The Billionaire's Legacy Collection. Кейт Хьюит

she could hear in her own voice.

      A tense silence greeted her, his face a stark profile. ‘I assumed it was pre-wedding jitters prompting the call. Since we are now married, I’m inclined to think we’re past those reasons.’

      ‘You assumed wrong. We’re most certainly not.’ Her hands tightened in her lap, a new and sharper pain lancing her when she considered what she’d do if he refused what she was about to request. Sadly, her response, should he refuse, would be definitive.

      ‘I’m listening, habibi.’

      She sucked in a steadying breath. ‘I need you to close the east wing.’

      ‘What?’ The puzzlement in his voice squeezed at her heart.

      ‘Shut down your harem, or we won’t be consummating this wedding.’

      ‘My...? Where did you get the idea that I had a harem?’ he bit out.

      ‘Please, Rahim...don’t toy with me. This isn’t something I intend to live with. I don’t care if you threaten me with jail. Promiscuity isn’t part of this marriage deal.’

      ‘Allegra, be quiet for a second,’ he inserted harshly after navigating another steep dune and bringing the Jeep to a stop.

      Silence broken only by the exotic sound of desert creatures drenched them. Her hands squeezed tighter, her whole body vibrating as she waited for him to continue.

      ‘I don’t know where you got the idea from, but there is no harem. Not in the east wing, not in the whole palace. My father was a one-woman man and so was my grandfather. I intend to be the same. The only woman who will be servicing me in bed is you. The east wing is used to house female undergraduates who form part of the internship programme to complement their hospitality degrees at Dar-Aman University. The male students are housed in another wing in the palace.’

      She gaped at him, the sheer relief pounding through her rendering her speechless for several heartbeats. ‘I... What?’

      He repeated what he’d said, his voice deep and powerful. Eyes the colour of a Dar-Amanian sunset gleamed at her. ‘You’re welcome to interview the students yourself if you don’t believe me.’

      Slightly dazed, she shook her head. ‘That...won’t be necessary.’

      ‘So you don’t wish me to shut it down?’ he mocked.

      Heat flared up her face. ‘No. Of course not. But can you blame me for asking?’ she murmured.

      ‘No, but the lingering of certain preconceived notions could become a problem for us. Now was there anything else you wished to threaten me with on our wedding day?’ he finished, his voice holding a lethal calm she’d only witnessed once—in his study on her last night in Dar-Aman two months ago when she’d accused him of neglecting his kingdom.

      Biting her lip, Allegra knew she had to make things right, but for the life of her, she couldn’t think how. ‘Rahim...’

      He started the Jeep and the powerful vehicle rolled forward. ‘You have uttered the vows and taken my name, habibi. This is now beyond you and me. Now you know your imagined harem doesn’t exist, you have no excuse. We will consummate this marriage. You belong to me, and I fully intend to claim you again.’

      Allegra didn’t see the need to argue the possessive point because she wanted to be claimed. She wanted to belong. Now that the subject of other women had been nullified, the thought of belonging to Rahim didn’t terrify her as much as it would’ve only a short while ago.

      It was what made her reply, ‘You can claim me all you want. As long as I get to claim you too.’

      In the darkness, his eyes gleamed. His response was an animalistic growl as he stepped on the gas, steering the Jeep with a deft confidence that she wasn’t ashamed to admit turned her on despite the roiling sensations tearing through her.

      The lone Bedouin tent appeared out of thin air.

      Two stories high, the tent was large enough to fit the huge Di Sione pool back on Long Island. The canvas was made of traditional Dar-Amanian blues and gold, and had been opened up to reveal its warm, lantern-lit interior.

      Rahim parked the Jeep in front of it, and came round to help her out.

      Sliding her body down his, he speared his fingers into her hair and gazed deep into her eyes. ‘You’re mine now. There will be no room for suspicion and uncertainty. The past needs to belong in the past.’

      She knew he referred to her issue with the harem. ‘But because this marriage isn’t a dictatorship, I hope my concerns will be addressed appropriately?’

      ‘They will be, if you bring them to me immediately and not let them fester for weeks,’ he muttered.

      ‘I tried. You wouldn’t take my call.’

      ‘You had every chance to speak to me long before this afternoon, did you not?’ he rebuked.

      ‘Fine. I’m sorry about that. Can I make it up to you?’ she offered boldly as she swayed against him, his proximity, and the need clawing through her, too overwhelming to deny.

      ‘Yes, habibi. You may,’ he instructed thickly.

      He barely allowed her the kiss she tried to initiate before he sealed his mouth, hot and fast, to hers. His tongue delved between her lips to boldly capture hers, the expert, demanding flicks telling her how much he wanted her.

      When he finally lifted his head, she was near-drowsy with desire.

      ‘I’ve been dying to do that since you walked down the beach to me,’ he muttered.

      Her arms tightened around his neck, just to keep upright. ‘Why didn’t you, then?’

      ‘I wouldn’t have been able to stop once I started. And I didn’t think you’d welcome me scandalising you in front of your brother and sister.’

      Leaning up, she pressed her lips against his in gratitude. ‘Thank you. Did Alessandro give you a hard time?’

      Rahim’s mouth twitched. ‘We made sure we understood each other. But enough about that. We’re here now, and I can’t wait to have you naked and beneath me.’

      His pure male growl as he swung her into his arms thrilled her blood. His kiss as he carried her into their oasis paradise threatened to send her into orbit. Setting her down next to a low, wide bed covered with a dozen cushions, he undressed her in sure but hurried movements. Then stood back and watched her.

      ‘They say a pregnant woman has a special glow about her. But you, my enchanting bride, transcend beauty itself,’ he said, his voice almost worshipful as his gaze raked her from head to toe and back again.

      Allegra swayed to him, her hands sliding over his broad shoulders as he groaned, laid her down on the bed and wrapped her naked form in his arms. Allegra was sure the boom of fireworks in the distance was her senses detonating at the sexual skill her husband wielded over her. Everywhere he touched, her body heated, then melted under his attention. Almost in direct opposition, his body tensed with each touch, his erection growing harder and thicker with each slide of her leg against him.

      Suddenly, he reared back from her. Stalking to the myriad lamps dotted around the vast space, he turned them all off except the one on their bedside table. He started disrobing as he made his way back to her. By the time he reached the bedside, her husband was gloriously naked and utterly captivating.

      Shamelessly, she arched her body and reached up for him. ‘Rahim, I want you.’

      ‘And I need you. Now, please, ya galbi, before I explode!’

      Sliding between her thighs, he kissed his way down her throat to her sensitive breasts. Despite the tension whipping through him, he took his time, moulding and caressing her, until she begged him to stop torturing her. But he merely transferred his attention lower, stopping to plant reverent kisses on her belly before he parted her thighs with a firm demand.