Sheikh's Stand In Read Online Free PDF Page A

her side.
    There was no time to talk about the churning emotions and the well of fire that had opened up inside her. Now Aladdin was stalking down the aisle, as proud and handsome as a man could be. Once he was in place, Charlotte, resplendent in pale green, appeared.
    The entire assemblage stood to honor her, and though Viviana had never been the sentimental sort, she felt tears pricking her eyes as her beautiful sister floated down the aisle.
    When she took her place next to Aladdin, the assemblage took their places again, and the ceremony continued.
    Viviana was shocked to feel herself tear up again, as the two recited their vows to one another, swearing to honor each other's hearts and to guard each other's nights.  Annika, sweet and quiet in her arms, watched the proceedings with such wide eyes that Viviana was sure the baby knew what was going on.
    When Aladdin and Charlotte kissed, the room burst into wild cheers, and Viviana hugged Annika so hard the baby made a sharp sound of disapproval.
    "Sorry, sorry, sweetie," she whispered. "It's only that I'm so happy for your mama."
    In the general tumult that followed, Viviana gave Annika back to Charlotte, and found herself swept into the crowd. Some of the people recognized her from her spokeswoman work, while others were simply curious about the new bride's foreigner sister. One older woman, dressed in stunning midnight blue robes embroidered with silver, questioned her closely on a number of, what Viviana thought, were strange things, and it wasn't until much later that Viviana realized that she had been talking to Charlotte's new mother-in-law.
    The wedding party finally migrated into the palace, where there were now news crews and politicians in attendance. Viviana watched Charlotte and Aladdin handle the press and the politics with impressive élan, and for once, she delighted in being overlooked.
    She was just wondering about what snacks were available from the wandering waitstaff when she turned and found herself face-to-face with Mikal. He was as handsome as he had been at the wedding just a few hours ago, and she grinned, looking up at him.
    "That wasn't the kiss we rehearsed," she said teasingly.
    "Did you dislike it?" he asked, leaning a little closer.
    "No, as a matter of fact, I was just wishing we had rehearsed it a little more."
    "That's good. I wouldn't like to think that I had offended you," he said. "As a matter of fact, I wanted to see if you wanted to get out of this crowd for a little bit. It's been pretty hectic since the wedding, and this is fairly busy."
    "I thrive on chaos," Viviana said with a laugh, "but maybe a good place to sit and watch for a bit would be nice."
    Mikal did far better than just nice. Somehow, he secured a large plate of varied appetizers from the waitstaff and showed her the way to a staircase that was locked for the guests. Mystified and curious, she followed him up the winding staircase until they came to a space that she could only describe as a hidden balcony far above the proceedings.
    Thanks to the jut of the balcony and its height, she could look down on the party below without any of them seeing her. The space was small and empty, a perfect spot for privacy for the two of them.
    "I had no idea that this was up here," she marveled, looking down at the crowd.
    "It was a place where my brother and I used to hide when we were children," he said with a grin. "I had to make sure that Aladdin wasn't going to try to use it for exactly this purpose before I brought you up here."
    "Oh, I hope they're doing okay. Charlotte's been going nonstop since dawn."
    "The worst is behind them, I would say. Now there's just being social, and at least they get to sit in one place while everyone comes to them."
    Viviana looked over to the head table, where indeed Aladdin, Charlotte, and Annika were greeting people like royalty. Viviana sighed with pleasure at the sight.
    "They look amazing," she said. "I've never seen anything like them."
    "Nor