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.
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
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
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
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
Hello readers!!! Just before we begin, it is important to let you all know that this book is a collection of 10 amazing romance stories all by BLAZE NUKKO. The end of each story only leads to the beginning of another love journey. Here is the sequence for the collection: 1. Marrying My Best Friend's Fiancee 2. Pure Lust 3. Mr Handsome's Addiction 4. All For The Baby 5. A Virgin for His Desires 6. Claimed By The Greek Lord 7. The CEO's Sex Mate 8. Lustful Desires 9. Revengeful Marriage 10. A Virgin Widow. Also note that I will always leave a note at the beginning and the end of each story to help you stay on track. So if you are ready for a mind-blowing romantic journey, then let's begin!!!!! Marrying My Best Friend's Fiancee The whole pre-wedding party thing was revving up like a gigantic engine, and Charley had never felt less like partying in her entire life. Now a night at La Scala, dear God, she thought heavily. For here she stood surrounded by luxury in this posh
Damiano Leone Fabrino De Santis, the 34-year-old supreme head of the great and vast De Santis banking empire also called Dami by his very close friends. A tense little quiver made a sudden strike down Charley’s front, and in pure self-defense, she snatched up a silvery silk crocheted snug from the bed and hurriedly tied it across her front while wishing to goodness that she didn’t experience that same crazy tense quiver every time she let herself think about him. He was strange—a truly intimidating mix of smoothly polished, cool sophistication and lean, dark, sexy good looks. Adelina purred around him like a sleek kitten, which seemed to amuse him, but then Adelina was Italian, and as a race of people they were like that, open and warm and more touchy-feely than the British—her, Charley thought, making the rueful distinction. She’d never purred around any man and couldn’t imagine ever wanting to—which made the way she quivered around Dami De Santis all the more disturbing to her pe
Charley made herself walk forward, stingingly aware of how his hand remained exactly where it was this time—as if he were taunting her for her silly reaction to him. The first person her eyes focused on was Adelina’s mother, looking stunning in sparkling diamonds and unrelieved black. "Oh, there you are, Charley," she said, hurrying towards them with an anxious expression threatening to ruin her perfectly made-up face. "Damiano," she greeted, her dark eyes skimming warily over her future son-in-law’s face before she returned them to Charley. "I need a quick word with you, Cara," she begged. ‘Of course.’ Charley smiled, automatically softening her tone for this tiny, elegant woman whose nervous disposition made her worry about everything—and everything usually encompassed her beautiful daughter. "What’s Adelina done now?" she asked. It was only when the man standing behind her said coolly, "Nothing, I hope," that she realized she’d spoken out of turn in front of him. Carina Alonzo