His Christmas Conquest: The Sheikh's Christmas Conquest / A Christmas Vow of Seduction / Claiming His Christmas Consequence. Maisey Yates

Читать онлайн книгу.

His Christmas Conquest: The Sheikh's Christmas Conquest / A Christmas Vow of Seduction / Claiming His Christmas Consequence - Maisey Yates


Скачать книгу
gardeners are working there,’ he said abruptly. ‘And they do not like to be observed. Come, I will take you a different way.’

      He remained tense for a minute or two, but as they walked towards her rooms he began to recount some of the history of Jazratan and of the palace itself. And somehow the change of subject was enough to make him relax—and Livvy relaxed, too, so that after a while she found herself engrossed in the things he was telling her. He talked about battles that had been fought and won by his ancestors, of sheikhs whose lifeblood had seeped like rust onto the desert sands. He told her about the brave mount who had led one particular victorious battle—a forerunner to his own, beloved Burkaan.

      She realised then why his horse was so important to him, and it had nothing to do with money, or even a close bond that transcended his royal status. Because Burkaan was a link between the past and the future. If the stallion was put out to stud, then his illustrious line would continue. And continuity was the lifeblood of a ruling monarch.

      He’s so different from you, Livvy thought. So don’t ever make the mistake of thinking it could be any other way than this.

      They had just reached her door when Saladin suddenly reached out to wrap his fingers around her wrist, and the unexpected gesture shocked Livvy into stillness. She wondered if he could feel the sudden hammering of her pulse. He must do. It sounded so thunderous to her own ears she was surprised it hadn’t brought the servants running.

      ‘Thank you for what you did today,’ he said.

      ‘I did very little.’

      ‘On the contrary. You calmed a horse who has been nothing but vicious since his accident. It was the first time I’ve seen a fleeting moment of peace in his eyes.’

      And Livvy found herself looking into his eyes, helplessly snared by their ebony light. She’d seen many emotions in them since that snowy afternoon when he had first walked into her life. She’d seen them harden with irritation and determination. She’d seen them soften with desire and lust. And she’d seen them cloud over with something that had looked very like sorrow as they had stared at the Faddi gate leading to the rose garden. Did Saladin have his own dark demons raging within him? she wondered.

      Reluctantly, she pulled her hand away from his—even though deep down she wanted to curl her fingers into his palm, like a cat settling down for the evening. But that way lay danger. He’d already set out the boundaries and, even though her body wanted to push at those boundaries, she recognised that distance from Saladin made perfect sense.

      ‘You really must excuse me,’ she said, bringing a note of formality into her voice. ‘I need to call England to check that Peppa is okay and that the snow hasn’t caused any lasting damage.’ She smiled. ‘I’ll see you at lunch—presumably you will send someone to collect me?’

      And with that, she walked into her suite, quietly closing the door—not caring that he was still standing there looking darkly displeased by her dismissal. Not caring about anything other than a need to put some distance between them before she did something crazy like fling herself against that hard and virile body and beg him to make love to her again.

       CHAPTER ELEVEN

      IT WASN’T AS easy as he had thought it would be.

      It wasn’t easy at all.

      With an impatient flick of his hand, Saladin waved the servant away and lowered his body into the deep tub of steaming water. How was it possible to feel exhausted when you had only just risen from your bed? Could it have anything to do with the fact that he’d spent yet another sleepless night frustratedly recalling that erotic fireside encounter when the innocent Livvy Miller had cried out her passion in his arms?

      Maybe he’d been naive to think it would be easy to adhere to his self-imposed sex ban when she was living here at the palace. When thoughts of her kept drifting into his mind at the most inconvenient times—usually without warning or provocation. Sometimes he found himself sitting through meetings of state and thinking about her pale skin and fiery hair. About the way he had cupped her narrow hips and driven into that slender body. He would sit uncomfortably with a massive erection hidden by his flowing robes, and wonder why he had insisted that she remain totally off limits.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4QAYRXhpZgAASUkqAAgAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/sABFEdWNreQABAAQAAABQAAD/4QN4aHR0cDov L25zLmFkb2JlLmNvbS94YXAvMS4wLwA8P3hwYWNrZXQgYmVnaW49Iu+7vyIgaWQ9Ilc1TTBNcENl aGlIenJlU3pOVGN6a2M5ZCI/PiA8eDp4bXBtZXRhIHhtbG5zOng9ImFkb2JlOm5zOm1ldGEvIiB4 OnhtcHRrPSJBZG9iZSBYTVAgQ29yZSA1LjAtYzA2MSA2NC4xNDA5NDksIDIwMTAvMTIvMDctMTA6 NTc6MDEgICAgICAgICI+IDxyZGY6UkRGIHhtbG5zOnJkZj0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMTk5 OS8wMi8yMi1yZGYtc3ludGF4LW5zIyI+IDxyZGY6RGVzY3JpcHRpb24gcmRmOmFib3V0PSIiIHht bG5zOnhtcE1NPSJodHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3hhcC8xLjAvbW0vIiB4bWxuczpzdFJlZj0i aHR0cDovL25zLmFkb2JlLmNvbS94YXAvMS4wL3NUeXBlL1Jlc291cmNlUmVmIyIgeG1sbnM6eG1w PSJodHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3hhcC8xLjAvIiB4bXBNTTpPcmlnaW5hbERvY3VtZW50SUQ9 InhtcC5kaWQ6N2E5ODYxOGMtODQ1Yi00MmI0LWJiODgtYmU4NTFhZDFhNmVhIiB4bXBNTTpEb2N1 bWVudElEPSJ4bXAuZGlkOkM1RjhCQkU0NTFFNzExRTg4NEE1RTM1MTlGRjNGNDAyIiB4bXBNTTpJ bnN0YW5jZUlEPSJ4bXAuaWlkOkM1OEIzREJDNTFFNzExRTg4NEE1RTM1MTlGRjNGNDAyIiB4bXA6 Q3JlYXRvclRvb2w9IkFkb2JlIFBob3Rvc2hvcCBDUzUuMSBNYWNpbnRvc2giPiA8eG1wTU06RGVy aXZlZEZyb20gc3RSZWY6aW5zdGFuY2VJRD0ieG1wLmlpZDo2MDdBN0JFMjE1MjA2ODExOTJCMERB MTE2RTVFQTREMiIgc3RSZWY6ZG9jdW1lbnRJRD0ieG1wLmlkOjIwMTZiZGY2LWIxODctNGVlMS1h MDg1LWNlZWMyODZhNzJjOSIvPiA8L3JkZjpEZXNjcmlwdGlvbj4gPC9yZGY6UkRGPiA8L3g6eG1w bWV0YT4gPD94cGFja2V0IGVuZD0iciI/Pv/iDFhJQ0NfUFJPRklMRQABAQAADEhMaW5vAhAAAG1u dHJSR0IgWFlaIAfOAAIACQAGADEAAGFjc3BNU0ZUAAAAAElFQyBzUkdCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAD2 1gABAAAAANMtSFAgIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAEWNwcnQAAAFQAAAAM2Rlc2MAAAGEAAAAbHd0cHQAAAHwAAAAFGJrcHQAAAIEAAAAFHJYWVoA AAIYAAAAFGdYWVoAAAIsAAAAFGJYWVoAAAJAAAAAFGRtbmQAAAJUAAAAcGRtZGQAAALEAAAAiHZ1 ZWQAAANMAAAAhnZpZXcAAAPUAAAAJGx1bWkAAAP4AAAAFG1lYXMAAAQMAAAAJHRlY2gAAAQwAAAA DHJUUkMAAAQ8AAAIDGdUUkMAAAQ8AAAIDGJUUkMAAAQ8AAAIDHRleHQAAAAAQ29weXJpZ2h0IChj KSAxOTk4IEhld2xldHQtUGFja2FyZCBDb21wYW55AABkZXNjAAAAAAAAABJzUkdCIElFQzYxOTY2 LTIuMQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEnNSR0IgSUVDNjE5NjYtMi4xAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABYWVogAAAAAAAA81EAAQAAAAEWzFhZWiAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAWFlaIAAAAAAAAG+iAAA49QAAA5BYWVogAAAAAAAAYpkAALeFAAAY2lhZWiAAAAAA AAAkoAAAD4QAALbPZGVzYwAAAAAAAAAWSUVDIGh0dHA6Ly93d3cuaWVjLmNoAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW SUVDIGh0dHA6Ly93d3cuaWVjLmNoAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAGRlc2MAAAAAAAAALklFQyA2MTk2Ni0yLjEgRGVmYXVsdCBSR0IgY29sb3VyIHNw YWNlIC0gc1JHQgAAAAAAAAAAAAAALklFQyA2MTk2Ni0yLjEgRGVmYXVsdCBSR0IgY29sb3VyIHNw YWNlIC0gc1JHQgAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABkZXNjAAAAAAAAACxSZWZlcmVuY2UgVmll d2luZyBDb25kaXRpb24gaW4gSUVDNjE5NjYtMi4xAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAsUmVmZXJlbmNlIFZpZXdp bmcgQ29uZGl0aW9uIGluIElFQzYxOTY2LTIuMQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAdmll dwAAAAAAE6T+ABRfLgAQzxQAA+3MAAQTCwADXJ4AAAABWFlaIAAAAAAATAlWAFAAAABXH+dtZWFz AAAAAAAAAAEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACjwAAAAJzaWcgAAAAAENSVCBjdXJ2AAAAAAAABAAA AAAFAAoADwAUABkAHgAjACgALQAyADcAOwBAAEUASgBPAFQAWQBeAGMAaABtAHIAdwB8AIEAhgCL AJAAlQCaAJ8ApACpAK4AsgC3ALwAwQDGAMsA0ADVANsA4ADlAOsA8AD2APsBAQEHAQ0BEwEZAR8B JQErATIBOAE+AUUBTAFSAVkBYAFnAW4BdQF8AYMBiwGSAZoBoQGpAbEBuQHBAckB0QHZAeEB6QHy AfoCAwIMAhQCHQImAi8COAJBAksCVAJdAmcCcQJ6AoQCjgKYAqICrAK2AsECywLVAuAC6wL1AwAD CwMWAyEDLQM4A0MDTwNaA2YDcgN+A4oDlgOiA64DugPHA9MD4APsA/kEBgQTBCAELQQ7BEgEVQRj BHEEfgSMBJoEqA
Скачать книгу