Pregnant By The Desert King. Susan Stephens

bad yourself, now I take a proper look...’ Massive understatement. Tadj looked sensational in nothing more than a pair of well-cut jeans and an open-neck shirt, with a casual jacket left open to reveal his powerful chest. He could have worn a boiler suit, and still looked fabulous. Better still naked, she thought.

      And here she was in borrowed clothes, carrying the flag for her friends. Tipping up her chin, she met his teasing stare head-on, and was rewarded by the warmth in Tadj’s eyes. Make that heat, she thought as her body responded with enthusiasm.

      ‘Champagne?’ Tadj proposed as he selected two crystal flutes from a tray a passing waiter was carrying.

      ‘No, thanks. I’m a cheap drunk, so I’ll stick to water, if you don’t mind. And even if you do,’ she added good-humouredly. Tonight was going better than expected—far better than she’d dared to hope.

      ‘To us,’ he said as they raised their glasses.

      ‘To a wonderful evening,’ Lucy replied, calling on her natural caution. She might be having the time of her life—might have kissed the hottest man at the party, but she had no intention of completely losing her head.

      Tadj achieved the impossible, by finding them a quiet and sheltered spot on the Sapphire’s crowded deck. Taking her glass out of her hand, he put it down next to his. Was he going to kiss her again? Every part of her body tingled at the thought. She could feel him in every fibre of her being, as if he were the virtuoso who had temporarily laid aside his violin. Her strings were certainly twanging at the memory of his touch, Lucy thought, carefully concealing her amusement at a body running riot while the sensible head supposedly guiding it was temporarily unavailable.

      ‘It’s so beautiful here,’ she said, looking around. The floral decorations were incredible, though the blossom was in a more restrained colour palette than the rest of the Sapphire, as if this area had been designed for lovers. It was like standing in the middle of a fragrant ocean of palest pink and white. Drawing on the heady scent, she closed her eyes, only for the unwelcome thought that she should be leaving soon to pop into her head. ‘Tadj, I...’

      ‘Tadj what?’ he murmured.

      He’d dipped his head to stare into her eyes, and their mouths were almost touching.