Modern Romance July 2018 Books 1-4 Collection. Sharon Kendrick

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СКАЧАТЬ the odds, she liked it and found a peace there she’d never known before. She liked the quiet and beauty of walking in the palace gardens, or drinking her tea in the vast courtyard, with its cobalt-blue mosaic floor and the mingled scent of orange blossom and gardenia filling the air. She liked it when she was appointed a female aide and two female protection officers so that she was able to explore the ancient museums and artefacts in the nearby city of Ashkhazar, though she preferred to make these visits unannounced, so that there wouldn’t be too much fuss. And she loved the huge library in the palace itself because, for the first time in her life, she actually had the time and the opportunity to read.

      It felt magical to have endless rows of beautifully bound leather books at her fingertips and she began to read up more about Zahristan history, partly because she wanted to take her role as Sheikha seriously and partly because she wanted to understand Kulal’s land and, by definition, him. She read that he was from a long line of Zahristan kings from his father’s side and that his mother had been a princess from the neighbouring land of Tardistan. But there seemed to be gaps in the various accounts of his family history, even in the more modern publications—and it was only on a neglected shelf in a hidden alcove that she discovered a short biography about Kulal himself.

      Her eyes scanned the pages eagerly, her eyes drinking in the portraits of his hawk-like features and flashing black eyes. There were descriptions of his exemplary school record and his daring exploits when he’d run away as a teenager to fight in the fierce border battle with Quzabar. There was an account of his father’s lying-in-state and the political turmoil before Kulal’s subsequent accession to the throne, but practically nothing about his mother’s early death, other than the fact it was ‘tragic’. And if Kulal was the younger of twin brothers, as was stated, it didn’t explain why he had taken the throne instead of his older brother, Haydar. Hannah wanted to know, but instinct told her not to pry. That the answers she sought would only come about if she and Kulal grew closer as a couple—and wasn’t she attempting to help that process along, by increasing the amount of time they spent together?

      She’d quickly realised that Kulal working late into the evening before he came to bed was an evasive tactic. She realised that he preferred her to be waiting and ready for sex—she guessed because that ruled out the need for conversation other than the ‘do you like it when I do that?’ variety. She remembered those far-away days when she’d cleaned his suite in Sardinia when they used to chat about stuff. When once in a while he’d even teased her. Couldn’t they get back to easy conversations like that—and the sort of intimacy which didn’t involve her gasping out her pleasure as he drove into her eager body?

      She told herself that the only reason she’d decided to start waiting until Kulal returned to their suite before retiring for the night was so they could chat. But deep down she knew that wasn’t the whole truth. Deep down she realised she had started to care for her husband in a way he had emphatically warned her against. A way which felt frighteningly close to love, even though she told herself that wasn’t possible.

      But something had changed.

      She wasn’t sure how or when it had happened, because it wasn’t the obvious things which had made her feel so differently about him. Not the muscular body which transported her to heaven and back every night. Or the ruler in all his finery with people bowing before him. It was the man with the occasional flicker of vulnerability in his eyes before the shutters came crashing down—that was the Kulal who had captured Hannah’s imagination and then her heart. Was it so wrong to wonder if she could ever forge a tiny place for herself in his heart?

      Her silken robes whispered as she walked over to the desk where she’d left her book open and the dull thud of the outer doors of their suite told her that Kulal had returned. Instantly, she felt her heart begin to thunder.

      ‘Hannah?’

      The sound of his voice was enough to send desire rippling down her spine and Hannah struggled to keep the hungry tremble from her voice. ‘I’m in here!’

      He walked into the bedroom, appearing startled to see her sitting at the desk, a halo of golden lamplight surrounding her. ‘You’re not in bed?’ he questioned.

      ‘As you see,’ she said, with a smile. ‘I thought I’d wait for you and do a spot of reading.’ She put a bookmark in her book and closed it. ‘How did your meeting with the Sultan of Marazad go?’

      Kulal felt momentarily disorientated because he hadn’t been expecting to see her waiting up for him. He swallowed. The sight of her alluring body was making him want to ravish her with a hunger which never seemed to wane, no matter how many times he took his fill of her. And it had never happened to him before—not like this. Every night since their wedding had been spent in her arms and not once had he grown bored. Unusually, he’d found himself cancelling trips to Europe and the States—feeling it wasn’t really fair to abandon his pregnant wife in a strange new country, even though no such complaint had come from her. Despite the huge leap of being catapulted from chambermaid to queen, she hadn’t been in the least bit clingy or dependent. She had been...

      He swallowed.

      She had been irresistible.

      Beguiling him little by little—her shy sexual confidence had increased daily until he wondered which of them was the tutor and which the pupil. But it wasn’t just sex she excelled at. It was other stuff, too. She seemed to instantly grasp what was important to him and what was not. She didn’t say unnecessary things or do that glazed-eye thing women did when they were pretending to be interested in your job. Her interest in his work seemed genuine. His gaze distracted by the hard points of her nipples, which were thrusting against her pink gown, he dragged his mind back to the question she’d just asked him. Something about a meeting...

      ‘It was good,’ he said vaguely, even though this particular meeting had been months in the planning. ‘Malik was unusually compliant.’

      ‘So you think he’s eager to embrace solar power at last?’

      Kulal frowned. He didn’t remember discussing that either, but he supposed he must have done. And why the hell was he getting into a discussion about renewable energy when he’d come here specifically to make love to her? ‘Not nearly as eager as I am to embrace you,’ he murmured, walking over to the desk and switching off the lamp, before pulling her to her feet. ‘You should be in bed.’

      Those amazing eyes widened. ‘I’ve been reading.’

      ‘It’s late.’

      ‘So what? I’m pregnant, Kulal—and I’m getting plenty of sleep. The doctor says I’m in peak health and right now I feel wide awake.’

      ‘That’s good. Because so do I.’ He slid his hand down over one undulating hip and instantly heard a long breath escape from her lips.

      ‘Kulal.’ He heard her swallow. ‘I...I wanted to ask you some more about the solar power initiative and...and...oh!’

      Her words faded away as his lips brushed hungrily over her neck. ‘Which is the very last thing I want to talk about, Hannah. I’d rather concentrate on...this...’ He started rucking up the gauzy gown to explore the silken territory of her thighs, his fingers finding her moist heat as he explored further. ‘Wouldn’t you?’ he said unsteadily.

      ‘Well...’ She tipped her head to one side as if she was giving the question careful consideration, but he saw her eyes become opaque as his finger found her sweet spot and began to drum softly against it.

      ‘You were saying?’ he prompted softly.

      ‘I СКАЧАТЬ