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Chapter 24
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2024-10-29 19:42:56
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Ten minutes later, she walked back into the bedroom, wryly unsurprised to find that the maids had been in and finished the unpacking while she’d been showering.Wrapped in one of the toweling bathrobes she’d found hanging behind the door, she rubbed at her wet hair with a towel as she wandered over to the window to look out. On impulse, she tried the handle and found that the window was unlocked. Pushing it open showed her a bleach-boarded veranda with white slatted rails. The wood was warm beneath her bare feet as she stepped onto it; the heat of the night was kind of soothing, and she stood leaning lightly against the rail and rubbing her hair while she tried to make out what the view in front of her was like.It was truly pitch-dark out there, but she caught the frothing white roll of a wave as it came into shore. It wasn’t far away—perhaps a few hundred yards at most. And as her eyes grew more used to the darkness, she managed to make out the shape of a white-painted gazebo not fa
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So, on a deep breath that pulled in a bit of a shake, she reached out for the bowl of pasta and spooned a few helpings onto his plate, then did the same for her own. Dami produced a bottle of champagne from an ice bucket set by his chair and popped the cork.‘More pre-planning?’ Charley mocked.He just sent her a brief smile as he poured frothing foam into two crystal flutes. "You don’t touch this until you have eaten some pasta," he instructed.Charley uttered a small laugh. "You sound like my father."He stiffened. "That was not my intention."Staring at the carved lines on his face, she realized that she’d touched that raw nerve again in this man with nerves made of steel.He didn’t like to be compared with her father, she realized. It offended him. Nor did he always recognize a tease.and he didn’t like virgins.The supper continued in near silence after that, his withdrawal from the sparring arena as obvious as the stern expression he wore on his face. And Charley had killed her
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 27
So the tense curse that left his chest meant nothing to her until he used the superior strength in his arms to bring her tumbling halfway back down to earth."I said slowly," he hissed at her. "I will not ravish you, Charlotte."But she didn’t know the difference between fast and slow. Her own wild senses were ruling her actions; the sweet, tight pulse of desire was controlling the pace. The fingers she sent spearing into his neck so she could bring his mouth back to hers were fierce and urgent. "I want to be ravished," she whispered to him.His kiss-heated lips twisted into a grim smile. "You don’t understand the concept, and I will not give you an excuse to accuse me of ravishing you once it is done and your conscience decides to torment you."Her eyes widened in protest. "I wouldn't do that.""You would," he insisted. "You want me, but you don’t want to want me; you have simply allowed yourself to forget that." In fact,’ he added, sending a sardonic gleam to her liquid green eyes,
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 28
Then it was there. His hands cupped her bottom to lift her, and he made that first smooth, blinding thrust with his hips. Her body throbbed and stretched to accommodate him; she felt him like a burning shaft of fire in the innocence of her sheath. Her breath caught, her fingers dug into his shoulders, and sensation poured in a swirling wave of fear and anticipation down the pulsing length of where they had joined."You are sure you want this?" he husked at her.The fact that he’d even asked the question after so much pulsing, macho male dominance made tears sting the back of her throat. The point surely was—did he want it?Charley nodded, her mouth just a breath away from his, her eyes clinging dark and vulnerable and helplessly needy to his. It was his eyes that closed when he made that final invasion, his mouth that quivered tautly as she tried to choke back a cry of pain. It was his hands that trembled as he pushed the hair away from her face, then kissed it in soft, soothing touch
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 29
Charley drifted asleep in the warm cocoon of his arms and awoke late the next morning to find an empty place beside her in the bed. In a way, it was a relief. No awkward moments having to face him while her defenses were down; no stumbling around trying to think of something to say that wouldn’t come out sounding silly, vulnerable, and gauche. She could shower at her leisure and get her act together.No, she couldn’t. Instead, she sank down on the edge of the plunge bath and let the whole high-octane event of her wedding night rush through her head and her body in small explosions of remembered feelings, few of which made her feel good about herself—or about him.What were they doing to each other? Why were they doing it? All Charley knew as she sat there remembering the hot tempo of their passionate coupling was that somehow, in the last week leading up to last night, she had allowed Dami De Santis to become a terrible fever of desire that had built and built inside her until it had
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 30
Charley tensed. "Don’t," she shivered out, mortified beyond belief that he could say something like that to her at all after last night and especially in front of his housekeeper."We are alone." He smiled briefly at the way she flicked her startled eyes to the place where Nina had been standing. "She beat a hasty retreat when you blushed so charmingly." And it is too late to keep your virgin status on our wedding night a secret, amore. There was blood on the sheets.The shockingly abrupt announcement froze the color out of Charley’s face."You did not notice?" Leaning himself away from the door, he started moving towards her. "One of the maids surely will have done it when she remade the bed after you left it."Charley flinched when the sleeve of his shirt brushed her arm as he reached past her to pick up her discarded piece of pineapple."No comment," he mocked when she still said nothing. "I admit, when I saw it, it made me feel positively medieval." He put the pineapple into his m
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 31
To her surprise, he just nodded, no clever quick counterattack, his face still serious, the dark golden eyes wrapped in luxurious dark eyelashes, an even shape to his beautiful mouth. He’d dropped the cool mask, Charley realized, and all she was seeing now was the too handsome, worryingly alluring man.Then he was rising to his full height and holding out a hand for her to take so he could help her up. Charley stared at that hand for a few seconds, still hesitant to take what she knew it was offering, yet too aware of the tingling sting of enticement at work in her blood to stop her own hand from lifting and settling into his. His fingers closed around hers, and he drew her upright. When she tried to take her hand back, he held onto it and used it to bring her even closer until she was standing a mere breath away from touching his lean, hard, now very familiar length.Her heart began to thump. He was going to kiss her, and she couldn’t make up her mind if she wanted to be kissed right
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 32
Well, the cruelly perceptive bitch, Charley thought breathlessly. "My style team managed to get it just right, don’t you think?" She smiled through gritted white teeth.She hadn’t been around Adelina for years without learning how to respond to such a woman. And even if the floppy brim of her cute pink hat hadn’t been blocking him off from the shoulders upward, nothing on earth would have made her look up at him as she felt Dami’s fingers bite into her again."And with so little notice." Elena slid her eyes down to Charley’s stomach, the suggestion being that she was shocking Charley into releasing a gasp."Gosh," she rallied. "It never entered my head that people would think poor Dami had been forced into marrying me!"‘They don’t.’ Surprisingly, it was Fabio Romano who pulled himself out of his boredom to put a stop to this. Elena is fishing for information. She is always fishing for information—it is the staple diet for a professional bitch.Well, he said it; Charley’s eyes told th
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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
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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
