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Another tiently to see how carefully Hakeem pronounced the unfamiliar word But how could she sedy?

‘It is unusual to hear of a Dhurahni princethat she was expected to make some comment on her story

‘Not so here Here it is tradition,’ Hakeem corrected her firmly

Before Sadie could question her any further, she indicated a pair of heavily carved dark, polished doors in front of the for you outside the doors to the wohness, sheikha’ She then salaaracefully and backed away from Sadie

‘Hakeean, about to question theher But it was too late The double doors were opening and Ah to her

He led her not back to the rooht, but down a corridor and then through a large rooilded and its low sofas piled high with richly jewelled silk cushions

At one end there was a raised dais with two throne-like chairs on it, and Sadie guessed that the room must be the audience chamber where the brothers held their formal divan—the event at which any subject could present his petition to his rulers and be heard

However, they still had to negotiate another long corridor before finally Ahmed led her across a square hallway so plain in its architectural design and furnishings that the contrast between it and the roolass of cold pure water after the stickiness of spiced wine

The floor of the hallas tiled with allery, its banister carved out of some ebony-coloured wood, the symmetry of its curves so perfect and plain that it made Sadie catch her breath

After knocking briefly on the closed double doors, and then opening theh, Ahain and then backed away

A little hesitantly, Sadie walked through the doors The roo as the hallway, and three ti area and an office, its furniturestreamlined and stylish

A huge plate glasslooked out onto a courtyard, enclosed on three sides by thepool at the far end

Awed, she stared at the pool—and then realised it was occupied Her heart thumped heavily into her ribs as she watched Drax place his hands on the ay, his flesh hard and tanned, the water running off his shoulders and chest, and spring lithely out of the water, co his back towards her as he reached for the robe on a recliner Her heart was racing so frantically she had to breathe faster to keep up with it Had he been naked? Or had she just thought that he was? Had that brief glimpse of male nudity before he turned his back on her been the product of her i that he ed her He was one of the ruling Princes of a rich Arab kingdoant that he probably did exactly what he felt like when he felt like it Who was there to stop or question him after all?

He had disappeared out of sight, but her heartbeat still hadn’t returned to normal

‘You were ad the view?’