In The Sheikh's Marriage Bed

From somewhere she found her voice, jerking away from him and smoothing her tumbled hair with shaking hands. ‘I don’t see how the way I dress has anything to do with this—’

‘Do you not?’ His hard mouth curved slightly. ‘And yet you agreed to come here, Miss Kingston.’

He was standing so close that she could feel the heat throb between them, feel the tension rise to such a pitch that she could hardly breathe.

‘I came to deliver my brother’s message.’

He smiled. ‘Consider it delivered. Now we can move on.’

Her cheeks flamed under his steady gaze. ‘I don’t know what you’re implying,’ she said frostily, ‘but—’

‘Miss Kingston—’ his tone was lethally soft and he took a step closer to her, his eyes locking on hers with magnetic force, his powerful body dominating hers even though they weren’t touching ‘—I ought to warn you that I never play games. Not in my business dealings or in my bedroom dealings.’

Emily flushed, wondering which category he thought she fell into. ‘I’m not playing games, but you’re tying me in knots and you’re being so inflexible about the money—’ She broke off, totally quelled by the contempt in those black eyes.

‘I am not known for my flexibility.’

Or for warmth or kindness, Emily reflected. She’d never met anyone so cold and unapproachable in her life. He was totally intimidating and he was standing so close that she could almost feel the heat of his body burning through the thin fabric of her dress.

‘My brother sends his apologies for not coming himself,’ she said formally, raking a mass of blonde curls away from her eyes and suddenly wishing that she’d dug a little deeper and found out exactly why her brother hadn’t been able to attend. Had he known the prince would be this angry? ‘He’s been working really hard and I agreed to come in his place, to explain.’

Night-black eyes settled on hers and Emily felt her heart beat faster. He might be heartless but he had truly amazing cheekbones. In fact he was gorgeous, she thought weakly, wondering how she was supposed to concentrate faced with all that rampant, pulsing masculinity.

Suddenly all she could think about was sex and she dragged her eyes away from his, just mortified by her own thoughts. What was the matter with her? She never thought about sex. She thought about love and marriage and babies, and of course sex was part of that, but she never thought about sex on its own.

Until now.

There was something about Zak al-Farisi that was so powerfully sexual that it took her breath away. She glanced around her again, half expecting to see desperate women pouring through every door of his palace and an unsettling thought occurred to her.

Did Arab princes still have harems?

She glanced at that cold, handsome face one more time and felt her knees weaken alarmingly.

If there was a vacancy in this man’s harem then she was definitely applying.

Or maybe not. She couldn’t think of anything more terrifying than being in this man’s bed.

Or more exciting—

‘So—’ his voice was soft and slightly accented ‘—I confess I am intrigued. I await your explanation with almost unbearable anticipation.’

Roused from her fantasies by the raw bite of his sarcasm, Emily decided that there was probably a waiting list for the harem. A very long one. And she wasn’t exactly qualified for the position. What she knew about sex could be written on a thong.

Realising that he was still waiting for an answer, she drew breath. ‘There’s nothing to justify,’ she said, puzzled and disconcerted by the flash of anger she saw in the prince’s eyes. ‘The investments aren’t doing well. He told me that much. But he anticipates that the markets will improve soon. In the meantime, he’s just asking you to give him more time.’

Those black eyes showed not a flicker of warmth. ‘We’ve already established that I’m not a nice guy, Miss Kingston. I won’t be giving him more time.’

She frowned, refusing to believe that anyone could be that unsympathetic. ‘But none of this is Peter’s fault,’ she said and Zak lifted one inky-black eyebrow, his expression sardonic.

‘He is no longer responsible for his own business?’

Emily nibbled her lip. ‘Well yes, of course he is, but—’

‘He was not responsible for investing the money?’

‘Yes, he was, but—’

‘So why is none of it his fault?’

His eyes were hard and Emily lifted a shaking hand to her head, just hating every minute of the conversation. He was setting a trap for her and she was galloping into it head first. She loathed confrontation and had absolutely no experience of business negotiation.

‘Investing money is always a risky business,’ she ventured and Zak tilted his head in silent question.

‘You are no doubt an expert?’ His voice was silky soft and loaded with mockery and Emily coloured.

‘N-no—of course not,’ she stammered awkwardly, trying really hard to ignore the pounding of her heart and the warmth that was spreading through her body. ‘Actually I teach small children—but Peter told me that the investments have under performed and that it just happens that way sometimes.’ She curled her fingers into her palms. ‘Please give him more time. Just two months. That’s all.’

She gave a helpless shrug that was supposed to indicate that she was asking for very little, but the expression in those ebony eyes was forbidding.

‘All?’ The prince continued to watch her, his sudden stillness unnerving. ‘In two months a family can starve, Miss Kingston.’

She stared at him, her mouth drying.

A family? What family? And why would they starve?

They were talking about a few investments, not a fortune.

Emily glanced around at her opulent surroundings wondering if she was missing something.

It was perfectly obvious that the prince was unlikely to starve any day soon.

The palace was amazing. From the first moment she’d set eyes on the golden domes and the honey-coloured stone she’d been enchanted. It was like something straight out of a fairy tale.

‘T-two months isn’t very long,’ she suggested hesitantly and his jaw hardened.

‘And yet to some it can seem like a lifetime.’

Feeling that she was definitely missing something, Emily clasped her hands in front of her and tried one more time. ‘I know it’s inconvenient, but Peter will deliver the money,’ she said firmly and saw the prince’s eyes narrow.

‘Such loyalty is most commendable, Miss Kingston, but I’m afraid I don’t share your confidence in your brother’s ability to pay back that which he has taken. Your presence here is proof of his intention to default on the debt.’

‘No!’ Emily was quick to defend her brother. ‘Peter will pay back the money.’

‘So why didn’t he come here to tell me that himself?’

Emily licked dry lips, shivering under that icy gaze. She’d asked herself that same question repeatedly. ‘He—is busy,’ she said lamely and Zak gave a wry smile.

‘Of course he is. Ripping people off is a full-time job.’