“Tell me,” he encouraged once they were on the court. It was dark here, save for the moonlight and the twinkling of stars, but the noise of the party carried to them as a large, swirling background.
“I want you to leave me alone,” she said coldly.
He ignored the statement; he was almost positive it was a pride-saving remark. “I would never seduce a woman for any reason other than desire. Syed was desperate when he suggested it. I do not think he truly wanted me to sleep with you, only to somehow put an end to the engagement he felt suffocated by.”
“Gee, thanks,” she drawled sarcastically. “That makes me feel so much better.”
A muscle jerked in his jaw. “But I fell in love with you all on my own. From the moment I met you I knew I could not do anything that would hurt you. I knew that I wanted to find a way to dissolve your engagement to him, but only so that you were free to marry me.”
“Why didn’t you just tell Adin that you wanted to marry me? Why didn’t you tell me any of this?” She responded angrily. “All those conversations over where I’d live and how many children I’d have; you had so many opportunities to ask me to marry you instead. To tell me that you wanted me.”
“It happened so fast, Charlotte, and I have never been in love before.” He reached for her now, but stopped short of touching her, dropping his hand back to his side. “I spoke to my uncle and he was adamant that you would marry Syed. I slept with you to break your engagement once and for all. I intended to tell my uncle, yes. But only to force his hand into allowing me to take the place of your groom.”
“And did you think about what I wanted?” She snapped. “Did it occur to you that I might not want to be manoeuvred and shared about like property?”
He was, momentarily, stricken. “It never occurred to me that you wouldn’t want to marry me,” he said honestly. “Was I wrong, Charlotte, to think that you loved me? To think that you looked at me and wished it was me, not him?”
She shook her head, tears stinging her eyes. “I did wish it. But I didn’t know then what you were capable of.”
“Capable of?” He whispered. “What I did was awful, but you were never supposed to be hurt by it. I saw you slipping away from me. Even after we made love you talked of marrying Syed! You were as trapped by that damned betrothal as he was! I wanted to free you …”
“But only so that I would marry you. I just told you, that makes me feel like property. You make me feel like I have no say in my own destiny.”
He nodded, his eyes soft when they met hers. “Let me give you the say you want. I am asking you to marry me. I am asking you to be not just my wife, but my partner in every way. I am offering myself to you entirely – I am yours, Charlotte. I will live here in Falina with you, I will rule by your side, if you’ll allow me, but always, and forever who I am, what I am, and my heart will be in your hands. Marry me or not, but you should know that I am yours. Always.”
She caught her breath in her throat and shook her head, confusion making her uncertain now.
His voice was thick with urgency. “Have you ever surfed a wave?”
“Yeah. My paralysing fear of water is immune to waves.”
He smiled, but her sarcasm didn’t silence his thoughts. “Close your eyes.”
“Why?” She asked, but something like magic was swirling around her.
“Trust me.”
She arched a perfectly shaped brow at him. “Seriously?”
He nodded. “Trust me.”
With a huff, she did as he said, sweeping her lashes down over her cheeks.
“Imagine sitting on a surf board, deep in the ocean. The waves are breaking just in front of you. You watch them rolling in, but more than that, you feel them. Every swell shifts beneath you, as though the ocean is breathing in and you are a part of its lungs. Then there’s one – a big one. It feels different to the others and somehow, deep inside, you feel that it’s different. You simply know it’s strong enough to go the distance. Or perhaps you don’t, but you know you want to take a chance. You paddle forward, your arms strong in the current of water, trying to catch the string of the wave, until the board begins to propel itself. Then you stand, easily, because the wave has made the board steady beneath you. And suddenly, you’re on top of the world, like a dolphin or bird, churning towards the coast, surrounded by water that curls above you, inviting you into a tunnel. The sun is warm, the water cool, and the smell of salt is in your pores. It is one of the most powerful things I have ever felt.”
Her breath was shallow as the evocative description flitted through her mind’s eye. “I can’t even imagine what that feels like,” she said softly, caught in his words.
“Don’t you feel it?” A deep, dark query, compelling and intriguing her. “Don’t you feel that’s what we are? There is a wave beneath us, Charlotte, and it is pulling us towards the shore. We are on the same board, we feel the same wave, and no matter what, it will bring us to shore together. It is as it is.”
She blinked her eyes open and stared down at him, for he had knelt now.
“I am asking you to marry me. I ask you with the blessing of my uncle, and your parents. I offer you my heart in the full knowledge that you have every right, and perhaps every reason, to reject it.” He lifted his hands now, taking hers in them. “Surf this wave with me, Charlotte. Let me live by your side, sharing our days. Let me teach you to swim, and watch that joy on your face as you experience it anew. Let me take away your worries when you wish me to, let me be there for you.”
“Ash,” she murmured, shaking her head again, but her eyes were sparkling with unshed tears. “I’ve been so miserable.”
He was still. Watchful.
“After Marook, I never thought I would trust a man again. I was happy to marry Syed – a virtual stranger – because I didn’t believe I would ever fall in love. When Syed came to the embassy and I realised how foolish I’d been, I was so angry. At you, at myself. Perhaps too angry.” She squeezed his hand and then turned, walking towards one of the seats that lined the court. “I didn’t give you a chance to explain then. I was in so much pain. All the old wounds seemed to have been ripped open and I couldn’t stand to look at you and think that you’d used me.”
He stood, walking with slow purpose towards her. “I used what we felt to push your hand,” he said. “In the spirit of honesty, I tell you that. I believed that sleeping together would force you to admit you didn’t want to marry Syed. But more than that …”
“It was the wave,” she finished for him, her smile heavy on her face as he came to sit beside her.
“Yes. The wave.” He put a hand on her knee and a thud of awareness travelled through her.
“You went back to Kalastan?” She asked, almost conversationally.
“I had to.” Slowly he padded his thumb over the fabric of her dress, as though the gentle motion was helping him think. “My uncle was furious. I had to meet with him and organise my affairs. Whether you marry me or not, I have chosen to remain in Falina, where I have the most chance of seeing you often.” His smile was intended to tease but it showed such sadness that her heart ached for him.
She stood jerkily, and paced the court in front of him, her mind rushing to connect dots and make plans. “I have been engaged to two men already. I don’t know if I want to be engaged to a third.” She stared at him long and hard.
His expression was impossible to comprehend. “I’m not here to pressure you,” he said finally, the words dark and gravelled.
Her smile shone with the power of every star above them. “So let’s not be engaged. Let’s just get married.”
He was surprised. It showed on his face, but only for a minute. Then, he was standing, his arms rushing around her, pulling her to his chest. His kiss was defined by hunger and need. He kissed her as though he had been thinking about it for a month, just like she had. He kissed her as though he’d never stop. And Charlotte hoped he wouldn’t.
It was a kiss of new beginnings; a kiss of
promise.
“You are my perfect half,” he said throatily, finally, lifting his face just enough to stare at her with disbelief.
“No. You’re mine,” she corrected.
He cupped her cheeks, holding her still, and then he smiled. A smile that reached right into her soul and pieced her pierced heart back together. “You’ll marry me tomorrow?”
“I’d marry you right now if we could.”
His eyes lit up. “Let’s do it.”
“What?” She laughed. “We can’t. Everyone’s here and …”
“So? I don’t think your father would mind if we hijacked his birthday for such an occasion. Do you?”
She bit down on her lip. “You’re serious?”
“I’ve never been more serious in my life.”
“But who would perform the ceremony? It doesn’t make sense. Surely we need time to organise …”
“Give me half an hour, Charlotte, and your blessing, and it will be done.”
It was madness! Craziness! But hadn’t their whole relationship been just that?
Surrender to the wave, she told herself, and she nodded. “Let’s do it.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The crowd was silent as King Rama took the stage. At seventy, he was still spry and youthful, a courtesy of his athletic pursuits. He looked down on the guests with a sense of pride.
“My friends,” he said, encompassing political allies and enemies, powerful business men and those men and women he truly adored most on earth. “I thank you for your attendance this night. Having you here to celebrate my birthday is an honour.” His eyes moved sideways, landing on his wife Eloise. “My life has been richly blessed. This kingdom is a gift I cherish, ruling it has been my life’s work. Marriage to my Queen fills me with joy, and our daughter, Charlotte,” he scanned the crowd though he knew she was not there, “has been my crowning achievement. Charlotte is a woman who knows her own mind and who will serve our people well. She is intelligent, courageous, kind and loyal. And tonight, it gives me great pleasure to tell you she is about to be wed.”
There was an immediate outbreak of conversation and Rama lifted a hand to silence the crowd. But surprise was immense and it took almost a minute for the talking to stop.
“It is not the husband I chose for her, but better than that, it is the husband she has chosen for herself. I invite you to stay where you are and witness the ceremony. Be amongst the first to welcome a couple that will, one day, rule this land.”
Applause broke out like fireworks.
Charlotte, waiting just outside the ballroom, stared at Mika with an enormous smile. She’d changed back into the white dress she’d worn to Ashad’s ball earlier. Her ceremonial tiara had been collected from the vault and sat high on her head, a shimmering collection of ancient stones that sparkled almost as brightly as her enthusiasm.
“Can you see him?” She asked.
“No,” Mika grinned at her friend. “Be patient.”
Eloise emerged then, her eyes suspiciously moist. “May I have a moment, Mika?”
Mika nodded. “Of course, Eloise.” She had long ago dispensed with formalities when it came to the royal parents.
Charlotte waited, uncertain how her mother would react to the development.
“I have never seen you so happy,” Eloise murmured, staring at her daughter with wonderment.
“I’m in love,” she said simply.
“I can see that.” She shook her head. “I should have seen it then.”
Charlotte swallowed. “You wanted me to marry Syed…”
“I wanted to know you safe. I became so fixated on protecting you from men that I didn’t stop to see how grown up you are now. You don’t need my protection. And you have chosen for yourself so much better than we did!”
Charlotte laughed. “Don’t let Syed hear you say that; I’m sure he’d be quite offended.”
“I don’t mean to insult him. I’m sure he is a wonderful man, too. But Ashad is so in love with you. He came to see us today, and the way he spoke was so lavish. He looks at you and sees you as you really are – the most beautiful, kind-hearted, wonderful woman on earth. I know he will always love you, Charlotte. What more could a mother want?”
Charlotte shook her head as a mix of euphoria and frustration swirled through her. “I suppose it doesn’t hurt that Adin is honouring all of the promises agreed to in the marriage to Syed?”
“Not one bit,” Eloise laughed.
But Charlotte’s eyes were searching as they met her mother’s. “I have spent this entire evening feeling miserable and bereft. Why didn’t you tell me he’d been?”
“He didn’t want you to feel pressured,” she said quickly. “He was adamant that your marriage avoid any appearance of being arranged. And it isn’t. You are marrying for love.” Eloise put a hand on her daughter’s. “Do not let it bother you that your father and I support the marriage one hundred percent.”
Charlotte laughed softly, tears of joy sparkling in her eyes. “I’ll try.”
The crowd, chatting amongst themselves were quiet again, and when Charlotte peered around the door, she saw Ashad. Handsome, perfect, her-other-half Ashad. She stared at him and everyone else in the room faded away. It was just them.
“I am a Sheikh of Kalastan,” he began, his voice booming, his manner confident by birthright and nature. “And I stand before you, the Falinese people, offering my service and fidelity for the rest of my life. Falina is a place that has taken much from me.” The crowd was eerily silent. “It is here, on this soil, in this country, that my parents were murdered.”
Charlotte’s eyes swept closed.
“And here, in your city, that I met your Princess Charlotte and finally understood my purpose for being.” She had intended to stay hidden until the ceremony began, but her heart was being pulled towards his, inexorably, as though by an invisible string. She peeked around the door and then stepped through it, into the room. His eyes found her instantly, and the crowd parted.
She was conscious of their smiles as she went; the way well-wishes were whispered at her as she past. But really, her mind, her heart, her everything, was trained on the man ahead. She moved to the front of the room and stood just in front of him.
“Are you ready?”
She stared at him, and then stood on tiptoes. “I just realised something,” she whispered into his ear.
“What is it?” He responded in kind, a smile tipping the corners of his mouth.
“I don’t think I’ve told you yet that I love you.” And her smile showed the truth of the statement. “I love you,” she said again.
And he laughed.
He laughed out of joy, love and gratitude.
The kingdom laughed with him.
Happiness abounded as it would, forever after.
THE END
BOOKS BY CLARE CONNELLY
HARLEQUIN TITLES
Bought for the Billionaire’s Revenge
Innocent in the Billionaire’s Bed
Off Limits
Her Wedding Night Surrender
Burn Me Once
Bound by the Billionaire’s Vows
SINGLE TITLES
Her Guardian’s Christmas Seduction
Stolen by the Desert King
In the Hands of the Sheikh
His Nine Month Seduction
The Sheikh’s Contract Bride
Seduced by the Vengeful Tycoon
The Sheikh’s Stolen Bride
The Sheikh’s Secret Baby
The Sheikh’s Million Dollar Bride
The Tycoon’s Virgin Mistress
The Sheikh’s Virgin Hostage
Bartered to the Sheikh
The Sheikh’s Arranged Marriage
Marrying for his Royal Heir
The Greek’s Marriage Revenge
The Velasco Love Child
The Sultan’s Virgin Bride
Bound to the Sheikh
The Medici Mistress
His Loving Decept
ion
The Sheikh’s Convenient Mistress
The Princess’s Forbidden Lover
Marrying her Enemy
Rakanti’s Indecent Proposition
Seducing the Spaniard
The Italian’s Innocent Bride
The Greek Tycoon’s Forbidden Affair
The Terms of their Affair
A Second Chance at Love
The Sheikh’s Christmas Mistress
At the Sheikh’s Command
The Billionaire’s Christmas Revenge
Seduced by the Italian Tycoon
Raising the Soldier’s Son
Warming the Sheikh’s Bed
The Tycoon’s Christmas Captive
The Brazilian’s Forgotten Lover
Betrayed by the CEO
The Billionaire’s Ruthless Revenge
The Italian Billionaire’s Betrayal
The Sultan’s Reluctant Princess
Love in the Fast Lane
Bought by the Sheikh
The Tycoon’s Summer Seduction
All She Wants for Christmas
One Night with the Sheikh
A Bed of Broken Promises
Tempted by the Billionaire
The Sheikh’s Christmas Wish
To the Highest Bidder
The Tycoon’s Secret Baby
Bedding His Innocent Mistress
COMPENDIUMS
Casacelli Brides
Mediterranean Tycoons
Desert Rulers
Billionaire Bad Boys
Too Hot to Handle
Desert Kings
Happily Ever After
Royal Weddings Page 60
