Sheikh's Forbidden Conquest. Chantelle Shaw

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      ‘I’m not... Of course I love him,’ Athena insisted, too earnestly, in Lexi’s opinion. But she did not voice her concerns. Her sister was an adult and perfectly able to decide who she wanted to marry. In truth, Lexi was surprised that Athena had confided in her. The close bond they had shared as children had faded when Lexi had been sent away to boarding school.

      She looked around the room. ‘Where is Charlie, anyway? This is your engagement party but I haven’t seen him all evening.’

      ‘Oh, he’s with one of his old school friends from Eton. Charlie was so surprised when Earl Montgomery phoned out of the blue earlier this evening and said he would like to catch up on old times. Naturally, Charlie immediately invited him to the party. I think they must still be in the library.’ Athena squinted around the room. ‘Oh, look, they’re over by the bar. The Earl is very good-looking, don’t you think? But don’t tell Charlie I said so, will you?’ she said worriedly.

      Lexi could not reply. She felt as though her breath had been squeezed out of her lungs as she stared across the room and saw Sultan Kadir Al Sulaimar’s mouth curl into a mocking smile. What the hell was he doing here at her sister’s engagement party, pretending to be a member of the British aristocracy? She frowned. He couldn’t be an imposter because Athena had said he had been at Eton with Charlie. But it was too much of a coincidence that the Sultan, or Earl or whatever he was, had decided to call up his old school friend tonight of all nights.

      It was impossible not to compare the two men as they approached. Charles, sandy-haired and weak-chinned, was at least five inches shorter than his companion. But it wasn’t only Sultan Kadir’s height that set him apart from every other man in the room. He was like an exotic bird of paradise among a flock of pigeons, Lexi thought. His olive-gold skin gleamed beneath the sparkling chandeliers, and his hot chocolate eyes were slumberous and sensual, promising wicked delights that turned Lexi’s insides to liquid. The last time she’d seen him he had been half-undressed, but he was no less devastating wearing a black dinner suit that had been expertly tailored to sheath his muscular body.

      She hid her fierce tension behind a cool smile as Charlie made introductions, but the glint in Sultan Kadir’s eyes told her he was aware of her reluctance to shake his hand; he clasped her fingers for a fraction too long and watched with interest the jerky rise and fall of her breasts as she sucked in a breath.

      Lexi could not bring herself to allude to their earlier meeting at his hotel. She shuddered at the memory of how she had swayed towards him and practically begged him to kiss her. She wanted to believe that even if Tania had not interrupted them she would have come to her senses before anything had happened, but her pounding heart mocked that idea.

      She affected a puzzled expression. ‘I’m sure I recognise you from the newspapers and have read of your many exploits, but your name is not familiar.’

      Charlie was quick to explain. ‘Earl Montgomery is His Royal Highness Sultan Kadir Al Sulaimar of Zenhab.’

      Lexi ignored her future brother-in-law as her eyes locked with the Sultan’s. ‘Should I address you as Your Royal Highness or My Lord?’ she asked, mockingly deferential. She saw amusement and something darker and more dangerous in his intent gaze. The air between them was charged with an electrical current that made every nerve ending on Lexi’s body tingle.

      ‘I insist that you call me Kadir, Lexi.’ His sexy accent lingered on each syllable of her name. He smiled, showing his white teeth, and a quiver shot through Lexi as she imagined him nipping her throat and the soft flesh of her earlobe. ‘I find it is unwise to believe everything printed in the newspapers,’ he murmured. ‘So often, stories are reported incorrectly or are blatantly untrue.’

      ‘That’s a little unfair to journalists. I’m sure most press reports are properly researched and presented.’ She thought of all those women who had revealed intimate details of their affairs with His Royal Hotness. Some of the stories must be true.

      The sound of a gong rang through the ballroom, shattering the tense atmosphere.

      ‘Charlie and I are supposed to lead everyone into the dining room for the buffet,’ Athena explained. She slipped her arm through her fiancé’s and promptly tripped on the hem of her long skirt, earning an impatient tut from Charles Fairfax.

      Kadir offered his arm to Lexi. ‘May I escort you to dinner?’

      It was impossible to refuse without causing a scene, but she glared at him as she placed her hand stiffly on his arm and he drew her closer so that her thigh brushed against his as they walked into the dining room.

      ‘How dare you...infiltrate my sister’s engagement party,’ she hissed.

      His wide shoulders shook with laughter. ‘It would have been bad manners to refuse an invitation from an old school friend.’

      ‘You didn’t worry about manners when you came on to me while your girlfriend—with emphasis on the word girl—was in the next room.’ That wiped the smug smile from his face, she noted with satisfaction.

      He dipped his head close to hers. ‘Let’s get something straight.’ His voice was suddenly harsh. The charismatic playboy prince had disappeared and Lexi had a sense that Sultan Kadir Al Sulaimar was a powerful man and a dangerous threat to her peace of mind. ‘I did not invite Tania Stewart to my suite and definitely not into my bed. I was as surprised as you were when she walked out of the bedroom.’

      Lexi wondered why she believed him. ‘Not that I care how you conduct your private life, or with whom, but, out of curiosity, how was Tania in your room if you didn’t invite her in?’

      ‘She admitted she’d taken the pass key from the cleaner’s office. Her father owns the hotel and she knows where things are kept. When you saw her you immediately leapt to the conclusion that she and I were lovers.’

      ‘She was naked under that sheet,’ Lexi defended herself. She found she was unable to tear her eyes from Kadir’s smouldering gaze.

      ‘Forget Tania. This is about you and me.’

      ‘There is no you and me!’ She wished she could control her racing pulse. ‘I’m not the slightest bit interested in you, Earl Montgomery, or Sultan of Zenhab, or whatever other fancy title I’m supposed to call you.’

      ‘Kadir,’ he said softly. ‘Why are you uptight about saying my name?’

      ‘I’m not uptight.’ Glancing around her, Lexi flushed when she realised that her raised voice had attracted curious glances from the other guests.

      The amused gleam in his eyes told her he was aware that she felt churned up inside and quite unlike her usual self. ‘Perhaps later tonight we will have a chance to discuss my proposition.’

      ‘I’ve told you I’m not interested in your proposition.’

      ‘How do you know, when you don’t know what it is?’

      ‘Knowing of your reputation as a playboy, I have no qualms about turning down your proposition without hearing any of the sordid details,’ Lexi said tartly.

      Satisfied that she’d had the last word, she turned her back on him and began to select food from the buffet even though her appetite had disappeared. To her relief, Charlie returned to monopolise Kadir’s attention СКАЧАТЬ