hand stiffly on his arm and he drew her closer so that her thigh brushed against his as they walked into the dining room.
‘How dare you...infiltrate my sister’s engagement party,’ she hissed.
His wide shoulders shook with laughter. ‘It would have been bad manners to refuse an invitation from an old school friend.’
‘You didn’t worry about manners when you came on to me while your girlfriend—with emphasis on the word girl—was in the next room.’ That wiped the smug smile from his face, she noted with satisfaction.
He dipped his head close to hers. ‘Let’s get something straight.’ His voice was suddenly harsh. The charismatic playboy prince had disappeared and Lexi had a sense that Sultan Kadir Al Sulaimar was a powerful man and a dangerous threat to her peace of mind. ‘I did not invite Tania Stewart to my suite and definitely not into my bed. I was as surprised as you were when she walked out of the bedroom.’
Lexi wondered why she believed him. ‘Not that I care how you conduct your private life, or with whom, but, out of curiosity, how was Tania in your room if you didn’t invite her in?’
‘She admitted she’d taken the pass key from the cleaner’s office. Her father owns the hotel and she knows where things are kept. When you saw her you immediately leapt to the conclusion that she and I were lovers.’
‘She was naked under that sheet,’ Lexi defended herself. She found she was unable to tear her eyes from Kadir’s smouldering gaze.
‘Forget Tania. This is about you and me.’
‘There is no you and me!’ She wished she could control her racing pulse. ‘I’m not the slightest bit interested in you, Earl Montgomery, or Sultan of Zenhab, or whatever other fancy title I’m supposed to call you.’
‘Kadir,’ he said softly. ‘Why are you uptight about saying my name?’
‘I’m not uptight.’ Glancing around her, Lexi flushed when she realised that her raised voice had attracted curious glances from the other guests.
The amused gleam in his eyes told her he was aware that she felt churned up inside and quite unlike her usual self. ‘Perhaps later tonight we will have a chance to discuss my proposition.’
‘I’ve told you I’m not interested in your proposition.’
‘How do you know, when you don’t know what it is?’
‘Knowing of your reputation as a playboy, I have no qualms about turning down your proposition without hearing any of the sordid details,’ Lexi said tartly.
Satisfied that she’d had the last word, she turned her back on him and began to select food from the buffet even though her appetite had disappeared. To her relief, Charlie returned to monopolise Kadir’s attention and she was able to slip away to a quiet corner and forced down a couple of vol-au-vents filled with a cream cheese mixture that tasted overpoweringly of chopped herbs.
She brooded on her conversation with her sister. Athena—like the coastguard commander, Roger Norris—had accused her of putting up barriers to prevent people getting too close to her. It wasn’t deliberate, but subconsciously, perhaps, her wariness of being rejected did make her appear remote and self-contained, Lexi acknowledged. She had learned from a young age that the only person she could rely on, the only person she could trust, was herself. When she had served with the RAF she’d learned to trust the professionalism of the people she worked with. But when she had lowered her guard with Steven Cromer and followed her heart instead of her head, his rejection had been hurtful and humiliating; she was in no hurry to experience either of those emotions again.
Waiters were circling the room offering glasses of champagne to toast the newly engaged couple. Lexi opted for iced water, hoping she would soon be able to slip away from the party and drive to West London, where she had arranged to stay at a friend’s flat while she looked for another job. She sipped the water, but her throat still felt dry and scratchy and the headache that had started five minutes ago was rapidly becoming worse.
Lord Fairfax called for silence and proceeded to give a lengthy speech about how delighted he and his wife were to announce their son’s engagement. Lady Fairfax’s delight was not apparent on her haughty features, Lexi noted. Charlie looked bored and Athena was tense and had spilled something down the front of her dress.
‘What does your sister see in an oaf like Charles Fairfax, apart from his money and title?’ The husky drawl close to her ear brought a flush of heat to Lexi’s face. She shot Kadir a glowering look and winced as the sudden movement sent a shooting pain through her skull.
‘Athena isn’t like that,’ she said curtly, not about to admit to a stranger her own doubts about her sister’s choice of husband. ‘She loves Charlie.’ She frowned. ‘I thought he was your friend. Why else would you accept an invitation to his engagement party?’
‘I knew you would be here.’
He was serious, Lexi realised. The smouldering sensuality in Kadir’s eyes made her catch her breath. She looked away from him and tried to control her frantic heartbeat. But her chest felt constricted and her shortness of breath was not entirely down to her acute awareness of him. In the last few minutes she had begun to feel nauseous and strangely light-headed, as if she was drunk, except that she hadn’t had a drop of alcohol all evening. She swayed on legs that suddenly seemed unable to support her.
‘Are you all right? You’ve gone a strange colour.’ Kadir’s voice sounded from a long way off. Lexi closed her eyes to stop the room from spinning. She could feel beads of sweat on her brow, and she suddenly knew what was wrong with her. To her horror, she realised that she was going to be sick in front of a room full of onlookers.
She blinked and Kadir’s handsome face swam before her eyes. He was the last person she would turn to for help, but she was feeling worse by the second and she had no choice but to abandon her pride. ‘Please,’ she muttered. ‘Please...get me out of here.’
He gave her a sharp look and growled something beneath his breath, then the room spun, Lexi’s head spun, as he scooped her up into his arms. She sensed everyone was watching them as Kadir strode past the curious guests and she heard Charlie Fairfax say loudly, ‘She’s obviously had too much to drink.’ Kadir tightened his arms around her and Lexi, who had never been carried by a man in her entire adult life, rested her head on his chest and listened to the steady thud of his heart.
Athena dashed into the hall after them, looking anxious. ‘Lexi... Lady Fairfax has just told me that the vol-au-vent filling contained prawns. You didn’t eat any, did you?’
‘Unfortunately, your warning is too late,’ Lexi muttered drily. Noticing Kadir’s puzzled expression, she explained, ‘I have a shellfish allergy.’ Her voice became urgent. ‘I need to get to a bathroom—quickly.’
* * *
At first, when Lexi opened her eyes and did not recognise her surroundings, she wondered if she was in a bedroom at the Fairfax home, Woodley Lodge. Vague snatches of memory floated into her mind of sitting in a car and travelling very fast. She remembered that the car had stopped at least once and she had been ill by the side of the road. There were other memories of strong arms around her, supporting her while she had been sick, a cool hand stroking her hair back from her hot brow.
Where the hell was she? Ignoring the fact that she felt like a limp rag, Lexi sat up and froze as she pushed back the sheets and discovered that someone had removed her dress, leaving her in her sheer lace black bra and matching thong.
Kadir had rescued her from the ignominy of being ill in front of the guests at her sister’s engagement party. Had he driven her to wherever this place was—a hotel, perhaps—and undressed her? She glanced around the bedroom, noting the floral wallpaper and an oil painting of a horse hanging above the antique dressing table. The décor of slightly old-fashioned elegance did not feel like she was in a hotel.
Her legs felt weak when she made the