Susan Mallery: Desert Sheikhs Collection: Part 2

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Jasmine laid her head against his chest and swallowed her tears. At one time, she would have crawled on her hands and knees across broken glass for the promise of forever with this man. But forever with a Tariq who didn’t love her—who would never love her—wasn’t enough.

The obstacles in her path had grown to almost insurmountable proportions. Convincing Tariq of her loyalty would not be enough. He might eventually forgive her for not fighting for their love in the past. But would he ever forgive the second staggering blow to his warrior’s pride?

What would happen when he learned the secret that had made her turn away from him all those years ago…?

Dear Reader,

When it comes to passion, Silhouette Desire has exactly what you need. This month’s offerings include Cindy Gerard’s The Librarian’s Passionate Knight, the next installment of DYNASTIES: THE BARONES. A naive librarian gets swept off her feet by a dashing Barone sibling—who could ask for anything more? But more we do have, with another story about attractive and wealthy men, from Anne Marie Winston. Billionaire Bachelors: Gray is a deeply compelling story about a man who gets a second chance at life—and maybe the love of a lifetime.

Sheri WhiteFeather is back this month with the final story in our LONE STAR COUNTRY CLUB trilogy. The Heart of a Stranger will leave you breathless when a man with a sordid past gets a chance for ultimate redemption. Launching a new series this month is Kathie DeNosky with Lonetree Ranchers: Brant. When a handsome rancher helps a damsel in distress, all his defenses come crashing down and the fun begins.

Silhouette Desire is pleased to welcome two brand-new authors. Nalini Singh’s Desert Warrior is an intense, emotional read with an alpha hero to die for. And Anna DePalo’s Having the Tycoon’s Baby, part of our ongoing series THE BABY BANK, is a sexy romp about one woman’s need for a child and the sexy man who grants her wish—but at a surprising price.

There’s plenty of passion rising up here in Silhouette Desire this month. So dive right in and enjoy.

Melissa Jeglinski

Senior Editor

Silhouette Desire

has always wanted to be a writer. Along the way to her dream, she obtained degrees in both the arts and law (because being a starving writer didn’t appeal). After a short stint as a lawyer, she sold her first book and from that point, there was no going back. Now an escapee from the corporate world, she is looking forward to a lifetime of writing, interspersed with as much travel as possible. Nalini loves to hear from readers. Please write to her c/o Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, Suite 1001, New York, NY 10279.

To Mum, Dad and the Amazing FMP, for Everything

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Epilogue

“Do not put even one foot on Zulheil soil unless you are ready to stay forever. You will not get past the airport gates before I kidnap you!”

Hands trembling, Jasmine skirted around the small groups of people in the waiting area and headed for the glass doors that would lead her out of the airport, and into Tariq’s land.

“Madam.” A dark hand fell next to hers on the handle of the luggage trolley.

Startled, she looked up into the smiling face of a man who appeared to be an airport official. “Yes?” Her heart started to pound in a mixture of hope and fear.

“You are going the wrong way. The taxis and hire cars are on the other side.” He gestured toward a long corridor leading to another set of glass doors. Desert sands glittered in the distance.

“Oh.” She felt foolish. Of course Tariq wouldn’t complete his threat so literally. He’d been angry enough to scare her when he’d warned her against coming to his land. Now, Tariq was a cool, controlled man, whom she’d seen a number of times on television, leading peace talks between warring Arab states. Her Tariq was now Tariq al-Huzzein Donovan Zamanat, the Sheik of Zulheil, the leader of his people.

“Thank you,” she managed to say. When she began to move again, the pale blue fabric of her ankle-length dress swished around her legs in time with her steps.

“It is my pleasure. I will escort you to the vehicles.”

“That’s very kind. What about the other travelers?”

The corners of the stranger’s eyes crinkled. “But madam, you were the only foreigner on this flight.”

Jasmine blinked, thinking back over the trip. All she could remember were lilting vowels and flowing hands, beautiful sloe-eyed women and protective Arabian men.

“I didn’t realize,” she admitted.

“Zulheil has been closed to visitors.”

“But I’m a visitor.” She stopped, wondering if it was too much to hope that Tariq would actually kidnap her. No sane woman would want to be captured by a desert sheik who held her in contempt, but she was long past logic and sanity.

Her guide paused, and she could have sworn that he blushed under his golden skin. “It…Zulheil began letting in people again this last week.”

At his graceful wave, she started to push the cart down the marbled floor once more. “Was it closed because of mourning?” Her voice was quiet, respectful.

“Yes. The loss of our sheik and his beloved wife was a tragic blow to our people.” His eyes momentarily darkened with pain. “But we have a good sheik in their only son. Sheik Tariq will lead us out of the darkness.”

Jasmine’s heart skipped a beat at Tariq’s name. From somewhere she found the strength to ask, “He’s ruling alone, your new sheik?”

If the man told her that Tariq had taken a wife during the period of media blackout since his parents’ deaths, she’d get on the next plane out of Zulheil. Even now, her lungs protested every breath she took, and she hung on the edge of control.

The look her guide threw her was assessing. He nodded sharply, but waited until they were outside before speaking. The harsh heat of the desert hit Jasmine like a physical slap, but she stood firm. Wilting was not an option, not when this was her last chance.

There was a black limousine parked at the curb. She’d started to move away from it when her guide halted her.

“That is your taxi.”

“That’s definitely not a taxi.” Hope, she understood, came in many forms. Hers had arrived in the shape of a long, sleek piece of gleaming machinery.