From secretary...to the sheikhâs wife!
Sheikh Ibrahim al-Ansari knows a reconciliation with his estranged father means accepting his fatherâs choice of bride...unless he gets there first! Luckily he has the perfect princess in mindâhis new assistant Ruby Dance.
After her last cheating boyfriend, Ruby is avoiding all commitments, but this promotion could help her family, so she agrees to a temporary marriage. She should be craving her next assistant role, not the devastating beauty of the desert and the man who rules it all...
Romantic Getaways
Escape to Paradise!
This Valentineâs Day escape to four of the worldâs most romantic destinations with these sparkling books from Mills & Boon Romance!
From the awe-inspiring desert to vibrant Barcelona, and from the stunning coral reefs of Australia to heart-stoppingly romantic Veniceâget swept away by these wonderful romances!
The Sheikhâs Convenient Princess
by Liz Fielding
The Unforgettable Spanish Tycoon
by Christy McKellen
The Billionaire of Coral Bay
by Nikki Logan
Her First-Date Honeymoon
by Katrina Cudmore
CHAPTER ONE
âBRAM...â
Bram Ansari had answered the phone without looking up from a document that had just arrived by courier. âHamad...I was about to call you.â
âThen youâve received the summons to Fatherâs birthday majlis.â
âIt arrived ten minutes ago. I imagine I have you to thank for that.â
âNo. Itâs his wish. Heâs sick, Bram. Itâs a significant birthday. You need to be home.â
His brother did not sound particularly happy at the prospect.
âI doubt everyone thinks that.â
âItâs covered. The old man has negotiated a secret deal with the Khadri family.â
âA deal?â Bram frowned. âWhat kind of deal?â The last time heâd seen Ahmed Khadri the man had threatened to cut his throat if he ever stepped foot in Umm al Basr. âTell me.â
As his brother explained the secret deal his father had negotiated to enable Bram to return home the colour leached out of the day until the sky, the sea, the flowers overflowing the tower turned grey.
âNo...â
âIâm sorry, Bram, but at least youâre prepared. If Bibi hadnât managed to smuggle a note to her sister you would have been presented with a fait accompli.â
âYou think I can go through with this?â
âItâs the price that must be paid.â
âBut I wonât be the one paying it!â He took a breath. âHow is your family?â he asked, cutting Hamad short when he would have argued. âThe new baby?â
âIn shâAllah, all my precious girls are thriving. Safia sends her fondest wishes and thanks for the gifts.â He hesitated. âShe said to say that you are always in her prayers.â
Bram ended the call then swept the invitation from the table in impotent fury. The longed-for chance to kneel at his fatherâs feet and beg his forgiveness had come attached to a tangle of string that would take more than prayers to unravel. It would need a miracle.
The phone beeped, warning him that he had a missed call. He glanced at the screen and ignored it. His aide was spending a long weekend with friends in the Alps and the last thing he needed right now was a joyous description of the snow conditions.
* * *
Qaâlat al Minaâa, perched high on its rocky promontory, shimmered like a mirage in the soft pink haze of the setting sun.
Far below, beyond a perfect curve of white sand, a dhow was drifting slowly along the coast under a dark red sail and for a brief moment Ruby felt as if she might have been transported back into some Arabian Nights fantasy, flying in on a magic carpet rather than a gleaming black helicopter.
The illusion was swiftly shattered as they circled to land.
The fortress might appear, at first glance, to be a picturesque ruin, a reminder of a bygone age, but behind the mass of purple bougainvillaea billowing against its walls was a satellite dish, antennaeâall the trappings of the communications age, powered by an impressive range of solar panels facing south where the jebel fell away to the desert.
And the tower did not stand alone. Below it she glimpsed courtyards, arches, gardens surrounding an extensive complex that spread down to the shore where a very twenty-first century gunmetal-grey military-style launch was sheltered in a harbour hewn from the rock. And they were descending to a purpose-built helipad. This was not some romantically crumbling stronghold out of a fantasy; the exterior might be battered by weather and time but it contained the headquarters of a very modern man.