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Chapter 33 Her Feelings
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DUBAI THE CITY OF DREAMS Chapter 34 The Art Of War
She looked up, her gaze unfocused as she recalled the way Abdullah had held her; the soft words he had spoken; the way he’d stroked her hair; the thud of his heart against her cheek.She felt deep in her bones that he’d been sincere, and the realization both terrified and thrilled her. She didn’t have real relationships. She didn’t know how. She’d been shy as a child, her parents’ distant figures, her only company a nanny, and then a governess. Even if she’d wanted, yearned, for such things, she hadn’t known how to go about getting them—and then Paulo had broken her trust and destroyed her faith in other people and, even worse, her faith in herself and her judgment.Was she misjudging Abdullah now? Was it simply her pathetic inexperience with men and life that made her crave more of that moment, more tenderness, more contact?Nothing about their relationship, if she could even use that word, was real.Yet it felt real. She felt as if Abdullah understood and even liked her for who she
DUBAI THE CITY OF DREAMS Chapter 35 Ali Ahmed Ibrahim's Half-Brother?
Abdullah glanced away from Queen Amira, his gaze distant, unfocused. He’d said before he’d tell her his side of the story when she was ready to listen, and here she was—ready.The trouble was, he wasn’t.‘Abdullah,’ Amira said softly. His name sounded right on her lips in a way that made everything in Abdullah both want and rebel.What was he doing? How had he got to this place, with this woman? It had started, perhaps, from the first moment he’d laid eyes on her. When, in what could be considered courage or folly or both, she’d attempted to escape. When he’d seen both fear and pride in her eyes and known exactly how she’d felt.When he’d held her in his arms she’d curled into him, seeking the solace that he’d freely, gladly, given.And now she wanted more. Now she wanted the truth, which he’d told her he would tell her, except now that she’d asked he felt wary, reluctant, afraid. What if she didn’t believe him? What if she did?Finally, Abdullah spoke. ‘My mother,’ he said slowly, ‘w
DUBAI THE CITY OF DREAMS Chapter 36 A Bond Between Them
Abdullah’s gaze had blazed anger but Amira saw something beneath the fury: grief. A grief she understood and felt herself. And, even though she didn’t want to, she felt a sympathy for Abdullah, a compassion and even an anger on his behalf. He’d been terribly wronged, just as Leila had said.She thought of him as a boy, being banished from his family and home. She imagined his confusion and fear, the utter heartbreak of losing everything he’d known and held dear.Just as she had.She’d been a bit older, but her family had been wrenched from her in a matter of moments, just as Abdullah’s had. She was fighting to keep her rightful title, just as Abdullah was.With a jolt she realized what this meant: she believed him. She believed he was the rightful heir. For a second everything in her rebelled. You believed before. You trusted before. And this man has kidnapped you—how can you be so stupid?Yet she’d heard the sincerity in Abdullah’s voice. She’d felt his pain. She knew him in a way sh
DUBAI THE CITY OF DREAMS Chapter 37 Change Of Heart
Her lips parted instinctively and her gaze rested on his mouth, making her realize yet again how sculpted and perfect his lips were. She wondered how they would feel. How they would taste. She’d never actually been kissed before, which suddenly seemed ridiculous at the age of twenty-three. But a convent-school education and becoming Queen at just nineteen had kept her from ever pursuing a romantic relationship. First, there hadn’t been any opportunity, and then she’d been so focused on protecting her crown and serving her country that there hadn’t been any time. Besides, suitable partners for a reigning queen were not exactly plentiful.Queen Amira knew she shouldn’t be thinking of kissing Abdullah now. With effort, she dragged her gaze up toward his eyes and saw they were molten gold. His fingers tightened on her cheek, his thumb grazing her jawbone, drawing her inexorably forward. And Amira went, her heart starting to hammer as she braced herself for that wonderful onslaught.Then A
DUBAI THE CITY OF DREAMS Chapter 38 Knowing Their Pasts
Amira felt the kind of thrill of exhilaration she hadn’t experienced since she’d been a child riding in Muscat as she followed Abdullah. It felt wonderful to be on a horse again, the desert flashing by in a blur of rocks and sand. She had had no time for such pursuits since she’d been queen. She hadn’t ridden like this in years.The only sound was her horse’s hooves galloping across the sand. She spurred the beast on, eager to catch up with Abdullah —or even pass him. Although he hadn’t said, she knew it had become a race.Glancing behind him, Abdullah pointed to a towering, needle-like boulder in the distance that Amira knew must be the finish line. She nodded back and crouched low over the horse as the wind whistled past. She was only a length behind him, and in the last dash to the finish line she made up half a length, but Abdullah’s horse still crossed a beat before hers.Laughing, she reined the animal in and patted his sweat-soaked neck. ‘That was close.’‘Very close,’ Abdullah
DUBAI THE CITY OF DREAMS Chapter 39 My Father Disown Me
‘That’s not an answer either, but yes, I have.’ He spoke evenly, but she still felt the ocean of pain underneath. ‘My father hurt me when he chose to disown and banish me.’‘Oh, Abdullah.’ She bit her lip, remorse rushing through her. ‘I’m sorry. That was a thoughtless question for me to ask.’‘Not at all. But I want you to answer my question. What were you talking about when you said friendship wasn’t worth the risk?’‘I had a friend once,’ Amira said slowly. ‘And he let me down rather badly. He—betrayed me.’ She shook her head. ‘That sounds melodramatic, but that’s what happened.’‘He,’ Abdullah said neutrally, and with a dart of surprise she wondered if he was actually jealous.‘Yes, he. But it wasn’t romantic, not remotely.’ She sighed. ‘It was stupid, really. I was stupid to trust him.’‘So this man is why you don’t trust people?’‘I’ve learned my lesson. But I trust you, Abdullah.’She heard his breath come out in a rush. ‘Maybe you shouldn’t.’‘Why do you say that?’‘Do I need
DUBAI THE CITY OF DREAMS Chapter 40 Laid Bare His Own Secrets.
Yet she said nothing, because it felt like it counted. It felt like the only thing that counted. Abdullah had given her something, or maybe he’d just showed her she already had it: a capacity to share, to trust, to love.She looked up at him, searching his face, wanting to know what he was feeling, if he felt the same pull of attraction and empathy that she did. But then she met his gaze and saw the fire burning there and her breath caught in her chest as desire, raw, fierce and overwhelming, crashed over her.His face was so close to hers she could feel his breath fanning against her cheek, see the dark glint of stubble on his chin. His lips were no more than a whisper away from hers and, as she stared up at him and heard his breath hitch, she knew without a doubt she wanted to close that small distance between their mouths.She wanted him to kiss her.His head dipped and her heart seemed to stop and then soar. His lips were so close now that if she moved at all they would be touchi
DUBAI THE CITY OF DREAMS Chapter 41 Pretend To Be Your Wife?
Several clucking women surrounded Amira and she was carried along with them to a tent, bemused by their interest, and more than a little hurt by the stony look she’d seen on Abdullah’s face as he’d turned away.So he regretted their kiss last night. Clearly, and she should regret it too; of course, she should. Kissing Abdullah was a terrible idea. Caring about him was even worse. The trouble was, she couldn’t regret it. She ached with longing for another kiss—and more. For him. She’d come to this desert tribe because she’d wanted to because she wanted to see the people who cared about Abdullah.As she cared about him. More, it seemed, than he wanted her to.Once in the tent, the women fluttered around her like colorful, chattering birds, touching her hair, her cheek, and the clothes she wore that were now grimed with dust and dirt. Amira didn’t understand anything they said, and it appeared none of them spoke either English or Greek, the two languages in which she was fluent. They all
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