Jalal had no idea what it was.
Maybe it was the stiffness that took over her body, or the pulse going haywire in her throat, or the fear of discovery in her eyes.
Or it was all of that and a thousand other instantaneous, involuntary signs that coalesced and painted a picture worth a thousand confessions.
It all added up to one thing. One thing that lodged in his mind with the force of an ax. Something devastating.
The truth.
Lujaynâs child was his.
Dear Reader,
Jalal Aal Shalaan, the hero of The Sheikhâs Claim, was an enigma to me as I started writing his story. Heâs already appeared in most of his brothersâ stories, but heâs been the one who wouldnât show me more than what he showed the worldâthe devil-may-care façade of a prince with the world at his feet. Then, in The Sheikhâs Redemption, his twin Haidarâs book, we finally got hints that not all was as it seemed with this knight of the desert. He was the âwolfâ to Haidarâs âlion,â and their radical differences had torn them apart. By the end of that book, it seemed their lifelong rivalry and conflict were resolved, and they were finding their way back to their childhood closeness.
But the twins are still competing for the throne of Azmahar. And Jalal wants it with a burning passion. He believes he has nothing else to look forward to. His siblings and father have found their soul mates and are happy with their families, and he feels left out, aimless and alone. He believes heâll always be that way, for the only woman he could ever want is lost to him.
Is it any wonder, when she reappears in Azmahar, that his pursuit of Lujayn is relentless, even when her rejection is as single-minded? And that was before he discovers a secret that will make it even more unquestionable that he will claim her as his own, for life.
I loved writing Jalal and Lujaynâs story as they came from totally opposite life situationsâa prince and a pauper in love-story formatâand not only met halfway but became one. I hope you enjoy reading their story as much as I enjoyed writing it!
I love to hear from readers, so please email me at [email protected] and connect with me on Facebook at my fan page Olivia Gates Author, on Goodreads and on Twitter@OliviaGates.
Thanks for reading!
Olivia
OLIVIA GATES has always pursued creative passions such as singing and handicrafts. She still does, but only one of her passions grew gratifying enough, consuming enough, to become an ongoing careerâwriting.
She is most fulfilled when she is creating worlds and conflicts for her characters, then exploring and untangling them bit by bit, sharing her protagonistsâ every heart-wrenching heartache and hope, their every heart-pounding doubt and trial, until she leads them to an indisputably earned and gloriously satisfying happy ending.
When sheâs not writing, she is a doctor, a wife to her own alpha male and a mother to one brilliant girl and one demanding Angora cat. Visit Olivia at www.oliviagates.com.
To my endlessly patient and supportive husband.
Thank you for being there for me always. Love you, always.
Twenty-seven months ago
âSo you managed to get away with murder this time.â
Jalal Aal Shalaan frowned at the words heâd spoken aloud.
He was standing at the door of an opulent sitting room in one of the most breathtaking manors in the Hamptons, where heâd been received for years as an esteemed guest. Heâd thought heâd never set foot in here again because of the woman who stood with her back to him. The woman who was now lady of the manor.
Lujayn Morgan. His ex-lover.
Sheâd been picking up letters from an antique marble table when his words had hit her. After a start, sheâd frozen midmotion.
His own body was tense all over, too. His fists and jaw were clenched, his every muscle bunched, buzzing.
Bâhaggejâ jaheemâby hell, why had he said that?
He hadnât intended to show her any hostility. Or any emotions at allâheâd thought heâd had none left. Heâd come here for one reason. To see her without the lust that had blinded him for the four-year duration of their affair. He was here for closure, something sheâd robbed him of when sheâd stormed out of his life, giving him no chance to defend himself, to negotiate, leaving him wrestling with shock then rage and groping for explanations.
But heâd thought the resolution he was seeking was strictly intellectual. Heâd thought heâd properly recovered during the two years since sheâd walked out on him, working through his feelings until nothing remained but cold curiosity and mental aversion.
So heâd been deluding himself. What heâd felt for her, though it had reversed in nature, had remained as fierce.
Heâd always presented the world with a devil-may-care facade. It was partly his nature and partly defensive. Having Sondoss, the notorious queen of Zohayd for a mother, and Haidar, the enigma whoâd tormented him since childhood for a twin, made defenses necessary. They were the only ones who had ever managed to crack his control. Then had come Lujayn.