Page 36 of Her Vow to Be His Desert Queen

‘Yes, I will marry you. Yes, I will be your queen.’

A blaze of heat and triumph lit his eyes. ‘Then I will—’

‘On one condition.’

His gaze narrowed. ‘What condition?’

It was something she’d thought of just now, because of course being his wife would have implications for her charity. Excellent implications.

‘You are still to be the patron of my charity. And I will not be giving it up, understand? In fact, being your queen will open up a lot of opportunities for us. So, you’ll have to provide me with everything I need to run it remotely. Plus, I’ll need to visit England regularly in order to keep an eye on things.’

This time his smile was slow and utterly heart-melting, easing the tense lines of his face, lighting up the darkness in his eyes. A smile of pleasure and such warmth that her heart tightened in recognition.

It was him. It was her Khal.

‘You drive a hard bargain,ya hayati.But yes, I think I can accommodate those conditions. But I, too, have some of my own.’

She stroked the line of his jaw, loving the velvety feel of his skin. ‘Oh?’

Khalil gripped her wrists gently. ‘I need you in my bed. Every night from now on.’

Sidonie pretended to think about it for, oh, half a second. ‘Okay. Yes. I want that too.’

‘Good. In that case we will be married tomorrow.’

An electric shock arrowed down her spine. ‘Tomorrow?’

Khalil eased her hands away, pressing them down on either side of her head. ‘Yes, my Sidonie. Tomorrow. I have already waited five years and I am tired of it.’

She didn’t resist, conscious that beneath her shock there was also excitement and a gathering anticipation. ‘But isn’t that too soon to organise anything?’

‘No. Not if I will it. I am the King.’ He gave her the most ridiculously smug look she’d ever seen. ‘In a month we will have a grand celebration of our marriage and you will be formally crowned, but my people have already observed me carrying you from the plane. They know you are my intended. Some may be unhappy with the speed and wish for more ceremony, but once you are legally my wife there will be no disagreements or protests. I will make sure of it.’

He was so certain, so absolutely sure of himself. Sometimes that certainty of his drove her crazy and sometimes it was the most reassuring thing in the entire world.

She found it reassuring now.

‘Okay,’ she said huskily. ‘Then tomorrow it is.’

The intense, possessive look was back in his eyes. ‘And now,ya hayati, I suggest we start practising for our wedding night.’

‘Good,’ she said happily. ‘I thought you’d never ask.’ Then she lifted her head and kissed his beautiful mouth and lost herself for the rest of the night.

Much later, after the remains of a very late dinner had been cleared away and Sidonie was where she should have been years ago, fast asleep in his bed, Khalil stepped out of the French doors and into his private courtyard.

He felt too energised to sleep, as if something that had been wrong for many years was now suddenly right, that pressure inside him abruptly lifted.

Finally, after so long, she would be his wife.

He hadn’t realised, not fully, what making love to her would mean to him. Or perhaps some part of him had known, but he hadn’t wanted to admit it to himself.

The moment he’d pushed inside her and felt her around him, holding him tight, and he’d stared down into her green eyes, seeing her...seeingher, all sunshine and sweetness and warmth. And she’d looked back, her face so beautifully flushed, the pleasure they’d created between them glowing in her eyes...

Perhaps she’d been right, he’d thought. That hehadbrought her here for him, to save some part of him he’d thought lost for ever. It felt wrong to think it though, because that was an indulgence, something his father might have done. Putting his own selfish greed before the needs of his nation.

Yet finally being inside her there on the couch...it had felt so right. As if that had been where he’d always meant to end up, as if she was his destiny somehow. The rush of possessiveness that had then followed had shocked him, and he hadn’t been able to hold it back.

He couldn’t let her go. He couldn’t. Yes, she was for his country, but having a wife he wanted would be good for him. A wife he trusted. A wife he’d enjoy getting heirs with.

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