Desert Orchid: The Desert Princes: Book 1 by CC MacKenzie Read Free Book Online Page B

and stroked her hair.
    And that darkly possessive look in his eyes made her tremble. "Don’t kid yourself, baby. To see you every day and not be able to touch you must have been its own kind of hell."
    She frowned.
    And knew that this was the perfect opportunity to tell him the truth.
    But when his eyes found hers Charisse found the words trapped in her throat as he took her in his arms and inhaled the scent of her hair. When his hand gently stroked the length of her from shoulder to hip and back again she found herself almost overwhelmed by the need to sink further into his strong embrace.
    And that need made her pull back.
    She stared up into that dark and brooding face and wondered what he was thinking.
    "Have you settled into your rooms? The redecorating of the main apartments will take a few weeks."
    Those grey eyes narrowed in a way that told her she'd annoyed him.
    But why had her question annoyed him?
    Taking her hand, he stood and pulled her to her feet.
    "Actually, my rooms were not at all suitable. Let me show you where I live."
     
    The dogs rose to accompany them, but Khalid simply sent them a glare.
    Confused, they looked to Charisse to give them direction.
    "Stay," she ordered, and felt her heart break at their woeful expressions.
    The animals had no idea what was happening, and if the truth be told neither did she.
    Hand in hand he led her out of her apartments.
    They walked down the stairs to find Arabella studiously ignoring one of the ugliest men Charisse had ever seen in her life. His eyes, small and black, flicked to how Khalid held her hand.
    "We don’t require you in our private apartments. You may both leave," Khalid commanded in a tone that told Charisse he was a man who gave an order and expected it to be obeyed without question.
    Arabella’s eyes met hers and Charisse gave her an infinitesimal nod. The firm squeeze of her fingers told her that the nod had not gone unnoticed by Khalid.
    He pulled her through large double doors.
    She could smell fresh paint and turpentine.
    Her gasp of alarm as the doors banged behind them made him smile as he backed her up against the wall.
    He brought her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss to each finger sending fiery bolts of arousal through her system. Those grey eyes watched her with an intensity that dried her throat. They scanned her hair, her face, and settled hungrily on her mouth before rising to meet her eyes.
    "When I give an order, I don’t expect your protection officer to look to you. If it happens again, she’ll be on the next flight out of the country. Do I make myself clear?"  
    Again, she wondered what on earth she was doing to even think of marrying him. He was nothing like the man she'd imagined. He was harder, tougher, more uncompromising than she’d anticipated. From what she’d read in the press she’d expected the playboy prince to be so laid back he was horizontal. But this man appeared to have no soft edges and absolutely no empathy for her recent loss.
    Irritation with him for treating her life a serf stiffened her spine.
    Her chin lifted.
    "Crystal."
    He smiled, and it wasn’t nice.
    His fingers stroked her cheek, her chin.
    Those eyes lasered into hers.
    "Brave little thing, aren’t you?" he said softly. The words held an implicit threat. But before she could wonder at their meaning, he spun to turn into the room. "Do you like what I’ve done to the place?"
    She wasn’t sure what he referred to since the room was an empty space except for the most enormous four poster bed she’d ever seen in her life sitting slap bang in the middle of the room. The deep mattress was covered in white cotton sheets. A pile of fat, white pillows sat at one end.
    The walls and ceiling had been lime washed white, which made the space feel bigger, lighter. Vast doorways were open to the elements and the wind sang its unique song through the palace rooms, stirring large ceiling fans made of hardwood. He’d turned the entire space into an