The Sheikh's Contract Bride. Teresa Southwick
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was speechless. And breathless. The intensity in his eyes, along with his words, removed any doubt that he meant what he said. When it happened, she wasn’t sure she would be able to resist him. And that was a big problem, because he was romancing an imposter.
She was finding a lot to like about Malik, and lying to him was becoming harder and harder to defend. Agreeing to the ruse had been easier before she’d met him. She knew how it felt to be lied to, and as far as she could tell Malik didn’t deserve it.
She had to talk to Addie.
With a cup of tea delivered by the palace staff in one hand and her cellphone in the other, Beth sank into the couch in her suite. She set the cup and saucer on the coffee table, then flipped open the phone and pressed commands until she got to her world clock and checked the time in Los Angeles.
“Too bad, Addie. We’ve got a crisis and it’s worth losing sleep over.” She hit speed dial and waited for the ring, then heard an answer.
“Hello?” Addie’s sleepy voice came through loud and clear.
“Hi, Ad. It’s me.”
“Beth.” All traces of drowsiness in her voice were gone. “Are you all right?”
“Physically, I’m fine. Everything else—not so much.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I have to tell Malik the truth—that I’m not you.”
There was a silence on the other end of the line that had nothing to do with the distance delay. Beth could almost hear her sister thinking that over.
“What’s going on?” Addie finally asked. “Is he suspicious?”
Beth grabbed a turquoise throw pillow and clutched it to her chest. “If he wasn’t before, he probably is now. He gave me—you—a horse, and wanted to ride with me.”
“Oh, my.”
“No kidding, oh, my. You know how I feel about horses.”
“What did you do?”
“I pretended to be tired from the trip and the time change.” She was getting awfully good at pretending, and it wasn’t something she was particularly proud of.
“Did he believe you?”
“I think so. I’m not sure.” She plucked at the nubby pillow material. “I almost told him the truth.”
“You can’t, Beth.”
Her stomach clenched. “I hate this. He seems like a really nice man, Addie. Romantic. Handsome. Kind. He’s going to help me find our mother.”
“Are you sure you want to confront her?” Addie asked.
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