As they passed through the mountains into the wide sweep of the desert, he saw the wind picking up, swirling little spirals of sand, twisting them up into the sky. Kareef felt the same way every time he looked at her. Tangled up in her.
He felt her dark head nestle on his shoulder. Looking down at her in surprise, he saw her eyes were closed. She was sleeping against him. His gaze roamed her face.
God, he wanted to kiss her.
More than kiss. He wanted to strip her naked and feast on every inch of her supple flesh. He wanted to explore the mountains of her breasts and the valley between. The low, flat plain of her belly and the hot citadel between her thighs. He wanted to devour her like a conqueror seizing an ancient land for his own use, beneath his hands, beneath his control.
But the old days were over.
He was King of Qusay, yet unable to have the one thing he most desired. No strength could take her. No brutality could force her. He couldnât act on his desire. Not at the expense of her happiness.
Many years ago there were two Mediterranean islands, ruled as one kingdomâAdamas. But bitter family feuds ripped Adamas apart and the islands went their separate ways. The Greek Karedes family reigned supreme over glamorous Aristo, and the smouldering AlâFarisi sheikhs commanded the desert lands of Calista!
When the Aristan king died, an illegitimate daughter was discoveredâStefania, the rightful heir to the throne! Ruthlessly, the Calistan Sheikh King Zakari seduced her into marriage, to claim absolute power, but was over-awed by her purityâand succumbed to love. Now they rule both Aristo and Calista together, in the spirit of hope and prosperity.
But a black mark hangs over the Calistan royal family still. As young boys, three of King Zakariâs brothers were kidnapped for ransom by pirates. Two returned safely, but the youngest was swept out to sea and never foundâpresumed dead. Then, at Stefaniaâs coronation, a stranger appeared in their midstâthe ruler of a nearby kingdom, Qusay. A stranger with scars on his wrists from piratesâ ropes. A stranger who knows nothing of his pastâonly his future as a king!
What will happen when Xavian, King of Qusay, discovers that heâs living the wrong life?
And who will claim the Qusay throne if the truth is unveiled?
Find out more in the exciting, brand-new Modern Romance⢠mini-series
DARK-HEARTED DESERT MEN
A kingdom torn apart by scandal; a throne left empty; four smouldering desert princesâ¦Which one will claim the crownâand who will they claim as their brides?
Book 1. WEDLOCKED: BANISHED SHEIKH, UNTOUCHED QUEEN
by Carol Marinelli
Book 2. TAMED: THE BARBARIAN KING
by Jennie Lucas
Book 3. FORBIDDEN: THE SHEIKHâS VIRGIN
by Trish Morey
Book 4. SCANDAL: HIS MAJESTYâS LOVE-CHILD
by Annie West
Tamed: The Barbarian King
by
Jennie Lucas grew up dreaming about faraway lands. At fifteen, hungry for experience beyond the borders of her small Idaho city, she went to a Connecticut boarding school on scholarship. She took her first solo trip to Europe at sixteen, then put off college and travelled around the US, supporting herself with jobs as diverse as gas station cashier and newspaper advertising assistant.
At twenty-two she met the man who would be her husband. After their marriage, she graduated from Kent State with a degree in English. Seven years after she started writing, she got the magical call from London that turned her into a published author.
Since then life has been hectic, with a new writing career, a sexy husband and two babies under two, but sheâs having a wonderful (albeit sleepless) time. She loves immersing herself in dramatic, glamorous, passionate stories. Maybe she canât physically travel to Morocco or Spain right now, but for a few hours a day, while her children are sleeping, she can be there in her books.
Jennie loves to hear from her readers. You can visit her website at www.jennielucas.com, or drop her a note at [email protected]
To my fellow authors of the Dark-Hearted Desert Men series: Carol Marinelli, Trish Morey and Annie West. You girls rock!
Plus an extra heap of thanks to Trish Morey, whoâs the one who got me into all this trouble in the first place.
MARRYING a man she didnât love was surprisingly easy, Jasmine Kouri thought as she handed her empty champagne flute to a passing waiter. Why had she wasted so much time struggling to be alone? She should have done this a year ago.
Her engagement party was in full force. All of Qusayâs high societyâeveryone whoâd once scorned herâwas now milling beneath the white pavilion on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea, sipping Cristal in solid gold flutes as they toasted her engagement to the second richest man in Qusay.
Her fiancé had spared no expense. Jasmineâs fifteencarat diamond ring scattered prisms and rainbows of refracted sunlight every time she moved her left hand. It was also very heavy, and the pale green chiffon dress heâd chosen for her in Paris felt hot as her skirts swirled in the desert wind. Across the wide grassy vista, the turrets of his sprawling Italianate mansion flew red flags emblazoned with his personal crest.