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СКАЧАТЬ strangely hoarse to his ears—the way it had done when he’d had his tonsils removed as a boy. ‘Not a seed,’ he said brokenly.

      ‘Not a seed?’ she repeated in confusion.

      He shook his head. ‘Not a seed, no, but an eager young plant in its first rapid flush of life. For that is the strength of my “affection” for you, Ella!’ A rush of emotion surged through his veins as he reached out and pulled her in his arms. ‘But I do not know it by such a mediocre word as affection, because for days now I have been realising that it is called something else. Something I have never known before, nor dared to acknowledge.’

      ‘Could you perhaps try acknowledging it now?’ she suggested gently, knowing instantly what he meant because she could see it written all over his face. But she needed badly to hear it. She had bared her heart to him and now Hassan needed to redress the balance. To be her equal in every way there was.

      He took both her hands in his. ‘Ella, I … love you. You hear how my voice falters on these words, but that does not mean you should doubt them. With all my heart and body and mind, I love you. You are everything a woman should be and I do not know why a generous fate should have brought you into my life. You have offered me your heart when I do not deserve—’

      ‘No!’ Her fierce word cut him short but her hands were trembling as she reached up to cup his dark and beloved face between her palms. ‘You didn’t deserve the childhood you had and maybe I didn’t either. But I think it’s time we had some lovely things in our life together, and they are right here at our fingertips. We can reach out and take them any time we want, starting right now. Not palaces or privileges or some flashy lifestyle with stuff, but you, me and Rihana.’

      ‘And our marriage will not fail,’ he declared softly.

      ‘No, it won’t—because we won’t let it fail,’ she agreed shakily. ‘We will learn from all the mistakes our parents made and we will give Rihana the kind of childhood that neither of us knew.’

      His lips were passionate as he claimed hers in a kiss far deeper than any kiss he’d ever known. It was about more than passion and maybe about even more than love. It was about understanding and forgiving. About commitment and sharing. About making a happy home for the little girl who lay sleeping in her crib.

      Bobby Jackson had christened his daughter Cinderella because he’d wanted her to marry a prince and somehow his rather ambitious dream had come true.

      But Ella and Hassan had very different aspirations for their little girl, and that was why Rihana’s middle name was Hope.

      All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.

      All Rights Reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises II B.V./S.à.r.l. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

      This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the prior consent of the publisher in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

      ^® and ^TM are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ^® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.

      First published in Great Britain 2012

      by Mills & Boon, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited,

      Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR

      THE SHEIKH’S HEIR © Harlequin Books S.A. 2012

      Special thanks and acknowledgement are given to Sharon Kendrick for her contribution to The Santina Crown series.

      ISBN: 978-1-408-98197-9

      53-0512

      Harlequin (UK) policy is to use papers that are natural, renewable and recyclable products and made from wood grown in sustainable forests. The logging and manufacturing processes conform to the legal environmental regulations of the country of origin.

      The

      Santina Crown

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       Kate Hewitt

      Ben stared at her for a moment, long enough to make her lose her edge of defiance and start to squirm. Or at least want to squirm. Thankfully she remained quite still. ‘Are you always this pleasant?’ he finally enquired.

      ‘No, I’m not,’ Natalia told him. ‘You happened to catch me at a good moment.’

      He let out a dry chuckle, surprising her. So Ben Jackson possessed a sense of humour. A small one.

      ‘I shudder at the thought of catching you at a bad one,’ he told her, and his voice was low and honeyed enough to slide right over her senses.

      Natalia knew she had been rather rude to him, but only because she’d felt so defensive. As soon as she’d met Ben Jackson he’d examined and dismissed her, all in the space of a few minutes. She’d spent a long time perfecting her air of polished, jaded sophistication, and she didn’t like someone like Ben blowing it. Seeing right through it. Laughing at her.

      ‘Shudder away,’ she told him. ‘Somehow I don’t think we’ll be meeting again.’

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