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Crowned For The Sheikh's Baby
Sharon Kendrick
From innocent chambermaid……to the Sheikh’s pregnant queen!The last thing sensible maid Hannah Wilson expects is to be whisked off to a glamorous party by Sheikh Kulal Al Diya. Their intense chemistry and searing kiss lead to the most amazing night of her life—with the most shocking consequences! Now Kulal will do anything to claim his heir. Even if it means making Hannah his desert queen!
From innocent maid...
...to the sheikh’s pregnant queen!
The last thing sensible maid Hannah Wilson expects is to be whisked off to a glamorous party by Sheikh Kulal Al Diya. Their intense chemistry and searing kiss lead to the most amazing night of her life—with the most shocking consequences! Now Kulal will do anything to claim his heir. Even if it means making Hannah his desert queen!
“You’ll love the twists and turns of this gorgeous story—a maid turned sheikh’s queen, and an unexpected consequence!” —USA TODAY bestselling author Lynne Graham
SHARON KENDRICK once won a national writing competition by describing her ideal date: being flown to an exotic island by a gorgeous and powerful man. Little did she realize that she’d just wandered into her dream job! Today she writes for Harlequin, and her books feature often stubborn but always to-die-for heroes and the women who bring them to their knees. She believes that the best books are those you never want to end. Just like life…
Books by Sharon Kendrick (#u91c540b9-72d4-5522-8f6f-d7e3d614a337)
Harlequin Presents
A Royal Vow of Convenience
Conveniently Wed!
Bound to the Sicilian’s Bed
One Night With Consequences
The Italian’s Christmas Secret
The Pregnant Kavakos Bride
Secrets of a Billionaire’s Mistress
Crowned for the Prince’s Heir
Carrying the Greek’s Heir
Wedlocked!
The Sheikh’s Bought Wife
The Billionaire’s Defiant Acquisition
The Billionaire’s Legacy
Di Sione’s Virgin Mistress
Visit the Author Profile page
at Harlequin.com (http://www.Harlequin.com) for more titles.
Crowned for the Sheikh’s Baby
Sharon Kendrick
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-07224-3
CROWNED FOR THE SHEIKH’S BABY
© 2018 Sharon Kendrick
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)
“You don’t even know why I’m here,” Hannah said.
“Of course I do.” Kulal’s hawk-like features hardened into a cynical expression. “You’ve decided that you’re in love with me, haven’t you?”
Hannah thought she might be sick. It wasn’t just the sheikh’s swaggering arrogance that she found nauseating—it was the way he said the word love. As if it was some unspeakable illness.
He shrugged his broad shoulders. “The fact that I took your virginity has probably given our night together more significance than it warrants. Am I right, Hannah?”
Hannah flinched, wondering how she could have fallen into the arms of someone so unspeakably arrogant. Because he’s so irresistible—even now, when he’s looking down his haughty nose at you.
“I hate to disillusion you,” she said, concentrating on trying to match his own emotionless tone. “But I am definitely not pining for you.”
“No? So why come here?” he drawled.
She had to tell him. But it was with a sinking heart that she met the ebony coldness of his eyes. “I’m pregnant, Kulal,” she said quietly.
One Night With Consequences (#u91c540b9-72d4-5522-8f6f-d7e3d614a337)
When one night…leads to pregnancy!
When succumbing to a night of unbridled desire, it’s impossible to think past the morning after!
But with the sheets barely settled, that little blue line appears on the pregnancy test, and it doesn’t take long to realize that one night of white-hot passion has turned into a lifetime of consequences!
Only one question remains:
How do you tell a man you’ve just met that you’re about to share more than just his bed?
Find out in:
The Italian’s Christmas Secret by Sharon Kendrick
A Night of Royal Consequences by Susan Stephens
A Baby to Bind His Bride by Caitlin Crews
Claiming His Nine-Month Consequence by Jennie Lucas
Contracted for the Petrakis Heir by Annie West
Consequence of His Revenge by Dani Collins
Princess’s Pregnancy Secret by Natalie Anderson
The Sheikh’s Shock Child by Susan Stephens
Look for more One Night With Consequences coming soon!
This book is dedicated to the urbane and dashingly handsome Matt Newman, with thanks and gratitude for his generous donation to the amazing charity, The Back-Up Trust.
Contents
Cover (#uf2c52973-ebc0-500f-a967-969b2b7af87f)
Back Cover Text (#u087328b0-f511-5485-9a04-2cbd58f0205f)
About the Author (#ue1bb4f8b-58c8-5ad5-acf0-260e857e1427)
Booklist (#u7eb03660-397f-54de-b1ac-a3886f797ec5)
Title Page (#u4780dfff-bc63-50b4-9bd1-e255da9a1c36)
Copyright (#uf5c489e4-bb2e-5fdd-ae9f-563934ac4550)
Introduction (#ub89f4760-b4bc-5c96-8e3a-190733ce3c37)
One Night With Consequences (#u83baf12d-abd4-5f04-a4b4-7617868b8684)
Dedication (#u829f18fb-5367-5e06-8767-72a58dda74de)
PROLOGUE (#uad621d89-f7e4-592d-926c-aa6dd8d683f9)
CHAPTER ONE (#u06846532-45aa-5d27-8624-57133c828998)
CHAPTER TWO (#ub73d0b35-35b6-5fc3-b039-d954af75b5fe)
CHAPTER THREE (#u9b992751-6a8d-5648-b274-a3567d518226)
CHAPTER FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)
EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
PROLOGUE (#u91c540b9-72d4-5522-8f6f-d7e3d614a337)
We trust you will find everything to your satisfaction.
KULAL’S MOUTH HARDENED into a cynical smile. As if. When did anything in life ever truly satisfy?
Crushing the handwritten note—one of the many personal touches which made this Sardinian hotel complex so achingly luxurious—he threw it into the bin in a perfect arcing shot and walked over to the balcony.
Restlessly, his eyes skated over the horizon. He wondered why he could feel no joy in his heart or why the warmth of the sun left him feeling cold. He had just achieved a life’s ambition by bringing together some of the world’s biggest oil moguls. They’d told him it was impossible. That masterminding the diaries of so many powerful men simply couldn’t be done. But Kulal had proved them wrong. He liked proving people wrong, just as he enjoyed defying the expectations which had been heaped on him since the day his older brother had turned his back on his heritage and left him to rule.
He had worked day and night to make this conference happen. To convince attendees with his famously seductive tongue that it was time to look at renewable energy sources, rather than relying on the fossil fuels of old. Kings and sheikhs had agreed with him and pledges had been made. The cheers following his opening speech had echoed long into the night. There were now but a few days left for him to hammer out the fine details of the deal—and he was able to do it in a place which many people considered close to paradise. Yet he felt...
He gave a heavy sigh which mingled with the warm Sardinian breeze.
Certainly not drunk with glory, as other men in his position might be, and he couldn’t work out why. At thirty-four, he was considered by many to be at his intellectual and physical peak. He was known as a fair, if sometimes autocratic ruler and he ruled a prosperous land. And yes, he had a few enemies at court—men who would have preferred his twin brother to have been King because they considered him more malleable. But all rulers had to deal with insurrection. It came with the job—it was certainly nothing new.
So why wasn’t he punching the air with glee? Kulal contemplated the horizon without really seeing it. Perhaps he had been working so hard that he’d neglected the more basic needs of his body. Not to put too fine a point on it—his legendary libido, which had been sidelined ever since he had finished with his long-term mistress a few months back. It didn’t help that she had made the break-up official with a tearful interview in one of those glossy magazines that filled women’s heads with meaningless froth. And that as a consequence, his name had zoomed back to the top of one of those tedious ‘most eligible’ lists—and he now seemed to be on some kind of matrimonial hit list. Rather ironic since he had always avoided marriage like the plague, no matter how determined the woman.
He yawned. His relationship with the international supermodel had lasted almost a year—a record for him. He had chosen her not just because she was blonde and leggy and could work wonders with her tongue, but because she seemed to accept what he would and wouldn’t tolerate in a relationship. But in the end, she had sabotaged it with her neediness. He’d stated at the start that he wouldn’t put a ring on her finger. That he had no desire for family or long-term commitment. Because didn’t domesticity forge cold chains, which could suffocate? He had promised sex, diamonds and a fancy apartment—and had honoured those pledges in full. But she had wanted more. Women always did. They wanted to bleed you dry until there was nothing left.
Dark and bitter memories washed over him, but he forced himself to block them out as he leaned against the rail of the balcony, looking out at boats bobbing around on the Mediterranean. He thought how different this busy stretch of water was from the peace of the Murjaan Sea, which lapped on the eastern shores of his desert homeland. But then, everything about this place was different. The sights. The scents. The sounds. The women who lay on sun-loungers in their minuscule bikinis. One of his aides had told him that the loungers directly beneath his penthouse suite were always the first to go—presumably occupied by those hoping to catch the eye of Zahristan’s Desert King. Kulal’s lips curved in disdain. Did they, like so many others, imagine themselves in the role of Queen? That they would succeed where so many had failed?
