The Royal House Of Karedes Collection Books 1-12. Кейт Хьюит
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and virility.’ His black eyes glittered. ‘You aren’t displaying signs of jealousy, are you, Eleni?’
She heard the unmistakable warning in his voice and heeded it, even though the predatory look on the faces of the women was like rubbing salt on her already-raw senses. ‘It is not my place to show signs of jealousy or possession, Highness,’ she said meekly.
Kaliq’s eyes narrowed. That submissive little tone of hers sounded suspiciously like insubordination, especially following on from her spirited responses in the car. ‘Just make sure you don’t,’ he snapped.
Occasionally, the women looked at her, as well—and Eleni knew she wasn’t imagining their undisguised disdain at her appearance. And suddenly she understood why Kaliq had warned her that she risked being patronised if she did not attempt to blend in. Had she really thought that this was going to be simple?
Until she forced herself to remember that none of these things mattered. Your feelings do not count. You are here for one purpose and that is to offer him your expertise on the proposed purchase of a horse. The fact that you have allowed the sheikh to bed you and make frantic love to you in his car is of no consequence to him, or to you.
‘So which horse is it that you’re thinking of buying?’ she asked him, her calm voice in complete contrast to the tumult of her thoughts.
He glanced down at her, sensing that she was completely oblivious to the impact she’d just had—and was continuing to have—on his senses. The faint pink of post-coital flush highlighted her high cheekbones and her hair looked like a dark satin waterfall.
She looked, he realized, a million times more alluring than the women who watched him, with their breasts and legs on display as if parading themselves to the highest bidder. And the other men in the crowd were not oblivious to her appeal, either. She stood out like a bright and exotic flower in a subdued suburban garden.
He swallowed. Why, who would think with that cool sense of self-possession that she had been writhing beneath him in the Maserati only minutes earlier? He felt the hot leap of renewed desire and forced himself to concentrate on the horse. ‘Which one do you think I favour?’
Eleni narrowed her eyes and searched the field. ‘The bay, I’d say—the one in the yellow colours. He’s certainly the most eye-catching.’
Kaliq smiled. ‘Bravo,’ he said softly. ‘He’s from Argentina—the home of the finest of all polo ponies. See how he moves.’
She fixed her eyes on the horse and watched him—a streak of pure muscle and agility as his rider urged him towards the goal.
‘So what do you think?’ asked Kaliq.
‘He is indeed magnificent,’ she replied, after a moment. ‘He seems to follow the ball with his eyes, wherever it is on the field.’
‘To watch the ball is the mark of a great polo pony!’ said Kaliq triumphantly. ‘You see, Eleni—you know nothing of polo and yet your instinct guides you towards the most important factor when determining whether to buy!’
At that moment the bay’s rider scored a goal and the crowd erupted into polite applause.
‘So shall I buy him, lizard?’
She looked at him. ‘The sheikh is much too extravagant with his money! It is too early to say—I would need to ride him first.’
‘That can be arranged.’
Eleni didn’t speak any English, but it was very clear from the sceptical glances directed at her by the horse’s owner after the match that he doubted her ability to ride such a towering creature.
Kaliq turned to her. ‘He wants us to come back tomorrow—when the horse is fresh.’
‘The best test of all is when a horse is tired,’ said Eleni stubbornly. ‘Tell him that five minutes is all I need—and I will be gentle with him.’
Kaliq’s lips curved. ‘Whatever the lady wants, the lady shall have.’
It shocked Eleni how thrilling she should find his compliment but why shouldn’t he be flattering about her? Just because she wasn’t high-born didn’t mean that she shouldn’t have the praise she assumed all men gave to lovers who pleased them.
And how to please him more? she wondered as she swung herself lightly up onto the bay. How to make herself the most unforgettable of all his bed-partners? So that he would always ache whenever he stopped to remember her.
It took just ten minutes for her to find out everything she needed to know about the horse and she jumped off, her face completely blank as she met the searching question searing at her from Kaliq’s black eyes.
‘You don’t rate him?’ he questioned shortly.
‘I rate him very highly indeed. That bay is the finest horse I’ve ever ridden. He’s light in the mouth and finely balanced—why, he responds so well that you could turn him on a market-trader’s coin!’
‘Then why the glum face?’
Eleni patted the animal’s neck. ‘I am aware that his owner is standing close by and while he cannot understand when we speak in our native tongue—he can certainly read the expression on our faces. And it is better that he thinks the worst. That way you will get a much better price for him, Highness.’
‘I commend you,’ Kaliq said, with a low laugh. ‘But do you really think that a man in my position needs to barter, lizard?’
Eleni shrugged. ‘I would have thought that pride would make you pursue the best possible price.’
His gaze ran over her with insolent appreciation. ‘What a perfect find you have turned out to be,’ he murmured. ‘But don’t you realise that your resourcefulness excites my sexual hunger? Suddenly I long to feel you in my arms and between my legs again.’
Eleni blushed. ‘Highness, please stop it. For we are not alone—and there is your reputation to think of.’
‘You must know that I’ve never cared about my reputation.’
‘Maybe not, but I do care about mine. And there will be time enough for that later—when we are alone once more.’
‘That’s a promise, is it?’ he questioned silkily.
Suddenly, Eleni found herself enjoying this game they seemed to be playing and she found that she was growing aroused herself. The steady beat of her heart accelerated and she wished that she could shout at the bay’s owner and tell him to leave them in peace, so that she could pull her dark lover down onto a bed of straw and lie with him in the most basic of ways.
I want to kiss you, Kaliq, she thought with a fierce pang of longing—I want to kiss you all over. I want to start with your lips and end with your toes and tell you that you are capturing my heart as surely as if you had thrown a silken net around it.
But wasn’t that what he had explicitly warned her against? Mistaking the pleasure he brought to her body for love itself? Eleni shut her eyes, forcing herself to concentrate on the physical. His body is all you are allowed, she reminded herself—and that is only for a limited period.
I need to make the most of my time with the sheikh, she thought, but her face showed nothing of the sudden fierce ache in her heart as she smiled up at him.
‘Buy the horse,’ she urged.
He nodded. ‘I will take your advice.’ He turned to the horse’s owner and began speaking in English and the man said something else which caused Kaliq to frown.
‘He doesn’t want to sell?’ questioned Eleni in surprise. ‘What did he say?’
Kaliq looked at her assessingly before switching to Calistan. ‘He said that he has never seen a woman display such skill in the saddle. And that if ever you could be tempted away from working for me—that he would offer you a job here.’
‘Well,