Read Online The Inherited Bride by Maisey Yates - Free Book Online

me.”
    He paused slightly, his shoulders tensing. It was a small reaction—one she would have missed if she weren’t so tuned into him. “If it were required of me, I would do it.”
    “That’s it? If it were required of you, you would change all of your expectations to fulfill your duty?”
    “I would.”
    He said it with such certainty that she didn’t doubt him. But it was easy for him. He didn’t have dreams of love and romance. Even knowing she’d had an arranged marriage, part of her had always harbored fantasies of love. It was normal for women—for most people, really. Everyone wanted to be loved.
    Except Adham, apparently.
He
only needed lovers. A thought that was much more intriguing than it should be. Because her thoughts had no place wandering down that road—not with Adham. Not with any man other than her chosen fiancé.
    Even knowing that, when they rounded a corner andshe closed her eyes against the harsh shaft of afternoon light that shone between the tightly packed buildings, it was an imprint of Adham’s face that she saw.

CHAPTER FIVE
    A DHAM was taking her to the cinema, and she was unaccountably nervous. It felt like … like a date—even though the very idea was completely ridiculous. He’d all but ignored her for the past few days—conducting business in his office, checking on his oil field, making contact with other security officers, and leaving her to fend for herself.
    But that morning she’d brought up the subject of the movie theater, and he’d agreed.
    She’d been trying to decide on an outfit for nearly forty minutes. Which was ridiculous, because it shouldn’t matter what she wore so long as
she
was happy with it. But she kept picturing Adham’s face, his reaction to her, wondering if any of that smoldering heat would flare in his eyes when he saw her, and what article of clothing might help her accomplish that.
    It was not a productive line of thinking. But she was wandering down the rabbit trail anyway.
    She rifled through her new things and finally decided to put on the sexy crimson wrap sweater she’d purchased on their shopping excursion. The soft, clingy material hugged her curves and had a neckline that dipped low, showing just the right amount of cleavage. She decided to pair it with dark-wash jeans and some strappy heelsthat would no doubt make her feet ache after a few hours. But they would be worth it.
    The underwear was almost as big a decision for her—which was more ridiculous than being so indecisive over the outerwear. But it mattered. Adham had seen them, had watched her purchase them. She didn’t think a man had ever seen her underwear before, even when she wasn’t wearing it. Knowing he would know what they looked like … the thought that he might try and guess which ones she was wearing … well, that made her feel wicked. And edgy. And just a tiny bit guilty.
    She selected an ivory-colored bra, made from web-fine netting. Intricate flowers added provocative detail, framing her dusky nipples, which were clearly visible through the sheer fabric. The panties were no better—framing rather than concealing.
    She looked at herself for a moment, stunned by the fact that she could look so … provocative. She’d almost entirely ignored her own sexuality because it had always seemed inextricably linked to her unknown, pre-selected future husband. But now, despite the fact that Hassan’s ring was on her finger, that part of her so long denied was becoming tethered to the man who was out in the living area.
    The attraction had been instantaneous. But she had been confident that once she’d spent some time with him it would diminish. It seemed as though she’d have to become accustomed to his sex appeal after all. But his appeal hadn’t diminished. And her attraction was growing. Being stuck with him certainly didn’t help.
    She looked down at her breasts, at her nipples pushing against the gauzy fabric. She couldn’t even think about him without