Gambling with the Crown

Gambling with the Crown
Lynn Raye Harris

This sheikh plays to win!The crown of Kyr holds no appeal for pleasure-seeking Sheikh Kadir al-Hassan – his memories of the kingdom are as dark as a desert’s night. But neither will he shirk his duty… Instead, Kadir returns home with a bride so unsuitable no one will want him to be king!Long-suffering assistant Emily Bryant is the most important person in Kadir’s high-octane life, and the most invisible – until she’s promoted to royal bride!Sealing their marriage bargain with a scorching kiss leaves Kadir craving more… Now he must decide what’s really at stake in his royal game – his desert duty, or Emily!Discover more atwww.millsandboon.co.uk/lynnrayeharris

“I need you to marry me.”

Emily was looking at Kadir as if he’d grown two extra heads. He didn’t blame her, really. What he was proposing was perfectly outrageous. But after that phone call with Rashid he couldn’t stop thinking about how he wasn’t going to be forced to take his brother’s birthright.

And for that Kadir needed a very unsuitable bride. A woman who would hopefully persuade his father into believing his judgment was so poor he would not, under any circumstances, give the kingdom of Kyr into his keeping.

“I … I …” Emily raised a hand to push a stray lock of hair from her face and he was once more confronted with a fact he had somehow managed to ignore for the past four years.

Emily Bryant was not quite the unattractive automaton he’d believed her to be. Her brown hair was long, thick, and shiny—and very tumbled. He’d never seen it down before.

And now her mouth had somehow become enticing with all that hair to frame her face.

“I don’t know what to say.”

The words tumbled out of her in a breathless rush. Her green eyes, usually the color of polished jade, had darkened in what he supposed was confusion.

“Say yes.”

HEIRS TO THE THRONE OF KYR

Two brothers, one crown, and a royal duty that cannot be denied …

The desert kingdom of Kyr needs a new ruler.

Prince Kadir al-Hassan, the Eagle of Kyr: the world’s most notorious playboy.

Prince Rashid al-Hassan, the Lion of Kyr: as dark-hearted as the desert itself.

These sheikh princes share the same blood, but they couldn’t be more different. So now there’s only one question on everyone’s lips …

Who will be crowned the new desert king?

Don’t miss this thrilling new duet from Lynn Raye Harris—where duty and desire collide against a sizzling desert landscape!

Gambling

with the Crown

Lynn Raye Harris

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

USA TODAY bestselling author LYNN RAYE HARRIS burst onto the scene when she won a writing contest held by Mills & Boon

. The prize was an editor for a year—but only six months later Lynn sold her first novel. A former finalist for the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award, Lynn lives in Alabama with her handsome husband and two crazy cats. Her stories have been called ‘exceptional and emotional’, ‘intense’, and ‘sizzling’. You can visit her at www.lynnrayeharris.com (http://www.lynnrayeharris.com)

Recent titles by the same author:

A GAME WITH ONE WINNER (Scandal in the Spotlight) REVELATIONS OF THE NIGHT BEFORE UNNOTICED AND UNTOUCHED MARRIAGE BEHIND THE FAÇADE

Did you know these are also available as eBooks? Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

To my editor, Flo Nicoll, who always pushes me—very politely—to do my best.

I complained and moaned and dragged my feet on this one, but you were right.

Contents

PROLOGUE (#u5791fc4e-be33-598e-a28d-af424e2a14f2)

CHAPTER ONE (#u9bd92c80-bac3-5e5b-ac7b-4f9c4a076b38)

CHAPTER TWO (#u539d7451-3e06-54d0-bfcf-3f21e142bb8e)

CHAPTER THREE (#u91b05465-5741-5230-b081-312b5b8c1446)

CHAPTER FOUR (#uf8ece2ef-6206-5f15-94f2-e4625fd396ef)

CHAPTER FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

EXTRACT (#litres_trial_promo)

PROLOGUE

THE KING OF Kyr was dying. He sat in his chair on the balcony, wrapped in a blanket—though the desert sun had not yet sunk behind the horizon and brought cooler temperatures with it—and contemplated his life.

He’d had a long reign, a good reign, but it was time to name his successor and make sure Kyr continued to thrive when he was gone. He could no longer put off calling his wayward sons home and determining which of them would be the next king.