The Secret Heir of Alazar by Kate Hewitt

Author:Kate Hewitt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-06-30T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

A LEMON-YELLOW SUN shone out of a hard blue sky as they prepared for the descent into Teruk. Even after eight hours of admittedly sporadic sleep, Gracie felt wired, anticipation warring with sheer panic. Malik had generously allowed her and Sam the master bedroom, while he’d taken a pull-out sofa bed in the main cabin.

The bed had been incredibly comfortable and Sam had been out as soon as his head hit the pillow, so she couldn’t blame him for her lack of sleep. No, it had been Malik who had kept her awake most of the night. Malik’s sheer presence, his knowing kiss, his absolute magnetism...and the yearning desire she felt for him after all these years, as strong and powerful as it ever had been.

This morning Malik looked immaculate and refreshed, and disturbingly different in a white linen thobe and turban. The flowing clothing only emphasised his masculinity, and Gracie was conscious that she’d never before seen him in the traditional dress of his country.

‘Look, Mom!’ Sam was wriggling in his seat as he tried to peer out of the window. ‘So many mountains.’

‘Yes, indeed.’ Gracie tore her gaze from Malik’s powerful form to look out of the window. From the sky Alazar looked forbidding, a foreign landscape of barren mountain ranges and even more desolate stretches of desert. The only green was on the coast, a thin crescent of arable farmland and civilisation.

‘We will go directly to the palace from Teruk,’ Malik told them both. He smiled at Sam. ‘I cannot wait to show you.’

‘Your palace?’ Sam’s jaw dropped. ‘You have a palace?’

‘I told him you worked for the government,’ Gracie explained in a murmur, and Malik smiled.

‘And indeed I do. My grandfather is the Sultan of Alazar, Sam, and I will be Sultan after him.’

Sam boggled. ‘Wow.’

Gracie half listened as Malik continued to tell Sam about the palace, its walls and turrets and many swimming pools. My grandfather is the Sultan of Alazar, Sam, and I will be Sultan after him. Just in case she’d forgotten how important he was. How surprising and scary it was for her to be here.

The plane was starting a steep descent to the runway that cut through bleak desert when Gracie refocused on Malik.

‘You’re all right?’ he asked quietly, seeming genuinely concerned, and Gracie nodded.

‘Yes.’ She realised her hands were tightly gripping the armrests, and she forced herself to relax.

Moments later the plane bumped to a stop and the security guards headed for the door. Gracie rose from her seat.

‘Wait.’ Malik stayed her with one hand and Gracie looked at him in uneasy surprise.

‘What is it?’

‘I am sorry, but it is not wise for you to disembark like that.’ He gestured to her clothes.

Gracie glanced down at the outfit she’d taken some time over. An Indian batik skirt in a colourful print and a modest cotton blouse that covered her shoulders and arms. She’d been going for a casual but respectful look, but judging from Malik’s frown it wasn’t good enough.

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