It was her own fault; she had brooded dismally on the morning of her wedding. She had lied to him, and he thought that she and Farhan had shared a "normal" marriage. Amazingly, he had not realized the level of her inexperience even when he kissed her. She must be a quick learner, she reasoned. Either that or she was as morally deficient as her mother, because when she was in Ahsan’s arms, nothing seemed more important than assuaging the burning need for sexual fulfillment that he aroused in her.To her relief, the wedding was a simple, low-key event compared to the extravagant banquets, during which she had been conscious of the curious stares of the hundreds of guests who had been keen to see Prince Ahsan’s future bride. The ceremony took place in one of the palace state rooms—a breathtakingly opulent room with a pink marble-tiled floor, walls inlaid with gold, and magnificent crystal chandeliers suspended from the ceiling, glistening like diamond tears.Kate’s heart was beating unna

Kate’s cry of protest was lost beneath the fierce pressure of Ahsan’s kiss. His tongue forced access into the moist warmth of her mouth, parting her lips with barely controlled savagery and exploring her with such skilled eroticism that she was powerless to fight him or the tumultuous emotions he aroused in her. He was her prince, the man of her dreams, powerful and formidable, a man who would sweep away the barriers she had built around herself and discover the intensely sensual part of her that she had tried so hard to suppress.She wondered vaguely why he had sounded so harsh when he had mentioned Farhan. She might almost believe he resented the fact that she had been married to his brother. But she must surely have imagined the note of raw jealousy in his voice."This was inevitable from the moment we first saw each other at Ingledean House," he grumbled when he finally broke the kiss and stared down at her swollen mouth, his dark eyes gleaming with a determination that made Kate

He broke off and gave a grim laugh. "Did you honestly think I wouldn’t notice the indisputable proof of your innocence?" It’s possible I hurt you.’ His conscience burned when he recalled how he had taken her, with a distinct lack of finesse. "But you only have yourself to blame if I did," he growled, guilt adding to his inexplicable fury that he had somehow ruined a moment that should have been special for both of them. "Perhaps you concluded that all you were gaining financially was worth a few moments of discomfort?" he added scathingly.‘No. "You've got it all wrong," Kate cried frantically, pushing her tangled curls out of her eyes as she jerked upright, and then blushing scarlet when his eyes settled on her bare breasts. To her horror, her nipples immediately hardened into provocative peaks, and smothering a groan of mortification, she dragged the silk bedcover around her before she lifted her head to him.Only moments ago, Ahsan had taken her to heaven. Now he was looking at her

Kate’s eyes widened even further. "For what last night?" for making love to me?He could feel her surprise—as if an apology was the last thing she had expected—and his jaw clenched. "I was rough with you," he grumbled. Apologies were not easy, but this one had to be made. "I have spent the past week anticipating our wedding night, and my impatience made me careless." By the time I discovered it was your first time, it was too late to restrain my hunger for you. If you had told me— He broke off, clearly struggling to contain his impatience. "If I had known, I would have acted differently—been gentler," he expounded at her confused frown."If you had known I was a virgin, you wouldn’t have made love to me at all," Kate murmured. "You would have had our marriage annulled and asked the courts to award you custody of Hazem, wouldn't you?" she added uncertainly.Ahsan’s gaze meshed with hers, and the tension between them changed subtly as awareness wove its sensual spell. "Hazem was not the

She could hear the whisper of a breeze stirring the leaves of the palm trees and the song of some exotic bird, but the silence from Ahsan stretched her nerves, and she wondered for one terrible moment if she had got it wrong—if he had been turned off by her inexperience or had grown tired of her already. His slow, sensual smile reassured her, and the molten heat that gleamed from beneath his heavy lids promised heaven."Come and swim with me, then, Kate," he invited, and before she realized his intention, he’d caught hold of her hand and pulled her into the pool, his mouth capturing her startled cry as they sank beneath the surface.The water was cool on her heated skin, but Ahsan’s body was warm when he crushed her against his chest and tangled his legs with hers, holding her so tightly to him that their bodies seemed to be melded together. Kate was out of her depth and clung to his shoulders. She had closed her eyes when he’d pulled her under, and, deprived of vision, her other sens