Desert Prince's Stolen Bride

‘I’ll leave you to it, then,’ Anna said with a smile. ‘When you’re ready for dinner, press the pager and I’ll escort you to the Blue Room.’

‘Okay. Thanks.’

Anna left her alone and, feeling a mix of curiosity and trepidation, Olivia opened the louvre doors of the huge built-in wardrobe. A row of blouses, skirts and dresses in every imaginable shade and fabric greeted and amazed her.

She ran her finger along the garments, touching the sumptuous fabrics, from cotton and linen to silk and satin. Beneath the dresses were shoes of every description—high heels and sandals, court shoes and plimsolls. They all looked incredibly expensive. Olivia slid open one of the drawers built into the wardrobe and nearly gasped at the delicate garments laid out there—lingerie sets in shades of ivory and beige, scalloped with lace and as thin as gossamer. Why on earth did Zayed have all these women’s clothes here? How had he got them here so quickly?

She spent an enjoyable half hour trying on different outfits, from the evening gowns to the day dresses, knowing she wouldn’t dare to wear anything too extravagant or sexy. She finally settled on a simply cut sheath in royal-blue linen, pairing it with a pair of taupe court shoes. Simple, safe clothes that were still more expensive and elegant than anything she’d ever worn before.

It felt strange, to be dressed so nicely, waiting to have dinner with a man she barely knew, yet who she’d known more than any other man in her life. Strange, and more than a little bit exciting.

‘There is absolutely no reason to be looking forward to this,’ Olivia told her reflection as she put on the minimum of make-up—the bathroom came equipped with a dazzling array of cosmetics and toiletries. ‘No reason at all. Prince Zayed no doubt just wants to talk to you about dissolving this marriage.’

The reminder was timely and squelched some of that nervy excitement. This was a business meeting, and one she certainly shouldn’t be looking forward to.

Taking a deep breath, she pressed the pager. Minutes later, as promised, Anna appeared at her door and led her down several corridors with mosaic floors and Moorish arches to a room on the ground floor of the palace. She opened the door and stepped aside so Olivia could enter, which she did with her heart starting to jump around in her chest.

But she needn’t have been so nervous, because the room, stunning as it was, was empty. Anna closed the doors softly behind her and Olivia looked around, taking in the pillars decorated with lapis lazuli and the gold leaf on the walls and ceiling. In the centre of the room a table for two had been set with linen and crystal and flickered with candlelight. It looked rather romantic, Olivia couldn’t help but think.

Then the doors opened and Zayed stood there, freshly showered and shaven, dressed in western-fashion trousers and a matching charcoal-grey button-down shirt open at the throat. His eyes shone like pieces of agate as his gaze surveyed her. He looked absolutely devastating, and Olivia couldn’t form so much as a word as she stood there like a rabbit in a snare.

Zayed closed the doors behind him with a soft click and came forward. ‘Hello, Olivia,’ he said.

* * *

Zayed watched the pulse flutter and leap in Olivia’s throat as he walked towards her. He was reminded of their wedding night, when he’d seen how nervous she was and he’d tried to relax her. Tonight was different, though. Yes, he was trying to make her comfortable after everything she’d endured, but he had no intention of seducing her...as tempting as that prospect seemed at the moment.

‘Everything in your suite was to your satisfaction?’ he asked.

‘Yes.’ Olivia cleared her throat and gave him a nervous smile. ‘It was all amazing, thank you.’

‘I’m glad.’ He pulled out her chair and she sat down, bending her head so he could see the nape of her neck, and just as before he was struck by the tender vulnerability of it. Struck in a way he did not wish to be.

‘It’s incredible, all the luxuries here,’ Olivia continued as Zayed moved around to sit opposite her. ‘The bath...the underfloor heating...the clothes...’ She shook her head, marvelling. ‘How did you get so many clothes here so quickly, and most of them in my size?’

Zayed hesitated a second too long, and realisation darkened Olivia’s eyes to a deep navy. ‘Oh, how stupid of me,’ she said with an uneven little laugh. ‘They were here already, weren’t they? For Princess Halina.’

Her perception was razor-sharp and Zayed couldn’t deny it. ‘I was intending to bring her here afterwards,’ he said. ‘A honeymoon of sorts.’

‘How lovely.’ Olivia reached for her napkin and spread it in her lap, her head bent so he couldn’t see her expression.

Annoyance and something deeper stabbed through him. He had been looking forward to this evening, even though it would have its expedient uses, of course. Now, right at the beginning, it felt spoiled somehow, which was absurd. Halina would still be his wife. She had to be. And Olivia’s perception provided a timely reminder.

‘I hope you were able to relax and enjoy yourself.’

‘I was, thank you.’ She sounded cool, and Zayed gritted his teeth. He wasn’t even sure why he was so irritated.

‘Have some wine,’ he said, and reached for the bottle chilling in a silver bucket. Olivia lifted her gaze to his, a slightly teasing look lightening the blue of her eyes, reminding him of the sea.

‘I didn’t think you experienced all this luxury in your exile,’ she confessed as he filled her glass. ‘I thought you lived in a tent pretty much all the time.’

‘Mostly I do. But Rubyhan is my official base and the seat of my government.’

‘So Anna works for your government?’

‘She is my personal assistant, but yes, I have a small staff living here permanently arranging correspondence, managing affairs. Although I am in exile, I am still the globally recognised leader of Kalidar. It is Malouf who is the rebel, the impostor.’ A familiar

pressure started in his chest.