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This engagement was a means to an end for him. A means to an end he hadn’t even bothered to confide in her. She was bought and paid for, a fiancée in name only, until he no longer required her services, then she would be discarded.
He tugged his fingers through his hair, sending the expertly styled waves into disarray, still staring at her as if he were trying to decipher a particularly thorny problem.
At last he nodded. ‘I’ll see you tonight at seven,’ he said.
Her breath gushed out as she realised she’d got away with her lie. For now anyhow.
‘We’ll go through the story I’ve made up to explain our relationship en route to the ball,’ he added. ‘So you don’t trip up again.’
It was a reprimand. But she didn’t care as she nodded and left, just so relieved to be out of the room.
As she raced up the stairs back to her suite, though, she wasn’t sure any more if she was more concerned about Khan cancelling their contract, and leaving her sister and herself destitute, or her inexplicable and uncontrollable reaction to a simple kiss.
CHAPTER FIVE
‘YOUR HIGHNESS, YOUR fiancée is waiting for you in the vestibule.’
Karim glanced up from his phone to find Muhammed, his butler, standing in the doorway to his study.
Your fiancée.
The words reverberated in his skull… and, unfortunately, his groin, reminding him of their kiss that morning. A kiss that was supposed to have been as false as everything else about this arrangement, and had been anything but. Orla Calhoun’s artless eager reaction had been unexpected, but much more unexpected had been his own response. The fresh sweet taste of her lips, the sound of her stunned sob, the feel of her taut, trembling body softening against his, and her fingers gripping his shirt as if she were in a high wind and he were her only anchor. The combination had set fire to the heat already smouldering in his groin, ever since the day before.
All of which was a problem.
He had picked this woman precisely because he had expected his desire to die. Clearly that had been an error, because after that one taste of her he had not been able to forget the effect she’d had on him. Or the fact he wanted more of her. Desiring her could cause complications he did not need.
Thank God, at least she wasn’t inexperienced, as he had at first suspected. Ever since their kiss he had been considering the problem, and decided that perhaps they could change the terms of their contract. However he needed to be absolutely sure this attraction was not going to get any more out of control. Already he did not appreciate the fact his reaction had been almost as uncontrolled as hers.
‘Tell her I’ll be with her in a moment,’ he said, tucking the phone back into the breast pocket of his tuxedo.
Tonight’s event would be long and tedious. Her racing connections would come in handy to smooth his passage into this world. It would also present a good chance to gauge exactly how volatile his reaction was to this woman.
‘Yes, Your Highness,’ the butler said, but then his usually formal expression softened. ‘And can I congratulate you again on your engagement?’ he added, his craggy face flushing. ‘Your fiancée is indeed exquisite and so charming. I had no idea Michael Calhoun’s daughter was such a beauty. No wonder he hid her away.’
What?
Karim frowned as his usually close-mouthed and now clearly besotted butler bowed and left. Orla, whatever the strange spell she seemed to have cast over him, could hardly be described as a great beauty. Could she? And what did Muhammed mean by Calhoun hiding her away? Karim had never attended any racing events, waiting for the right opportunity to buy into a pastime that had captivated him as a boy but which he’d had no time to indulge properly until now. Perhaps he should have done more homework before suggesting this association? The truth was it wasn’t at all like him to make business decisions on the spur of the moment. That said, he always went with his gut instinct when opportunity arose, and Orla’s circumstances had seemed perfect for what he had in mind.
He rebuttoned his tuxedo jacket and spotted, on the edge of his desk, the velvet ring box that had been delivered earlier in the day. He scooped up the box and stared at it. He’d had the engagement ring selected by the stylist. He shoved it into his trouser pocket without opening it, annoyed by the moment of hesitation. It hardly mattered what the ring looked like, as long as it fitted.
He marched out of his study, down the hallway towards the front entrance and then stopped dead as he spotted the woman standing with her back to him. The silver backless gown shimmered in the light from the chandelier, the iridescent material draping over her slender curves like water. The vibrant red waves of her hair had been pinned up with a series of diamonds, which glittered like stars in a sunset. The chignon should have looked supremely elegant… But somehow, the tendrils falling down against her nape made him think of the wild, untamed way she had return
ed his kiss.
Karim’s breath backed up in his lungs, the shot of arousal so sudden it made him tense. He planted his hands in his pockets, the urge to slip the delicate straps off her shoulders and place his mouth on the smooth arch of her neck so strong he had to take a moment.
‘Orla,’ he murmured, and she spun round.
What the…?
Shock ricocheted through his system, swiftly followed by a need so sharp he couldn’t contain it, let alone control it.
‘What the hell are you wearing?’ he growled before he could stop himself as the shot of desire detonated in his groin.
His gaze devoured her high breasts, the neckline of the gown giving him a glimpse of her cleavage, which was as torturous as it was tantalising. She was not wearing a bra.
‘You don’t… You don’t like it?’ she asked as she crossed her arms over her waist, as if trying to shield herself from his view.
