The Sheikh's Second Chance Bride (Qazhar Sheikhs series Book 5) Read Online Free PDF

announcement of her wedding. This land was so alien, so very different from anything back home.  
    Lana had only been in the palace a short while, but already her senses were reeling from the sheer contrast in how the Qazhar elite lived. It would take Mia a long time to get used to all of this, Lana thought.
    Lana hugged Mia, then peered into her eyes. "Don't you worry. I'm here to help you."
    Mia's eyes had traces of tears in the corners. Mia smiled. "I'm glad you're here, Lana. I don't think I'd be able to go through with this without you."
    Lana smiled at Mia. "You'll be fine. Don't worry. You'll be the sheikh's wife soon, and then everything will be perfect. Just perfect."
    Mia laughed and hugged Lana.
    As they made their way back into the suite, Lana couldn't help wondering what it would really be like to be a sheikh's wife.
    One thing was for sure.
    Lana would never get a chance to find out for herself.

    ****

    "May I speak with you, Malik?"  
    Malik froze. When his father used that tone of voice, it was never a good sign.
    "Of course, Father," Malik replied.
    They had just finished eating lunch and were seated at the table on the terrace that overlooked the garden. Malik, Rafiq and their father, Emir, had shared lunch while Mia and Lana had kept themselves busy in Lana's room. Malik could only guess what the two women had been talking about. He wondered if Lana had confessed to Mia about his and Lana's very brief encounter.
    Rafiq had gone off to attend to some details about the upcoming wedding, leaving Malik alone with their father.  
    Emir stood and led Malik out onto the flat lawn. The air was cool beneath the trees. The sound of the nearby fountain was a melodious background noise that only slightly settled Malik's nerves.
    Malik walked beside his father. In spite of his advancing years, Emir still maintained a robust health and vigor that one might expect to find in a much younger man. There was a hard-won wisdom in his father's demeanor. He'd passed a great many things onto his three sons, not least of which was a respect for the traditions of their country. Along with his brother, who also had three sons, Emir had worked tirelessly to improve the lot of all Qazhar citizens. Duty was something that featured large in Emir's view of life. That and responsibility.
    Responsibility.
    The very word made Malik feel a sudden chill. He could hazard a guess just what was about to come in this conversation. The same old lecture about the need to settle down; the familiar warnings about Malik's apparently wayward lifestyle.
    He knew his father didn't approve of the way he lived his life. But, Malik also knew he had never done anything that would cause shame to fall on his family's house. In fact, none of Emir's children would ever do such a thing. It wasn't just their father who had been a model of virtue. Their mother had also guided her children along a path of virtue.  
    How was it that Malik had turned out to be the only one who could remotely be described as wayward? What had caused that wild streak in him? It was a question he asked himself repeatedly, but he'd never found a satisfactory answer.  
    All he knew was that commitment to one woman wasn't something he could find within himself. Malik would do anything to conquer a woman, but he would also whatever it took to put as much distance between himself and his conquests. And as soon as humanly possible.
    Emir turned and headed down a narrow pathway between two lines of overhanging trees. There was a seat at the end of the pathway. His father's favorite place in the garden, one reserved for special conversations.
    Malik drew in a deep breath.
    Commitment. There was that word again.
    In a sense, the kiss with Lana in New York embodied his attitude completely. Take your pleasure and leave as quickly as possible. In that case, it had been a mere kiss.  
    Only a kiss?
    Not really. It had been much more than that. For days afterwards, Malik hadn't been able to