Free SEAL's Deception (Take No Prisoners Book 8) by Elle James Page B

she was giving him a reassuring smile. He wanted to draw her into his arms and kiss the bright red lipstick off her lips.
    Too soon, the vehicle stopped in a sweeping drive in front of a massive building with arched porticos decorated in beautiful, intricate geometric mosaics of rich reds, azure blues and shining golds. Fountains spurted water into the air, and palm trees waved in a gentle breeze.
    The chauffeur got out and walked around to open the door.
    Stingray jumped out first.
    Then Ben got out and held the door for Yasmin, resisting the urge to extend his hand to assist her. Men didn’t touch women in public.
    Yasmin exited the vehicle with sophisticated grace befitting a potential princess and stood at the base of pink granite steps leading into the palace. A group of men gathered at the top, dressed in the traditional garb of Saudi royalty.
    Ben recognized the white dress, or thobe , the men wore beneath black robes with the gold trim. Only the Arab royals dressed in the black and gold robes. Red-checkered scarves covered their heads with heavy black bands holding the fabric in place. The few women standing to the side wore black abayas , completely covering their bodies, with hijabs covering their heads.
    The men seemed to be hovering around a central figure, a younger man, perhaps Ben’s age, who stared at Yasmin with intense brown-black eyes.
    Without being introduced, Ben could tell. He had to be Prince Khalid. Apparently, the man saw in Yasmin what Ben already knew. She was stunning, regal and deserving of the title princess. He hoped the prince didn’t plan on moving the nuptials forward on the calendar. The way he stared at Yasmin, he looked like he would prefer to skip all the ceremonies and get right to the wedding night.
    Ben’s hands fisted. The prince would have to go through him to get to Yasmin.

7
    A s she stared at the gauntlet of Arabs standing at the top of the steps, Yasmin squelched the urge to run. One man in the middle caught her immediate attention. From the images she’d studied of the Saudi family, this had to be the young prince, the favored son of the current king. Online articles portrayed Prince Khalid as a charming rogue among the royals. Though he’d married twice, he was still considered one of the most eligible men in the Middle East. Certainly, he was one of the most handsome with dark, smoldering eyes and the deep shadow of a beard making him appear strong and even more masculine than his clean-shaven English counterparts.
    Yasmin shivered. Though Khalid was most definitely a panty-dampening, beautiful man, he was just a pawn in her game to get into the palace and find those vials.
    As she walked up the steps to the delegation gathered to greet her, Yasmin fought to keep from reaching out to Ben for support. He was the man who’d made her ache with desire.
    Ben, light as Khalid was dark and taller than most men, climbed the steps beside her. He would tower over the prince and the other royal family members, if allowed to rise to the top step.
    As Khalid came forward, Ben stopped short of the top, letting Yasmin approach the prince alone.
    Her heart skipped a few beats and raced forward. This was her chance to convince the prince she was his future bride.
    “Princess Aliya, it is with great pleasure I welcome you to my home.” He spoke perfect English with a British accent, in a deep, smooth tone.
    Yasmin remembered reading he’d attended Oxford, the same university where Aliya had studied several years later. She bowed her head. “Thank you, Prince Khalid.”
    “You must be fatigued from your flight. Please allow the women of the palace to show you to your quarters. They will give you details of the events scheduled over the next few days.”
    Again, she inclined her head and gave the man a subdued smile, hoping she was handling him correctly. Aliya hadn’t gone into the details of meeting a Saudi prince’s entire family. She had been in a hurry to get away before her