by Fiona Brand
Although Gabe couldn’t quite relax until Sarah arrived. It was an insecurity that shouldn’t have existed after the days and nights they’d spent together, but he couldn’t quite forget the stark moment when he’d found out she’d left him just weeks ago.
Xavier checked his watch and frowned. “She’s late.”
“Tradition.” Gabe’s gaze was drawn to the priest, robed in white, as he also checked his watch. “Probably caught up in traffic.”
The noise level outside increased. An usher at the front doors gave Gabe a nod. He let out a breath and relaxed. She was here.
* * *
Sarah stepped into the church, a little frazzled after the frustration of sitting in the back of a limousine that seemed to spend large amounts of time stuck in heavy traffic or at a standstill because of the crush of pedestrians. All wanting to get to her wedding.
A liltingly beautiful wedding march started, and the hum of conversation died. Gabe turned, looking tall and handsome in a gray morning suit and wearing the traditional kaffiyeh and agal. His gaze connected with hers through the drift of her veil. The quiet joy that he was hers seemed to swell inside her, forming an ache at the back of her throat.
Gripping the elegant bouquet that matched the simple lines of her designer gown, she began the slow, measured walk toward her husband-to-be.
With every step memories flickered. Gabe straightening with the sword in his hand at the reception in Wellington, the rescue in the parking lot, their first kiss, the first night they had spent together.
Blinking back tears, she halted at the ancient altar, which had seen the flow of centuries, bowed her head, made the sign of the cross and turned to her husband-to-be.
Sheikh Kadin Gabriel ben Kadir, heir to the Sheikhdom of Zahir.
For a moment, her composure wobbled, but when he lifted the veil from her face and took her hands in his, the warmth of his gaze held her steady.
The hush of the church, the beauty of the words of the ceremony, filled her with an emotion that was piercing. When Gabe slipped the simple gold band on her finger, tears finally spilled.
His mouth brushed hers; his hands at her waist burned through the silk of her gown. Beeswax candles guttered in the faint breeze that blew through windows and suddenly the air was filled with the wild sweet scents of honey and thyme.
Sarah’s head spun dizzily as she went up on her toes to kiss him back.
She finally had it all, more than she had ever dreamed—the father of her child and the love she had waited for, the husband of her heart.
* * * * *
If you loved this book from Fiona Brand, pick up the novels in her PEARL HOUSE series
A BREATHLESS BRIDE
A TANGLED AFFAIR
A PERFECT HUSBAND
THE FIANCÉE CHARADE
JUST ONE MORE NIGHT
Available now from Harlequin Desire!
If you’re on Twitter, tell us what you think of Harlequin Desire! #harlequindesire
Keep reading for an excerpt from CARRYING A KING’S CHILD by Katherine Garbera.
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Desire story.
You want to leave behind the everyday! Harlequin Desire stories feature sexy, romantic heroes who have it all: wealth, status, incredible good looks…everything but the right woman. Add some secrets, maybe a scandal, and start turning pages!
Enjoy six new stories from Harlequin Desire every month!
Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!
Other ways to keep in touch:
Harlequin.com/newsletters
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
HarlequinBlog.com
http://www.harlequin.com/harlequinexperience
A SPECIAL EXCERPT FROM
Will Rafe Montoro have to choose between the throne and newfound fatherhood?
Read on for a sneak preview of
CARRYING A KING’S CHILD,
a Dynasties: The Montoros novel by USA TODAY bestselling author Katherine Garbera.
Pregnant!
He knew Emily wouldn’t be standing in his penthouse apartment telling him this if he wasn’t the father. His first reaction was joy.
A child.
It wasn’t something he ever thought he wanted but the idea that Emily was carrying his baby seemed right to him.
Maybe that was just because it gave him something other than his royal duties to think about. He’d been dreading his trip to Alma. He was flattered that the country that had once driven his family out had come back to them, asked them—him, as it turned out—to be the next king. But he had grown up here in Miami. He didn’t want to be a stuffy royal.
He didn’t want European paparazzi following him around and trying to catch him doing anything that would bring shame to his family. Including having a child out of wedlock.
“Rafe, did you hear what I said?”
“Yeah, I did. Are you sure?” he asked at last.
She gave him a fiery look from those aqua blue eyes of hers. He’d seen the passionate side of her nature and he guessed he was about to witness her temper. Hurricane Em was about to unleash all of her fury on him and he didn’t blame her one bit.
He held his hand up. “Slow down, Red. I didn’t mean are you sure it’s mine. I meant…are you sure you’re pregnant.”
“Damned straight. And I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t sure it was yours. Listen, I don’t want anything from you. I know you can’t turn your back on your family and marry me and frankly, we only had one weekend together so I’d have to say no to a proposal anyway. But…I don’t want this kid to grow up without knowing you.”
“Me neither.”
She glanced up surprised.
He’d sort of surprised himself. But it didn’t seem right for a kid of his to grow up without him. He wanted that. He wanted a chance to impart the Montoro legacy…not the one newly sprung on him involving a throne but the one he’d carved for himself in business. “Don’t look shocked.”
“You’ve kind of got a lot going on right now. And having a kid with me isn’t going to go over well.”
“Tough,” he said. “I still make my own decisions.”
Don’t miss
CARRYING A KING’S CHILD
by USA TODAY bestselling author Katherine Garbera, available June 2015, only from Harlequin Desire
www.Harlequin.com
Copyright © 2015 by Katherine Garbera
ISBN-13: 9781460380987
The Sheikh’s Pregnancy Proposal
Copyright © 2015 by Fiona Gillibrand
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
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. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.
www.Harlequin.com
br />
Fiona Brand, The Sheikh's Pregnancy Proposal
