At the Sheikh's Command — Clare Connelly

“What the hell was that?” She demanded fiercely, striding across the room in pursuit. Her negligee was torn, and hung loose about her stomach. She pulled it off impatiently, uncaring that she was totally naked. He turned, slowly, his back ramrod straight. He seemed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. “Sex, Miranda. That was sex.” He sounded bored. As though he were explaining a simple concept to a child. “You can't just…. I mean… I haven't seen you in days. I haven't heard from you. And you just… walk in here… and expect me to… for us to…” He crossed his arms over his chest, refusing to let her confusion wear him down. The more tenderness he felt for this woman, the harder he had to be with her. For she was not someone he could ever become involved with, other than sexually, and he would not give her the wrong impression. “Of course I can, Miranda. This was our deal, remember?” Miranda travels to the conservative Kingdom of Fasiya with a simple enough goal in mind. Her best friend Mastepha is in trouble and needs money - money she has spades of in her Fasiyan apartment. Unfortunately, Mastepha happens to be the sister of the all powerful Sheikh Radiz Zamin, and he doesn't look kindly on the attempted theft. Miranda can't reveal the truth about the reason she's come to Fasiya in place of her friend - if Radiz discovers his sister is pregnant to some British barman, he'll be furious! Radiz suspects the beautiful thief has something to do with Mastepha - they're a similar age and herald from the same city, after all. He hopes she might even be able to tell him something about the sister who has increasingly become a stranger to him. Unfortunately, Miranda is intractable, and refuses to reveal anything about her motivations - and she certainly won't acknowledge any connection to the wayward royal. Despite her denials, a sixth sense convinces Radiz that she knows far more than she's letting on. Faced with the option of leaving her to rot in a Fasiyan prison for the rest of her life, or attempting to elicit the truth from Miranda using whatever interrogation techniques are at his disposal, Radiz opts for the latter. A complicated web of seduction, desire, and secrecy unfolds around them. Only it can't last. Miranda has lied to Radiz in a way he'll never be able to forgive, and the only option she has left is to flee his Kingdom and try, with all her heart, to forget the way he makes her feel in his arms.