Free Desert Orchid: The Desert Princes: Book 1 by CC MacKenzie Page B

the air around them crackled and sparked with their joint fury.
    She lifted her chin. "I said you are a coward. And if you ever call me a whore again, I will make you very, very sorry."
    In one stride he stood before her and it took every ounce of courage she had not to step back or to turn and flee.
    He might be bigger, stronger, and breathtakingly gorgeous, but she refused to let him intimidate her.
    If he hadn’t smiled like a big hungry tiger and looked at her as if she was dog dirt she might have just held onto her temper. But since he did both, her arm swung back and the sound of the crack of her fist against his hard jaw reverberated around the garden.
    His head jerked back and Charisse gasped as agony lanced up her arm and into her shoulder.
    "You little witch. You hit me!"
    Stunned, Khalid pressed his fingertips to his lip, checked out the blood, and stared at her as if she’d lost her mind.
    Wondering if she’d broken her fingers, Charisse saw with something like horror those eyes go black with utter fury.
    Omigod.
     
    Ignoring the pain in her hand, and with her heart hammering in her throat, Charisse decided she’d lost her mind. There was something about him that seemed to bring out the worst in her. She’d never struck another human being in her life. A horrible mix of guilt, shame and sickness burned in her throat. But the time had come to make a stand. She refused to back down now, because if she lost the battle for consideration from him this evening, she’d lose the war in the long run.
    "And I’ll do it again in a heartbeat if you don’t begin to show a little respect," she yelled at the top of her voice.
    The look in his eye made her want to flee for her life.
    Something must have shown in her face because he actually growled the words,
    "If you run I'll catch you and things will be even worse for you, my little wildcat."
    Her terrified heart pumped even more adrenaline through her system, but pride rode to her rescue. And that pride made her chin jerk. Her nostrils flared as her eyes clashed with his.
    "Lay one finger on me and you’ll be sorry. You’re nothing but a big blowhard and a bully. And you can’t take it when someone smaller and weaker and smarter stands up to you."
    He grabbed the hand that had struck him to check out her fingers, which were already swelling.
    His touch made the strange ache low in her belly get worse.
    Charisse couldn’t tear her eyes from his swollen lip.
    Oh God, what had she done?
    Those dark eyes narrowed now on hers.
    "You think hitting me is the best way to earn my respect?"
    Of course she didn't, but Charisse would rather lie naked on hot coals than admit it.
    Her whole body was trembling now and she cursed herself for it as their eyes battled and all logical thought evaporated.
    "I hate you."
    He flashed her the predatory smile that seemed to press every single hot button in her system.
    Her hand fisted in his.
    "Fuck it," he said.
     
    For a big man he moved terribly fast, and Charisse found herself slung over his shoulder like a bag of coal and marched through the garden and into the palace.
    Her hair had come loose and was dangling over her hot face.
    Khalid held her knees close to his chest as her fists battered his strong back.
    It was like hitting solid rock.
    Her cheeks went nuclear as a weird sort of dark excitement fought with fear and rage.
    "Put me down you big frog-faced baboon!"
    The flat of the hand that connected with her bottom landed hard enough to hurt, a lot.
    Her howl of utter fury coincided with a deterioration in her language that was frowned upon even in the gutter.
    Sarif, Yasmin and Arabella entered the hall, watching with interest as Khalid strode past them carrying a queen who had apparently lost all sense of decorum.
    "I don’t think that is the best way to endear yourself to your future wife, Khalid," muttered Sarif as he folded his arms and leaned against a wide sandstone pillar to watch the show.
    His brother merely