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He had always known she had plump breasts, far bigger than most women, but it was only now that the sheikh allowed himself to think of how it would feel, cupping those sweet, succulent breasts—-

His blood heated, and if he had any lingering doubts about their sexual compatibility, they were all obliterated by his body’s swift reaction.

He wanted her, Khalil realized with surprise. Every time she flew over forUsbue Min Al-Abtal, his cousins would often take sly note of his interest in her, even back when he had been unofficially engaged to Sapphire March. But he had always dismissed their words as mere ribbing, and he had never allowed himself to think of Harper as something more than aqalifa.

But that would change now.

His gaze narrowed on her, this woman whom his body craved. This woman, who was still glaring at him like he was a murderer—-

Khalil raised a brow, drawling, “May I ask why are you looking at me so?”

Because if I don’t glare at you, I might stare at you with ridiculous longing,Harper thought, and she would rather kill herself than let that happen. But to answer the sheikh, she simply shrugged, knowing it was better to answer with silence than be caught lying.

“You always seem to be angry with me,” the sheikh mused.

She couldn’t help gaping. “And that’s seriously puzzling to you?”

“It is.”

“You just had me escorted out of the luncheon to take me into custody!”

The sheikh dismissed this with a wave of his hand, saying, “I sent the guards back to let the guests know it was a prank.”

“That’s not the point!”

The sheikh feigned astonishment. “It’s not?”

“You’ve been bullying me for years,” she growled, “and you don’t think that I should be angry about it?”

“Have I?” The sheikh’s tone was mild, but there was that gleam in his eyes, and it was so much more irritating than usual, making her teeth gnash hard.

“Last year I told you very specifically not to add my name to the VIP table, and what did you do?Seat me right next to you!”

Her shrill voice should have irritated him, but instead it only made Khalil deeply amused. “Being seated next to the king is usually considered an honor,” he drawled.

“It is when you want to be seated,” she growled, “which I didn’t.”

“You are unusually attached to the past,qalifa. It is quite unhealthy—-”

“Unhealthy, my ass! You don’t know how awful my life gets every time you draw attention to me. You just don’t. And you do it every year.Every year!”

She was back to screaming at him again, Khalil thought. The soldiers stationed outside his study must be privately aghast and confused, wondering why he was letting a commoner – and a foreign one at that – treat him so, but on the contrary, the sheikh was more than pleased. He had no desire to have a lapdog for a queen. He wanted a woman, a real woman –

And Harper was exactly that.

In front of him, his ferocioussaghirawas still busy listing his supposedly numerous sins, her beautiful chest heaving all the while. He stared at it with open admiration, with the rapid rise and fall of her breasts making him imagine how it would feel to see them naked and bouncing.

His phallus hardened at the thought, and for a moment the sheikh was disturbed. He could not remember desiring a woman this much – but was that truly a good thing? Would it do to have a consort that captivated him so?

Harper’s voice abruptly died down when she suddenly noticed where the sheikh was looking – and it wasnotsomething he should be staring at.Damn sheikh.“Stop that,” she muttered. But still his gaze remained on her breasts, and she struggled but failed to keep her body from reacting.What the hell was wrong with him?He had never spoken to her with any kind of sexual innuendo, but that happened. And he had never, ever looked at her with lust before—-

But no matter how hard she thought, there seemed no word more suitable in describing the glitter in his eyes.

And he was still staring.

Heat suffused her cheeks as she could feel her breasts swell, and when he continued to gaze at her, her nipples started to harden—-

Harper jumped to her feet, appalled and ashamed.