The Defiant Princess Read Online Free Page B

afterward.
    It was the final confirmation that her parents were never coming for her. And what if Prince Hazim did arrive? Duty and loyalty to her father’s will had warred with the fact that she had no desire to return to the country where her parents had been killed.
    She’d grieved in private for all she’d lost. Nights spent crying herself to sleep as silently as she could so Aunt Helen wouldn’t hear. Despite the rock of stability Helen provided for her, Sabrina felt alone and uncertain of her future. Disbelief, denial, anger—she’d gone through the whole range of emotions described in the grief cycle, but finally reached the point of acceptance.
    Hadn’t she?
    â€œThis is a matter for her to decide.” The determined masculine voice cut through her thoughts.
    Sabrina had thought nobody would ever come for her. Now, somebody was here and the knowledge took her breath away.
    â€œPlease leave,” Aunt Helen begged.
    Part of Sabrina wanted to sprint out of the house and keep running, but she’d never been a coward. This had to be faced. She needed to deal with her past so she could move on with her future.
    One last touch of the pendant at the base of her throat gave her courage. She scrubbed at the moisture in her eyes, squared her shoulders and moved to push open the door to the living room.
    â€œSabrina.” Aunt Helen uttered her name on an indrawn breath.
    Sabrina registered the anxiety in Helen’s face before turning to face the man who’d come for her.
    Oh my God.
    Face to face with the object of her adolescent fantasies, the words that had hovered on her tongue to order whoever it was to leave immediately, simply deserted her.
    It was as much as she could do not to gasp at the sight of the six-feet-something, broad-shouldered hunk whose stature and sheer presence seemed to make everything in the room shrink into insignificance. She was tall at five-feet-ten, but standing in front of him she felt as though she was Alice-in-Wonderland and had just drunk the shrinking potion.
    Wow .
    It was the only word that came to mind when she saw his face. Strong, square jaw and swarthy skin stretched over high-hewn cheekbones. The male bone structure complemented eyelashes that may otherwise have been too thick and feminine. The man he’d become was even sexier than she could ever have imagined. His tailored suit gave him an external appearance of refinement, yet there was an aura of raw and primitive masculinity.
    Prince Khalid Ul-Haq.
    He was oh-so-much-more-handsome in real life than in any of the photos she’d seen on the internet or in the glossy magazines Helen subscribed to.
    He gave her a slight bow, and for the first time in years she felt like a princess again. It was all real. She was a princess and this was one very stunning prince. Everything her father told her was coming true, except it wasn’t the serious Prince Hazim standing before her but his drop-dead gorgeous younger brother.
    â€œSabrina, uh … this … this man was just leaving.” Helen moved hastily toward the prince, attempting to usher him from the house.
    Good luck with that , Sabrina thought wryly. The prince struck her as an immovable force. She guessed he would go only when he chose to do so.
    â€œI thought he’d just arrived.” Sabrina finally found her voice and feigned a casual tone. She let her eyes sweep to Khalid’s and realised he was inspecting her closely.
    She knew exactly what he’d see. She’d inherited her mother’s Nordic height, straight blonde hair, deep blue eyes and clear complexion. Except for her more deeply tanned skin, she could be her mother’s double. But, her mother had been a queen. There wasn’t anything regal-looking or glamorous about Sabrina in her striped cotton blouse and denim jeans. Strands of her hair had escaped from her ponytail and her forehead felt a bit sticky with perspiration from her weeding in