by Tara Pammi
He laughed and swallowed the rest of her words in a sizzling kiss. “These last few months have been the happiest of my life. Every day, I can’t imagine this is my life. I can’t believe that I walked away from this. If you hadn’t fought for me, for our love...” He sighed against her mouth, a shudder racking through him. “I love you, Riya. I love that you’ll forever be mine and I yours.”
An ache rose in Riya’s throat at his words. Her gorgeous, powerful man never let a day pass without telling her how much he loved her, without showing her how precious she was to him. But they were both still so new to this. He was only now getting used to having her around after living alone for so long.
Underneath that easy humor, there was still a self-sufficiency that wouldn’t leave so easily. But he made an effort for her and Riya was so glad for it.
Hiding her face in his chest, Riya gathered the courage to say the words. “Nathan, I have to tell you something.”
“What is it, butterfly?”
“I realized yesterday that...I...we’ve been traveling so much and I lost track of...”
He lifted her chin, his gaze curious. “What’s bothering you?”
“I took a pregnancy test this morning, and it’s... I’m pregnant, Nate.”
Shock flitted in his eyes, cycled to concern. “I don’t know what to say.”
Riya felt the happiness of her day pop.
“Riya, I know this isn’t what we had planned. I mean, we didn’t really even plan anything, did we? But, my little butterfly, that’s how you came into my life, didn’t you?” He tugged her toward him and hugged her so tight that Riya thought she would break under the avalanche of his love. Yet when he spoke, there was a restraint in his voice. “I know it’s scary when we’re so new to each other. I know that having a child is a huge thing, but, Riya—”
Riya pushed at his shoulders and studied his gaze. He was holding back his reaction for her. She pulled his hands to her stomach and spoke past the raw ache in her throat.
“Please, Nate. Will you be honest with me about this?”
He nodded and clasped her cheek. “It’s the perfect gift you could have given me today. You’ll have me every step of the way. You—”
And that was when Riya understood. And she laughed and hugged him tight, kissed his face. Looked into his beautiful blue gaze.
“Nathan, you and I made this. We created this with our love. Can you imagine anything more beautiful or wonderful in this world? It’s true I’m afraid, I’m nowhere near ready or equipped to be a mom, but if you’re with me, I can do anything. Tell me you want this just as much as I do. Tell me you want this baby.”
Tears pooled in his beautiful blue gaze and he kissed her again. Now it was he who trembled and Riya hugged him hard to herself. “I do want this, Riya. I’ll always want anything you bring into my life, butterfly.”
* * * * *
Read on for an extract from CLAIMED BY THE SHEIKH by Rachael Thomas.
PROLOGUE
THIS WAS THE MOMENT Amber had been looking forward to. Her wedding day. Her new husband, Prince Kazim Al Amed of Barazbin, was powerful and, despite her nerves, Amber wanted their first night together to be perfect. He might be the man her father had chosen for her to marry, but she’d given her heart to him the moment they’d first met. His reputation preceded him and she intended to hide her virginal innocence by playing the role of seductress to perfection.
As soon as they’d left the wedding feast things had changed, had gone wrong. His warm smile had disappeared and he stood in their suite, anger clouding his handsome face.
‘I have no wish for this marriage.’ He almost had to force the word ‘marriage’ out. ‘There is no need to change your life.’
‘Change my life?’ How could he so calmly say that? Of course her life would change, but she held her chin high, kept her strength, not wanting to appear weak to a man so strong.
‘Like you, I have married out of duty and respect for my family.’ His eyes, as black as obsidian, fixed on hers and a sizzle of something indefinable raced down her spine. She clenched her fingers tightly beneath the silk of her abaya.
He picked up her hand; the warmth of his fingers around hers made her heart race and for a moment she saw confusion in his eyes.
‘We have done our duty. Now you will return to your family.’
* * *
Kazim breathed a sigh of relief, thankful his bride was a level-headed woman not prone to hysteria. It must be the Western influence she’d had in her life. The same influence that had corrupted her. Rumours of her secret assignations with men in hotel rooms whilst at boarding school had only just reached his ears. She was not the innocent bride he had been expecting. He had done his duty, married the woman his father had selected. He would do no more.
‘So what must I do?’ She looked panicked for a moment and he wondered if his assumptions had been premature.
‘Whatever it was you were doing before you arrived here. You will, of course, have my full financial support.’ As far as he was concerned, after what he’d just learnt he had every right to send his new wife home and then one day call into question her suitability.
‘So I just go back to my life?’
‘There is one problem.’ He hesitated. ‘It will be expected for the marriage to be consummated.’
‘That’s easily sorted.’ She jumped up impetuously and tugged at her abaya, pulling the long lengths of silk. ‘We can make it look as if it has.’
Kazim couldn’t believe what he was hearing and seeing. As each piece of silk was removed and tossed aside lust thudded through his veins. This woman was his wife, an innocent virgin, but she was performing some kind of striptease. What had she learnt in England?
With each movement she became bolder, seducing him with her curves, her sexy pout. Anger mixed with disbelief was making a heady cocktail. This woman was no innocent. But still he watched as lust thundered in his blood.
The silk ripped as her movements became faster and she gasped, her face full of genuine shock. Then she smiled. The smile of a woman who knew how to tease a man. ‘That will make it look all the more real.’
Then the last piece of silk slipped to the floor, leaving her almost naked, and their eyes met. She stood and looked at him, as if daring him to resist her now. He was hardly able to, but taking her now was out of the question. His rage was so strong he knew what could happen and he couldn’t risk that.
‘Put some clothes on,’ he growled, hardly able to contain the anger he felt. In just a few minutes she’d proved herself completely unsuitable as his bride.
A short while later she emerged from the bathroom, her lush body covered by the soft towelling robe. She sat on the bed, her rich coffee eyes meeting his in challenge. ‘The bed will need to look as if we’ve slept together in it.’
‘What?’
She calmly sat there, her breasts rising and falling with each breath, making it harder than ever to resist the call of his lust.
‘The bed,’ she said coldly. ‘If you want this marriage to look as if it has been consummated, it needs to be a mess.’
* * *
Amber watched the man she’d married toss the sheets into disarray and self-preservation kicked in. She wasn’t about to be sent home a disgraced bride, one who was still a virgin. It had to look as if the marriage had been consummated. She couldn’t face her parents otherwise.
If her husband could be as cold and calculating about the marriage they’d entered into out of duty, then so could she. The deal struck by their fathers would be honoured, as long as it looked as if they’d spent the night in the same bed.
Just a few more hours and she could leave. Go as far away as she could. Maybe go places and do things her position as her father’s only daughter and Princess of Quarazmir had never enabled her to
do.
Copyright © 2015 by Rachael Thomas
ISBN: 978-1-472-09840-5
THE MAN TO BE RECKONED WITH
© 2015 Tara Pammi
Published in Great Britain 2015
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited
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