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A Royal Wager: Persuading the Playboy King / Unmasking the Maverick Prince / Daring the Dynamic Sheikh
KRISTI GOLD
A Royal Wager…Persuading the Playboy KingNewly crowned king, Marc DeLoria is fighting his primal feelings for old flame Kate. Should he give into them and become tabloid gossip—or show himself as a strong ruler? The more time he spends with Kate, the more he realise that not only is the crown in jeopardy, his heart is in danger too!Unmasking the Maverick PrinceHer assignment was to interview millionaire Mitch Warner, the Maverick Prince, not to sleep with him! But Mitch soon had Tori Barnett entering into a scorching affair that hadn’t been part of her agenda. Nor had she counted on the unexpected result of their union.…Daring the Dynamic SheikhFiery beauty Raina Kahlil was content until her long-absent fiancé, Sheikh Dharr Halim, came to whisk her back to his kingdom—to visit her family, not to marry her. But now it could be impossible to resist the palpable heat between them…
KRISTI GOLD has always believed that love has remarkable healing powers and feels very fortunate to be able to weave stories of romance and commitment. As a bestselling author and a Romance Writers of America RITA® Award finalist, she’s learned that although accolades are wonderful, the most cherished rewards come from personal stories shared by readers.
You can reach Kristi at KGOLDAUTHOR@aol.com (mailto:KGOLDAUTHOR@aol.com), through her website at www.kristigold.com (http://www.kristigold.com) or snail-mail at PO Box 9070, Waco, Texas, 76714, USA. (Please include an SAE with return postage for a response.)
A Royal Wager
Persuading the Playboy King
Unmasking the Maverick Prince
Daring the Dynamic Sheikh
Kristi Gold
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-08159-7
A ROYAL WAGER
Persuading the Playboy King © 2004 Kristi Goldberg Unmasking the Maverick Prince © 2004 Kristi Goldberg Daring the Dynamic Sheikh © 2004 Kristi Goldberg
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Version: 2018-06-05
Table of Contents
Cover (#ud3d4cf7b-fe89-5605-9982-d254baa038d0)
About the Author (#uf784e411-9866-5152-b91e-2a6b6106c45a)
Title Page (#u8208d9d5-1935-512b-90b4-2cf0a9762de5)
Copyright (#u462c975a-519b-5d34-9d01-e23b11972f5a)
Persuading the Playboy King (#ucc9fa76f-fac1-54d3-a331-fd854a33951c)
Dedication (#u6aa6a9dd-6405-58ba-9536-4af5c756c074)
Prologue (#u77cfc6c5-72a7-5435-bbfc-9c95b5e7e610)
One (#uf963010b-ef76-522e-a307-f4d9f1bcda8e)
Two (#ud3593b69-f71f-5dd6-afc5-bb3f5874cda0)
Three (#u0a50bf7d-a486-5701-94a2-50ee30bfe44f)
Four (#ud2bf0e20-c071-5595-bf26-d05999bd8b39)
Five (#u78c18c15-a204-5830-b576-b212f9fde1a3)
Six (#uf9656bef-5ba7-5d59-b3cf-53b449bf267d)
Seven (#u2d497267-2a6d-56cf-b426-96a69b66205a)
Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Unmasking the Maverick Prince (#litres_trial_promo)
Dedication (#litres_trial_promo)
Prologue (#litres_trial_promo)
One (#litres_trial_promo)
Two (#litres_trial_promo)
Three (#litres_trial_promo)
Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Daring the Dynamic Sheikh (#litres_trial_promo)
Dedication (#litres_trial_promo)
Prologue (#litres_trial_promo)
One (#litres_trial_promo)
Two (#litres_trial_promo)
Three (#litres_trial_promo)
Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
Persuading the Playboy King (#u5ec69a1f-bf1e-5a60-8c2b-c6478a1d78b2)
Kristi Gold
To my incredible editor, Patience Smith,
for believing in this series.
Special acknowledgement goes to Geoffrey and
Lisa Buie-Collard for pushing me beyond high school
French. And to their niece, Dorian, for inspiring a
fantastical country.
Prologue (#u5ec69a1f-bf1e-5a60-8c2b-c6478a1d78b2)
Prince Marcel Frederic DeLoria had a fondness for fast cars and the freedom he enjoyed while executing hairpin turns on winding roads. Yet his greatest pleasure came in the form of more dangerous curves, those that could be found on a woman. He appreciated every nuance of the opposite sex—the way they looked, the way they smelled, their innate intelligence and, admittedly, the challenges they could present when it came to the chase.
But as much as he loved women, he hated goodbyes and for that reason he’d avoided emotional entanglements. Still, tonight an inevitable parting hung over him like a guillotine, poised to sever ties four years in the making.
A few hours ago, Marc had taken his Harvard diploma and was now set to embrace his independence. However, he did not particularly look forward to saying goodbye to Sheikh Dharr Halim, in line to rule his country one day, and Mitchell Edward Warner III, the son of a United States senator and American royalty in his own right. Three men bound by status, united by all that their legacies entailed, forever joined by a friendship that had grown and strengthened during their time together.
Noisy revelry filtered through the closed door from outside, a celebration signaling the end of an era, the end of their youth in a manner of speaking. The trio had opted to forgo the party and instead sequestered themselves in their shared apartment where they had formed their own fraternity of sorts, spending the past four years discussing culture, world events and their latest adventures skirting the ever-present paparazzi. And their favorite subject—women.
But tonight an uncharacteristic silence prevailed, as if the time-honored topics were inconsequential in light of what now awaited them—a future that no one could predict beyond their families’ expectations.
Marc reclined on the black overstuffed chair, his heels propped on the table before him. Dharr sat regally in the tan leather lounger across from Marc, the traditional Arabian kaffiyeh no longer covering his head; yet he still gave the appearance of a born leader. Mitch had opted for his customary roost on the floor reclined against the wall, dressed in jeans and scuffed leather cowboy boots, apparel that stood out from the crowd like a crown on a pauper. But although they were all different, Marc acknowledged, they still shared notoriety, the reason behind their frequent gatherings, a means to cope with the pressures of celebrity.
Mitch tossed aside the magazine he’d been reading since their arrival and picked up the bottle of fine French champagne, compliments of Marc’s brother, the king. “We’ve already toasted our success. Now I suggest we toast a long bachelorhood.” He refilled his glass, then topped off Dharr’s and Marc’s.
Dharr raised his flute. “I would most definitely toast to that.”
With champagne in hand, Marc paused to consider an idea—an appropriate send-off. One that would pique his friend’s interests. “I prefer to propose a wager.”
Dharr and Mitch glanced at one another then leveled their gazes on Marc. “What kind of wager, DeLoria?” Mitch asked.
“Well, since we’ve all agreed that we’re not suited for marriage in the immediate future, if ever, I suggest we hold ourselves to those terms by wagering we’ll all be unmarried on our tenth reunion.”
“And if we are not?” Dharr asked.
Marc saw only one way to ensure the wager’s success. “We’ll be forced to give away our most prized possession.”
“Give away my gelding?” Mitch grimaced as if he’d swallowed something foul. “That would be tough.”
Dharr looked even less enthusiastic as his gaze fell on the abstract painting of a woman hanging above Mitch’s head. “I suppose that would be my Modigliani original, and I must admit that giving away the nude would cause me great suffering.”
“That’s the point, gentlemen,” Marc said. “The wager would mean nothing if the possessions were meaningless.”
Mitch eyed him with suspicion. “Okay, DeLoria. What’s it going to be for you?”
Marc thought only a moment before adding, “The Corvette.”
“You’d give up the love mobile?” Mitch sounded incredulous.
“Of course not. I won’t lose.” And he wouldn’t, because Marc DeLoria hated losing anything of worth.
“Nor will I,” Dharr stated. “Ten years will be adequate before I am forced to adhere to an arranged marriage in order to produce an heir.”
“No problem for me,” Mitch said. “I’m going to avoid marriage at all costs.”
