Bride Behind The Desert Veil (The Marchetti Dynasty 3)

Later that evening the movie’s credits rolled and Sharif looked down to see Liyah curled up on the couch beside him, snoring softly, glasses askew on her face.

He turned off the TV—another first. Although he had a state-of-the-art media centre installed he rarely, if ever, watched anything except maybe the news.

He felt a sense of something he’d never experienced before, and had to take a few seconds to figure out what it was. Contentment. A sense of peace. This whole evening had been...easy. Pleasurable.

Normally, when he didn’t have a function to attend, he would spend the evening in his study, with a sense of restlessness buzzing under his skin. A restlessness that was now gone.

He made a face. He was losing it. A little home cooking and his brain was scrambled.

He picked Liyah’s glasses off her face and put them to one side. He gathered her into his arms and stood up. She made a sound...her eyes opened. Unfocused. Sleepy. Sexy.

She burrowed closer into his chest and Sharif’s body reacted to her soft curves. As if he hadn’t been in a state of semi-arousal all evening, since he’d returned and found her creating a veritable feast for the tastebuds and senses...

He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, but by the time he got to the bedroom with Liyah she was awake and wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing open-mouthed kisses to his jaw. He forgot all about checking his phone to see who was looking for him. He had more important things to attend to.

CHAPTER TEN

WHEN LIYAH WOKE UP the following morning she stretched luxuriously, keeping her eyes closed, revelling in the after-effects of Sharif’s lovemaking. Blinking blearily, she came up on one elbow and groaned softly when she saw the time on her phone. Nearly midday.

This man had turned her into such a sloth. But it was usually dawn before they were falling asleep, exhausted. Last night had been no different.

A voice from behind her said, ‘You’re awake.’

Startled, because she’d thought she was alone, Liyah looked over her shoulder to see Sharif at the window. The sun made her squint, but she could see he was fully dressed in a three-piece suit.

She sensed something was wrong and sat up, pulling the sheet to cover her chest, not even sure why she felt instinctively vulnerable all of a sudden.

‘Morning... Why aren’t you at work?’ He was always gone when she woke.

Sharif stepped towards the bed, out of the sunlight. Liyah could see him now and his expression was stony.

‘Sharif...what is it?’

He folded his arms. ‘Tell me—when do you go into my study to send your messages to Callaghan? When I’ve left the apartment? Did seeing him in London give you the idea to go to him with the scoop?’

Liyah wanted to shake her head. Sharif was making no sense.

She sat up properly, clutching the sheet. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘Come and see for yourself.’ He stalked out of the room.

Liyah scrambled to find something to wear, pulling on Sharif’s robe, which was hanging on the back of the bathroom door. She didn’t even know where he had gone, but she heard the sound of the TV and went into the lounge. Where they had been last night... Until she had fallen asleep and woken in Sharif’s arms...

Not now.

The TV was on. A news channel. Sharif stood before it, remote in one hand, his other hand in his pocket. She went and stood beside him. And her innards froze when she realised what she was watching.

As if she couldn’t make sense of what the reporter was saying, she read the text that ran at the bottom of the screen.

Sharif Marchetti decides to sell the Marchetti Group... Brothers and fellow board members Nikos and Maks Marchetti...unaware of this development... An emergency meeting of the board is due to take place...

The reporter was talking again. ‘Only days ago, Marchetti Group shares were at an all-time high. The company had the Midas touch. It could do no wrong. The question on everyone’s lips is why on earth would Sharif Marchetti destroy his own company like this?’

Sharif switched off the TV. He faced Liyah, who was in shock.

‘Well?’

She looked at him. She found it hard to speak. To articulate anything. ‘How...how did they find out?’