Page 5 of Desert King's Forbidden Temptation

Her brows lifted up. ‘My presence here isbarelytolerated,’ she muttered, before realising how revealing that comment was. Heat flooded her cheeks and she hoped like heck she wasn’t blushing.

‘You weren’t here yesterday; no one seemed to expect you today.’

He was very, very perceptive.

‘Yes, Your Highness. I didn’t travel with the contingent.’

‘Why not?’

There were two answers to that, both valid: she hadn’t been wanted by the negotiators, and they’d gleefully done everything in their power to come without her. But more importantly, she never flew anywhere if she could avoid it. Even the thought of it had her breaking out in a cold sweat. ‘I drove,’ she said after a beat.

‘From Ras Sarat?’

‘It’s not so far.’

‘It must have taken days.’

‘Yes.’ She rushed to fill the silence before he could push her further. For some reason, her fear of flying wasn’t something she intended to share with this man. It was too personal, made her feel too vulnerable and raw. ‘I like to take the scenic route whenever I can.’

His frown showed that he wasn’t convinced, but he didn’t push the matter further.

‘As for my qualifications,’ she said, ‘I obtained a law degree from Oxford, and an economics degree from the London School of Economics.’

If he was surprised, he didn’t show it. If anything, he appeared validated, as though he’d suspected her credentials.

‘You studied with the Princess?’

‘At high school and Oxford, yes.’

He mulled on that a moment and finally moved to the door, opening it. ‘We will resume now.’

As if they’d all been waiting just on the other side for this exact moment, a line of delegates began to file back into the boardroom, and Eloise stood, moving quickly back to her own seat at the end of the table.

Their interaction had been strange and unfulfilling, and his rapid closing of their conversation had left her dejected and disappointed. Deflated. She’d been enjoying sparing with him and having his undivided attention. It was hard not to feel resentful now that he was addressing a room filled with others.

But then, he spoke, and the entire world seemed to tip completely off its axis. ‘These negotiations should resume in a week’s time. There is no purpose continuing at this stage.’

The chief diplomat from Ras Sarat spluttered and Eloise felt her pulse skyrocket for a whole other reason now. Had she said something wrong? Had she frightened him off? She’d come here to appraise his suitability, not ruin any hope of the marriage. Though Elana would never love him, she desperately needed this to work out.

‘But, Your Highness, with all due respect, this is a very worthy match. While the finer details require some attention, surely you cannot intend to abandon the idea altogether?’

‘Did I say that was my intention?’ he asked coolly, addressing the portly man who’d responded.

‘Well, no, but I cannot understand what other reason you could have for postponing—’

‘Only that the Princess is yet to make up her mind. If she does not wish to marry me, arguing over import tariffs is a waste of all our time.’

‘If Her Highness was not serious about the marriage, she would not have dispatched us so swiftly.’

‘She would also not have sent an emissary to appraise my suitability as her husband,’ Tariq said, and now Eloiseknewher cheeks were as pink as they felt hot. All eyes in the room pivoted to her. ‘A marriage is about more than trade arrangements and governmental cooperation. My own parents were an excellent example of the value of true partnership and cooperation.’ Did anyone else in the room hear the underlying tension that accompanied that last statement? Eloise was conscious only of the Sheikh now, aware of every nuance and inflection in his voice. ‘Her Highness has demonstrated great judgement in exercising caution despite the incentives for this wedding. But until Miss Ashworth is prepared to recommend the union to the Princess, it would be a waste of time to negotiate further.’ He turned to Eloise with the full force of his attention now and all the air left her lungs in one crazy, wild whoosh.

‘Therefore, Miss Ashworth and I will spend a week getting to know one another. I will make myself available to answer any of her questions. As the Princess will reside in Savisia, Miss Ashworth will also tour the palaces and familiarise herself with the culture of our country. At the end of that time, she will be better placed to offer her opinion to the Princess and, if suitable, we can resume negotiations then. Until that time, please, enjoy the hospitality of my palace, gentlemen.’

CHAPTER TWO

THEDIPLOMATFROMRas Sarat opened his mouth to reply but a man to the Sheikh’s right beat him to it. ‘His Highness has spoken.’

It was all that was needed to silence the rest of the room and move them towards the door. Eloise felt the barbed looks aimed in her direction as they filtered from the boardroom but she kept her back straight and pretended not to notice—ironic when she was such a keen student of human nature and expression. When they were almost all gone, she collected her folder and began to move towards the door herself, needing that fresh air and breathing space even more now.

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