Read Online The Sultan's Choice by Abby Green - Free Book Online

properly now, and it made him look ten years younger and less cynical. ‘Of course.’
    Samia had to turn away. He was far too attractive at that moment, and she feared that he’d see something of the ambiguous emotions she was feeling on her far too expressive face. That she found him attractive was undeniable, but that was just pure human reaction to one of the most virile specimens of man on the planet. She denied to herself that the attraction went any deeper than that—that what she felt went beyond the physical.
    ‘Believe me,’ he said now, ‘when we announce our engagement to the press on Monday you’ll be grateful for the armour of suitable clothing.’
    ‘Monday …’ Samia looked around, feeling herself pale. If there was any last moment when she could try and get out of this, it was now.
    She was unaware of the wistful look on her face or the way Sadiq’s tightened.
    ‘Don’t even think about it, Samia. We’ve gone too far to turn back now. There’s already been speculation in thepapers after that photo. Now they’re just waiting for an announcement.’
    Her eyes narrowed on Sadiq and any hope was doused at the steely look on his face. Bitterly she said, ‘It’s so easy for you, isn’t it? You’ve had your life of hedonistic freedom, and now you’ve decided to marry it’ll be executed with the minimum of fuss and maximum haste.’
    Sadiq’s eyes flashed. ‘You’ve had your freedom too, Samia. As a modern twenty-five-year-old woman you can’t expect me to assume you’ve led such a nun’s existence that you’re still a virgin?’
    Instantly reacting to his mocking tone with a visceral need to protect herself, Samia taunted, ‘You mean you don’t mind that you won’t be getting a pure wife on your wedding night? I would have thought with the amount of care you put into choosing your oh-so-suitable bride that it would have been part of the checklist.’
    Their gazes locked. Samia was breathing far too rapidly for her liking. And she couldn’t believe she’d more or less lied so blatantly. She was leading him to believe she’d had plenty of lovers.
    A cynical smile curved Sadiq’s sensual mouth. ‘It doesn’t bother me in the least,’ he drawled. ‘Of course I didn’t expect a pure bride. I’m not so old-fashioned or such a hypocrite. I’ve got a healthy sexual appetite and quite frankly the thought of sleeping with a novice is not something I relish.’
    A sudden pain lanced Samia. Ever since that experience in college she’d locked away any romantic desire that she would one day give herself to someone who would appreciate her for unique self. She’d told herself she didn’t harbour such dreams. And now she had to face the prospect of Sadiq’s horror when he found that he had indeed bagged himself an innocent bride on their wedding night.
    Overcome with an emotion she didn’t want to analyse, andfeeling terribly vulnerable, Samia scrambled inelegantly out of her seat. She felt permanently inelegant next to this man. Muttering something about being tired, she escaped to the back of the cabin, where she’d been shown a bedroom earlier, and firmly closed the door behind her. They’d be landing soon, but Samia curled up on the bed anyway and tried to block out the taunting and gorgeous face of Sadiq in her mind’s eye. She wondered how on earth she’d ever been deluded enough to think he might be vulnerable.
    Sadiq flung down his phone and glared out of the small oval window of the plane. All he could see were clouds upon clouds—and Samia’s face, with those big wounded aquamarine eyes shimmering more blue than green against the pale skin of her face. He had already come to notice how her eyes went dark blue when she was emotional.
    She’d looked close to tears just then, but he couldn’t fathom what he’d said to upset her. His mouth twisted wryly. Apart from asking her to marry him. He hadn’t had such a comprehensive attack on his ego ever … and he had to