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Chapter 278
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MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 279
"It says here Roberta called."His voice held the warning ring that was becoming increasingly familiar. It was her first week working for Elmo, and already she was looking at the clock, willing the next few hours to just please hurry up and go, so that she could wave goodbye to him until Monday.‘She did.’ Brianna gulped, not looking up, but instead staring at the note he had put on her desk—focusing not on the message she’d written but on his tense fingers that were drumming over it. "Half an hour ago." But you were on another call..."And what did you say to her?""Just that," Brianna offered. "I said that you were on another call and I’d let you know..." A rather shaky finger hovered near his and pointed to her note. "Which I did.""She told you it was urgent, I presume?"‘She did.’ Brianna cleared her throat. "But nearly everyone—""You do realise that I’ve been trying to get hold of her for two days?" His voice was pure ice."She sounded anxious," Brianna attempted. "She sounded
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 280
‘Good morning!’ Used to not getting an answer, Brianna pushed it open, her high heels echoing on the floorboards, then silencing whenever she hit one of the thick, luxurious rugs. Her new shoes were already starting to hurt as she called out into the empty hallway—this was only the third time she’d been to his home in the morning, and on both other occasions Elmo had greeted her from the kitchen with the briefest of good mornings and a rapid rundown of their schedule.but not this morning.Feeling like an intruder, she walked along the darkened hallway—the luxurious surrounds were not quite familiar enough yet to fail to impress. His Toorak mansion home had been meticulously decorated, with no expense spared—exquisite antique furniture clashed marvellously with the latest in everything modern—but it was definitely a male home. Feminine touches were markedly absent—no flowers brightening corners, no splashes of color to take away the rather austere lines, no photos on the heavy wooden
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 281
God, but she was gorgeous. A bag of nerves, perhaps, but utterly, utterly gorgeous.The last week had been difficult in the extreme, with Elmo waiting for her to make a mistake, waiting for her to slip up, to show her true colors. Only to date, all she had been was a breath of fresh air, clipping in and out of his office with her wide smile, charming his colleagues and the boss to boot! There was no question she was capable of the role—would, in fact, be extremely capable once she’d mastered a few more of the basics.Sometimes he actually forgot for a moment just who she was...At moments like this one, he actually forgot that she was Maya’s cousin. Elmo could see her hands in her lap and her knees bobbing up and down, and he wanted to still them—wanted to trap her legs with his thighs, wanted to take that mouth with his and taste it. Why couldn’t he have felt like that last night? listening to Mandy—or was it Mindy?—droning on and on. As beautiful as she was, he hadn’t even been both
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 282
Elmo could sense her disapproval, and for once it unnerved him—though his assistant’s approval was usually the last thing he required as he got on with the business of being a Nicoli. Yet he was tempted to tap Jeremy on the shoulder and tell him to stop the car and let him out. He wanted out of the car and away from the bloody lot of them.Tapping his fingers impatiently, Elmo dismissed the odd impulse. He didn’t really want to be alone with his thoughts today of all days. It wasn’t Brianna’s disapproval that was gnawing at him—it was his own dread and loathing.He was trying to center himself. It was as if he were surrounded by a million scattered compasses, and the needles, which had hovered without direction for so long, were suddenly settling, all homing in as the universe moved the world along and everything aligned to bring things to an unwelcome head. A new life was coming into the world—a new life that meant his shattered family would have to meet, might talk...That he might
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 283
Brianna watched as his free hand bunched into a fist and saw the little bit of color that was left in him literally drain away. His Adam’s apple bobbed a couple of times before he managed to carry on. "How was Mum?" He closed his eyes on the excited chatter, raked his hand through his hair, and dragged in vital oxygen."Of course I hope to see them." It just depends on when we go to Rome. I’m glad you’re calling him that—no, really. I’m fine with it now...Just for a second, his voice broke, and so evident was his pain, so abject his misery, that Brianna had to force herself not to go over—had to literally stop herself from walking over and taking the phone from his hand, telling Annabella he would call back later.But Elmo recovered quickly, nodding blindly and forcing himself to go on, his cheery voice absolutely belying his hopeless stance. "Elpido would be very proud."‘A boy?’ He didn’t look over; he just clicked off the phone and stared out of the window into the darkening night
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 284
When Elpido had died, he’d sworn never to let a woman get close—never to let a woman get under his skin in the way his brother had. But, staring at Brianna, blinded by her beauty, it was scarily easy to renegotiate with himself. It was so very tempting to take the comfort he needed now, to lose himself in the urges he had been resisting since the moment she’d stepped back into his life.They were the same shade of blue—only he could see a swirl of black around each iris that intrigued him. He’d never stared into Maya’s eyes like this—had never been lulled into the dizzy whirlpool of attraction with Maya, never wanted to lower his head to hers the way he did now, towards Brianna’s.Only he’d sworn that he wouldn’t.Supremely focused, incredibly driven, and self-controlled, it was something he had never had to knowingly exert. He worked hard, and, when time allowed, he had the funds and the stamina to play equally hard. His dark good looks ensured an endless smorgasbord of suitable play
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 285
Did she think he was that stupid?China-blue eyes stared up at him. That full mouth was quivering with nerves, waiting to be kissed some more, and he was tempted to silence her with just that. What the hell was she playing at? He’d seen her pills in the bathroom, for God’s sake, and she’d told him that she’d just broken up with her boyfriend of six months—now she was telling him she was a virgin?Please!A very scathing remark was on the tip of his tongue—whatever game she was playing with him was about to be abruptly concluded. The muscles in his arms tensed as he prepared to push her away—only he didn’t.If she wanted to play virgin and pretend that he was her first, then who was he to stop her? In fact, somehow it made it easier to just block out the whys and hows—easier to lower his mouth to hers, to play whatever game it was that she was playing, and lose himself.Pulling her back towards him, Elmo kissed the shell of her ear as he spoke. "Then we’d better take things slowly!"So
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 286
She said it again as she fought with herself—said what he had before, the word short and stilted. She could see his shoulders above her, looked down to where he was sliding within, and it was the most erotic thing she had ever seen, the shadowed length of him moving inside her. Only this time, he finished what he was saying as a scream curled from her.‘Don’t—hold—back.’"Like you do?" Brianna gasped, staring into those black pools and holding them. Because he couldn’t ask for all of her without giving all of himself too—and she could feel his restraint, even though it was bliss.Their eyes locked as they came together; each contraction, each pulse spasmed, and her body squeezed out a scream, her nails digging into his taut shoulders, her mouth sucking on his salty chest as she felt him bucking inside her, felt Elmo shuddering his release, their bodies damp, sliding against each other..."What do you do to me...?" He was still coming, and so was she, and it almost hurt to give so much
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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
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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
