wavered as Hassan informed her that dinner would be at eight and that a servant would come to collect her.
The door closed behind him and she was left alone in the gilded suite. She looked up at the glitter of the crystal chandelier and breathed in the deep scent of the roses which had been crammed into beautiful golden vases. It all looked so perfect, but so unreal. And it felt unreal too. As if someone had put her down in the middle of a film set and if she pushed too hard she might discover that the walls were made of cardboard.
Another wave of sickness washed over her and quickly she lay down on the bed, clutching one of the brocade cushions to her stomach as she tried to fight against a tide of tears.
ANOTHER day in paradise.
Ella stared out of the window which had just been unshuttered by one of the sweet maids whose job it was to attend her. The early-morning scent of flowers wafted fragrance into the room and vied with the perfume of the jasmine tea which stood on the filigree cabinet beside her large bed.
Leaning back against the feathery plumpness of the pillows, she contemplated what the new day might bring. Outside, there was a vast swimming pool which she could use any time she wanted. The beautiful gardens were enormous and varied, with plenty of shaded paths for her to walk along. Benches were positioned at eye-catching vantage points where she could stop to read a book from the palace’s vast and comprehensive library. Anything Ella wanted, she could have.
Except it wasn’t quite like that.
The one thing she really wanted constantly eluded her.
She wanted her husband.
She wanted to relive the passion they’d shared that night back in Santina, when she’d tasted pleasure for the first time in her life. And surely as his wife she was entitled to that?
The sickness she’d experienced had now passed and she realised that she hadn’t been herself when she’d agreed to this marriage. He had asked her—or rather, told her—that she would be his wife when she had been at her most vulnerable. Still reeling from the discovery of the baby and weakened by nausea, she had allowed Hassan to take command.
But something had changed. Now that she felt better, it seemed as if she had got some of the old Ella back, and then some. She was filled with a new vigour, buzzing with energy and life. And not only was she growing increasingly frustrated at the celibate state of her marriage, she was determined to do something about it. So what if she was only destined to be here for months. Couldn’t they at least be pleasurable months?
Had the desire Hassan felt for her disappeared? Ella didn’t think so. She may not have been the most experienced woman in the world, but she had definitely seen the hard gleam of his eyes sometimes when they were alone at dinner. Hadn’t she once noticed his big body tense when she reached forward to pluck a ripe damson from the heap of fruit piled in a shallow dish? And sit there perfectly still for a moment or two afterwards, as if he was composing himself? No, Hassan certainly wasn’t immune to her, no matter how much he’d like to be.
The strangest thing was that once she had allowed herself to acknowledge that what she was feeling was sexual frustration, the feeling just grew and grew. It became so that it dominated her thoughts. So that every time she looked into Hassan’s hawk-like features, all she could remember was his helpless look of abandon as he plunged deep inside her body.
She wanted him.
She wanted him badly.
And she realised that nobody was going to make it happen except her.
Quietening the voice in her head which asked if she wasn’t crazy to consider seducing such a proud and worldly man as Hassan, she set about her plan.
Piecing together fragments of things she’d read in magazines and books back home in England, she waited until Saturday evening, because she’d learnt that Saturday was one of her husband’s lightest days, in terms of royal duties. And that he often lay in bed late on a Sunday …
Dressing carefully in a filmy azure gown which made her eyes look intensely blue, she spent ages on her hair and her makeup. Not too much makeup, because she’d also learnt that where Hassan was concerned, less was more. The ebony sweep of her lashes and rose-pink glimmer of her mouth was flattering but very natural, so that she might almost have been born that way.
As she joined him in the dining room, she was filled with a nervous kind of excitement, and a sudden realisation of what she was about to do made her momentarily reconsider whether she was being sensible. What if he rejected her?
As he rose to greet her, she heard the soft swish of his silken robes and once again she remembered the magnificent body which lay beneath. Swallowing down her fears, she quickly replaced them with determination. She would not let him reject her!
A servant poured iced water into her goblet and began to serve the meal, but Ella barely paid it any attention. She pushed various delicious slithers of neglected food around her golden plate and tried not to stare at her husband’s dark and thoughtful face.
‘You’re not eating much,’ Hassan observed suddenly.
‘Aren’t I?’ she questioned innocently.
‘No.’ He studied her through the flickering light of the countless candles which illuminated the gilded room and thought how much she bloomed as every day passed. And what hell it was to resist the temptation of taking her to his bed …
With an effort, he forced his attention back to her lacklustre appetite. ‘Are you displeased with the fare which my chefs have slaved over all day in order to impress the sheikh’s new bride?’
‘The food is delicious. As always.’
‘So why haven’t you touched it?’
‘Because I’m not …’ Her words tailed off as nerves began to get the better of her. How could she possibly seduce a man who showed no sign of wanting to be seduced, despite the fact that they were newlyweds?
She wondered what had happened to the hungry hunter who had dragged her to bed on the night of the engagement party. Maybe he was one of those men who only enjoyed sex with a woman he didn’t know. Maybe he shied away from that whole intimacy thing. Or was turned off by the fact she was pregnant.
Or maybe he just didn’t fancy her any more.
Her pulse rocketed at the thought of tackling such a daunting mission. That she, who had never seduced anyone, should be taking on one of the world’s great lovers. Yet Ella wasn’t easily defeated. There were many disadvantages to being a Jackson, but one thing it gave you was determination—and grit.
‘Not what?’ he prompted.
She pushed away her dish more heavily than she’d intended and leaned back against the brocade cushions. ‘I’m not very hungry,’ she said.
Hassan felt a pulse began to flicker at his temple. ‘You need to … eat,’ he said unsteadily, trying to ignore the fact that the position she’d now adopted meant that her breasts were looking especially lush and inviting. And hadn’t he been resolutely trying to avoid thinking about her breasts, or her lips, or indeed any part of her which reminded him of thrusting deep into her body?
Ella shifted her position a little, pleased to see that the blue silk of her robe was now clinging to her thighs like melted butter. And that Hassan seemed transfixed by the movement. She slanted him a smile, telling herself there was nothing to be gained from a lack of courage. ‘I keep thinking of you, asleep nearby.’
‘Do you?’ He wondered what she’d say if he told her that he had been getting precious little sleep of late. That oblivion stayed tantalisingly out of reach as he lay there imagining the silken touch of her skin and the enticing curves of her body.
‘Mmm. And sometimes