I sim'l% thought %ou would en.o% the view and thefresh air!5

4I see!5 3ithout further 'rotest or a ba $ward glan e she wal$ed through theliving room and onto the terra e!

)ali$ o'ened the ham'agne and 'oured golden li+uid into flutes, then arriedthem outside! He handed one to "eth!

4To what shall we drin$65 he as$ed!

After thin$ing for a moment she said, 4-o%alt%!5


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That seemed an odd hoi e, but with his own 'ainful lesson fresh in his mindhe highl% a''roved of her toast! 4And honest%!5

As the% tou hed glasses, a musi al tin$le sounded! Then "eth si''ed from herflute as she ga0ed out over the sea! The moon&s light reated a silver 'ath onthe water, and the rh%thmi aden e of the surf on the shore drifted u'!

47reat view,5 she said!

48es!5 "ut his ga0e was not on the sea! )ali$ was wondering if there was amore beautiful sight in the world than "eth b% moonlight! And if his thoughts

ontinued in that manner he was not at all ertain he ould resist her! 4So, tellme more about %ourself,5 he said, stud%ing the long, gra eful olumn of herne $ revealed b% her u'swe't hair!

The 'ulse at the base of her throat fluttered! 43hat do %ou want to $now65

4Tell me what ha''ened to ma$e %ou believe that love is not all it is ra $ed u'to be!5

4Oh, %ou don&t reall% want to $now about that!5

4On the ontrar%! I believe it is at the heart of %our resistan e to marriage!5Si''ing from his glass! he studied her as she weighed his re+uest!

4All right! There was a man! I met him when I was in ollege and there was aninstant onne tion!5

48ou are in love with this man65 The idea 'rodu ed a $not of resentment inhim that seemed out of 'ro'ortion to the amount of time he had $nown her, andthat ve ed him!

4Not an%more!5

4"ut %ou were65

4I thought I was!5

43hat ha''ened65

4He made me believe I was the onl% woman for him! Then he bro$e m% heartwhen he married someone else!5

The $not inside him eased somewhat and made rational thought easier! Then hereali0ed something! 4Surel% %ou were aware that, as m% betrothed, %ou are not

'ermitted to give %our heart to another man65


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He ould understand the sentiment! He had made himself a similar 'romiseabout not being vulnerable to the harms of a woman, in his father&s esteemedo'inion )ali$ had shown 'oor .udgment, and it ould not ha''en again! 8et)ali$&s dut% was to marr% and 'rodu e an heir to su eed him on the throne! Alove that burned him li$e wildfire would be una e'table! And that was wh%marr%ing the woman hosen b% his father was the solution! 3ith "eth he ouldas'ire to a full% ontained warmth and res'e t!

Their shoulders brushed as the% sat side b% side and stared into theromanti all% dimmed light of the suite! )ali$ felt the soft s$in of her forearmgra0e him and flames of desire heat u' his blood!

4I feel om'elled to 'oint out that our betrothal is a good thing in light of %oure 'erien e!5

4How do %ou figure65

48ou an have all the benefits of marriage to the *ing of "ha&*har without themessiness of dealing with love!5

4So I an be li$e a man65 She met his ga0e! The gleam of mis hief mi ed withhallenge dar$ened her e%es!

The loo$ was growing on him but in no wa% 're'ared him for what ame ne t!She smiled a smile that seemed to steal all the air from his lungs!

He 'i $ed u' one of her small hands, then tou hed his li's to her $nu $les!Satisfa tion filled him to see the gleam in her e%es re'la ed b% awareness! "ut,li$e her, he did not wish to be vulnerable to love! He was most 'leased thatthe% were in agreement be ause his betrothed was +uite a tem'ting

ombination of s'irit and beaut%! Theirs was a ontra t, a businessarrangement, and that suited him well!

He brushed his thumb over the s'ot on her hand that he&d .ust $issed! 4I annotorder or 'ro laim that %ou fall in love with me! "ut, little one, %ou will never

be li$e a man!5 His voi e dro''ed into the dee'l% sedu tive range! 4And thisman is e traordinaril% grateful for that fa t!

CHAPTER THREE

THE ne t morning "eth stood on her bal on% with a u' of offee in her handswhile she loo$ed out over the sea! )emories of last night li $ed through hermind li$e a sensual slide show! )ali$ smiling his harming smile! )ali$ tellingher he was glad she wasn&t a man and $issing her hand! Her wanting to feel hisli's 'ressed against her own, followed b% disa''ointment when he didn&t $iss

her! Then the rushing guilt be ause shed forgotten wh% she was there!


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She leaned her hi' on the low wall as the bree0e aressed her fa e! )ali$Hourani was not what she&d e 'e ted! He was $ind, onsiderate and romanti !:amn him! If he didn&t mess u' soon, and do something to ma$e her disli$ehim! the onse+uen es ouldn&t be good! There was no wa% to 'ut a 'ositives'in on this harade! She was l%ing to )ali$ and her soul was doomed to theseventh level of hell! 3hat was more, she deserved it!

She wal$ed into the suite and 'i $ed u' her ell 'hone, intending to all Addieand beg her sister to end this! "efore she ould 'ut in the number, the 'honeatta hed to the landline rang!

She 'i $ed it u'! 4Hello65

47ood morning 4

There was no mista$ing that dee' velvet voi e! 4)ali$! 7ood morning!5

4I trust %ou sle't well65

4Never better!5 she lied, and reali0ed the lies were getting easier in s'ite of herresolution to tell as mu h of the truth as 'ossible!

4I am glad to bear it! I have a sur'rise for %ou!5

43hat is it65 she as$ed!

4If I tell %ou it wouldn&t be a sur'rise! "ut I will ome for %ou in an hour5

43here are we going65

48ou are attem'ting to tri $ me into revealing the sur'rise!5

4A tuall%, I need to $now what to wear5

4:ress asuall%5

Casuall%6 That ould mean an%thing, from .eans to a sil$ lounging outfit!4Casual as in sundress6 Or asual as in 'ants65

4?eans,5 he said! 4And that is all I will sa%!5

The line went dead! "efore she ould sto' it, e itement ar ed through her! Inher life, sur'rises had been few, and usuall% bad! Her mother had wal$ed outand her father wasn&t the warm, fu00% t%'e! The man she&d loved had marriedsomeone else! "ut the 'leasure in )ali$&s voi e made her believe his sur'rise

was something good, and she hurried to get read%!


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In 're isel% an hour the Crown Prin e showed u' at her door, wearing .eans, aloose white otton shirt and boots! He refused to sa% where the% were going butes orted her to the ar he had waiting! A few minutes later the% drove 'astwhite slat fen ing that loo$ed a lot li$e horse orrals! 3hen the ar sto''ed infront of a stable she had a ver% strong feeling that her good sur'rise was goingto turn bad!

43h% are we here65 she as$ed, as he loo$ her hand to hel' her from the ba $seat!

4I wish to show %ou the horse that m% brother *ardahl 'ur hased for %ou whenhe visited his wife&s famil%! The mountain 'eo'le raise some of the finesthorses in the world!5

"eth wal$ed with him into the stable&s shaded interior and reali0ed the .igmight ver% well be u'! In finishing s hool, along with learning eti+uette, howto throw elaborate dinner 'arties and 'roto ol, Addie had be ome ana om'lished horsewoman! "e ause all the ro%als were avid riders, it would bee 'e ted of the *ing&s wife! On the other hand, "eth had never been onan%thing besides a arousel 'on%!

4I don t $now what to sa%!5 After so man% lies, it almost felt good to tell thetruth!

4Come and meet the mare!5 he said, ta$ing her hand! He led her to the stallwhere the animal stood waiting, her oat shin% bla $ with s'lot hes of white onher fa e! Addie would have been thrilled 1 would be thrilled 1 about thissur'rise! "eth 1 not so mu h! She was going to have to fl% b% the seat of her

'ants 1 so to s'ea$! At the ver% least she needed to be 'olite!

4Than$ %ou! )ali$5

48ou are most wel ome!5

"eth tried lo loo$ onfident when she 'ut her hand on the horse&s ne $! She$new enough that mare meant female! 4:oes she have a name65

)ali$ smiled down at her! then hu $led when the horse nu00led his shoulder!4As she is %ours, %ou must hoose what to all her!5

4?e0ebel!5 It was the first name that ame to mind 1 from one shamelesswoman to another! At his +uestioning loo$, she shrugged! 4I li$e the sound ofit!5

4Then ?e0ebel it is! I will have two horses saddled and we an ride 15

4No!5


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)ali$ stood beside her! lose enough that she ould feel the heat of his s$in!48ou are loo$ing most 'ensive about something! 3ould I be wrong to assumeit is about our betrothal65

48ou would not!5

4Tell me what %ou are thin$ing!5

She sighed! 4It .ust seems wrong to ma' out a 'erson&s life and rob them offree will!5

4That is one 'oint of view! )ine is that traditions are reassuring! And theustom of ro%al betrothal is even more reassuring than most! If %ou trul% ob.e t

to the marriage, %ou have onl% to sa% so!5

4If onl% it were that sim'le,5 she said softl%!

Her father would be furious! She and Addie had grown u' under their father&sthumb, learning to 'lease him and tr%ing to earn a rare word of 'raise in the

battle to win his love! "ut "eth had reali0ed earl% on that rebellion garnered hisattention as following the rules did not! #inall% she had ome to the on lusionthat he would never love her! Addie would be ome a +ueen, but she "eth, wasnothing s'e ial! So she&d followed her heart and be ome a tea her! 3hen hehad disowned her for hoosing areer over waiting for marriage, as he&dordered, she hadn&t e 'e ted it to hurt so mu h!

She&d alwa%s said, 3hat&s he going to do6 Not are about me6 "ut when hehad indeed sto''ed aring about her, the 'ain of being ut off had been farworse than she d reali0ed! So "eth understood Addie&s hesitation to stand u' tohim about the marriage! 3hen her sister had begged "eth to fill in and giveAddie a little time to see if she&d met 4the one5, time to find out if he wasworth the 'ri e she would have to 'a%! "eth had agreed! "e ause she $newhow hard it was to lose the onl% famil% %ou had!

)ali$ leaned his shoulder against the fen e and stared down at her! 4I do not$now what is troubling %ou, but it is m% wish that in time %ou will feel

omfortable onfiding in me!5

4I a''re iate the offer!5 He had no idea how tem'ted she was to do .ust that! Ifit were onl% about her! she&d onfess in a heartbeat! "ut the truth wasn&t hers totell, and it ould dee'l% hurt her sister! 4Than$ %ou, )ali$!5

4Something else I wish to 'oint out is that there are worse things than having ama' of one&s life! Having things in 'erfe t order is not a negative!5

4Oh65 She met his ga0e! 4This from the man who li$es sur'rises65


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4There an be sur'rises even in the onte t of a well9ordered life!5 hedefended!

4So %ou li$e sur'rises as long as %ou&re in ontrol65 she observed!

48ou sa% this as if it is a bad thing!5

4Isn&t it65

4No!5 The s'ar$le in his e%es hinted at une 'e ted wonders, and her hearts$i''ed twi e before a dee' breath steadied her!

4How&s that wor$ing for %ou65

The s'ar$le disa''eared for .ust a se ond before he answered! 4It wor$s well!And! while we are on the sub.e t, are there an% sur'rises that %ou wish me to

'rovide for %ou65

4I don&t $now if it&s a sur'rise, e a tl%!5

43hat is it %ou wish65

It was the other reason she&d agreed to ome here! 4I&d li$e to find m% mother!5

4Even though she has not been a 'art of %our life for man% %ears65 he

+uestioned!

So he $new about that! 4Probabl% be ause of it! I .ust need to tal$ to her!5

4Then I will arrange it,5 he said, without a moment&s hesitation!

4?ust li$e that65

4Indeed!5

4Than$ %ou! I&m ver% grateful!5The mis hievous twin$le rea''eared in his e%es as his white teeth flashed in aheart9melting grin! 4)ight %our gratitude in lude a $iss65

It might, and all he had to do was stand there loo$ing li$e sin for the ta$ing!Her li's tingled with the tem'tation he offered! ?um'ing off the fen e, sheturned awa% and started to wal$!

4I don&t thin$ so!5

He followed! 4Have I offended %ou65


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If onl%! 4No!5

4"ut I have made %ou un omfortable65

Oh, %eah! 4Not reall%!5

He wra''ed his fingers around her u''er arm to sto' her, then turned her tofa e him! 4Tell me the truth!5

4I am not offended!5

47ood!5 His smoldering ga0e was li$e a magnet! refusing to release her!4"e ause there is something %ou must $now!5

43hat65 she whis'ered!

4I will $iss %ou! And soon!5

4Oh65 The single s%llable was almost a s+uea$!

43hen it ha''ens, I wish it to mean something!5

It would mean that she was going straight to hell! :o not 'ass go! :o notolle t wings and halo! She was going to lose her soul!

43hen it ha''ens,5 he ontinued, 4it will be be ause %ou annot get me out of%our mind! 3hen our li's finall% tou h, %ou will feel it ever%where! Themeeting of our mouths will be so sweet and dee' and 'assionate that %ou willnever want it to end!5

"eth was s'ee hless! And breathless! The intensit% in his e%es, along with hiswords, removed an% doubt that he meant what he said! 3hen it ha''ened! shewasn&t sure she would be able to resist him! And that was a big 'roblem,

be ause he was roman ing an im'oster!

She was finding a lot to li$e about )ali$, and l%ing to him was be omingharder and harder to defend! Agreeing to the ruse had been easier before she&dmet him! She $new how it felt to be lied to, and as far as she ould tell )ali$didn&t deserve it!

She had to tal$ to Addie!

3ith a u' of tea delivered b% the 'ala e staff in one hand and her ell 'honein the other, "eth san$ into the ou h in her suite! She set the u' and sau er onthe offee table, then fli''ed o'en the 'hone and 'ressed ommands until she

got to her world lo $ and he $ed the time in -os Angeles!


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4Too bad, Addie! 3e&ve got a risis and it&s worth losing slee' over!5 She hits'eed dial and waited for the ring, then heard an answer!

4Hello65 Addie&s slee'% voi e ame through loud and lear!

4Hi, Ad! Its me!5

4"eth!5 All tra es of drowsiness in her voi e were gone! 4Are %ou all right65

4Ph%si all%, I&m fine! Ever%thing else ( not so mu h!5

43hat&s wrong65

4I have to let )ali$ $now the truth ( that I&m not %ou!5

There was a silen e on the other end of the line that had nothing to do with thedistan e dela%! "eth ould almost hear her sister thin$ing that over!

43hat&s going on65 Addie finall% as$ed! 4Is he sus'i ious65

"eth grabbed a tur+uoise throw 'illow and lut hed it to her hest! 4If hewasn&t before, he 'robabl% is now! He gave me ( %ou ( a horse, and wantedto ride with me!5

4Oh! m%!5

4No $idding, oh, m%! 8ou $now how I feel about horses!5

43hat did %ou do65

4I 'retended to be tired from the tri' and the time hange!5 She was gettingawfull% good at 'retending! and it wasn&t something she was 'arti ularl% 'roudof!

4:id he believe %ou65

4I thin$ so! I&m not sure!5 She 'lu $ed at the nubb% 'illow material! 4I almosttold him the truth!5

48ou an&t, "eth5

Her stoma h len hed! 4I hate this! He seems li$e a reall% ni e man, Addie!Romanti ! Handsome! *ind! He&s going to hel' me find our mother!5

4Are %ou sure %ou want to onfront her65 Addie as$ed!


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4She wal$ed out on us when we were .ust little girls without a word ofe 'lanation! She left us with a old, unemotional man who flaunted his affairs,shi''ed us off to boarding s hool and tried to ontrol our lives! 8ou bet I wantan e 'lanation! I thin$ she&s selfish and shallow and I want to tell her so to herfa e!5 She too$ a dee' breath to 'ush out the $not 'ulling tight in her hest!

4#ather means well,5 her sister defended! 4In his own wa% he loves us!5

4He loves %ou!5

There was a dee' sigh from the other end of the line! 4I owe %ou so mu h,"ethie! 8ou alwa%s too$ are of me and stood u' for me! 3hat would I dowithout %ou65

"eth s+uirmed on the soft sofa, her ba $side remembering the blows! 48ou&rem% sister I love %ou!5

4I $now! And I feel awful as$ing %ou to 'retend .ust a little longer!5

48ou&re going to li$e )ali$ a lot! Addie!5

"eth wished he were an ogre! Then Addie ouldn&t marr% him and their fatherwould .ust have to get over it! "ut the Crown Prin e&s harm and wit made thiswhole situation more diffi ult!

4I need more time!5

43h%65

4I&m getting to $now Ton%! I thin$ he ould be s'e ial! I&ve never been in love,and I want to $now what it feels li$e5

4It&s not all it&s ra $ed u' to be!5 "eth said, remembering her onversationwith )ali$! He felt the same wa%, and the%&d sort of bonded over their mutualaversion to more tender emotions! How in onvenient was that6

4If %ou ould .ust give me a little longer!5

4The rest of %our life wouldn&t be long enough to be sure! 8ou&re alwa%s goingto wonder!5

-i$e "eth wondered how in the world she ould have been so stu'id as to fallfor a gu% who thought he was entitled to a wife and a mistress be ause his

'oliti al influen e 'ut him above regular 'eo'le! -i$e she wondered if )ali$thought he was entitled to ste' on whoever got in his wa%!


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4If onl% the Crown Prin e hadn&t sent for me so suddenl%,5 Addie said!4Ever%thing was going along so ni el%, and then he de ided he wanted to a ton the betrothal!5

4The *ing is retiring soon and )ali$ will ta$e over the throne! It&s e 'e tedthat he will be married and settled b% his oronation!5 "eth e 'lained! 4I $now!His timing ouldn&t be worse!5 "eth figured it ouldn&t hurt to tr% one moretime! 4?ust tell #ather %ou an&t go through with this arranged marriage!5

4I need to see if Ton% is worth 'ossibl% losing m% father,5 Addie 'leaded!

48ou&re missing the 'oint! :o it for %ou, not for a man! Stand u' to him!Addie!5

4I&m not as strong as %ou are, "ethie! I $now #ather an be overbearing, and hedoesn&t sa% what&s in his heart! "ut I $now he ares!5

4If %ou weren&t the firstborn(5

4"% two minutes,5 Addie reminded her!

4It ould be two se onds! The timing doesn&t matter! 8ou beat me out of thewomb! Therefore %ou&re the oldest and the one he 'romised to the CrownPrin e! He ould never tell us a'art, but I guess he didn&t have to, sin e he

barel% a $nowledged I was alive!5

4He&s a flawed man, I grant %ou! "ut he&s our father! I&ve alread% lost one 'arent and I&m not read% to sa% the words that ould ost me the onl% one Ihave left! I need a little more time to wor$ u' the ourage!5

"eth losed her e%es! 4All right! I won&t sa% an%thing to )ali$! #or now!5

4Than$ %ou! "eth5

4:on&t mention it! I&ll do m% best to be %ou until %ou get here!5

3hen "eth had agreed to the de e'tion she&d onvin ed herself it was thewrong thing for the right reason! That was getting more diffi ult to believe! Shedes'ised de eiving )ali$, and she sus'e ted the de'th of her des'i ablenesswas in dire t 'ro'ortion to her growing attra tion to him!

This fas ination was om'letel% unforeseen, sin e she hadn&t e 'e ted to li$ehim at all! Still, 'owerful men didn&t ne essaril% show their true selves rightawa%! Time would tell about )ali$, and she ho'ed her sister showed u' soonso "eth ould hand off the 'roblem!

"efore her growing feelings be ame a bigger 'roblem!


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CHAPTER #O/R

4S/RE-8 %ou have better things to do65 "eth stood beside the waiting townar beneath the 'ala e 'orti o!

At lun h the *ing and =ueen had been harmed b% their daughter9in9law9to9beand had suggested that )ali$ show her around! "eth had said all the rightthings, but he had seen the hesitation in her e%es! He had felt a deliberatedistan e between them ever sin e his de laration several da%s before that hewished to $iss her! The more time he s'ent with her, the more a ute was hisim'atien e to ma$e it so! The tension he felt in her now ould be aused b% hiswords, and that thought filled him with a great deal of satisfa tion! It 'leasedhim that his nearness ould affe t her! That meant he was not alone in hisattra tion!

He did have im'ortant things to do! After all! he was the Crown Prin e of"ha&*har, who would soon be ome *ing! "ut when his father, the urrent*ing, made a suggestion! )ali$ had learned the wisdom of heeding it!

4"etter things to do than what65 he as$ed!

4Showing me around!5

48ou are m% betrothed! It is m% dut% to introdu e %ou to life in "ha&*har ingeneral and the e 'erien es of the ro%al famil% in 'arti ular,5 he said, o'eningthe ar door!

She slid inside and brushed her shoulder against the o''osite door, as far awa%from him as she ould 'ossibl% get! 4The ro%al famil% is ver% ni e! I li$ed %our

'arents and %our brother and his wife a lot! "ut it seems to me that although%ou ould have staffed out the 'ala e tour, %ou didn&t! And someone not as

bus% as %ou are ould show me whatever it is I&m going to see now!5

4I wish to be with %ou,5 he informed her!

Her un ertain ga0e lo $ed with his! 48ou were .ust with me! 3hen %ou showedme the 'ala e! I was 'rett% im'ressed b% all those ars, although I lost ount ofthe number of Rolls Ro% es, "entle%s and #erraris!5

4It is not the number that is im'ortant,5 he 'ointed out, re alling herama0ement when he had shown her the 'ala e garage! 4"ut the fa t that,should %ou wish it, there would be a vehi le at %our dis'osal!5

4Assuming I ould lo ate them again!5

4I would be ha''% to show %ou the wa%!5


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She shoo$ her head! 4Not ne essar%!5

So she was ontinuing her attem't to $ee' him at arm&s length! He had beentold b% more than one 'erson that he was ontrar% and his rea tion to "eth

'roved their 'oint! The more she tried to 'ush him awa%, the more he wasdetermined not to let her!

4:id %ou not en.o% seeing where %ou will live65

4I en.o%ed it ver% mu h! "ut .ust in ase %ou re in the mood to sur'rise meagain, instead of a horse I ould use a 7PS unit to 'lot m% route! It&s 'robabl%more effi ient and a urate than a trail of bread rumbs to find m% wa%!5

48ou will get used to the 'ala e!5

4"etter %et5 she said, ta''ing her li'! 4ma%be some $ind of transmitter ortra $ing devi e, so I ould be lo ated in the event that I don&t show u' whene 'e ted! Or a sign around m% ne $ sa%ing BIf lost, return to!!!&5

He laughed as the ar moved smoothl% 'ast the 'ala e gates and through theit%! The sun refle ted off the beige and 'in$ stu o buildings with their white

ro $ and red9tiled roofs as heat mer ilessl% ba$ed the desert! After all, it wassummer, but the interior of the ar was ool! So far "eth had not said a negativeword about his ountr%, unli$e her o'inion regarding him! On that sub.e t shehad been most andid! Toda% he would show her that being the wife of the*ing of "ha&*har was not all bad!

4The 'ala e is not so big!5

She shot him a s$e'ti al loo$! 48es, it is that big!5

4There are bigger I had the honor of visiting the Sultan of "runei, whose 'ala eis two hundred thousand s+uare feet, in luding two hundred and fift%9seven

bathrooms!5

Her e%es grew wide! 4So %ou had to share with the u'stairs staff65

4Hardl%! )% 'oint is 14

4that %our 'ala e is a manageable s'a e! Probabl% to %ou it is be ause %ougrew u' there and $now %our wa% around! "ut to me it&s overwhelming! It&sama0ing, I&ll grant %ou that 1 ballrooms, ban+uet rooms and meeting rooms

1 oh, m%!5

)ali$ had never given it mu h thought! He had grown u' in the 'ala e, and

'la%ed with his brother there! It was his home, and had been in the ro%al famil%for several hundred %ears! He had e 'lored all its noo$s and al oves, 'la%ed


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hide9and9see$ with *ardahl and learned to su essfull% elude the governess,nann% and an%one else he did not wish to see! /nfortunatel%, it had not beenlarge enough to elude the one woman whose agenda had in luded du'li it% forthe 'ur'ose of furthering her areer!

He had grown u' understanding his 'rivileged 'osition ould be a magnet for 'ersonal gain, but he had not e 'e ted to en ounter a s hemer em'lo%ed b% the 'ala e ( under his own roof, so to s'ea$! "e ause he had been taught to beware of on men, the lesson had been twi e as bitter! He did not needanother, and most definitel% would not lose his heart again!

4So where are we going now65 she as$ed! 4I&ve met %our famil%, seen the 'ala e 1 in luding enough ars to ensure trans'ortation for a small ountr%(and been to the stables! That doesn&t in lude m% air'lane tri' on the famil% .et!3hat else ould there 'ossibl% be65 She glan ed out the window and stared atthe sea as the% s'ed b%! 4About the onl% thing left is the ro%al %a ht!5

4Alas, %ou have guessed! Now it will no longer be a sur'rise!5

4Is there more than one65

4No! "ut it is big enough for the whole famil%!5

A few minutes later the ar was 'ar$ed beside the %a ht, and )ali$ wases orting "eth u' the ram' to the de $! The a'tain, steward and oo$ greetedthem then dis reetl% disa''eared as he showed her the bridge, dining room andseveral of the staterooms, with their mahogan% walls and brass trim! E%es wide,she followed him as he showed her all four de $s of the two9hundred9si t%9foot%a ht, in luding the s'a and g%m!

In the main salon, with its tea$9trimmed walls, he as$ed the steward to bringthem a old drin$! )ali$ felt the gentle swa% of the raft and indi ated sheshould sit on the beige leather ir ular sofa set in front of the s+uare windows,overloo$ing the do $ on one side, the sea on the other!

4So, tell me 1 what do %ou thin$65 he as$ed, sitting beside her! 4I $now %ouhave an o'inion!5

4It&s im'ressive!5 She loo$ed through the large windows a ross from them!The surfa e of the sea gleamed li$e diamonds in the sun! 4And what a wa% toes a'e!5

Interesting wa% to 'hrase it! "ut before he ould as$ what she meant, the% wereinterru'ted!

The steward brought two glasses of s'ar$ling water and set them on thestationar% table! 43ill there be an%thing else, 8our Highness65


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4Than$ %ou, Salleh! That will be all!5

"eth si''ed her water, then wra''ed her hands around the old glass! 4I have totell %ou I&m a little disa''ointed!5

Her loo$ was serious, but he was beginning to $now the teasing gleam in herdar$ e%es! 4Oh6 How so65

4It&s all about gu% to%s! Cars, 'lanes, %a hts!5

48ou do not li$e these to%s65

4:on&t get me wrong! I wouldn&t turn down a ruise on the o'en sea! "ut Ian&t hel' thin$ing %ou forgot to show me the ro%al vault!5

4I did not thin$ it would interest %ou!5

4It would if there are diamond tiaras, rub% ne $la es and emerald rings inside!3here are the lothes, shoes and .ewelr% stashed6 The things that ma$e awoman&s heart beat a little faster!5

He suddenl% reali0ed that he did desire to ma$e her heart beat faster 1 but notwith .ewels and lothes! He favored her good o'inion be ause of this damnedattra tion that was more than he had e 'e ted to feel! The thought wasdis on erting, as this arrangement was to be no more or less than business! It

was never meant to be 'ersonal!

4If there is something that %ou desire, %ou need onl% voi e %our wish and I willma$e it ome true!5

She tra ed a finger through the moisture on the outside of her glass! 4I wish%ou would all off the wedding!5

So! The% were ba $ to s+uare one, as the Ameri ans would sa%! In one regardhe was 'leased that all the lu ur% he had shown her had not swa%ed her in her

o'inions! That s'o$e well of her hara ter! 8et he had thought his im'ressivewealth would soften her attitude about be oming his wife!

4I do a'ologi0e!5 He had on e felt as she did, resisting the tradition thatallowed the *ing to hoose his mate! "ut he had hosen 'oorl% in love, whi hhad hanged his o'inion about a +uies ing to the de ision of someone olderand wiser than himself! He embra ed the hoi e his father had made and thedut% he would fulfill! There would be no emotional distra tions! 4That is thesingle re+uest that I annot grant %ou!5

4I should 'robabl% warn %ou that I&ll $ee' as$ing!5 She sighed! 4I figured itouldn&t hurt to tr%!5


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Hurt! A single word that made him wonder! It o urred to him that "eth had 'ossessed ro%al a''roval from birth! She had the edu ation and trainingre+uired of the future =ueen of "ha&*har, %et she was still resistant to ta$ingher rightful 'la e! 3as it 'ossible that, des'ite her denial, she was still in lovewith the man who had ast her aside6

He too$ her glass and set it on the table, then too$ her old hand between hisown! He stared at her until her ga0e met his! 4I annot hel' feeling thatsomething more is bothering %ou!5

4Nothing new!5 she said, glan ing awa%!

48ou are not still 'ining for the s oundrel who hurt %ou65

A small smile urved her full li's! 4I an truthfull% sa% that I feel as if I dodgeda bullet when he married someone else!5

48ou are ertain65

4Absolutel%!5

4As I said! I li$e sur'rises! As long as I am the one doing the sur'rising! I donot li$e being sur'rised! Now is the time to tell me if there is an%thing I should$now!5

48ou $now ever%thing in m% 'ast that %ou need to!5

That he needed to6 :is on ertingl%, he felt the need to $now ever%thing!

Her words were what he wanted to hear, but the shadows that flitted throughher e%es made him doubt! He&d been fooled b% a woman on e and had not li$edthe feeling! 3orse, he had given his love to an im'oster! It would not ha''enagain! He would give "eth whatever her heart desired 1 e e't his own heart!

That was a wea$ness that he would not re'eat!

"eth stood +uietl% ne t to )ali$ before his brother&s wedding rehearsal, stillun lear about wh% it was ha''ening! The wedding! Not the rehearsal! Posingfor 'hotogra'hers, the ro%al famil% was standing on a dais in the front of asmall room where the eremon% would ta$e 'la e two da%s from now! Ne tdoor, the main ballroom was being readied for a re e'tion that would beattended b% dignitaries from around the world! Surrounded b% famil%, *ardahland ?essi a stood holding hands as the% ga0ed adoringl% into ea h other&s e%es!?essi a&s grand'arents and two aunts were on one side! The *ing and =ueenwere on the other, with her and )ali$!


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*ardahl $issed his bride and ameras li $ed while flashes went off li$e 're ision9timed e 'losives! "eth was blinded b% the light and her .aw a hedfrom smiling! On to' of that, she was still not lear what all this fuss was about!It felt li$e over$ill sin e )ali$&s brother was alread% married to ?essi a 1 b%

'ro %! "eth had been told! So it was 'ossible for Addie&s betrothal to be worse!Her sister ould alread% be married, without having said 4I do!5

That would ma$e "eth the 'ro % im'oster! "ut 'retending b% an% other namewas still 'retending, and it would have been even more aw$ward if he&dalread% believed her to be his wife and had e 'e ted se !

A shiver went through her! and it wasn&t be ause she was old! ?ust theo''osite! A man who ould ma$e her +uiver from head to toe .ust des ribing a$iss would be devastating in bed! Probabl%! "eth would never $now, and thethought arried a sur'rising bite of disa''ointment!

)ali$ must have felt her movement, be ause he loo$ed down and as$ed, 4Are%ou all right65

4#ine! ?ust a little disoriented!5

4The 'hotogra'hers65 he guessed!

O$a%, she thought, shrugging, it would be less om'li ated to blame it on that!If she was a tuall% his betrothed, it would be good that she was attra ted tohim! As the emissar% sent b% her twin to tal$ him out of the ontra t 1 not somu h!

He slid his arm around her waist and gave her a reassuring s+uee0e! 4It is astaged 'hoto o''ortunit% and will be over soon! :uring the a tual rehearsal themedia will be removed! The 'ala e 'hotogra'her will re ord the event for

'ersonal famil% remembran e!5

4I see!5

And, as if he&d ordered it, the wedding oordinator dire ted the se urit% staff tolean the room! "eth moved off to the side and leaned against one of the ornate

'illars that mar hed in a dignified line on either side of the room! 3hile shewat hed, ever%one in the wedding 'art% was assigned their 'la e!

As best man, )ali$ stood beside his brother! ?essi a had her two aunts asattendants, and the% were dire ted where to wal$ and stand! Her grand'arentswould be es orted in, then the *ing and =ueen! After that the bride made herrehearsal tri' down the aisle between the seats! She sto''ed in front of"ha&*har&s )inister of ?usti e, who would be offi iating at the state rite! The

bride and groom had written vows the% were saving for the eremon% but


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words were all *ardahl saved! He 'ulled his wife into his arms and 'ro eededto $iss the living da%lights out of her!

As "eth wat hed, she heard )ali$&s voi e in her head; 3hen our li's finall%tou h, %ou will feel it ever%where! The meeting of our mouths will be so sweetand dee' and 'assionate that %ou will never want it to end! The words 'rodu eda thrill that tra''ed the breath in her hest and made her s$in flush withwarmth!

The ne t thing she $new, ever%one was filing out on their wa% to the rehearsaldinner, waiting in one of the smaller ban+uet rooms!

)ali$ e tended his arm in a ourtl% gesture that indi ated he would es ort her!4Shall we .oin the others65

4In a minute!5

He frowned down al her! 4Are %ou ertain nothing troubles %ou65

So mu h troubled her she ould hardl% ount the wa%s, and %et she ouldn&t sa%an%thing to him! She hadn&t reali0ed this ruse would re+uire +uite so mu hde eit! Tal$ about not thin$ing something through! Pretending to be Addie hadseemed eas%! "ut now, "eth had to 'retend to li$e her betrothed! The downsidewas that this 'art wasn&t a 'retense! She a tuall% did li$e him!

And it wasn&t the $ind of fondness that said how9ni e9he9 ould9have9been9m%9 brother9in9law! It was more the $ind of li$ing where he made her heart beat toofast and she wanted to be in his arms! )ore and more she had to remind herselfthat he ould be a 'owerful man, 'utting on a good a t to ma$e her fall for him!

Not her 1 Addie she reminded herself! "eth wasn&t there to fall under hiss'ell! "ut more and more she wasn&t believing her own h%'e, and her feelingswere getting in the wa%! If she ouldn&t get them under ontrol the

onse+uen es of 'la%ing this role ould be 'ersonall% devastating!

4I&m fine! ?ust onfused!5

48ou have onl% to as$ and I will ease %our onfusion!5

4O$a%! Here&s the thing! I thought that *ardahl and ?essi a were alread%married!5

48ou are orre t5

4Then wh% are the% getting married again65

4The% are in love and wish for the world to see how ha''% the% are when the%s'ea$ their vows fa e to fa e!5


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43h% didn&t the% do that the first time65

He slid his hands into the 'o $ets of his har oal9 olored suit 'ants! Themovement disru'ted the 'erfe t line of his .a $et! 4Their union wasa om'lished through a 'ro % arrangement!5

4So I was told! I find it hard to believe that a tuall% still ha''ens in this da% andage!5

He nodded! 4It is 'erfe tl% legal!5

48ou sound defensive!5

4On the ontrar%!5

She studied the e 'ression on his fa e and $new there was something he wasn&tsa%ing! 43hat aren&t %ou telling me65

He stared at her for so long it didn&t a''ear he would answer the +uestion!#inall% he sighed! 4It is a long stor%!5

She glan ed at the doorwa% where ever%one else had disa''eared! 4I thin$ wehave time! 3e&re onl% missing o $tail hour!5

48ou are not going to let this go are %ou65

She shoo$ her head! 4That&s not m% 'lan, no!5

4As %ou wish!5 He leaned against the 'illar! 4?essi a was betrothed to m% brother before she was born, but her mother disa''eared in the /nited States!She was lo ated at a tumultuous time in m% brother&s life, and our father wasinsistent on the marriage! The emissar% he dis'at hed to fa ilitate ?essi a&s visitto this ountr% was over0ealous in the 'ursuit of his duties!5

43hat did he do65

)ali$ glan ed awa%, then met her ga0e! 4The 'ro % was written in"ha&*harian! He 'ut the agreement in a sla $ of 'a'ers for ?essi a&s signatureand misre'resented the do ument when she in+uired!5

4"e ause he was tr%ing lo im'ress the *ing65

4?ust so!5

4I see!5


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This onfirmed all her worst fears about the abuse of 'ower She&d heard it saidthat absolute 'ower orru'ted absolutel%! It wasn&t that she thought an%one in)ali$&s famil% was underhanded or dishonest, but her fears went ba $ to

'owerful men 'la%ing b% their own rules! "eth had learned her lesson in ahumiliating and 'ainful wa%! She was a +ui $ learner and didn&t need arefresher ourse! 3hat a relief that Addie had made u' her mind to all off themarriage ontra t!

)ali$ straightened and roo$ed a $nu $le beneath "eth&s hin, lifting it so shewould meet his ga0e! 4I thin$ %ou do not see at all!5

4How&s that65

4*ardahl and ?essi a are an e am'le of ever%thing that is right about thosewiser than ourselves hoosing a life 'artner for us!5

4Tell me what&s so right about an%one but the man and woman involvedde iding who the% should marr%!5

4The% fell in love, and are ver% ha''% with the results of their mat hma$ing!5

4The% got lu $%!5 she said!

Against the odds! "ut she&d seen for herself how ha''% ?essi a and *ardahla''eared to be! And "eth was trul% ha''% for them! As for wiser men 1 shehad trouble 'utting her father in that ategor%! The man was old and distantand didn&t have a lue what $ind of man would suit Addie! Or "eth, for thatmatter! )a%be he didn&t are! )a%be it was all about 'ower 1 through hisdaughter!

"eth loved her sister more than an%one in the world, and would do an%thing to$ee' her from being hurt! She wanted Addie to find a love li$e *ardahl and?essi a had!

And wasn&t it ironi that "eth was attra ted to )ali$6 Part of her regretted the

fa t that she would never $now if it ould have blossomed into somethingdee'er! The other 'art reminded her that he would rule "ha&*har soon! He wasa 'owerful man, and her worst nightmare!

CHAPTER #I


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It was good to see his brother ha''%, so dee'l% in love and!!! ontent! )ali$ feltthe heartening out ome of this arranged marriage boded well for his own

betrothal! Sin e he would as end the throne when he married "eth theelebration would be on an even grander s ale! A bud of anti i'ation too$ root

and grew inside him 1 something he would not have believed 'ossible forwhat he onsidered no more than a business deal! The reali0ation did not 'leasehim!

7lan ing around the handelier9fit, flower9adorned room, he reali0ed he didnot see his bride9to9be! and wondered where she had gone! After s anningever% orner without su ess, he felt a growing im'atien e to find her!

He wal$ed through the #ren h doors and onto the terra e! -ights from insideilluminated the tile 'atio that gave wa% to sand and eliminated the shadowsalmost down to where small waves la''ed the shore! A full moon $e't dar$nessat ba%, and showed him a lone, slender female standing on the bea h!

4"eth!5 he whis'ered, eager to feel the warmth of her beside him, hear herlaughter and see the s'ar$le of her e%es b% moonlight!

The sand slowed his 'rogress, and as he moved loser it didn&t es a'e hisnoti e that she had removed the silver high9heeled sandals that had turned herlegs into endless tem'tation! Her ling% bla $ satin dress, high9ne $ed andsleeveless, showed .ust enough bare flesh to fuel a man&s fantasies! His a uterea tion to her had nothing to do with the fa t that she was his hosen 1 andhe was not 'arti ularl% 'leased that he felt the wa% he did! These softer feelingsrendered a man vulnerable, and de'endent on the female to whom he wasattra ted! He would not all it love! He would never all it love again! -ove, hehad learned, was a lie, and he refused to let it taint his relationshi' with thewoman who would be his =ueen!

4Here %ou are!5 he said, oming u' behind her!

She turned and did not loo$ ha''% to see him! BI needed some air!5

4Oh65

4The rush of 'eo'le was getting to me!5

The bree0e from the o ean made the urls around her fa e dan e against hers$in, and )ali$&s hands a hed to tou h the strands! He slid his fingers into his

'o $ets and stared at the silver tra $ of moonlight on the water! 4I understand!5

48ou do65

He felt her sur'rise2 she had e 'e ted dissent! 48es! The ro%al famil% is sub.e tto intense s rutin%! Our ever% move is do umented and hroni led the world


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over! Stories about us sell news'a'ers and maga0ines! It is .ust a regrettablefa t of our life!5

4-et me ma$e sure I&m getting this! 8ou&re admitting that there&s a downside tolife in the ro%al fast lane65

4I am!5

43ow,5 she said, sha$ing her head!

43h% do %ou sound so sur'rised65

4"e ause %ou&ve been doing the full ourt 'ress(5

4:efine full ourt 'ress!5

48ou&ve been 'ulling out all the sto's to sell me on this ro%al marriage! 8ou&ve been singing the 'raises of the wise old men mas+uerading as mat hma$ers!I&m $ind of sho $ed that %ou&d admit there&s a flaw in the s%stem!5

4I a'ologi0e if that is the im'ression I have given %ou! Nothing is 'erfe t!Pala e life, while 'leasant for the most 'art, has its downside!D

That was an understatement! In the 'ala e business wing he had felt insulatedfrom the 'r%ing e%es of the world, until a woman had insinuated herself into his

life! He had been foolish and thi $headed enough to lower his guard, and hehad learned a valuable lesson! No matter how safe things seemed, aution wasadvisable, even with the woman hosen b% his own father!

4Is there an%thing else I should $now about 'ala e life65 she as$ed!

4)an% things!5

4Pi $ one!5

He thought for a moment, and it did not ta$e long to hoose .ust one!43ithhold %our trust!5

4That&s ver% %ni al!5

4I have reason to feel this wa%!5

She swung the silver sandals dangling from her fingers as she fa ed him! 48oudon&t seem li$e an unreasonable man so I&m sure %ou do! And don&t loo$ now

but what %ou .ust said su''orts m% negative feelings about this marriage!5


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It was no doubt a flaw in his nature that the more she fought against marr%inghim! the more he loo$ed forward to it!

4And so we are ba $ to this!5 He shoo$ his head but ould not su''ress a smile!48ou are not $ee'ing to our agreement!5

4Not true,5 she retorted! 4I&m here, aren&t I65

Indeed, she was! In all her fresh and harming beaut%! "ut it was not her 'h%si al 'resen e he +uestioned! 48ou ta$e ever% o''ortunit% to 'oint out theun'leasant 'arts of life as a member of the ro%al famil%! To m% wa% of thin$ingthat violates the s'irit of %our 'romise to $ee' an o'en mind!5

8et, in s'ite of her in lination to do this, she stirred something inside him! Itwasn&t sim'l% her beaut% 1 there were man% beautiful women in the world,and he had $nown a good number of them before ommitting to this betrothal!Her intelligen e and humor were a''ealing +ualities, but he&d met smart, funn%females before! So what was it about this one that he found so enti ing6

Perha's it was the ver% thing he +uestioned her about; the fa t that she resistedmarriage to him at ever% turn! This ould be be ause the one who had betra%edhim had flattered and mani'ulated her wa% into his heart and he had not seenwhat she was doing! "eth, on the other hand, made no se ret of her o'inion!She was harmingl% honest and refreshing! And her full li's, soft and alluringin the moonlight, were almost more than he ould resist!

4)% mind is o'en,5 she 'rotested! 4I&m sim'l% ta$ing ever% o''ortunit% todebate the issue!5

4:ebate is all well and good! It is e hilarating! "ut it would be a disservi e forme to not be honest about the drawba $s! And ro%al life does have them!5

She thought about that for several moments! 4Now that %ou mention it, I guessit must be diffi ult to maintain friendshi's in %our 'osition! Peo'le wantsomething from %ou, and %ou never $now whether the% li$e %ou for %ourself orwhat %ou an do for them!5

Truer words were never s'o$en, he thought!

4)ore than the lifest%le restri tions, feigned interest for 'ersonal gain is b% farthe most diffi ult as'e t of ro%al life!5

4:oes this have an%thing to do with what %ou told me about ma$ing a 'oorhoi e in love65 She studied his e 'ression more losel%! 43ow, I thin$ I hit a

bull&s9e%e!5


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She had indeed! The truth of her words tightened and twisted inside him!s ra'ing his nerves raw and reigniting the anger he had thought was gone!4That is not something I wish to dis uss!5

4Are %ou still in love with her65

4Absolutel% not!5 he hotl% denied!

4Hmm! )ethin$s he doth 'rotest too mu h! Should I be .ealous65 she as$ed!

4That is a de ision %ou must ma$e for %ourself!5

48our wife would be .ustified in her .ealous% if %ou married her and %etontinued to arr% on with another woman after the wedding!5

4I&m insulted that %ou would suggest su h a thing!5

43h%6 )en do it all the lime! Es'e iall% 'owerful men who thin$ basi rulesof de en % don&t a''l% to them be ause the% are 'owerful!5

This was not the first time she had said su h a thing! She +uestioned his 'rin i'les, but he wondered if her +ueries s'rang from a 'la e where she stillharbored dee' emotion for the man who had bro$en her heart! The thought

'rodu ed a stab of something that was ommon and distasteful and disturbingl%li$e the .ealous% the% had .ust been dis ussing! He had alread% +uestioned her

and she had denied an% feelings! It was the truth as she $new it! He would tellthe truth as well, and in time she would $now the sin erit% of it!

4She no longer matters to me,5 he said!

E e't in as mu h as he would never forget or forgive being made a fool of!

4Then wh% haven&t %ou $issed me65 "eth&s e%es widened, as if she ould not believe she had s'o$en the thought out loud!

4If %ou believe nothing else, believe this!5 He urved his fingers around heru''er arms and brushed his thumbs over the soft flesh! The blood in his veinsstirred and grew hot as he stared at her mouth, the beautiful tem'ting li's thathad $e't him awa$e nights! 4Sin e the first time we met! I have thought of ver%little besides $issing %ou!5

4"9but %ou haven&t! *issed me, I mean!5 The 'ulse at the base of her throatthrobbed and her voi e was breath% with desire!

Satisfa tion 'oured through )ali$ when he reali0ed that she was affe ted b%

his nearness! 3ords ould be twisted, and were o'en to inter'retation regardingsin erit%! "ut he did not believe she ould feign her bod%&s res'onse to him an%


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more than he ould 'retend his own wasn&t a hing for her He would not givehis heart to an% woman, but! with an im'atien e he had never $nown, hewanted this woman in his bed!

4I have not $issed %ou!5 he agreed, his voi e harsh even to his own ears!

He bent his head and felt her breath tou h his ti's!

Their mouths were a whis'er awa%, but if "eth had taught him an%thing it wasthat denial in reased attra tion! The more she hallenged their betrothal, themore a utel% he wanted her! "ut he wanted her to want him with the sameintensit%! 3hen he finall% $issed her, he wished her to rave it li$e her ne t

breath!

4I will orre t the oversight,5 he said! 4Soon!5

"eth rode beside )ali$ in the town ar and again he&d been m%sterious abouttheir destination! A man who li$ed sur'rises! That made her uneas%! Shewondered what he would show her this time, and struggled to generateenthusiasm instead of feeling so rabb%!

As if the wedding rehearsal and re e'tion, om'lete with media fren0%, hadn&tstrained her emotional reserves enough, she&d held her breath on the bea h,waiting for )ali$ to $iss her! 7lan ing over at him now, in the seat beside her,she sighed! She was still waiting, and the frustration had $e't her awa$e longinto the night! If onl% she&d been able to get the onversation out of her mind!

His brooding loo$ when she&d +uestioned him about love had onvin ed her hestill harbored dee' feelings for a woman! ?ealous% had tri $led through her,followed b% an intense rea tion to give whoever had hurt him a 'ie e of hermind! If that hadn&t onvin ed her she was no longer an im'artial 'la eholderfor her sister then her 'rofound disa''ointment at him not $issing her ertainl%did!

3ith ever% fiber of her being "eth had wanted 1 no, needed ( to feel his li'sagainst her own! 8et he&d held ba $! She ould have heerfull% ho$ed himand a few hours alone hadn&t diminished the heat of the emotion!

3hen he&d arrived at her suite with an invitation to ta$e a drive, she&d almosttold him what he ould do with it! E e't she&d been too ha''% to see him! Andthat was bad! She had no right to be so ha''% about s'ending time in his

om'an%! She also had no hoi e!

So the%&d been driving! And now the elegant ar 'ulled to a sto' in from of asmall, s+uare white stu o house with a flat roof and a tin% %ard lands a'ed

with ro $s to om'lement the desert!


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"eth loo$ed at him! 4Are we there %et65

43e are5

The driver o'ened the door and )ali$ got out, then too$ her hand to assist her!She slid out and loo$ed around! 43here is Bthere&65

4This is %our mother&s house! She is e 'e ting %ou!5

Her ga0e sna''ed to his! 4How did %ou(65

4I have m% wa%s! I am a 'owerful man!5 He grinned!

"eth turned and saw a woman about her own height standing in the o'endoorwa%, staring at her with a ombination of e 'e tation, ho'e and an iet% onher fa e! She was wearing a ream9 olored, a'9sleeved, full9s$irted ottondress that ame to mid9 alf! Her silver9strea$ed dar$ hair was 'arted in the

enter and 'ulled into a $not at her na'e!

)ali$ held out his arm! 48our mother is waiting!5

"eth 'ut her hand into the bend of his elbow, but her legs started to sha$e asthe% wal$ed u' the short sidewal$ and sto''ed in the shade on the front 'or h!

The two women stared at ea h other for several moments, sim'l% stud%ing one

another! Then her mother said, 4"eth!5

Tears burned "eth&s e%es! This woman $new her! Almost instantl% she&d$nown "eth for herself, and hadn&t mista$en her for Addie! Then the %ears ofabandonment flashed through her memor%, and the heat of anger dried u' hertears!

4Hello, )other!5 There was an aw$ward moment when she saw the woman lifther arms for a hug but "eth stood still, not moving into them!

4Please ome in!5 her mother said, hurt flashing in her dar$ e%es as she stoodaside to let them enter! 4I am Sameera #arrah! 8our Highness,5 she introdu edherself!

He shoo$ her hand! 4It is a 'leasure to meet m% fian e&s mother!5

"eth went old as she met her mother&s sur'rised ga0e! This woman re ogni0edher as "eth, and she $new whi h of the twins was betrothed to the CrownPrin e! "eth shoo$ her head, a small warning movement, and om'rehensionflashed in the other woman&s e%es!

4)a% I offer %ou some refreshment65


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4Than$ %ou no I annot sta%!5 He met "eth&s ga0e! 4I sim'l% wished to fulfillm% 'romise and sur'rise %ou!5

4)ission a om'lished,5 "eth said with a sha$% laugh!

4I will leave %ou now, so that %ou an tal$ 'rivatel%! The ar will return andwait to ta$e %ou ba $ to the 'ala e!5

3hat a sweet, thoughtful and nearl% atastro'hi gesture! "eth lifted her armsto hug him! 4Than$ %ou5

He 'ressed her lose! 48ou are most wel ome!5

His ga0e held hers for a long moment, then he was gone!

"eth savored the ool air against her hot hee$s as she glan ed around thesmall room and noted the wood floor! white sofa and glass9to''ed offee table!3hen she ould no longer avoid it she loo$ed at her mother!

43ould %ou are for a old drin$65 She shoo$ her head and Sameera held outher arm! 4Then let us sit!5

4O$a%!5 "eth gratefull%

Sheik s Contract Bride

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Transcript of Sheik s Contract Bride