Gibran: Return of the Rebel Sheikh (Desert Kings, #5) / Desert Kings (ePub)

Widowed queen Aliyah has resigned herself to a life of loneliness until a rough-mannered stranger intrudes on her solitude.

A professional warrior and protector, Gibran has kept his distance from the palace he once called home--until his royal half brothers invite him into their midst. By profession and inclination, he keeps his emotions on lockdown, but finds himself falling under Aliyah's quiet spell.

Will these two lonely people dare to seize the love they crave?

EXCERPT:

Aliyah didn't know what to think of this brusque new stranger. She didn't like him. She certainly didn't trust him. His sleek suit contrasted with his sun-scorched skin and rough manner. He spoke her language like a native, but didn't act or move like an Ubarite. He showed no deference to her, not even common politeness.
And now he'd taken her hand and kissed it. Frozen to the spot, she had no idea how to react. Should she snatch her hand back and run, or was that the reaction he'd hoped for?
She gritted her teeth and tried not to react at all. The touch of his mouth on her skin was gentle, surprising since everything else about him was so harsh. No doubt a man like this expected women to swoon at his feet. His looks were both flashy and rugged, with the aristocratic features of the man he claimed as his father and a seductive beauty that must have come from his mother. Her husband only took the most beautiful women to his chambers. He'd told her that himself.
Would he never give her hand back? She struggled to keep her feet still as unfamiliar sensations gathered inside her. He'd lifted his lips from her skin but held her fingers close, as if inhaling her scent like a stallion sniffing a mare.
She'd suffered through worse. Much worse! And always been grateful that she hadn't made a scene. Live to enjoy another day-that was her motto. As long as her children were carefree and happy and could benefit from the education she'd been denied, she could put up with almost anything.
Finally he let go of her hand, very slowly and with an odd look on his face. She tucked it into the folds of her dress, anxious to rub away whatever evil magic now made her skin burn hot and cold.

THE DESERT KINGS SERIES:

Novella: Veronica: Stranded with the Sheikh
(Veronica and Zadir) FREE!
Book 1: Osman: Rescued by the Sheikh
(Samantha and Osman)
Book 2: Zadir: Bought for the Sheikh
(Veronica and Zadir)
Novella: A Christmas Wedding
(Veronica and Zadir; Samantha and Osman; Amahd and Mackenzie)
Book 3: Gibran: Return of the Rebel Sheikh
(Gibran and Aliyah)
Book 4: Amahd: Captivated by the Sheikh
(Amahd and Mackenzie)

Explore the DESERT KINGS series:

Novella: Veronica: Stranded with the Sheikh
(Veronica and Zadir) FREE!
Book 1: Osman: Rescued by the Sheikh
(Samantha and Osman)
Book 2: Zadir: Bought for the Sheikh
(Veronica and Zadir)
Novella: A Christmas Wedding
(Veronica and Zadir; Samantha and Osman; Amahd and Mackenzie)
Book 3: Gibran: Return of the Rebel Sheikh
(Gibran and Aliyah)
Book 4: Amahd: Captivated by the Sheikh
(Amahd and Mackenzie)

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