Modern Romance Collection: May 2018 Books 5 - 8. Кейт Хьюит

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СКАЧАТЬ flicker in their stormy depths, vindicating his suspicions. She was in it for herself. She had to be.

      ‘Everything about our situation?’ she asked cautiously.

      ‘Word will already have got out.’

      ‘Even so...’

      ‘I am not a liar.’ His voice came out hard. ‘I will be honest with Hassan, and so will you.’

      ‘Me?’

      ‘You will write him a letter that I will include as part of my correspondence, explaining what happened and how you did not correct my misinformation.’

      Anger flared in her eyes and she hugged her arms to herself, hitching the towel higher. ‘Correct your misinformation?’ she repeated with a surprising edge of acid to her voice. ‘I didn’t realise it was my responsibility to make sure my abductor’s kidnapping attempt went smoothly.’ She planted her hands on her hips, making the towel slip and affording Zayed a tantalising glimpse of the rounded curves of her breasts. ‘When should I have done that, Prince Zayed? When I was being thrown out of a window? Or when I was gagged on horseback?’

      ‘I removed the gag.’ Pain flickered at his temples as he set his jaw.

      ‘Or when I was thrust into a tent and a marriage ceremony without having exchanged a word with you? What should I have done? Said, Pardon me, but I think you might have the wrong woman?’

      ‘Surely,’ Zayed gritted, ‘you realised a mere employee would not be kidnapped?’

      ‘A mere employee.’ Hurt flashed in her eyes and she looked away. Zayed suppressed an unnecessary flicker of guilt. He’d only been stating the truth. It wasn’t meant to be an insult. ‘I’m afraid I was too overwhelmed and fearful for my life to consider the practicality of it all,’ she said after a moment, her gaze still averted.

      Rage billowed inside him, rage he knew shouldn’t be directed at her, or at least solely at her. Yet he could not keep himself from it. ‘And later? When we were in the tent alone, eating and drinking—surely you could have said something then?’

      Colour washed over her cheekbones. ‘What should I have said?’ she asked in a suffocated voice.

      ‘You could have said who you were! You could have asked who I was. We could have avoided consummating the marriage, which would have made things much simpler now.’ Olivia didn’t answer and Zayed took another step towards her. ‘Unless you had no intention of revealing who you were. Or that you knew who I was.’ It wasn’t quite a question and her gaze swung back to him, her fine eyebrows drawn together.

      ‘What are you implying?’

      ‘That you took advantage of the situation,’ Zayed said evenly, ignoring the flicker of unease that rippled through him. Olivia had gone very still, her blue eyes wide, her expression strangely fathomless.

      ‘Advantage,’ she said after a moment, her tone as fathomless as her face.

      ‘Yes, advantage. As a lowly governess, essentially a servant in the royal household with few prospects, you saw the advantage in being my wife. Being Queen.’

      ‘Queen? Of what?’ Contempt rolled off every syllable. ‘A huddle of tents in the desert?’

      Zayed flinched under the words, although he knew they were more or less true. ‘I will regain my inheritance,’ he said in a near growl. ‘I promise you that.’

      ‘When? And why would I take such an enormous risk?’ She hitched the towel higher, her face flushed now, her eyes bright with anger and even hurt. ‘You are contemptible to suggest such a thing.’

      ‘What am I supposed to think?’ Zayed demanded. ‘There were any number of opportunities for you to tell me who you were.’

      ‘I didn’t realise I needed to! Why should I?’

      ‘And what about after?’ Zayed took another step towards her; he could smell the freshness of her damp skin, almost feel her quiver. ‘What about the wedding night?’

      She set her jaw, although her hands shook on the towel. ‘What about it?’

      ‘You fell into my arms easily enough. Too easily, I think.’

      ‘It is to my own shame and regret that I did.’ Tears trembled on her lashes and she blinked them back. ‘Whatever you believe.’

      ‘What woman falls into bed with her kidnapper, without even knowing his name?’

      ‘What man seduces a woman without checking who she is first?’ Olivia snapped. ‘I accept I was seduced, and far too easily at that. But you are the one who kidnapped me, Prince Zayed. You are the one who took me from my home and forced—’

      ‘I did not force.’ The words were low and deadly.

      ‘Not...not that. But the wedding ceremony. You didn’t even explain—’

      ‘I thought you knew.’

      ‘Then you made a lot of assumptions, and now you are paying the price, as am I.’ With her chin held high, Olivia went to move past him, but Zayed grabbed her wrist, feeling the fragile bones beneath her skin.

      ‘We are not done here.’

      She whirled around to face him, fury tautening her features, the towel slipping so her breasts spilled out, golden and perfect. Despite everything, or perhaps because of it, desire arrowed through Zayed, impossible to resist. He drew her towards him and she came, willingly, her lips parting, her features already softening. It was that easy. Her instant acquiescence hardened something inside him and he dropped her wrist.

      ‘Even now you are willing,’ he said, not bothering to hide his disgust, and Olivia flushed crimson as she yanked the towel back up.

      ‘As were you,’ she choked. ‘Don’t deny it.’

      ‘I am not now,’ he told her coldly, and then turned away, only to still when he saw Jahmal coming over the hill. How much had his aide seen?

      ‘My Prince.’ Jahmal’s gaze flicked to Olivia and then away again quickly. ‘Forgive my interruption, but a message has just come through.’

      ‘A message?’ Zayed tensed, wondering if Hassan had already heard, was already angry. If he broke the betrothal... Except, of course, Zayed had already broken it by marrying another woman.

      ‘It is Malouf.’

      Olivia might not have understood the Arabic, but she clearly understood that name, for she gasped softly.

      ‘What has he done?’ Zayed demanded.

      ‘He sent some men to raid a village two hours’ ride from here. There are wounded.’

      Zayed swore. Malouf wreaked his bloody war to no purpose and innocents paid the price.

      ‘Let us depart at once.’ He started to stride from the oasis when Olivia’s voice stopped him.

      ‘Wait!’ she cried, and Zayed СКАЧАТЬ