by Mel Teshco
Khalid paced across the drawing room. There was less than two years between him and Rafi, and they had always been close. Besides his mother, if there was anyone in this world who would back him without a second’s hesitation, Khalid knew it was Rafi.
His brother would support Khalid’s decision in this. Something he knew his beloved mother most likely would not.
“I have.” He leaned against the wall and stared through the stately French doors, which gave a breathtaking bird’s eye view of a local park. “It’s imperative the princess is found quickly and without any hint of scandal. This marriage must take place as soon as possible to seal the alliance with Qtara, before I can take the woman I desire as my bride.”
The silence from his brother was ominous. Not that Khalid could think why his brother should disapprove of the arrangement. While it might not have been something he had ever contemplated doing, it was the only possible answer to this situation.
Sanura might not think it ideal but she would do as he bid. At least she and the princess were friends. There wouldn’t be the strained relationship between them, as there had between his mother and his father’s first wife.
“You intend to take a second wife?” Rafi’s voice was even but Khalid knew his brother too well not to recognize the tightly coiled anger that seethed beneath the words. Khalid frowned. Why the hell was his brother angry? “Before you have even tasted your first?”
Khalid dragged his hand through his hair. He hadn’t expected an interrogation about his plans. Not from Rafi. “We both know the marriage with the princess is non-negotiable. And so is my intention to make Sanura my wife.”
“I have never heard of this woman. What do we know of her?”
Khalid gritted his teeth. He knew Rafi was only thinking of the safety of the family, and after recent events they were all on edge. But there was something in his brother’s tone that rubbed him the wrong way.
“I know enough. There’s no need for you to investigate her. Finding the princess before her father discovers her disobedience is imperative.” The princess might have run from her destiny and in a way Khalid couldn’t blame her. But he knew her father would take it as a personal insult. The last thing he wanted was for Maysarah to suffer her father’s wrath over this.
“Very well.” Rafi’s tone was clipped. “Leave it with me.”
*
Khalid was dressed and waiting for her when Sanura emerged from the bedroom. She was wearing the dress he had instructed one of his aides to acquire for her. It was ice-blue, to match her eyes, and suited her coloring perfectly.
“Thank you for the dress.” She twirled in front of him on bare feet, and her glossy hair tumbled over her shoulders. His cock stirred as he remembered the feel of her hair beneath his fingers as he had thrust into her during the night.
He smothered a groan of need. She hadn’t eaten any breakfast. She had to be famished.
“It’s my pleasure.” He was relieved she hadn’t mentioned the ring. That was specifically for the heiress of Qtara. He would find Sanura another from the crown jewels. “Come. Join me on the balcony.”
He took her hand and led her through the open French doors onto the expansive balcony that wrapped around his suite. On a table set for two was a pot of steaming coffee and delicacies to tempt the most delicate of palates.
As she sat and admired the view, he admired her profile. She hadn’t been born to the role, but she would make a magnificent consort. And, since by virtue of politics she wouldn’t be his first wife, she would be free to continue with her art in a far less restricted manner than if she had been the princess.
She turned and caught him staring and an enchanting blush highlighted her cheeks. But she didn’t drop her gaze. Instead she smiled at him, and something twisted deep in his chest.
“So, Khalid.” She said his name as though she were tasting the sound of it. “When you said last night you had followed in the family business I thought you meant the hotel business. But you’re the Sheikh of Omana.”
“My eldest brother is now the Sheikh of Omana,” he corrected her, as he poured her a coffee. “Rafi and I rule over the western and southern provinces, as ordained by our father. But you’re right about the hotel business.”
She looked enthralled. “The hotel does belong to you?”
“Le Sauveterre chain of hotels has been in my mother’s family for generations. She passed her inheritance onto me on my twenty-first birthday. But,” he hesitated, unsure whether to continue. It wasn’t something he ever spoke about to women he slept with.
But Sanura wasn’t simply a woman he had slept with. She was going to be his wife. And not because she had to. Because she wanted to.
“But?” she prompted.
“I can’t devote enough time to the hotels as I would wish. It’s always been my dream to build one in the south of Omana. The country is beautiful and ripe for an added influx of tourism.”
“But surely you could do that? It’s not as though you’d have to build the hotel yourself.”
If not for the fact he had to marry Maysarah, he would’ve pursued his dream already. But marriage to the Princess of Qtara carried more responsibility than simply siring heirs. It had always been understood he would become an integral part of Qtara’s political inner circle.
And with recent events the stakes had become significantly higher. If El Habib did not produce a male heir with his second wife, then upon his death Qtara would pass to Khalid, through Maysarah.
It didn’t matter how much he wanted a flagship hotel in the beloved country of his birth. The Qtara ministers, entrenched in their old, familiar ways, would frown on such a show of Western commercialism. Things would be fraught enough by him simply entering their elite ranks, without adding more fuel to their distrust. That was doubly so if he needed to take on the mantle of Sheikh of Qtara.
“If only it were that simple, Sanura. But as always, duty must come first.”
“That seems very unfair. There must be a way for you to do both.”
He couldn’t see how. But he was oddly touched by Sanura’s words. “Maybe,” he conceded, even knowing it was nothing but a pipedream. “Stranger things have happened.” Including meeting this woman sitting opposite him.
She drew in a sudden breath. “I must call my aunt. She was expecting me back this morning, and my phone is dead. Can I use yours?”
“Of course. And I should like to meet your aunt before we leave London.”
“Well, I’m sure you will.” Sanura picked up her cup. “After all, we won’t be leaving London until after my exhibition, will we?”
Fortunately she didn’t appear to expect an answer, which was just as well. Since they would be leaving for Omana at the earliest opportunity.
Chapter Ten
It was almost midnight before they returned to the hotel. After phoning her aunt that morning, Andre had swept Sanura into a shopping spree that she had never before imagined.
She’d lost count of the times she’d told him to stop. Every time she did, it spurred him on to spend yet more money on her. Talk about feeling like Cinderella.
Except tonight when the clock struck twelve, her life wouldn’t turn back into a pumpkin.
After buying enough designer clothes to last for the rest of her life, Andre had taken her for an intimate dinner, and then onto the theatre to watch the latest hit sensation. She ought to be exhausted, but anticipation bubbled through her veins at the thought of the night ahead.
As they entered his suite she kicked off her shoes and sighed. He tugged her into his arms and smiled down at her.
“Tomorrow we will visit your aunt before we leave for Omana.”
She blinked up at him. “We can’t leave tomorrow. I have to finish my final piece for the exhibition.”
“I will have your entire studio transported and installed in my palace. Anything you desire, you simply need to ask and it shall be yours.”
She pulled back, frowning. “I don’t want my stu
dio transported anywhere. At least not until after the exhibition. And even then I need to supervise it.” The thought of anyone else packing up her precious artwork made her feel ill.
“This exhibition means a lot to you?”
“Of course it does. It’s an amazing chance to get my work in front of potential clients. It’s not just a case of selling my work already there. I could pick up commissions.”
A frown clouded his aristocratic face. “As my wife, you will have no need to pick up commissions.” He said the last words as though they carried a foul smell. “You can follow your passion as much as you wish, but it would not be seemly for you to then sell your paintings.”
She gripped his hands and peered up into his face. This was so important to her. She had to make him understand her art wasn’t simply a hobby, something she did to pass the time.
It was a part of her.
“I need the validation,” she said softly. “I’ve worked so hard to get this far, Andre.” Khalid. She kept forgetting to call him that, but he never appeared to mind. And the truth was in her heart he would always be Andre to her. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. To know other people—complete strangers—admire my work, love it even—it just makes it all worthwhile.”
His frown faded. “I would never wish to make you unhappy. If this exhibition means so much to you, then I’ll delay our return to Omana. And perhaps we can work something out when it comes to your… commissions.”
He still didn’t sound sure about that, but at least he was no longer downright against the idea.
“Would you like to see my work?” She could take him to the gallery and give him a preview of her collection.
“Most certainly, since it appears to be a rival for my future wife’s affections.”
She laughed. She still couldn’t quite believe this exotic man—a Sheikh, no less—wanted to marry her.
Which reminded her. She had yet to call May and let her know. The day had been so surreal she’d forgotten, but then again the time difference between London and Australia didn’t help.
Sanura knew that was just an excuse. The truth was she was afraid of telling her best friend, in case May violently disapproved of the situation. What would Sanura do then?
“What’s the matter?” Andre pulled her hands against his heart. She’d never known anyone so attuned to her feelings before. She hadn’t even realized her thoughts had shown on her face but obviously they had. And he had noticed.
She didn’t want to talk about May. But this man was going to be her husband. They shouldn’t have secrets from each other. And although she still had no intention of telling him where May was, it wasn’t as though that mattered any more.
Andre no longer intended to make May fulfill the terms of that barbaric betrothal.
“I’m just thinking about how May’s going to take this.” She held her breath, waiting for Andre’s response. But he didn’t look irritated that she had reminded him of the reason he had turned up at her house in the first place. Instead he sighed heavily, as though the situation pained him.
“She knows her duty as well as I. But I’m sure we can come to an amicable arrangement, once she’s found.”
Sanura tied to make sense of his words, but couldn’t figure out what they had to do with how May might feel about her best friend marrying her ex-fiancé. What did duty have to do with it?
But that wasn’t her most pressing concern. “You aren’t trying to find her, are you?” Why would he do that? There was no point now, was there?
For an answer, he slid her light summer jacket off her shoulders and tossed it onto the floor. His fingers caressed her arms and a delicate shiver raced over her skin. He was trying to distract her. It wouldn’t take much. But the question was—why was he trying to distract her?
“Don’t think about the princess.” His whisper was dangerously persuasive as he cradled her face is a possessive manner. “You’re the woman I want. The only woman I’ll ever want. Maysarah will never come between us.”
She froze, her fingers tangled in his hair although she couldn’t remember winding her arms around his neck. “Why would May ever come between us? She’s never wanted to marry you. I can’t see that she’d care if I do.” Please don’t let her care.
His lips claimed hers, in a kiss that stole her senses and conquered her doubts. Her fears were ungrounded. All that mattered was this man in her arms. She surrendered to him; his hard body crushed against hers, and didn’t protest when he eased the filmy fabric of her dress over her shoulders.
With a sensual whisper her dress pooled at her feet. Andre pulled back, just enough to run his hot gaze over her semi-naked body. “I know. But until she is found, you and I can’t marry. And I am impatient to make you mine in the eyes of the world.”
He undid her bra and tossed it onto the floor. Her nipples hardened and need quivered between her thighs. But even as he dragged his thumbs over her sensitive peaks, disquiet floated at the edge of her mind.
It wasn’t his archaic determination to show the world she belonged to him. If she was honest she found that kind of exciting.
No. It was his other careless comment that gnawed into her with a deepening sense of dread.
“Why can’t we marry until May is found?”
For answer he bent his head and sucked her nipple into his mouth. She gasped and arched into him, burying her hands in his hair. His mouth was hot and wet, and desire arrowed from her breast to her core.
He held her tight, one hand splayed against her back while his other slid beneath her French knickers and clasped her bottom. She shuddered, and her thoughts splintered as sensation consumed her.
But in the back of her mind the shard of unease refused to die.
“Andre?” It was a breathy entreaty, but whether she wanted him to continue to seduce her out of her mind, or answer her question, she had no idea. He abandoned her nipple and trailed kisses along the curve of her breast until he reached her shoulder. Then he looked at her, and the savage lust in his eyes caused her breath to stall in her throat.
“Because of our contract.” His voice was raw, and he pinned her pliant body against his. His erection burned her through the fabric of his clothes and she shifted against him, desperate to once again feel him inside her.
“You need to see May before you can cancel the marriage contract?” It was a wild guess, and she barely knew what she said in any case. Why was she questioning him, when all she wanted was for him to make love to her the way he had during the night? What else mattered?
His teeth nipped her neck. It was shocking and wonderful and she dug her fingers into his shoulders to stop herself from collapsing onto the floor.
“Not to cancel. To fulfill its terms.” He sucked her flesh and then kissed her tenderly, and a maelstrom of sensation collided in her breast and pussy, making it hard to understand what he was talking about.
“What?” She dragged the word from the depths of her being, and wrapped her arms around Andre’s neck as he swept her into his arms and marched toward the bedroom.
He laid her on the bed and tore off his clothes, without taking his blazing gaze from her. Mesmerized she stared at his broad, bronzed chest as he flung his shirt across the room. And when he kicked off his shoes and pants, her fascinated gaze riveted on his glorious cock.
Despite spending last night together, she hadn’t actually seen that part of him that had given her such intense pleasure. But now he stood before her, a dark prince from her most secret dreams, and he was magnificent.
“I am yours, Sanura.” He came to the bed and straddled her, and still she couldn’t drag her besotted gaze from his erection. Tentatively she reached out and trailed a finger along his length. He was hot, so hard, and his big body shook as though her touch drove him to the edge of his control.
“Yes,” she whispered. But she had no idea what they were talking about. She could barely remember her own name.
He grasped her wrist and pushed her hand more
securely against his cock. “This is what I want. But before we can be together, Maysarah and I must make our alliance official.”
Her heart thundered in her chest and blood pounded against her temples. She had misunderstood. He couldn’t mean what she thought he meant.
“Official?” Her voice was a croak and her fingers unintentionally curled around his massive cock. He felt so good. Her mind was scrambled. She didn’t know what she was thinking, much less what she was doing. His heat burned her palm, and his strangled groan vibrated along the length of her body.
“I won’t ask you where she is.” His voice rasped in the heated air. “But she will be found. It’s inevitable. I’ll honor her and give her anything she desires but never forget you are the one I freely choose.”
Her fingers sprung open and she pushed against his tautly muscled chest. “You’re going to marry her?”
He bore down upon her. Her strength was nothing compared to his. When he was mere inches from her face he paused, his uneven breath mingling with hers. She wanted to look away, but was trapped by the hypnotic beauty of his passion-filled eyes.
“It’s politics, Sanura. Our two countries must be seen to be united. And with the recent events it’s more essential than ever.”
She opened her mouth, but could think of nothing to say. Because… he still intended to marry May? After everything he had said to her since this morning?
Pain lanced through her, freeing her shocked paralysis. “You never had any intention of marrying me, did you?” Why had he lied to her? She hadn’t expected anything from him. But he had spun a glittering web of deceit around her, and not only had she fallen, she had allowed herself to dream of a magical future with him.
For a second he looked as though he didn’t know what she meant. Then he speared his fingers through her hair, pinning her against the pillow, while his other hand tortured her body with sensual caresses.
“Of course I did. Don’t be foolish.”
She dug her fingernails into his rock hard biceps. It was hard to focus on her anger when treacherous desire rippled through her body with every ragged breath she took.