The Sheikh Who Blackmailed Her: Desert Prince, Blackmailed Bride / The Sheikh and the Bought Bride / At the Sheikh's Bidding. Chantelle Shaw

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СКАЧАТЬ I hear you’ve had a lot of practice playing Romeo since.’

      He grimaced. ‘Ouch! Someone has been telling tales. If you leaned down I could climb up your hair.’

      Gabby lifted a hand to her hair. After a shower it had reverted to type and gone its own sweet way. ‘Make up your mind. Am I Juliet or Rapunzel?’ she said, throwing a rope of silky blonde threads over her shoulder.

      ‘I wish I could stay around and discover, but alas I’m flying back to Paris tonight.’

      ‘Isn’t that a bit unexpected?’

      ‘As a matter of fact, yes. But something my brother said has made my mind up about something …’

      ‘Something Rafiq said …?’ Gabby’s face fell. ‘So he’s told you …’ She felt relief, and then almost immediately alarm and indignation. ‘But you must realise that you can’t go!’

      ‘Why can’t I go?’

      Her words were jumbled in her anxiety to convince him that his dying brother needed him here. ‘Oh, I know the stuff about me is a bit crazy, but don’t worry—that will blow over. I think it’s his way of coping, staying in control. He needs you here. I know he pushes people away, and acts as though he’s invincible, but—’

      Hakim’s voice minus the mockery and laughter sounded much more like his brother’s as he cut across her. ‘Why does Rafiq need me here?’

      ‘Why?’ She closed her eyes and pressed her hand to her mouth—a bit late now, Barton. She groaned. ‘You don’t know, do you?’ Oh, God, what had she done?

      ‘Don’t know what?’

      ‘I can’t tell you. I gave my word.’

      Hakim swore at length and then, after first testing the strength of the wrought-iron support of the balcony, began to climb up it.

      From above Gabby watched, her heart in her mouth.

      Across the courtyard Rafiq, standing next to an ornate fountain, watched with very different feelings. He had arrived in time to watch the entire scene. Thanks to the noise from the fountain he hadn’t been able to hear what was being said, but he had a pretty good idea. He couldn’t see them now that Hakim had grabbed her and pushed into the bedroom, but he had a pretty good idea what was happening.

      It wasn’t going to happen. He wouldn’t allow it!

      The primal rage that surfaced in him lasted the time it took him to charge across the courtyard and reach the balcony. He stood in the exact spot his brother had. He could see the imprint of his footprints in the freshly watered grass. The rage turned to cold stone inside him.

      What was he going to do? Climb up and claim her? Well, that made sense—he had so much more to offer a woman than Hakim. Take me, because I’m a dying man.

      Half an hour later, when the sprinkler system switched on again, Rafiq was still standing in the same spot. The jets of water roused him from the dark place he had gone to. He let his head fall back and lifted his eyes to the sky as water streamed down his face, and he felt the pain of the primal scream locked in his throat.

      He ached for a woman he had pushed into the arms of his brother. He couldn’t even summon a smile to recognise the dark irony.

      ‘I’m so, so sorry,’ Gabby said, falling to her knees beside Prince Hakim, who sat hunched in a chair his face hidden in his hands. ‘I thought he had told you.’

      Hakim lifted his head. His face was chalk-white and his dark eyes stricken. ‘I don’t believe it. Rafiq is … he’s never been ill a day in his life. Why the hell didn’t he tell me?’ He turned a resentful glare on Gabby. ‘He told you.’

      ‘That’s because I’m a stranger.’

      ‘I’m his brother.’

      ‘That’s the point,’ Gabby cried, her tender heart aching. She wasn’t hurt by Hakim’s hostility, she was just grateful that he hadn’t got as far as wondering why she had agreed to Rafiq’s scheme.

      She laid her hand flat on her chest and said in as neutral a voice as possible, ‘I don’t matter to him.’ Why should you, you idiot woman? ‘He wants to protect you for as long as he can,’ she explained.

      Hakim dragged a hand across his face, blotting the moisture from his red-rimmed eyes. ‘He’s been protecting me for twenty-four years,’ he choked.

      ‘I know,’ Gabby said patting his hand. ‘The thing is, now we—’ She stopped and closed her eyes. There is no we, Gabby. There’s them. Rafiq and his family. ‘You, his family and his friends need to be there for him,’ she finished quietly.

      ‘You know, I thought all that stuff at dinner … you and him … I thought he wanted to marry you. When all along he thinks I’m so pathetic I can’t do the job of king without someone to back me up.’ Again his expression was tinged with resentment as he looked at Gabby. ‘He must have a very high opinion of you.’

      She shook her head. ‘No, he thinks I’m a total pain.’ She gave a shaky laugh. ‘But he loves you,’ she told Hakim earnestly. ‘And he knows what a desperately hard job you’ll have. He’s had his whole life to prepare for it, but it’s just being dropped on you. He wants to help and he’s a control freak.’

      Hakim sniffed and smiled. ‘He is that. And I’m not offended he thinks I can’t cut the mustard. He’s right. I can’t do it.’

      ‘Do what?’

      ‘Be King.’ Hakim got to his feet and dragged a hand through his hair. He walked towards the door, leaving a dismayed Gabby sitting on the floor. ‘He’s right, Gabby. I can’t do it alone. I know I can’t.’

      It had been almost six a.m. before Gabby had fallen asleep, and it was late when she emerged the next morning. She wasn’t surprised to find herself alone eating breakfast.

      Or actually not eating. Her stomach rebelled at the thought of food. She wished she knew what was going on. What had Hakim done? Had he gone straight to Rafiq and confronted him? Had he run away? No, she couldn’t think that of him—she didn’t want to.

      Only a week ago she had been reading about this family in an article, a bit of hurried research, and now she had become so deeply embroiled in their lives her own would never be the same.

      Damn, if only she’d thought to tell Hakim to wait until Rafiq was ready to tell him the truth. If only she’d kept her mouth shut to begin with and not jumped in with both big feet. She looked down at her size fours, shod in a pair of soft leather sandals, and asked herself, Why am I blaming myself? I didn’t ask to be in the middle of this. I didn’t ask to be blackmailed. I didn’t ask to fall in love! Damn, damn, damn! What am I going to do?

      Forehead creased against the pounding in her temples, Gabby clapped a hand to her aching head. She felt like a hamster in a wheel, going nowhere fast, her thoughts revolving around in ceaseless unproductive circles.

      Bottom line: her life was chaos. She was standing in the middle of an emotional minefield and it didn’t make any difference what choice she made, which direction she went—she СКАЧАТЬ