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Chapter 11
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MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 12
Charley gaped. "Who told you my sex life was—?""Adelina, who else?"Her best friend, Adelina, had said that about her—to him?"She gave you two different lovers, neither of whom lasted beyond the first venture between the sheets." "Englishmen, of course," he said, "with a fumbling lack of finesse.""And you think speaking to me like this shows finesse?" The heat of dismay and the sharp sting of hurt were crawling all over her. She had never felt so let down by Adelina in their ten-year friendship! How dared she speak to him about Charley’s personal life—how dared she tell such wicked lies about it? "Well, I don’t," she said grimly. "And I am not going to listen to any more of it."She turned once again to leave.But that relentlessly cool voice was not going to let her go. "Marry me next week and I will bail your father out of debt, pay off his loan, and send in my own team of experts to help oversee the recovery of his company," it continued, bringing her to yet another quivering st
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 13
"What a joke!" She laughed loudly. "Why do you think they delegated the job of coming here to me?"Surprise momentarily lit his golden eyes up. "So they’re scared." "Good, that works in our favor.""Will you stop talking as if this has anything to do with me when it doesn’t?" Charley choked. "I’m just the pawn here you’re using to salve your wounded arrogance!""Pawns are very powerful pieces on the chessboard.""Oh, shut up!" She flared up. ‘Have you no idea how infuriating it is that you have a slick answer to everything?’‘Seemingly not.’ A hint of a wry smile touched the corners of his mouth. "I will try to curb the habit," he offered.Pulling in a deep breath, Charley let it out again. "Now can I go?" she repeated.Reaching out for the telephone sitting on his desk, he stabbed in a set of numbers, then began shedding instructions in Italian to whoever was listening on the other end while Charley listened and wished to God that she didn’t find the rich, smooth tones in his voice s
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 14
"I’m a marriage wrecker," she informed the root of her character assassination via the telephone while she paced angrily up and down in front of his desk. She was speaking to Dami via the phone because after he walked out of here three days ago, he had left the villa altogether and had not bothered to come back. Charles is the saving knight on the white charger. Adelina is the betrayed damsel he saved. And you,’ she told him, "are the absolute epitome of man’s idea of a man." big enough to acknowledge your mistake in your choice of bride and arrogant enough to grab the one you decided you wanted instead!He laughed. Charley wanted to fly at him in a rage, but he wasn’t here, and what difference would it make if he were? She would still have all the bad things people were saying about her, and..."When you said I would be the one to carry the can, you really meant it," she whispered."Once the fuss has died down, you will become the envy of every woman out there, trust me," he said."B
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 15
He took them in his long, brown fingers and then calmly dropped them on the floor. The next thing she knew, she was locked in his arms. Her shocked exclamation earned her nothing but the fierce pressure of his mouth and the hot, hard, probing thrust of his tongue. In the dim distant swell of her own pounding heartbeat, she was aware of the hunger he fed into that kiss and the tension locked into his hard-muscled frame. One of his hands took a rough hold of her hair, while the other was a clamp on her hip that kept her pressed tightly up against him.And if she had never experienced the full force of a man’s passion before, then she was learning all about it now. He kissed her deeply until she whimpered, letting her feel the growing power of his desire. He muttered something when she trembled against him, then he swung her off her feet and carried her to the bed."Don’t," she choked out when he lowered her down there and looked as if he was going to follow.But he didn’t follow. He sto
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 16
The next thing Charley became aware of was stepping out of the church into brilliant sunlight and a cacophony of sound. Cameras flashed, her heart fluttered into sudden panic, and the man standing beside her drew her closer to his side. Two rows of dark-suited security men formed a barrier to hold back the curious onlookers, and Dami hurried her down through this corridor of safety to a waiting limousine, his arm not leaving contact with her until he had seen her safely shut behind the car door.The car sped off the moment he’d settled beside her. The hazy glaze lifted from her eyes. Silence stung. It was over. She’d done it. She’d married her best friend’s fiancé. The air sounded choked as it left her lungs."So you do remember how to breathe," Dami’s quietly sardonic voice said beside her."It seems so," Charley thought without attempting to offer a reply.Instead, she looked down at her hand, where a traditional gold band now adorned her slender white finger. Across the gap separat
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 17
The car slowed then, sending her eyes to the side window to see that they’d arrived back at the villa without her noticing. Her biggest surprise was that she hadn’t known there was a different way into the villa than via the lake. Now a huge pair of heavy iron gates were in the process of swinging open. The car glided through them and on through extensive gardens to pull to a smooth halt beneath a covered portico at the side of the house.She hadn’t dared to come outside while she’d been staying here because she hadn’t wanted any members of the press to snatch a picture of her from their siege position on the lake. But glancing towards the lake now as Dami helped her alight from the car, she was stunned to see that it was no longer there! All view of the lake had been totally blocked by a wall of sturdy white canvas that had been erected along the cliff edge—she assumed to frustrate greedy camera lenses from taking pictures of the wedding celebration about to take place.The whole cel
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 18
Oh, please don’t, Charley thought helplessly, so horrified that Dami was intending to take this romantic stuff that far that her lips came together with a snap to stop the groaned protest from slipping out.But the protest glowed in her eyes as she came back downstairs dressed in a soft green wraparound dress that clung lovingly to her figure and swirled around her knees.Dami was already waiting at the bottom of the stairs for her. He had changed too, into a soft coffee-colored linen suit and a simple tee shirt that made him look cool and casual and superbly stylish—and just too darn sexy to be fair.He looked up at her, and something flared in his eyes that made her steps falter as her heart gave a fluttering stir. Then the expression was gone, and he was holding out a hand in a silent command for her to continue down the rest of the stairs.When she came close enough, he took hold of her hand and drew her towards him. His lips arrived at her temple; she felt the heat from his body
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 19
He was lounging in the seat beside her, the absolute epitome of casual nonchalance, but Charley saw the tension around his mouth."Why?" she breathed.His golden eyes flickered over her. "He upset you."He upset her, "He’s my father," she snapped out. "He’s allowed to upset me!""I am your husband," he countered. "I am allowed to remove all upset from your life."Charley threw him a look of burning dislike. "You upset me." Does that mean you’re going to remove yourself from my presence?"Not while we are flying at ten thousand feet." He grinned—then stopped grinning and sighed instead. "Stop spitting hatred at me, Charlotte, and explain to me why your father believes he can treat you the way that he did today."So she told him about her mother in a cool, flat, dignified voice, unaware that he watched every fleeting expression that passed across her face because she refused to look at him as she talked."So you see," she concluded, "he sees his worst fears for me materializing in our w
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MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 440
He moved suddenly, turned to her, and gripped her arms; she glimpsed the desperation in his eyes as he dragged her against his chest. "I will do whatever it takes to win you back, Kalila." "You are my wife, the love of my life, and I won’t let you go." His warm breath fanning the curls that framed her face, he pressed his lips to her temple, his eyes briefly closing as if in pain."I have told my father to name his brother Sulim as the interim ruler of Qubbah in the event of his dying before Hazem comes of age." Kate stared at him, shocked beyond words. "But... but why?" she finally stumbled.I thought that you were to rule until Hazem was older. "You are the King’s only son, and it is your duty." Ahsan shook his head. "My first duty is to my wife, and my father agrees." Even if he did not, I would still be here for you."Don't you understand, Kalila?" he asked urgently. "You are more important to me than Qubbah, my father, everything." You, me, and Hazem are a family, and the only thin
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 439
The still silence in the garden that followed his astounding statement was broken by the piercingly sweet song of a blackbird. Kate licked her suddenly dry lips, her heart beating so fast she was sure it would explode. "I don’t understand.""It’s quite simple." He sounded impatient and stared at her haughtily. But to her amazement, streaks of dull color highlighted his cheekbones, and his eyes veered from hers as if he were afraid to meet her gaze. "I love you, Kate."Her rebuttal was fierce and immediate. "No, you don’t.""I should have known you would want to argue about it, Kalila." A little of his tension left him, and his smile stole her breath."You don’t love me," she said again. It was probably some cruel trick, and she had more sense than to be fooled. "You married me for Hazem." You love Farrah. Malika said so.Malika said a lot of things, most of them untrue. Ahsan’s voice was suddenly harsh."But not the things she said about me," Kate said thickly. "My mother was a prosti
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 438
The blue sky was dotted with cotton wool clouds, and the warm breeze carried a scent of lavender and old-fashioned roses. There was no place on earth more beautiful than Ingledean on a spring day, Kate mused—except an oasis in the middle of the desert, where palm trees provided shade from the scorching sun and an azure pool glinted beneath a cloudless sky.She had been home for a month—although Ingledean no longer felt like home without Hazem. The image of his huge brown eyes and impish smile caused the familiar agonizing pain in her chest, and she bit down hard on her lip, tasted blood, and cursed the tears that slid unchecked down her face. She couldn’t cry forever. Somehow she was going to have to find the strength to move on, pick up the threads of her life, or maybe make a new one, far away from Ingledean and all its memories. But since she had left Qubbah, a terrible lassitude had settled on her, and she could not plan anything when the only two people she loved were far away on
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 437
In less than an hour, she was expected to attend the lavish dinner organized in honor of King Kabir’s recovery and his return as supreme ruler of Qubbah. And somehow she was going to have to do so without revealing that she was breaking up inside, which Kate acknowledged despairingly as she stared in the mirror at her paper-white face and red-rimmed eyes.When she first returned to the palace after her explosive confrontation with Malika, she locked herself in her dressing room and recalled, in stunned disbelief, everything the young Arab woman had told her. Could it be true? Had Ahsan always intended to divorce her once he’d gained custody of Hazem and marry his beautiful advisor?She did not know how long she’d sat there, but eventually her maid had knocked on the door and reminded her that it was time to prepare for the banquet. She should have made the excuse that she was ill—no one who saw her pallor would fail to believe her. But the steely backbone of pride that had seen her th
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 436
Despite the warmth of the early-evening sunshine, Kate shivered. "You’re talking nonsense," she said firmly, striving to sound confident despite the sudden lurch of her heart. She was perfectly aware of why Ahsan had married her, but he had given no hint that he wanted a divorce. Ahsan told me he was never engaged to you. She lifted her chin and glared at Malika, trying to ignore the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach."He wasn’t," Malika agreed, looking surprised. "I was engaged to Farhan; Ahsan was engaged to Farrah."The world seemed to tilt alarmingly for a few seconds, and Kate actually gripped the edge of the wall for support. Ahsan and Farrah! It couldn’t possibly be true, could it? "Jamila told me that Ahsan was in love with his fiancée," she said faintly. "She doesn’t know why the marriage didn’t take place."Malika gave a careless shrug. ‘Jamila knows. Everyone at the palace knows that Ahsan adored Farrah and that she eloped with his brother on the eve of their wedding.
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 435
He was suddenly aware that the children had finished their dance and everyone was waiting for his response. Kate had turned her head to him, frowning at his inattention, and he quickly clapped his hands in applause. Once the dancers had filed out of the marquee, his personal assistant Zaid appeared at his side and informed him that a group of local potters had brought their best work for his gracious inspection. Stifling a sigh, he led the royal party out into the blazing sunshine.The garden party continued all afternoon, and Ahsan was not in the best of moods when he strode back to the palace. He suddenly realized that he was too far ahead and slowed his pace, waiting for Kate to catch up with him. He frowned when he noted how pale she looked beneath her wide-brimmed hat. She made no attempt to speed up, and the dejected droop of her shoulders fueled his impatience."I appreciate that an afternoon spent admiring traditional crafts and customs is not likely to top your list of exciti
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 434
Her feet briefly touched the floor, and he spun her around, tugged her zip down her spine, and removed her dress before she had time to catch her breath. Her bra went the same way before he lifted her again and threw her onto the bed as if she were a rag doll, his eyes glittering with a mixture of anger and sexual hunger that made Kate’s stomach dip."At night, I’m happy to give you all the attention you could possibly want," he growled, his shoes, trousers, and shirt hitting the floor with barely controlled savagery until he stood in his silk boxers. "This is the only bed you’ll ever sleep in." The boxers joined the rest of his clothes, revealing his powerful, unashamedly aroused body in all its glory. "But I wouldn’t bank on sleeping for many hours yet."Kate stared up at him, her breath coming in shallow gasps as she struggled to control the wild excitement that was pounding through her veins. She was conscious that she was wearing nothing but a pair of tiny lace pants and the pric
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 433
Clearly embarrassed, Aaliyah determinedly changed the subject to Hazem and how fast he was growing. But although Kate smiled and made token conversation, her mind was whirling. If Malika’s family had expected her to marry Ahsan, was she the woman he had been engaged to years ago—the woman Jamila had said he had loved? But, if so, why had they not married? It didn’t make sense, and she brooded miserably as she stared at Ahsan. He was smiling at Malika and clearly enjoying her company. Perhaps they had argued and broken off their engagement. Was he now regretting his lost chance to marry a beautiful, clever Arab girl who would have made him the perfect wife?From that moment on, the party became a blur of faces and stilted conversation with people she had never met before. She was sure they viewed her as an oddity, with her pale skin and vivid hair—and her glaring lack of sophistication. But until his father had recovered, Ahsan was king, and one of her wifely duties outside of the bedr
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 432
As Ahsan had predicted, his team of advisors was waiting for him when they arrived back at the palace. Even on the journey across the desert, he’d had his mobile phone clamped to his ear, and Kate had sat silently beside him, lost in her thoughts. The honeymoon was over, and he had made it abundantly clear that he now saw her role as his wife as a walk-on part—or perhaps a lie-down part, she thought bitterly. But what had she expected? She had married him for Hazem, and he had married her for sex, and they had each gotten what they wanted.At least she had Hazem, she told herself later that evening, when she tucked the toddler into bed. She had missed him desperately, and his evident delight that she was back was a comforting balm to her raw emotions. She was Ahsan’s wife, a member of the Royal Family of Qubbah, and no one could ever take him away from her now.But as she prepared for the state banquet, her insecurities returned, and she felt sick with nerves. She had been horrified w
