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Julia's pulse trembled as she felt the full force of this man's desire aimed at her. It had been a long time since she'd felt like a child. Growing up with just Colin, Julia had had to mature young. She'd helped run the house before she was a teenager. But in that moment, she wanted to throw herself on the ground and weep, and beg him to help her sort out the tangled mess.
But she couldn't, of course. One look at his pale expression and she knew she had to convince her father that she was sublimely happy. To remove any doubt or worry from his mind.
"You know me, Daddy. Would I ever, ever agree to marry someone if I didn't love them whole-heartedly?"
Colin's smile with rich with bemusement. "I know your views on marriage, little one. For you to have agreed, well, I suppose I should say congratulations," he pondered belatedly, pushing to stand and extending a hand to the man who would be his son in law. Zayn was intimidating without intending to be; apart from the fact he had the build of an army sentinel, there was a watchful intensity to him that would unnerve anyone.
His daughter, he wrapped in a hug. She was such a tiny thing, just like her mother had been. "When is the wedding?"
"Friday," Zayn cut in quickly, his eyes warning Julia to allow him to organise the details. "I know it's fast, but I have to return to Naman and I do not want to return without my bride."
Colin tried not to visibly react, but he felt as though the younger man had just cleaved him over the head with a cricket bat. "You intend to live in Naman?"
Julia turned a beseeching expression to Zayn, but he didn't waiver. His plan had been to hurt her, to make her pay for her betrayal, and the more she begged him to relent, the more steadfast he became. "Yes. You must see it is not possible for me to live anywhere else."
"Of course, of course." Colin turned away from them so Julia wouldn't see the way his eyes had moistened. And while his back was turned, Julia lifted her hands and pushed Zayn hard on the chest. She was furious with this big hulk of a man. So angry that she wanted to punch him and kick him.
Her aggression only made him smile. Her energy impressed him, but he intended to find a better outlet for it. A much better outlet.
"You'll come visit, though, dad, and I'll come back often." Julia promised.
"Not too often," Zayn said warningly, "And not without me."
Julia glared at him. "We can sort out the details later. But you'll always be welcome in my home."
"Thank you, darling. You too, Zayn. I must say, you've rather surprised me. But come on, let's have a champagne and celebrate."
Julia looked down at her outfit ruefully. "I'm supposed to be meeting Andrew and Georgina at Glastonbury," she said with a small tilt of her lips. She was so focussed on her father that she didn't notice the way her fiancé stiffened beside her.
"I presume they have something such as a mobile phone?" Zayn whispered in her ear, while Colin was busy popping a cork.
Julia rolled her eyes. "Of course."
"Then text them. You will not be seeing them until the wedding."
She narrowed her eyes. "I will text them and ask them to come here and celebrate our news. Whatever you may think, you do not control me, Zayn."
Zayn shrugged. Though he hated her friend Andrew with a vengeance, Zayn had won. Julia was his, and would be for the rest of her life. If the other man wanted to come to Howard Manor, Zayn was very happy to gloat.
"As you wish."
CHAPTER FOUR
When she had been dating Zayn, he had described Naman to her in great detail. And his passion-filled descriptions had filled her dreams. But nothing had prepared her for the strangely alluring desert country. As his private jet touched down on the runway, she was immediately touched by the glistening white sands that stretched as far as the eye could see, in to the hazy horizon. She'd been to Greece the summer before, and she knew the haze was a sign of intense heat.
But still, the sheer sultry humidity was oppressive when she first stepped out of the jet. "You will adapt," he said firmly, taking her elbow and guiding her down the steps. There was no waiting media, as might have been expected with royalty. Naman was a country that was famously protective of its royal family, and respect and courtesy were extended to them by the people at large.
Julia angled her face to him, her expression guarded. "Did I complain?" As soon as she had agreed to marry him, she had decided she could never let him see how much he could hurt her. If he was bent on some sadistic mission of power play, she would simply not be a part of it. For all she knew, like a cat with a ball of string, if she refused to play his games, he might even bore of her and allow her to leave.
"I felt you pause." He sounded amused, yet Julia was anything but.
"Bully for you," she muttered, casually stepping ahead of him to remove his touch from her arm. She hated him with every fibre of her being, but even the lightest contact made her body feel like it was about to implode with sensual need.
He let her go. He had been patient for a long time. For years. And the whole week leading up to their wedding, desire had coursed through his body like lava, keeping him awake at night and making him yearn to plunge into her and complete their union. But he had waited. Waited until they were married, and then waited until they were home. Though he knew he had bought her, pure and simple, there was a small part of him that had not believed she would actually go through with it. That had believed her capable of bolting until the last minute. He had not wanted to breathe, lest she disappear.
Now they were back in Naman, her ability to disappear was significantly reduced. In fact, her movements would be closely monitored by his security. She was his princess. As he had always known she would be.
Julia fanned her flushed face as she waited for her bridegroom to join her. She watched him, her eyes speculative as she took in his frustratingly immaculate appearance. He was speaking to a formally attired man at the bottom of the stairs. And though he was dressed in a grey business suit, with a crisp white shirt and a silver neck tie, he didn't look to feel the heat at all. It had to have been at least forty degrees celsius, she thought with a grimace; and it was so humid she felt her forehead bead with sweat despite the fact she was standing still and in the shade of the waiting limousine.
