His Reluctant Bride
Read His Reluctant Bride Online
Authors: Sheena Morrish
Contents
"We have discussed everything we need to!" she informed him firmly as she tried to act nonchalant about the whole thing but the sight of her huddled on her bathroom floor ruined the image she was trying to project.
"That was before I realised you were a virgin!"
"So? What does that have to do with anything? Nothing has changed from before we slept together," she tried desperately to convince him but Tariq shook his dark head.
"You are wrong Aziz, everything has changed. I have taken the gift of your virginity and I must make amends. We will be married as soon as it can be arranged," he informed her and her eyes widened in horror as she abandoned her huddled state to jump to her feet forgetting the fact that she was completely naked.
"No!" she gasped out but Tariq again simply nodded as he reached out and pulled her towards him his head descending to claim another kiss.
"Yes!"
Katie stared at the picture before her in horror as anger flooded her veins making her wish the man that starred in it was here now so she could let her frustration out and show him exactly how she felt about him. Unfortunately Sheikh Tariq was currently attending his cousin's wedding in his home country of Darlaya while she was on a well-deserved break in the coffee shop where she worked so it was unlikely she would be able to rid herself of this anger anytime soon.
As the Sheikh's betrothed and future wife Katie had received the obligatory invitation to the wedding but as the woman whose existence he had ignored for years she had politely declined. When he had called to instruct her to attend her refusal had been a little less polite but no more determined and he seemed to have gotten the message as she had not received any more calls and these pictures of him and his mistress had showed up in the day's paper making her even more certain of how little she really meant to him.
She had been just a baby when their parents had signed the betrothal contract and had been aware her whole life that her entire existence was merely for Tariq's pleasure. From the age of five her parents had shipped her off to a school specially designed for teaching girls how to be the perfect wife, although many did not realise it also held a special wing where they taught women how to be the perfect discrete mistress's and these girls were only taught how to please a man, something they felt the wives would have no need of. For the next thirteen years Katie had been known as Catherine and was taught how to walk, talk and behave like the perfect wife. She had been starved from the moment she walked through the doors and instructed on how important her slim figure was to maintain. Katie had suffered through all the humiliation expecting to be released at eighteen so she could marry Tariq, only he had never come for her. She had seen him at all the major holidays such as Christmas but never once had he mentioned their future wedding and although he had treated her with the utmost respect Katie couldn't help but feel that she was as insignificant to him as a speck of dust on his shoe.
Which was why, at eighteen when he had still not come to take her from the school she had taken matters in to her own hands and had informed her stunned parents that she would be attending a college in London until Tariq had decided the time was right. Surprisingly Tariq had been all in favour of this idea, or maybe not so surprising when you considered that she was just a duty to him.
Now, five years later she had her own apartment and a simple job as a waitress, partly because it was a job that paid the rent and partly because she knew it would annoy her parents to think that their daughter would take such a simple job when she could do so much more. What they seemed to forget was that had it not been for an act of fate their family would never have even met the Sheikh. If her father had not found Tariq's father in the desert beaten and bloody and had not saved his life the betrothal would never have even happened. Had her father not realised who the man he was saving was there would have been a death rather than a betrothal but how could Tariq's father have known how selfish her own parents really were?
"Anything interesting?" asked her work colleague and closest friend and Katie looked up at Charlotte with a light smile and a shrug.
"Just an update on the latest women to grace a rich man's bed," she offered and Emily laughed.
How could she know that the man in question happened to be associated with Katie? Or that the woman in the picture was also known to her, for Amber had been the one girl who had constantly been a nightmare for Katie growing up. She was an aspiring mistress who had rubbed it in Katie's face that while someone may be marrying her out of duty they would be choosing Amber out of lust and love. To realise that Tariq was the one who had chosen her out of everyone in the world was just one blow too many and Katie decided that she'd had enough. She no longer cared what her family thought of her let alone the Sheikh or his family so first thing tomorrow she would be informing him that their betrothal was off!
Tariq frowned at his aide as he asked him to repeat his words.
"Catherine Bennett is not here."
Impossible! He had called her and demanded her presence at his cousin's wedding, there was no one in the world that would ignore one of his orders.
"Check again!" he issued curtly and the man before him paled.
"Your highness we have checked every airport five times, there has been no sign of Miss Bennett," his aide informed him and Tariq's mouth tightened.
How dare that little wench defy his orders? It was his cousin's wedding day tomorrow and he needed his betrothed by his side. It was his father's idea to announce his engagement this weekend and he could not be getting engaged if she was not even attending the wedding with him.
"Ready the plane."
"The plane? Where are you going, your highness?" his aide asked suddenly uncertain.
"I am going to retrieve Miss Bennett!"
"But, the wedding. You will miss it!" his aide whispered in confusion and Tariq sighed.
"On the contrary. If I leave now I will have plenty of time to fetch Catherine and return in time for us to make the wedding."
Tariq watched carefully as his aide inclined his head before he left the room to ensure his orders were followed. Tariq meanwhile was furious. How dare Catherine defy him? He was not a man she wanted to make an enemy out of and he intended to ensure she knew her duties as his future wife.
Katie gave a blissful sigh as she collapsed wearily on to her sofa with her poor feet aching unbearably after the long double shift she had just worked. Even her long shift had not been enough to rid herself of the anger at Tariq though and she gave another long sigh as she massaged her feet.
"Long day?" asked a voice and she spun round in surprise to find her friend Gareth appearing out of her kitchen with a very feminine apron on that had her laughing.
"The longest. You?" she asked with a smile and he frowned.
"Dave and I broke up again. So, I thought I’d crash here if you don't mind," Gareth said with a chagrined look that had Katie laughing again. She had met him and Dave the day she had moved in to her apartment and had been firm friends with them since. They were always breaking up and Gareth often stayed the night when they had a fight, this time tomorrow they would have made up again. In the meantime Gareth would cook her one of his famous dishes as payment and they would have an enjoyable night of movies and food, it was always the highlight of their month and secretly she though his "breakup" was always just an excuse to spend one night a month chilling out.
As the night progressed Katie found herself relaxing and having fun for the first time that day and she was impressed with Gareth's Steak Diane that was so tender it seemed to melt in her mouth and she ate with obvious enjoyment while telling him he should be working as a chef instead of wasting his talents as a salesman. Gareth even washed all the pots while instructing her to choose a movie and refusing to let her help him. She finally settled on a comedy that had them in stitches the entire time and as the movie slowly came to an end and they were saying goodnight Gareth leaned over and kissed her cheek his smile so infectious that she couldn't help but return it.
A loud bang from behind had them both spinning round in surprise and Katie paled to the colour of milk at the sight that confronted her.
"This is why you refuse to attend the wedding?" Tariq thundered as he stormed in to the room looking like an avenging god with his dark green eyes blazing and Katie winced.
It had been a long time since she had seen Tariq and he had grown in to a handsome man. His body was lithe and muscular though they were currently disguised beneath his jeans and black top that made his ruggedly good looks seem harsher. His dark hair was kept short but could clearly still not be tamed and it was spiked up as though he had run his hands through it several times, his chiselled jaw was hard as stone as he glared at them making Katie cringe inwardly at the fury in his cold glittering eyes.
"Now, look man...." Gareth trailed off at the blazing look Tariq sent his way and Katie shook her head.
"I strongly suggest you leave now!" Tariq roared and Gareth swallowed nervously then glanced at Katie who gave her nod for him to leave. He didn't look happy about it but he went leaving the two of them alone and if Tariq thought he was angry it was nothing to how Katie felt right now.
Tariq glared at his betrothed as he tried to understand how this had happened. How had his supposedly sweet innocent young bride found herself a lover that nobody knew about? And how had she dared to defy him in such a way?
"Well?" he demanded when the silence continued after her lover's exit.
"Well, what?" she asked calmly as she got to her feet.
"Have you nothing to say in your defence?"
"I have nothing to be defensive about!" she assured him folding her arms across her chest unaware that they pushed her breasts higher in the red low cut top she was wearing.
"The hell you don't. Who the hell was your lover?" he demanded furiously anger surging up even as he found himself observing his betrothed for the first time in years.
She had always been thin, as a child during the holidays he would see her looking skinny and out of place. She was being taught to be the perfect princess and all he could see was a shy awkward girl.
Now though she looked incredible. Her hair was longer than he remembered and cascaded down her back like a waterfall of gold. Her green eyes were emphasized by minimal makeup and her lips looked so kissable that he was tempted to taste them right now. Without the diet she had been placed on when she was a child her skinniness had been replaced with slender curves that had his blood pumping and even though she was wearing just jeans and the low-cut top that revealed too much of her luscious breasts he found himself lusting after her.
"I don't believe that's any of your business," she told him raising her chin stubbornly to glare at him.
"You are mine, habibti!" he roared and she thrust her chin even further.
"I am not yours, and I am certainly not your darling."
"You are to be my wife and yet you dare to take a lover and flaunt him in my face?" he demanded harshly and she shrugged.
"I had no intention of ever becoming your wife no matter what my father signed and as for flaunting lovers maybe you should keep your own in check," she suggested and he frowned at that.
"What is this nonsense? Of course you were to be my wife."
"Well, it doesn't really matter now does it? I have taken a lover and am therefore no longer eligible to be your virgin bride. I trust you can find the door yourself," Katie instructed as she turned and headed for her room knowing that she would never sleep now after telling such lies about Gareth but wanting to be away from Tariq's vengeful presence all the same.
She had just reached her room when she was swung round to face Tariq whose eyes were blazing and she only had time to gasp in surprise before his stern mouth took her own on an evocative journey of ecstasy that had her clutching at his dark head as he deepened the kiss.
Katie had never felt anything like this in her life and she couldn't help herself from responding. The kiss made her knees weak and she wasn't even aware of the moment when Tariq urged her back on to the large double bed. She wasn't even aware that he had taken her top off until she felt the cool air against her skin but she didn't care about trivial things like that when his mouth was causing such sensations. He moved away from her lips and trailed small butterfly kisses down her neck until he reached her breasts. He removed her bra and took one firm rosy peak in to his mouth then the other making her gasp and writhe in unadulterated pleasure.
Tariq pulled away only to remove his own clothes before he was back and he kissed her again and she arched against him giving him the perfect opportunity to remove her jeans and lace panties leaving her spread naked before him. He pulled away to observe her hungrily, in much the same way any other man would stare at a buffet, before he returned to making her body sing with the pleasure he gave it. Finally he lifted himself above her staring down in to her passion filled eyes and she found herself frowning at the stern expression on his face.
"Please," she whimpered and he smiled grimly down at her.
"Say my name, habibti," he urged and she gasped as he stroked her entrance making her arch against him instinctively but he pulled back teasing her.
"Please Tariq!" she gasped and he gave a triumphant smile.
"Your lover may have had you first but I will still get the pleasure you denied me!" he announced and her eyes widened at the realisation that she had been played an instant before he surged in to her and then froze at her sharp cry of pain. He would have stopped but Katie dug her nails in to his back urging him to continue and he had no will to stop himself from thrusting in to her repeatedly in a rhythm as old as time that had them both spiralling higher and higher until with a sound of intense pleasure Katie came with the sound of his name on her lips and he followed soon after.
For a moment neither of them said anything as they lay there trying to catch their breath and Katie found herself wondering how she had gone all her life without experiencing this. The moment was ruined though when Tariq sat up on one elbow to regard her thoughtfully.