âI need you to marry me.â
Emily was looking at Kadir as if heâd grown two extra heads. He didnât blame her, really. What he was proposing was perfectly outrageous. But after that phone call with Rashid he couldnât stop thinking about how he wasnât going to be forced to take his brotherâs birthright.
And for that Kadir needed a very unsuitable bride. A woman who would hopefully persuade his father into believing his judgment was so poor he would not, under any circumstances, give the kingdom of Kyr into his keeping.
âI ⦠I â¦â Emily raised a hand to push a stray lock of hair from her face and he was once more confronted with a fact he had somehow managed to ignore for the past four years.
Emily Bryant was not quite the unattractive automaton heâd believed her to be. Her brown hair was long, thick, and shinyâand very tumbled. Heâd never seen it down before.
And now her mouth had somehow become enticing with all that hair to frame her face.
âI donât know what to say.â
The words tumbled out of her in a breathless rush. Her green eyes, usually the color of polished jade, had darkened in what he supposed was confusion.
âSay yes.â
HEIRS TO THE THRONE OF KYR
Two brothers, one crown, and a royal duty that cannot be denied â¦
The desert kingdom of Kyr needs a new ruler.
Prince Kadir al-Hassan, the Eagle of Kyr: the worldâs most notorious playboy.
Prince Rashid al-Hassan, the Lion of Kyr: as dark-hearted as the desert itself.
These sheikh princes share the same blood, but they couldnât be more different. So now thereâs only one question on everyoneâs lips â¦
Who will be crowned the new desert king?
Donât miss this thrilling new duet from Lynn Raye Harrisâwhere duty and desire collide against a sizzling desert landscape!
USA TODAY bestselling author LYNN RAYE HARRIS burst onto the scene when she won a writing contest held by Mills & Boon>®. The prize was an editor for a yearâbut only six months later Lynn sold her first novel. A former finalist for the Romance Writers of Americaâs Golden Heart Award, Lynn lives in Alabama with her handsome husband and two crazy cats. Her stories have been called âexceptional and emotionalâ, âintenseâ, and âsizzlingâ. You can visit her at www.lynnrayeharris.com
Recent titles by the same author:
A GAME WITH ONE WINNER (Scandal in the Spotlight) REVELATIONS OF THE NIGHT BEFORE UNNOTICED AND UNTOUCHED MARRIAGE BEHIND THE FAÃADE
Did you know these are also available as eBooks? Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk
To my editor, Flo Nicoll, who always pushes meâvery politelyâto do my best.
I complained and moaned and dragged my feet on this one, but you were right.
PROLOGUE
THE KING OF Kyr was dying. He sat in his chair on the balcony, wrapped in a blanketâthough the desert sun had not yet sunk behind the horizon and brought cooler temperatures with itâand contemplated his life.
Heâd had a long reign, a good reign, but it was time to name his successor and make sure Kyr continued to thrive when he was gone. He could no longer put off calling his wayward sons home and determining which of them would be the next king.
He pushed to a standing position, unwilling to give up even a tiny bit of independence while he still had strength in his body. The cancer would win, but not today. He moved slowly but surely, making his way toward the desk in his study while a hovering servant shadowed his every move. Waiting to pick him up should he collapse.
Well, he was not collapsing. Not yet.
He had one last task to finish. And it began with two phone calls.
CHAPTER ONE
EMILY BRYANT STRAIGHTENED the severe black skirt she wore, patted the French twist sheâd wedged her hair into and steadied the coffee in her hand as she faced the double doors that led to the bedroom of His Most Exalted Highness, Prince Kadir bin Zaid al-Hassan.
Outside, the sky was that special blend of salmon and purple that indicated dawnâs approach. Despite the early hour, Paris was awake and rumbling on the city streets below. Soon, Kadir would be awake, too.
Just as soon as Emily knocked on the carved wooden door. She frowned and dragged in a fortifying breath. The man was impossibleâand probably not alone. If this morning was anything like other mornings, sheâd be stepping over lacy underwear, rumpled stockings and a couture dress lying in a heap on the floor. On one memorable occasion, a bra had dangled from the priceless Venetian glass chandelier. What city was that in?
Ah, yes, Milan.
Emily firmed her lips in what she knew was a distasteful frownâshe couldnât abide messes, especially from people who should know betterâand lifted her hand. Then she rapped three times.
âPrince Kadir? Itâs time to get up.â
No matter the hour he came in the night before, Kadir always wanted to be awakened before the sun rose in the sky. Sometimes he went back to sleep, but not before peppering her with orders and instructions about the day. And not before he drank the coffee she always brought.