by Kim Lawrence
‘Yes.’
She shook her head. ‘Pardon?’
‘I said yes, Molly, I will marry you.’
‘This isn’t a joke, Tair,’ she reproached.
‘I’m not joking. I’ve never been more serious in my life.’
‘But you just said…’
‘I just said that arranged marriages do not make sense. But you were not proposing an arranged marriage, were you, Molly? You love me.’
She held his steady gaze for a moment, then said with defiance, ‘Yes, I do.’
Tair’s shoulders slumped as weeks of tension fell from them.
His visible relief and the blaze of triumph in his blue eyes were lost to Molly who began to weep, tears sliding down her face.
The sound of her deep sobs made something twist in Tair’s chest. ‘My dear, fierce, beautiful Molly,’ he said, pulling her into his arms. ‘Is it so bad loving me?’
She lifted her tear-stained face from his chest, bit her trembling lip and wailed tragically, ‘It’s awful!’
Unable to resist any longer, Tair bent his head and kissed her hard. ‘Is that a little less awful?’
Molly gulped and nodded. ‘A bit,’ she conceded. ‘I’m a bit emotional right now…hormones and…’
His fingers tightened in her hair, pulling her head back so that he could look into her face. ‘And you were afraid for me?’
No wonder he sounded so incredulous. He had a team of loyal men willing to lay down their lives for him—and she had acted as though she could make a difference.
‘Well, I’ve seen how reckless you are…and…I know they’ve isolated you and spread rumours.’ Molly breathed in the clean, male, marvellous scent of him and thought how she would never let anyone hurt him.
‘And you felt it would improve the chances of my continued health if I married you and you gave me babies.’
She turned her face into his neck and snapped, ‘Don’t laugh at me, Tair.’
‘Believe me, I’m not laughing, ma belle.’
‘Beatrice said…’
A flash of annoyance crossed Tair’s lean face as he laid a finger across her lips. ‘It seems to me that Beatrice has said far too much. She has caused you so much anguish.’
‘I’m glad she told me. I have a right to know—’
‘I’m not in danger, Molly.’
Her narrowed eyes lifted to his face. ‘Beatrice wouldn’t lie.’
‘Not directly,’ he conceded. ‘But she has bent the truth to the point of snapping. I did upset some influential people when I took control.’ He smiled down into her anxious face. And they would, I do not doubt, have been more than happy if I vanished, but they have never been in a position to make that happen.’
Molly felt a flicker of cautious relief. ‘They haven’t?’
‘They are in a minority and over the years when they milked the system they made many enemies, some powerful. Those enemies are now my allies. My critics have no popular support among either the people or the ruling classes.’
‘So you’re not in danger?’ she sniffed, still not totally convinced.
‘No. The only threat to my authority, the only person who has ever rebelled against me, is you, Miss Mouse.’
The relief now was so intense that Molly felt dizzy with it. ‘Oh, God, I’ve been so so worried.’ She could smile about it now that he was safe. ‘But why would Beatrice say those things if…?’
His lips stretched in a sardonic smile. ‘I think Beatrice might have been trying to play cupid.’
Molly began to shake her head in automatic dismissal of such a ludicrous theory and then stopped, a look of shocked comprehension crossing her face. ‘My God, she was, you’re right, and I didn’t tell her about the baby so she’s going to think it worked.’
Tair muttered something under his breath and grabbed her by the shoulders, turning her to face him. ‘Can you still think that I’m marrying you because of the baby?’ he asked incredulously. ‘Not even you are that stupid!’
‘I’m not stupid…’ Her heartbeat quickened as she read the extraordinary message in his eyes. ‘But you…can’t want to marry me.’
He kissed her hard. ‘Do not put words in my mouth. I am quite capable of speaking for myself. Thinking about marrying you, Molly, is the only thing that has kept me going during the past weeks.’ He reached out to touch a finger to the single tear that had escaped her overflowing eyes and admitted, ‘That you are pregnant with our child is admittedly a plus point.’
‘You’re glad about the baby?’
He looked insulted that she could think otherwise. ‘I am over the moon about this baby!’ He curved a big hand over her stomach. ‘And I want this baby because it is ours…yours and mine…and we made it with our love, and I want to marry you because my life is empty without you in it. I love you, Molly Mouse. I love your golden eyes, I love your sharp tongue…I love the entire beautiful, irresistible package. Dieu!’ he groaned, gathering her in his arms. ‘I have been half a man without you these weeks.’
The tenderness in his long, lingering kiss brought more tears to Molly’s eyes.
‘I can’t believe this is happening. I have loved you almost from the first, Tair.’
‘Yet when I asked you to marry me you refused me because I was second-best, and that hurt.’ The mocking gleam in his eyes was directed at his own stupid pride.
‘I refused, Tair, because I didn’t want you to marry me out of duty.’
‘I know,’ he said, taking her small hand in both of his and lifting it to his lips. A delicious shudder rippled through Molly’s body as he turned it and kissed her palm.
‘I wanted you to marry me out of love,’ she said in a throaty whisper.
‘And I was too stubborn to admit even to myself that I was in love…’ Transferring his attention to the blue-veined inner aspect of her delicate wrist, he continued. ‘You have no idea how often I have regretted it in the weeks since.’
‘Not as often as I’ve regretted refusing to be your wife,’ she retorted. ‘I have been so lonely without you.’
‘Good!’
‘That is not a very nice thing to say,’ she reproached.
‘I have told you, Molly, I am not a very nice man.’
‘You are the only man I want.’
Heat flared like blue flames in his eyes. ‘Or have ever had…You have no idea what it did to me to know that I was your first lover.’ His eyes darkened at the memory. ‘I should have regretted it but I didn’t,’ he admitted huskily.
‘Neither did I.’
‘Tariq is one of my closest friends, but when I thought of him with you I…’ Tair shook his head, still shocked by the memory of his primitive reaction.
Molly ran a loving finger down the curve of his cheek. ‘I wasn’t too happy to see them either,’ she murmured. ‘I wanted you to myself and I wanted a chance to tell you that I was actually the sister nobody really wanted to acknowledge.’ She had understood the situation, but it had hurt.
Tair bent his head to hers. ‘Their loss!’ he said fiercely as he pulled her into his arms.
With a sigh Molly looped her arms around his neck as he swept her off her feet and kissed her with a ruthless hunger she could feel in her bones.
They were still kissing when there was a loud knock on the door.
‘Ignore it,’ Tair said thickly.
It was advice that Molly was only too happy to go along with.
The second and third knock she could ignore, but it was more difficult when Khalid’s voice called their names through the door. ‘Tair…Molly!’
‘He knows we’re in here, Tair. You have to answer.’
‘I don’t see why.’
‘Because he’s not going away.’ The bangs were getting louder.
‘Tair…?’
He looked at her and heaved a frustrated sigh. ‘All right, then.’
Khalid, who seemed oblivious to the lack of warmth in Tair’s manner when he unlocked the door, explained that Beatrice
needed them in the ballroom. It was an emergency, he explained in response to Molly’s concerned questions.
He remained quite vague about what form the emergency took as he led them back into the crowds.
Five minutes later Tair’s patience was wearing thin.
He gave a discontented scowl as he looked around the glittering room. ‘What emergency? Bea’s not here and I don’t see why we have to stay.’
Molly gave him a warning glance. ‘It would be rude,’ she scolded. ‘And she wouldn’t say there was an emergency if there wasn’t.’
Tair bent down, his breath brushing the sensitive skin of her earlobe as he whispered, ‘I’m in pain.’
Molly felt a lustful kick in her stomach. ‘Behave,’ she pleaded without an awful lot of conviction before adding, ‘Me too.’
A hush fell over the hall, but Molly, who was still gazing into Tair’s eyes, did not notice at first.
‘Friends.’ The king’s voice, aided by excellent acoustics, carried to every corner of the room.
Molly’s startled glance flickered to the regal figure who stood in the centre of the hall. She looked at Tair, who shrugged and shook his head.
Molly’s attention strayed every few seconds to the man beside her. Her heart was so full of love she felt as though she might explode and she listened with half an ear as the white-haired king wished his daughter-in-law a happy birthday and welcomed his new grandson.
‘And lastly,’ said the king, ‘there is another person I must welcome to our family. My sons’ sister, Miss Molly James.’
Molly froze in shock as the crowds opened up between her and the king, a clear corridor down which her brothers began to walk.
It was Tair who pushed her towards them.
Flanked by her smiling brothers, her ears ringing to the sound of clapping hands, Molly walked towards the king. The emotional occlusion in her aching throat thickened as he took her by the shoulders and formally kissed her on both cheeks.
The clapping had begun to die away when she turned and saw Tair walking towards them. His blue eyes held hers as he joined them.
He bowed formally to the king and murmured, ‘Honoured, Uncle.’ Turning, he took Molly’s hand in his before allowing his glance to move over the faces of the avidly curious onlookers.
‘What are you doing?’ Molly muttered.
‘I would like to formally request the hand of Miss Molly James in marriage, Uncle.’
‘Is that so, Prince Tair?’ The king raised a sardonic brow. ‘I have no objections, though I do feel that Molly might do better, nephew.’
‘Molly James.’ Holding her eyes, Tair dropped down on one knee. ‘I have asked you once and you refused me, but I ask you again. Will you do me the great honour of accepting me as your husband?’
Molly, acutely aware of every eye in the room on her and hating the attention, mumbled with a lot less regal confidence than either man, ‘Yes, I will.’
Tair grinned in response to her agitated whisper for him to get up and rose with fluid grace before kissing her hand and turning to the room. He announced her with pride that brought tears to her eyes. ‘My princess.’
Under the cover of clapping and cheering Molly squeaked, ‘If you do that to me again I will never forgive you.’
Tair, looking unrepentant, bent his head to her ear. ‘You are mine and I wanted everyone to know it.’
Molly saw the fire of pride and love shining in his eyes and the joy inside her rose up like a warm wave.
She was the luckiest woman on earth!
Without a word she took his face between her hands and kissed him hard on the mouth.
When she released him Tair gave a silent whistle. ‘For a woman who doesn’t like people staring, Molly Mouse…that was…?’
Molly grinned. ‘I want everyone to know you’re mine too, Prince Tair.’
‘I think,’ Tair said, his solemn expression belied by the warmth and laughter dancing in his eyes, ‘that someone in the corner over there might not have got the message.’
‘In that case…’ Laughing, she allowed herself to be swept up into an embrace that left nobody in the room in any doubt about who belonged to whom.
They belonged to each other.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-2755-6
DESERT PRINCE, DEFIANT VIRGIN
First North American Publication 2009.
Copyright © 2008 by Kim Lawrence.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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