by Leslie North
“You mean to tell me—” The sheikh looked around, as if about to reveal confidential information. “—that you were also getting out of this…” He cleared his throat. “Scintillating event?”
“I was trying to,” admitted Catelyn. “Only now—”
“Catelyn, who’s this fine gentleman?” She stifled another groan at the sound of her mother’s voice, her Texas accent settling over her like a cold blanket. There would be no escape now. “You must introduce us.”
“Sheikh Rami of Al-Dashalid,” the prince said smoothly, extending a hand for Catelyn’s mother to shake.
“Al-Dashalid,” Anna crooned, cutting a glance at Catelyn. “My daughter—Catelyn—will be there in a matter of weeks. She’s taking an international cruise. Shake hands, the two of you.”
“Catelyn Wolf,” she said. Rami’s palm was smooth, his hand huge. She dropped it.
“By herself,” her mother pressed.
Catelyn felt heat rise to her cheeks. Her mother was making her seem like a country bumpkin. Naturally.
“Is that so,” said Rami, eyes raking over Catelyn again. “Alone?”
“Oh, yes,” said Anna, pursing her lips. “I told her she shouldn’t go unaccompanied, but you know—”
“I agree,” Rami said quickly, and Catelyn looked around for a hidden camera. What was he saying? He didn’t know her. He’d just run into her. That’s how invisible she’d been to him. “Unaccompanied women—especially beautiful ones—sometimes find themselves in brand-new lives, never to return to the States.”
Anna gasped. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Ask my brother’s wife all about it.” Rami’s eyes flashed with an emotion Catelyn couldn’t identify.
There was an awkward silence.
Of course, neither Catelyn nor her mother were going to be visiting with the royal family of Al-Dashalid. The cruise would stop at the port for a few days, and then she’d be gone.
Catelyn laughed nervously. “It’s not that bad, Mom. I’m sure Sheikh Rami is…exaggerating.”
“I’m certainly not,” Rami said, and she honestly couldn’t tell by the look on his face whether he was kidding or not. He raised one eyebrow, and—what did that mean? “If you’d like to hear more about it, I’d be happy to meet with you later,” he said to Anna. “With your daughter, of course. She should know what she’s getting into.”
Catelyn’s mother fluttered a trembling hand near her face. “Oh, I think we should. I think we should,” she insisted. “If it’s that dangerous, there’s no telling what might happen when—”
“Mom.” Catelyn kept her voice absolutely even, as if her mother were a bride getting cold feet at the last minute. “This is not something to worry about. Al-Dashalid is perfectly safe—”
“For a woman like you?” Rami’s voice was smooth but pointed. “I’d be surprised if a man didn’t make you his wife.”
Catelyn snorted. “That’s not going to happen.” She’d been buried in work for a year, and she’d go back the moment her vacation was over. She was not getting married.
Even if it would put all eyes on her wedding planning business.
“What’s not going to happen?” Wonderful—Lydia had breezed up behind Rami and put a hand on his shoulder, grinning as if she were in on the conversation.
Catelyn beamed back at Lydia. “Rami was regaling us with a few…jokes…about Al-Dashalid.”
“Isn’t he a charmer?” Lydia laughed out loud. Rami relaxed, his shoulders dropping an inch, and Catelyn’s curiosity flared. Why did that make him feel more at ease?
“Yes,” Catelyn said quickly. “But—look at the time. I’ve got—” She waved vaguely at the exit. “Brides. Brides to take care of. You know how it is.”
Lydia came forward and embraced her. “I wasn’t finished with you yet,” she said, a pout playing over her lips. “But I understand.”
Catelyn faced Rami. “It was lovely to meet you.” She stuck out her hand for him to shake again. He took it, and the moment their palms touched an electric delight moved up her spine. She dropped his hand. Nope—no way. Not getting a crush on a sheikh from Al-Dashalid she’d never see again. Not now, not ever. Even if she did love the way his eyes moved over her face, her hair, her body—
No.
“Love you, Mama,” she said to Anna, kissing her on the cheek. “I’ll see all of you later.”
“I hope so,” Rami called after her as she walked away. She gave him one last jaunty wave over her shoulder and kept going, not looking back.
Grab your copy of The Sheikh’s Blackmailed Bride
Available 7 March 2019
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BLURB
An exotic prince, a sharp-tongued vet, a passion neither can ignore…
Desperate to save his favorite lioness, Sala, from a deadly disease, Prince Zatar summons exotic wildlife veterinarian Alex Seaton to the palace. But when a stunning woman clad in western clothing arrives at the palace, he’s convinced there must be a mistake. The sharp-tongued, defiant woman couldn’t possibly be skilled enough to save Sala. However, as she works to heal his beloved pet, a dark passion simmers between them. To take her to his bed would be scandalous, but how can he resist such sweet temptation?
Alexis Seaton is all too aware of the practiced seduction of royalty. As a renowned animal healer, she’s spent time in countless luxurious gardens with some of the most exotic big cats in the world. To maintain her professional status, she must resist the prince’s sultry, searching eyes and sensual promises. Only a fool would give up her life’s passion for one night in the arms of a man who would forget her by morning. But under Zatar’s watchful gaze, her resolve shifts like the sands of Arabia, and even she may not be able to resist the sheikh’s royal seduction forever...
Grab your copy of The Sheikh’s Royal Seduction
(Desert Sheikhs Book One) from
www.LeslieNorthBooks.com
* * *
EXCERPT
Chapter One
Alexis Seaton blinked against the buffeting wind that entered the helicopter. A palace employee offered a hand to help her step down the grated metal steps leading to the landing pad. Her ponytail flew up in a funnel behind her, the blades whipping everything into a frenzy.
“And you are?” The palace helper squinted at her, then looked into the helicopter as if expecting someone to be coming after her.
“Alex Seaton.” She shielded her eyes against the bright midday sun. She’d received an urgent phone call last night from a man named Timak, imploring her to make the half-day’s journey to come rescue his employer’s ailing lioness. Calls like these weren’t rare. Specializing in emergency exotic animal care, Alex was used to answering desperate late-night calls. It was why she was so revered in her field and one of the highest paid exotic-animal veterinarians in Europe and the Middle East.
So of course she jumped at the invitation to fly to sunny, arid Kattahar. It was a welcome break from her last job, resuscitating an injured lounge of bearded dragons, which a celebrity client had acquired during a tense game of cards in Egypt. Getting back to her love—big cats—would always be her favorite assignment.
The palace helper looked confused for a moment, but he led her away from the landing pad. “I am Timak, the palace zookeeper. I work for Prince Zatar Balizar. He is terribly distraught over the condition of his favored lioness.”
As they walked, the chopping of the helicopter blades grew fainter. Her view of the terrain of the property expanded, giving way to a seemingly unending green lawn dappled with flower beds and topiary. Some of the bushes she couldn’t identify; one was clearly a dragon, but another one looked like a cross between a giraffe and a mythical god. Maybe some Kattahar lore she wasn’t brushed up on.
A neatly laid stone path wound through the rolling greenery. In the distance, the sandstone turrets of the palace poked up. This was one of the major perks of her job: the unending opulence. And maybe she’d picked exotic animals i
n veterinary school for a reason. Though she loved all animals and would treat anything from a rat to a rhino, there were certain benefits to the rarer species. Namely, their owners loved to spend money and often didn’t hesitate to throw enormous tips her way.
“What seems to be the issue with her? You didn’t go into much detail on the phone, other than the fact that she’s pregnant.” Alex tried not to gawk as the path sloped toward what was essentially a miniature zoo. Enormous, wrought iron cages were built into the hillside, each one featuring a different animal. They rushed past a rhinoceros, who blinked at her with dull eyes, and… She squinted. Yep, just three legs there. The next cage held a cheetah, who prowled the far side lazily.
Alex swiped at her brow. Sweat had collected after only five minutes under the intense sun. No wonder the animals were lethargic. This felt just a few degrees shy of hell.
“Sala is this way,” Timak said, motioning further down the path. “The prince is with her.”
The Prince Zatar. The name made lazy circles inside her. She’d heard about this prince before, but where? Royalty news tended to blur together in her world, hopping between countries as often as she did. So many different sheikhs and princes and heirs to this and emperors of that. It was like living in a movie sometimes. And this prince seemed to be one of the richest ones yet. Hell, just the leather seat in that helicopter was one of the most luscious lounging experiences she’d had in her life.
They rounded a bend, passed a dried-up fountain with an enormous lion head in the center, and came to an arched gate. At the end of a wider path sat another enclosure. Above the entry, gothic style lettering spelled something in a foreign script.
“What’s that say?” Alex pointed to the title as they approached the enclosure.
Timak opened his mouth to respond just as they crested the gated entrance. Sala lay panting in the shade at the back of the enclosure. Beside her was Zatar, the prince of this palace, lying on his side, spooning the lioness from behind. Whatever Timak said to her disappeared in the wind. Her throat bobbed with emotion as she beheld the tender sight.
Timak unlocked the gate and ushered her inside. Alex stepped carefully, feeling a somber air inside this enclosure. Zatar stirred as they approached, his eyes shrinking to slits.
Alex’s mouth fell open as she took him in. Gorgeous was an understatement. The man was made from magazine models, it seemed; piercing hazel eyes under dark brows and luscious black hair. He scrambled to grab his keffiyah and place it on top of his head, then rolled smoothly to his feet.
“Who are you?” His husky voice cut through the air, shaking her from the reverie. She blinked a few times, glancing back at Timak.
“I’m Alexis.” She offered a hand, smiling tightly as he approached. “The veterinarian.”
Zatar stopped a few feet away, his manly presence sinking into her. Broad shouldered and with a certain quality that made her feel like she was meeting a longtime favorite celebrity. Butterflies erupted against her will. He frowned down at her hand.
“There’s been a mistake. We called for a male doctor.”
She blinked, lowering her hand. “Um, no. There’s no mistake. I’m Alex. Alex Seaton.”
His eyes narrowed as he took her in, his jaw working back and forth. She’d worked with enough rich guys to know they preferred things to go their way. And if he’d been under the illusion that she was a man this whole time… She didn’t want to test his adaptability. Royals were notoriously rigid.
“This is nonsense.” He huffed, turning his back on her. “Timak, where’s the real vet?”
Alex’s eyes widened as though he’d slapped her. “Excuse me?”
“Sir, this is the real vet,” Timak said timidly from outside the enclosure. Maybe he’d stayed out there for this reason. Knowing his employer would throw a royal-grade hissy fit about the mistaken gender identity.
“Mr. Balizar,” Alex began.
“Prince Zatar,” Zatar snapped. “Your highness, to be accurate.”
She cleared her throat. “Your highness.” Yep. He was a pretty baby, just like all the rest of the golden-spoon rich guys. Wasting all those good looks on immaturity. She drew a deep breath, drawing on her well-stocked reserve of patience. “I am a highly qualified veterinarian, and your people called me.”
He scoffed, flinging his hand in the air.
Her nostrils flared. Her patience was officially worn out. “Okay then. I’ll just excuse myself, since you clearly don’t want my help.”
She headed back toward the enclosure gates, where a stricken Timak stood clutching the bars. She had just reached the gate when a hand grabbed her shoulder, spinning her around.
Zatar stood behind her, chest heaving, his hazel eyes full of torment. “Wait.”
Grab your copy of The Sheikh’s Royal Seduction
(Desert Sheikhs Book One) from
www.LeslieNorthBooks.com
