Teresa Southwick - The Sheikh's Contract Bride

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

SINCE she was headed for the seventh level of hell, now would be a good time to sunscreen her soul.

Alina Bethia Farrah knew truth was the best way to avoid the burning issues of the afterlife. And she’d admit to not always valuing honesty as much as she should have. But, as much as she hated pretending, she’d made a promise to switch places with her identical twin and stand up to the man her sister couldn’t—His Royal Highness, Malik Hourani, the Crown Prince of Bha’Khar.

Beth had only ever had her sister to count on, and Adina was the only person who had ever loved her. Her request was the emotional equivalent of bleeding or being on fire. Saying no wasn’t an option.

But now that Beth was here in the palace, waiting to meet the Prince, the reckless spirit that had convinced her she could pull this off completely wimped out. As she stared at her suitcases lined up on the exquisite marble floor of the entryway, the deception that in her L.A. apartment had felt noble—wrong thing, right reason—now just seemed wrong.

She was pretending to be the woman who was going to marry the sheikh because her sister wanted out of the marriage agreement.

As the firstborn by two minutes, Addie had been betrothed by their father, the Bha’Kharian ambassador to the United States, to the royal heir. Now, Addie was torn between being disowned by the father she adored or marrying a man she’d never met. Neither alternative was appealing, especially after she’d begun dating a man—possibly the man.

It had been several years since she’d come of age, and she’d begun to hope the sheikh had forgotten their arrangement. But only a few weeks ago he’d begun the process of finalizing their betrothal with wedding vows—and he wanted to do it sooner rather than later. That was when Addie had come up with the idea of switching places.

Outspoken Beth had often run interference for introspective Addie when they were children, and had assumed her identity. But this wasn’t about which twin had broken the lamp or hadn’t eaten her brussels sprouts. This secret could have international repercussions.

Beth didn’t like secrets. But she liked her sister’s situation even less. Beth had once fallen for a guy like the sheikh, a man from a politically connected family who believed it was perfectly all right to be married and have a mistress. He felt entitled to play by different rules because he was a powerful man. Now her sister was engaged to one of the world’s most powerful men, and Beth could only imagine what rules he lived by. This arranged marriage was just wrong, and somehow Beth would get Addie out of it.

Now she waited for the Crown Prince in the apartment where the royal intended, or in this case her facsimile, would stay until the wedding. Nervous, Beth paced and checked out the place. The living room was spacious and bright, and filled with expensive art—paintings, blown glass, and figurines. French doors opened onto a balcony overlooking the Arabian Sea, and when she pulled the doors wide the breeze blowing off the ocean cooled her hot cheeks.

She could do this. She and her twin were interchangeable; no one could tell them apart, not even their father. This should be as easy as falling off a log, especially with a guy who’d never met either of them.

The knock on the apartment door startled her, even though she’d been expecting it—maybe because she’d been expecting it.

Letting out a long breath, she walked through the apartment, then opened the door—and stared like a fool. The man standing there was tall and dark and—Wow. Handsome was an understatement.

Pulling herself together, she said, “Hi.”

“I am Malik Hourani.” With the barest movement of his shoulders and head, he executed a respectful bow.

“The Prince?”

“Indeed,” he said.

“How do you do?”

“I do very well.” His dark eyes glowed with male approval. “Although I regret that I was not there when your plane arrived.”

“Technically, it’s your plane.”

“That is true,” he said seriously. “But I did want to greet you and was unable to do so.”

“That’s all right.” She’d been relieved. “I was told that you’d be tied up with business until this evening.”

“Things went better than I had expected and I am grateful as I was eager to meet you. Welcome to Bha’Khar, Adina Farrah.”

First hurdle crossed. At first sight he believed she was Addie. Her heart started thumping really hard. She had no more time to prepare herself. Here he was in the flesh. And very nice flesh it was—what she could see of it. The expensive black suit hid a lot, although it fit his tall, muscular body perfectly. His lean cheeks and straight nose were exceptionally attractive. But it was his mouth that mesmerized her and, she suspected, commanded the attention of any female who was still breathing. There was an innate sensuality to his lips, a defined curve as if carved from stone, yet they were soft with the promise of passion.

Beth had never met a man who instantly made her want to know what his mouth would feel like against her own. Not until now. That was definitely a distraction, and she so didn’t need it. She needed to keep her wits sharp and come up with a plausible reason for him to call her by a name she would actually answer to.

“Hardly anyone calls me Adina,” she said.

“Why?”

Good question. And this was where the truth worked.

“Everyone calls me Beth, for Bethia.”

“Oh?”

She nodded. “It’s my middle name. Our parents didn’t think it through when my sister and I were named. Adina. Alina.” She shrugged.

“You are twins.”

“We are.” Her heart pounded as she waited for him to recognize her deception, even though there was no reason for him to suspect anything. When he waited patiently, she said, “You can imagine the confusion when our names sound so much alike. So I became Beth.” Always best to go with as much of the truth as possible.

“Is that how you would prefer to be addressed?”

“Yes.”

He nodded. “Then Beth is what I shall call you.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Please call me Malik. I wish to put you at ease.”

So he had noticed her nerves. Hopefully he’d chalk it up to the circumstances. “Being an ambassador’s daughter, I learned the proper form of address for distinguished persons at an early age. It’s difficult for me to relax old habits and training.”

“That is understandable. Think of it this way. Sometimes I am called His Royal Highness. Sometimes Sir. Occasionally I am called things not fit to repeat in front of a lady.” He grinned suddenly, showing very white teeth against his tanned skin. “However, in private, as we are now, my given name is preferable.”