The Sheikh's Pregnancy Proposal Read online

  Although Gabe couldn’t quite relax until Sarah arrived. It was an insecurity that shouldn’t have existed after the days and nights they’d spent together, but he couldn’t quite forget the stark moment when he’d found out she’d left him just weeks ago.

  Xavier checked his watch and frowned. “She’s late.”

  “Tradition.” Gabe’s gaze was drawn to the priest, robed in white, as he also checked his watch. “Probably caught up in traffic.”

  The noise level outside increased. An usher at the front doors gave Gabe a nod. He let out a breath and relaxed. She was here.

  * * *

  Sarah stepped into the church, a little frazzled after the frustration of sitting in the back of a limousine that seemed to spend large amounts of time stuck in heavy traffic or at a standstill because of the crush of pedestrians. All wanting to get to her wedding.

  A liltingly beautiful wedding march started, and the hum of conversation died. Gabe turned, looking tall and handsome in a gray morning suit and wearing the traditional kaffiyeh and agal. His gaze connected with hers through the drift of her veil. The quiet joy that he was hers seemed to swell inside her, forming an ache at the back of her throat.

  Gripping the elegant bouquet that matched the simple lines of her designer gown, she began the slow, measured walk toward her husband-to-be.

  With every step memories flickered. Gabe straightening with the sword in his hand at the reception in Wellington, the rescue in the parking lot, their first kiss, the first night they had spent together.

  Blinking back tears, she halted at the ancient altar, which had seen the flow of centuries, bowed her head, made the sign of the cross and turned to her husband-to-be.

  Sheikh Kadin Gabriel ben Kadir, heir to the Sheikhdom of Zahir.

  For a moment, her composure wobbled, but when he lifted the veil from her face and took her hands in his, the warmth of his gaze held her steady.

  The hush of the church, the beauty of the words of the ceremony, filled her with an emotion that was piercing. When Gabe slipped the simple gold band on her finger, tears finally spilled.

  His mouth brushed hers; his hands at her waist burned through the silk of her gown. Beeswax candles guttered in the faint breeze that blew through windows and suddenly the air was filled with the wild sweet scents of honey and thyme.

  Sarah’s head spun dizzily as she went up on her toes to kiss him back.

  She finally had it all, more than she had ever dreamed—the father of her child and the love she had waited for, the husband of her heart.

  * * * * *

  If you loved this book from Fiona Brand, pick up the novels in her PEARL HOUSE series

  A BREATHLESS BRIDE

  A TANGLED AFFAIR

  A PERFECT HUSBAND

  THE FIANCÉE CHARADE

  JUST ONE MORE NIGHT

  Available now from Harlequin Desire!

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  Keep reading for an excerpt from CARRYING A KING’S CHILD by Katherine Garbera.

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  A SPECIAL EXCERPT FROM

  Will Rafe Montoro have to choose between the throne and newfound fatherhood?

  Read on for a sneak preview of

  CARRYING A KING’S CHILD,

  a Dynasties: The Montoros novel by USA TODAY bestselling author Katherine Garbera.

  Pregnant!

  He knew Emily wouldn’t be standing in his penthouse apartment telling him this if he wasn’t the father. His first reaction was joy.

  A child.

  It wasn’t something he ever thought he wanted but the idea that Emily was carrying his baby seemed right to him.

  Maybe that was just because it gave him something other than his royal duties to think about. He’d been dreading his trip to Alma. He was flattered that the country that had once driven his family out had come back to them, asked them—him, as it turned out—to be the next king. But he had grown up here in Miami. He didn’t want to be a stuffy royal.

  He didn’t want European paparazzi following him around and trying to catch him doing anything that would bring shame to his family. Including having a child out of wedlock.

  “Rafe, did you hear what I said?”

  “Yeah, I did. Are you sure?” he asked at last.

  She gave him a fiery look from those aqua blue eyes of hers. He’d seen the passionate side of her nature and he guessed he was about to witness her temper. Hurricane Em was about to unleash all of her fury on him and he didn’t blame her one bit.

  He held his hand up. “Slow down, Red. I didn’t mean are you sure it’s mine. I meant…are you sure you’re pregnant.”

  “Damned straight. And I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t sure it was yours. Listen, I don’t want anything from you. I know you can’t turn your back on your family and marry me and frankly, we only had one weekend together so I’d have to say no to a proposal anyway. But…I don’t want this kid to grow up without knowing you.”

  “Me neither.”

  She glanced up surprised.

  He’d sort of surprised himself. But it didn’t seem right for a kid of his to grow up without him. He wanted that. He wanted a chance to impart the Montoro legacy…not the one newly sprung on him involving a throne but the one he’d carved for himself in business. “Don’t look shocked.”

  “You’ve kind of got a lot going on right now. And having a kid with me isn’t going to go over well.”

  “Tough,” he said. “I still make my own decisions.”

  Don’t miss

  CARRYING A KING’S CHILD

  by USA TODAY bestselling author Katherine Garbera, available June 2015, only from Harlequin Desire

  www.Harlequin.com

  Copyright © 2015 by Katherine Garbera

  ISBN-13: 9781460380987

  The Sheikh’s Pregnancy Proposal

  Copyright © 2015 by Fiona Gillibrand

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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  Fiona Brand, The Sheikh's Pregnancy Proposal