Date with a Surgeon Prince(17)

The chuckle became a laugh and looking at him, with the tension she’d seen earlier washed from his face, she was once again tugged into the extraordinary sensual power of this man.

‘The harem is simply a group name for the women of the family—women and children, in fact. My mother is part of it, my father’s other wives, aunts and cousins and even more distant relations, also friends of all the women. Some come and go but the core of them moves together.

‘Right now they are all at the old palace where one of my nieces is preparing her wedding chest. Years ago it would have meant a trip to London and Paris and taking over hotels, having stores like Harrods opening at night especially for them, but now they’ve discovered the internet, shopping has taken on a whole new dimension.’

There was more than a touch of cynicism in his voice so it took a moment for Marni to absorb what he’d said—taking over an entire store?—and then she wondered about the wedding chest. Should she ask? No, another diversion would take her further from where she needed to be.

‘Okay,’ she began then found she didn’t know how to continue. She gazed out at the desert sands but there was no help to be had there. What had he been saying before she was thrown off track?

Shopping, suitable clothes, protocol—

‘Okay?’ Gaz prompted gently, and she turned to face him once again, his gentle smile causing so much confusion she stuttered into speech.

‘B-b-but if it’s just pretend—just for your sisters—do I have to do all that formal stuff? The “by your side” stuff? I’ve got my job, you know—well, of course you do—so surely…’

The words fell off her lips as something in his eyes—intensity, or was it intent?—caused such severe palpitations in her chest she couldn’t breathe.

It had been intent she’d read. She realised that the moment his lips, once again, closed on hers.

Her mind shut down completely.

Was it a minute or an hour later that he released her? She had no idea, only knew she felt so weak and shaken she had to lean against him, her breath coming in little gasps, her brain slowly returning to work, though not offering much by way of explanation as to why this man, of all the men she’d met in her life, should have such a disastrous effect on her.

Nothing to do with the fact he’s the most gorgeous guy in the known universe, the voice in her head suggested.

There was that, of course, but why her?

He eased away, smiling at her, a teasing smile, as if he knew exactly how much damage his kisses did to her.

‘I don’t think we have to pretend about the attraction between us,’ he murmured, and the shiver that ran down Marni’s spine told her just how dangerous this situation was.

‘But that’s different. It’s the betrothal thing—that’s the pretence.’

She was babbling again!

‘So you’re not denying the attraction?’

The words may have been innocent but she heard the challenge behind them and glared at him.

Pulling herself together with a mammoth effort, she tried again.

‘I’m not talking about the attraction, Gaz,’ she began, then hoped she wasn’t breaking some unknown protocol by continuing to call him that. ‘I know I started this nonsense about the betrothal by showing you the picture and, yes, when you said it would help you out, I kind of went along with it. But appearing in public, wearing clothes, meeting people, deceiving them really, well, I don’t think that’s quite me.’

‘You’d rather meet people naked?’

It was the glint in his eyes as much as the words that made her want to belt him one. Except she probably would be thrown into a dungeon if she hit the ruling prince.

Would that be such a bad idea? A nice cool jail cell with no diversions?

‘You know what I mean,’ she retorted. ‘It’s not so much the fuss and public stuff, though that’s mind-boggling enough, but the—the deception. I mean, your family, your mother, people who care about you, what are they going to think when the pretence ends and I go back home?’

He smiled and took her hand, rubbing his thumb across the backs of her fingers, sending tingling messages along her nerves and searing heat through her body.

‘Don’t worry about that for an instant—they’ll all blame me. I’ve been a lost cause to the family ever since I insisted on studying medicine instead of business or commerce. It’s one of the reasons I thought I was safe from the ruler’s job, but as it turned out, there are so many people in our parliament and public service with all the right degrees, the fact that I don’t have a huge amount of knowledge about international business isn’t a disadvantage.’