The Duke's Runaway Princess (Love By Accident) Read Free Page A

conversation then. Do you understand?” he asked carefully.
    Zarah took a deep breath and nodded, her head bowed with frustration.
    Rashid wished that he could help her feel better about her future but he didn’t know what to say, what words would help her. They’d discuss it in the morning, he told himself and kissed her head before walking out the door. He shook his head in amazement that she enjoyed living in such a hovel. As he stepped into the limousine beside an exhausted Sidra, he pulled out his phone and issued a curt order, ensuring that two men watched her apartment at all times going forward.
    “Why does she need a body guard now?” Sidra asked as she leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, her pregnancy making her sleepy a lot of the time.
    Rashid took her hand and pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her. “I didn’t know she wasn’t living in a gated community with adequate security around her. That was the type of apartment I’d selected for her when she’d started this whole college debacle so how she ended up here is a mystery. What was wrong with the condominium I bought for her years ago?”
    Sidra laughed softly and kissed his shoulder. “I’ve never heard anyone refer to a person getting an education as a debacle before.” It didn’t matter how many years they’d been married, she was still amazed by some of his sexist attitudes.
    “You know what I mean,” he grumbled and pulled her closer. “She shouldn’t be living like that. She doesn’t understand the danger she’s in by living so unguarded.”
    “But you do and you’re here to fix it, eh?”
    “Don’t joke, Sidra. She’s a princess and the world isn’t as kind as you would like to think it is.”
    “I’m sorry,” she sighed and snuggled against him. “But she’s also a woman and an independent one at that.”
    “The men I’ve considered for her to marry will take that into consideration.” At least he hoped so, but he didn’t say that to his wife. He knew there were certain things that riled her up, with that crazy American independent attitude of hers. Sometimes he really didn’t understand her, but he always appreciated her gentleness of spirit and kindness towards the world.
    Sidra didn’t respond, but she couldn’t help but worry about her sister-in-law who wasn’t much younger than she was. She could definitely imagine how she would feel if someone told her that she couldn’t work anymore because it had happened when she’d married Rashid. As an interior designer by education and profession, it had been hard to let that go but there hadn’t been any hesitation. She loved Rashid too much and if it were a choice between her career and him, she’d choose him any day. Oh, he let her redecorate the palace when the mood struck her but she couldn’t offer her services to other clients. She didn’t mind though because she had Rashid and her sons, and hopefully a daughter on the way.
    Sidra strongly prayed that one of the men Rashid had lined up as possible grooms might tempt Zarah and be an interesting possibility for a husband. Unfortunately, she didn’t hold out much hope of that after living in the palace for so many years and meeting some of the men who came through to speak with Rashid. They were just as stubborn and opinionated as he was which didn’t bode well for her young sister-in-law’s independent mindset.

Chapter 2
    “What’s wrong?” Zarah’s best friend, Suzanne, asked as she sat down in the chair next to Zarah in the coffee shop they frequented in between classes. “I would think you’d be on cloud nine with excitement now that classes are over and graduation is two days away.”
    Zarah took a sip of her green chai tea and grimaced, not at the flavor but because she had to face her future and it didn’t appear to be very exciting. “I have to get married.”
    Suzanne’s eyebrows went up in surprise. That was the last thing she had been expecting to