The Sheikh's Ransomed Bride. Annie West

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СКАЧАТЬ photo. Rings of bruised, bloody skin marked her ankles where the irons had bitten.

      She should look pathetic, an object of sympathy, he told himself as he hauled his shirt on and strode towards her. Yet he saw only the streamlined perfection of her toned body. The inviting flare of her hips that had cradled him through the night till he’d thought he’d go mad, resisting urges that were nigh on irresistible. He read tensile strength in the set of her shoulders, in her wide-planted, honey-tanned legs.

      He thrust aside the subtle voice of temptation.

      ‘Ms Winters.’ He saw her tense, but she didn’t turn. ‘How do you feel this morning?’

      ‘Glad to be alive.’ She half turned her head. ‘And you?’ There was strain in her profile, at odds with her determined chin and the strength of her neat, straight nose.

      ‘All in one piece,’ he responded, injecting a lightness into his tone that he didn’t feel. ‘We’ve had a lucky escape. Your colleague, Mr MacDonald, will be glad to see you.’

      She nodded. Despite his better judgement, he allowed his gaze to slip down over her azure swimsuit. Her slim, perfect body dried his mouth. Sweat prickled his palms.

      He wanted to erase the memory of last night—of her terror—in the simplest, most effective way. With pleasure. Carnal pleasure.

      But eventually her rigid stillness penetrated his racing brain. Realisation hit and guilt flooded him.

      No wonder she wouldn’t turn to look at him! She was embarrassed, wearing a skintight swimsuit in front of a man she barely knew. That explained the high set of her shoulders, the tension humming through her every muscle.

      She could only feel vulnerable after what she’d been through. Who knew what trauma she’d experienced?

      A leaden weight settled in his belly as he thought of her, alone with a band of kidnapping thugs. He wanted to reach out and comfort her. But that would be a mistake.

      As if to confirm it, she shifted, edging away.

      ‘A rescue team will be on its way as soon as possible,’ he assured her.

      She nodded, but stood aloof. She looked as fragile as spun glass. It wouldn’t take much to shatter her.

      A ray of sunlight illuminated her golden hair and limned her sleekly curved body. Something caught at his breath, deep down in his chest. He frowned. He’d known more beautiful women. Had more beautiful women. Gorgeous, consciously seductive women. But Isabelle Winters stirred his blood in a way he’d never experienced.

      Was it her incredible inner strength? Her bravery? Or the way she carried herself—like royalty—despite the barbarous manacles and her state of undress?

      Or perhaps it was because she was the only woman he’d ever lain with all night and not made love to.

      She swayed and he bit back an oath, registering her trembling knees and the stress lines that tightened her lips. Pain and reaction were finally taking their toll.

      Rafiq grabbed her upper arms, tempering his hold to a gentle, sustaining pressure. He ignored the frisson of awareness that skimmed his palms at the contact, the skirl of heat that ignited in his gut.

      Carefully, touching her as lightly as possible, he helped her to sit. Bending down close, he saw the pupils dilate in her wide blue eyes. She was in shock.

      ‘You need to get warm.’ Already he was unbuttoning his shirt. Her jaw was set as if against a chill, and her hands were clenched, white-knuckled together. He saw a tremor ripple right through her.

      Her nipples pebbled against the thin blue fabric. And his lower body tightened in a telltale response that made him grit his teeth.

      ‘I’m not cold,’ she protested. ‘We’re in the tropics!’

      ‘Nevertheless.’ He dragged the shirt off his shoulders and draped it round her. She smelt warm and enticingly female. Awareness of her vulnerability tugged at his senses and he straightened, stepping away from her.

      ‘You’re hurt!’ She’d seen his shoulder. Something had smashed into him last night and gashed him.

      She raised her hands, pointing, and he sucked in his breath. She looked like a suppliant, kneeling at his feet. Ultra-feminine in his oversized shirt, breasts tilted up towards him by the movement of her arms.

      She could have been some sexy modern-day slave, begging.

      And in that instant, staring down at her, he felt a hot, primitive force surge in him. The instinct to reach out and grab. His blood quickened, his body hardened at the sensual image. At the idea of making her his. At the ruthless need to conquer and possess.

      Generations of al Akhtar blood ran in his veins. Generations of fighters, leaders of men, pirates. His ancestors had been renowned for their rapacious passion and the single-minded pursuit of what they wanted.

      Who could fight centuries of conditioning?

      Already he could taste her sweetness like a drug on his tongue. Every muscle tensed like iron and his pulse drummed hard in anticipation. He remembered the feel of her beneath him, the combination of softness and strength, and knew she’d be perfect for him.

      He only had to reach out. To take.

      And then he registered her wide stare, the confusion in her eyes. Reality crashed upon him. He shook his head, trying to clear the miasma that fogged his brain.

      ‘You’re injured,’ she said again.

      ‘It’s nothing.’ His voice was brusque.

      Her hands dropped to her knees, her clear bright gaze slid from his.

      He was the worst kind of savage. Ill-tempered because compassion, the rules of civilised society, his sense of responsibility, all proclaimed she wasn’t for him. He shouldn’t want her. Not so elementally, so viscerally.

      Yet it was so.

      The first time he’d looked into her eyes sizzling fire had blasted through him. It scorched him still.

      But he had an obligation to protect her.

      ‘Let me see how badly you’re hurt.’ His voice was low, brushing across her sensitive nerves like the stroke of plush fur on bare skin. Belle darted a look up and found him still watching her.

      Instead of dark eyes to match his black-as-night hair, his eyes were a deep, clear green. An exact match for the enticing crystal water where she’d dived this past week.

      She stared, enthralled by a flicker of heat in those cool, sexy eyes.

      Yet his face was hard, its strong lines set with disapproval. Had he guessed her secret thoughts? Recognised the delicious thrill that shivered through her as he towered over her? Or her rush of excitement as he’d stripped off his shirt to reveal that powerful, muscular chest?

      It took all her will-power to keep her gaze fixed on his face, not follow the arrowing line of dark, masculine hair that invited her attention down his belly.

      With СКАЧАТЬ