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Chapter 16
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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
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 20
And the skin covering the muscles she could see shaping his body wore a sheen that made her think of suntan oil, though she knew the effect was due to his own natural oils conditioning his skin while he slept.Her husband, she thought, trying the title out to see how it felt, and still finding the concept as alien to her as having the two of them lying here together in this bed."Grey," a deep, dark, slumberously warm voice murmured.Charley started, her eyes leaping up to his face. He was awake. She tensed, her fingers gripping the duvet. She would have dived right out of bed if she weren’t aware that she was wearing the sheerest leaf green bra ever fashioned and matching panties that made a mockery of the name."Sexy soft smoky gray—no, don’t move away," he said when she went to do just that, and with a lithe shift of his body, he rolled onto his side and propped his head on the heel of his hand so he could look down into her wary face and the scented fire flow of her hair where it
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 21
With a softly uttered, tense expletive, he came back to her mouth, his hand sliding beneath her to draw her up against him. The next thing she knew, the clasp of her bra had sprung free, and he was lying her back against the pillows again, and the scrappy bit of mesh was being trailed away."You are exquisite," she heard him rasp through the hazy mists of her ravaged senses.Then he was taking her mouth once again, crushing the pulsing softness of her lips and dipping deep and hungrily with his tongue at the same time that his hand closed around her breast again, naked now and so alive to his touch that she cried out in half protest, half sense spinning pleasure, and grabbed blindly at his head, her fingers clawing into the glossy thickness of his hair.He kneaded and shaped and kissed her breathless. She could feel the tremors attacking him, the fevered flush of his body, and the tension in him. She trapped his groan with her tongue when he pressed the distended tightness of her nipp
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 22
Snatching up her skirt and shimmying into it, she finally felt brave enough to turn around. He was standing on the other side of the bed, with the bulkhead almost touching his broad shoulders. And he was still so boldly naked that she wished her ravished senses would just curl up and die. The soft light from the bedside lamp played across the flexing muscles in his shoulders as he pulled on his trousers, the taut clench of his stomach, and his hair-roughened chest.Dragging her eyes away from him, she missed the way he lowered his own eyes to the burgeoning fullness of her breasts, moulded by fine knit fabric so the tight peaks of her nipples pushed against the cloth."I’m not going to apologize for calling a stop to what you said was not going to happen," she tossed back her hair and said.He hooded his eyes and brought the old cold cynicism back with a vengeance. Bending down towards the bed, he picked up something. ‘Here…’ He tossed it at her. "You had better put this on before you
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 23
If Charley said it to shock Dami out of his cool composure, then she certainly succeeded, she saw, as burning dark color swept across his high golden cheekbones and he launched to his feet, sending paperwork scattering as he accidentally knocked against the table."Is that your idea of a damn joke?" His eyes flashed out a blaze of blistering fury that made her reach for and pull up the blanket."I just thought I should mention it before things go too heated again," she explained, blushing herself because now that she’d said it she felt silly and stupid and—"A virgin," he snapped out from between his clenched teeth. "Where in hell did you get the idea to throw something like that at me from out of nowhere?""Well, what would you have preferred me to do?" Charley reacted hotly. Have it written into that stupid prenuptial contract so you could take your time getting used to the idea?He was pale with anger now, not flushed. "We just almost made love.""No, I stopped it," she reminded hi
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 24
A swarm of staff came out to meet the vehicle. Doors were opened for them, and the still heat of the night became filled with warm smiles and even warmer congratulations that included hugs and happiness on their behalf until Dami gave the order for it to stop.The house itself looked as if it had been transported here right off the set of a period movie. Charley could almost see the ladies in crinolines gliding out onto the front porch.She could hear and smell the ocean though she couldn’t see it, and the heavy scent of tropical jasmine hung like a drug in the air.‘Come,’ Dami said, making another one of those small hesitations, then rested an arm about her shoulders—for the comfort of the staff, Charley realized, and didn’t push him away.But those hesitations were beginning to speak volumes. He didn’t want to touch her. Her silly confession about her lack of sexual experience had given him the biggest turn-off of his life. Now a wall was up and the detached cool was back, and it s
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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
