Modern Romance July 2018 Books 5-8 Collection. Annie West

I can attempt it.’ Yet even as she spoke, Sayid was fascinated to hear her vowels become clipped, her intonation change in an approximation of the foreigner’s.

      So much for his concerns Lina might feel nervous. This was by far the most animated group in the room. Because of Lina. Even from here he sensed the charm that so dazzled her audience. She wasn’t brash or pushy, just...vibrant.

      ‘That’s easily fixed.’ The American’s smile widened. ‘We can spend more time together. I’ll share everything you want to know about Boston and...’

      His words died as Sayid stepped into the group.

      Beside him Lina stiffened and he heard the soft hitch of her breath. He told himself he’d simply surprised her, yet an unrepentant part of him hoped it was more, something akin to the instant charge of energy that zapped him whenever she was near. It sizzled now from his fingers, a mere hand span from hers, up his arm and through his body in a fiery shower of sparks.

      ‘Your Highness.’ The men bowed and Lina sank into a graceful curtsey as perfect as any ballerina’s.

      ‘I’m glad you’re all enjoying the evening. I heard the laughter and was curious.’

      ‘Ms Rahman was demonstrating her talent for accents.’ It was the American who spoke, his eyes bright with unconcealed approval. ‘She’s very talented.’

      ‘It’s nothing, really.’ Lina sounded breathless. ‘I’ve got an ear for accents. They intrigue me.’

      Sayid turned to find her eyes shadowed as if expecting disapproval. That was when he realised his jaw was locked tight and his hands bunched.

      He nodded, curving his mouth into a smile and was pleased to see her tension ease. ‘Part of your ear for languages, no doubt.’ He turned to her coterie of admirers. ‘Ms Rahman is fluent in several, you know.’ Her teachers had been enthusiastic about her linguistic skills.

      He stayed with the group, enjoying the lively change of pace from some of his more staid guests. Finally, when the others were deep in discussion, Lina turned to him. He looked down, seeing again that tell-tale twitch of concern on her brow.

      ‘Lina?’ He kept his voice low, below the level of the conversation surrounding them. ‘What is it?’

      ‘Have I done something wrong? You looked...angry earlier.’

      It struck him that she alone had read his bad humour. Either he was slipping—he was adept at keeping his thoughts private—or she had an uncanny ability to read minds as well as accents. Neither idea appealed.

      That was when he noticed her hands. Her posture was composed and she met his stare with her chin up, but her hands were clenched tight together.

      To Sayid’s surprise, that mix of pride and vulnerability tore at him. He should be pleased she held her own with this mixed group. Proud of her coping with a royal event. Many would find it intimidating.

      ‘Not at all. You’ve done nothing wrong, Lina. On the contrary, it’s good seeing you enjoying yourself.’ He smiled down and watched as her expression grew dazzled.

      Satisfaction, sweet, sharp and hot, spiked through him. A satisfaction he shouldn’t feel but couldn’t kill.

      * * *

      An hour after midnight, Lina leaned out over her balcony railing, staring beyond the capital to the vast starry sky. She inhaled the dry, slightly perfumed air of Halarq and felt a glow of excitement and happiness.

      Sleep was beyond her. She felt like Cinderella after her ball. She’d attended a royal dinner party and instead of feeling out of place had met kind, interesting people. The conversation as much as the delicious food, the gold plate and crystal and the stunning setting made it a night to remember.

      Especially when, before dinner, Sayid Badawi had stood beside her. In his robes, he’d been commanding yet urbane, charming yet with that tangible air of power. When his gleaming eyes rested on her she felt a quake of reaction like an earth tremor. At first she’d thought him angry, that she’d overstepped some rule of royal etiquette. But then he’d smiled...

      Did he know how she came alive when he stood close? When he singled her out for conversation? How heat streaked through her, melting her, softening her body as if it ripened ready for his possession?

      Perhaps he did for he hadn’t lingered. Instead he’d borne off the friendly American to discuss trade.

      Lina turned back into her room, pausing to soak up the atmosphere. Still she wasn’t used to the suite’s luxury. From the massive marble bathroom with its collection of fragrant bath oils beside the sunken tub to the lavishly appointed bedroom and sitting room, everything was exquisite. There were crystal perfume bottles, exquisite hand-woven carpets so thick you sank into them, and vases of fragrant roses, a rare delight in a desert kingdom.

      Yet she couldn’t settle. On impulse she marched to the dressing room where her belongings took up a tiny corner of the space. Quickly undressing, she put on her swimsuit and grabbed an oversized towel.

      On one side her suite gave out onto a long, leafy courtyard that she hadn’t explored. She’d been too busy with her new role, and too addicted to long soaks in the huge bath, to venture far. But she’d glimpsed a swimming pool at the far end.

      Lina stepped barefoot onto warm flagstones. As always, there was no sign of life from the other rooms surrounding this garden. She was the only guest.

      The sweet scent of jasmine filled her nostrils. Faint luminescence came from the stars and a myriad of tiny lights twining through the shrubs.

      Lina smiled. It was a private fairyland.

      She stepped into a patch of darker shade. Just ahead the underwater lights of the pool broke the darkness. The soft aqua glow of the water beckoned enticingly. Lina was pulling pins from her hair, shaking the heavy tresses from her face, when a sound made her stop.

      Splashing.

      Not a fountain but the rhythmic slap of flesh cleaving through water.

      Curious, Lina moved forward, peering between the shrubs. For a second she saw nothing but the ripple of light across the water. Then a dark head came into view, a long arm arcing out of the iridescent aqua and down again. Wide shoulders and a sinuous curve of spine. Another, tighter curve of flexing bare buttocks then long legs with a lazy kick that nevertheless propelled the tall body with enviable speed.

      Lina sucked in a hiss of air, her hand belatedly slamming over her mouth to stop the sound. Dismayed, she stepped off the path, stumbling into a bush and snapping twigs.

      There was only one person this could be. One person so at home in the palace that they’d swim here naked.

      Only one person with those sublimely beautiful masculine proportions.

      Somehow she’d blundered into Sayid Badawi’s private garden!

      She’d known there’d been a mistake when she was installed in those elegant rooms. More than once she’d thought the corridor leading to her suite was familiar from that night years ago when she’d sat by the Emir’s bed. Till logic told her she imagined it. How could she remember one corridor from all those in this sprawling place?

      Her heart hammered against her ribs and a chill skipped down her spine. She couldn’t let him find her here, invading his privacy.

      Lina spun on her foot and stifled a gasp as something hard dug into her sole. She wasn’t on the path any more. Worse, her long hair snagged on the bushes. Tiny twigs grabbed, refusing to release her.

      She breathed slowly, tamping down panic as she fought to free herself. She couldn’t hear splashing now, probably because her hammering pulse blotted out every other sound.

      Finally, free of clinging plants, she got back on the path. She took a single step towards her rooms, then someone grabbed her upper arms and hauled her against a hard, dripping wet body.