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He was co up closer to the ht up with the king of Jazratan as they rounded the bend but now both horses were going at a breakneck pace Please just let him be safe, prayed Erin as waves of emotion too complex to comprehend twisted her heart and stomach into knots

The two lance over at the Russian as he tightened his own reins She could see the strain and exhilaration on both their faces as they urged theirline trying to position the down in an atte to be a photo finish

But as they approached the line the Sheikh’s horse reared up as if so had spooked it and to Erin’s horror she saw Saladin slipping down the side of the horse, as if in slow motion

For one heart-stoppingwas about to disappear under the pounding hooves to certain death when Dihtened animal Collision seemed inevitable and Erin froze as the Russian reached out, so the other reins and reeak She felt the rush of relief, which was quickly replaced by one of anxiety as she saw the look of pain which briefly distorted Dimitri’s features as he held on to the Sheikh as if his life depended on it

And then groo out from the yard towards the two men and all hell broke loose

CHAPTER SEVEN

‘I’VE NEVER SEEN anything so reckless Or sosostupid,’ said Erin, her voice treoblet to Dimitri’s parched lips ‘Here Drink this’

From his prone position on the velvet divan, Dimitri winced ‘What’s in it?’

‘Nothing stronger than water And it’s good for you Which I suppose means you don’t want it’

He winced a little as he shifted his position on the divan ‘Are you angry with me, Erin?’

‘Too right I a like fireworks inside her and she gritted her teeth as she registered the ashen colour of his face ‘You could have died out there!’

‘But I didn’t’

‘That’s not the point,’ she said stubbornly

They were back in the palace after an incident which had clearly rocked all the spectators and left everyone in the palace reeling as they considered how much worse it could have been, if Di beneath the hooves of the galloping horse But the Sheikh had eed from the incident unscathed and it was Dimitri as hurt Dimitri who had winced with pain after the doctor had examined him and ordered a full-body X-ray With Erin at his side he had been taken to the nearby hospital and given the all-clear, but the bruising was bad and he’d been told to take it easy