The Sheikh's Bought Wife. Sharon Kendrick

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      Quickly doing sums in her head, Jane gave him the amount which Cleo had mentioned and added a reasonable sum for interest—but his face gave barely a flicker of reaction as he nodded his head in agreement.

      ‘Satisfied now?’ he questioned archly.

      ‘Not quite. There’s just one other condition which needs clarification before I agree to become your wife.’

      ‘More conditions?’ he snapped. ‘You drive a hard bargain, Jane Smith. Hurry up and tell me, because my patience is wearing thin.’

      This bit was much more difficult but Jane was determined to go through with it because—although she intended making a sacrifice for her sister—she would not be made a fool of.

      ‘You say you wish the marriage to be dissolved within six months on the grounds of non-consummation.’

      ‘I don’t imagine that’s going to be a problem for either of us, do you?’ he questioned pleasantly.

      She found herself thinking that even when he was trying to be agreeable, he still managed to be insulting. ‘Not for me,’ she admitted, hoping she was managing to convey the fact that he repulsed her, rather than the more disturbing revelation that she was still a virgin. ‘But rather more so for you, I imagine—since you don’t strike me as the kind of man who would choose to embrace a self-imposed period of celibacy.’

      ‘You are a very perceptive woman,’ he said silkily. ‘For it is true that I cannot live without sex. But you strike me as intelligent enough to understand my appetites—even if you do not share them—and to discreetly look the other way.’