The Baby The Desert King Must Claim

LYNNE GRAHAM was born in Northern Ireland and has been a keen romance reader since her teens. She is very happily married to an understanding husband who has learned to cook since she started to write! Her five children keep her on her toes. She has a very large dog who knocks everything over, a very small terrier who barks a lot and two cats. When time allows, Lynne is a keen gardener. Books by Lynne Graham The Ring the Spaniard Gave Her The Italian’s Bride Worth Billions Heirs for Royal Brothers Cinderella’s Desert Baby Bombshell Her Best Kept Royal Secret The Stefanos Legacy Promoted to the Greek’s Wife The Heirs His Housekeeper Carried The King’s Christmas Heir Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk. The Baby the Desert King Must Claim Lynne Graham www.millsandboon.co.uk ISBN: 978-0-008-92861-2 THE BABY THE DESERT KING MUST CLAIM © 2023 by Lynne Graham Published in Great Britain 2023by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental. By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher. ® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries. www.millsandboon.co.uk Note to Readers This ebook contains the following accessibility features which, if supported by your device, can be accessed via your ereader/accessibility settings: Change of font size and line height Change of background and font colours Change of font Change justification Text to speech “I found freedom and peace in that cove for a few minutes of relaxation—” “—and then I entered the picture and everything went to hell,” Claire inserted doggedly. “I have not a single regret about what happened between us,” Raif told her with conviction. “It was the most real connection I have ever enjoyed with a woman. Why would I wish that we had never met at all?” “You’ll regret it deeply once I tell you what I have to tell you,” Claire warned him tautly. Raif frowned as he lifted his tea from the tray. “So, talk...” “I’ve done a test and I’m pregnant,” Claire informed him quietly. He set down the tea with a jarring rattle of china. “Are you sure of this?” “The test was positive.” Contents Cover About the Author Booklist Title Page Copyright Note to Readers Introduction CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN EPILOGUE Extract About the Publisher CHAPTER ONE EVEN ANCHORED OUT in the bay, the mega yacht, Mahnoor, towered above every other craft moored at the marina of the Greek island of Kanos, including the local ferry. For all its size and the looming tiers of deck, however, the slick lines of the pristine vessel had been designed for speed and elegance. From the shelter of the top-deck office, the owner, Prince Raif Sultan bin Al-Rashid, better known in the business world as the billionaire resort and property developer, Raif Sultan, was receiving a prearranged call from his royal father, King Jafri of Quristan. What on earth could the father who had virtually ignored him since his birth want from him? Only seconds into the awkward opening dialogue, Raif found out and it wasn’t pleasant. ‘You have signed a contract to build a town and a resort on Quristani land,’ his father hissed. ‘You will tear it up and forget about the idea!’ Raif bristled. ‘It has the government’s support.’ ‘It does not have mine!’ the older man exclaimed. ‘I do not want tourists in my country.’ ‘I can only be sorry for that,’ Raif countered stiffly. ‘The new port and luxury resort would bring a lot of employment to a poor area. All conservation advice will be respected in the development and the resort will have the minimum possible impact on the natural habitat.’ ‘I have told you how I feel. That should be sufficient to change your mind,’ the older man interrupted in another burst of outrage. ‘I cannot pull out of a contract that has already been signed and approved by the government,’ Raif responded wryly. ‘I will not call you my son again if you disobey me,’ King Jafri cut in fiercely. ‘Obeying me is your primary duty as my son and I will not tolerate your disobedience!’ The phone went crashing down in Quristan. Raif breathed in slowly and carefully and then swore long and low in English. His duty? His duty? Was he a child to be told what to do and how to do it? And by a man whom he barely knew? A man who had never once acted like a father to him? A man who