He neither loved nor respected her

A link had been forged the day Claire saved the heir to the desert kingdom of Omarah from assassins. Otherwise, she wouldn't have agreed to masquerade as the infant's mother--and Raoul D'Albro's unwanted wife.

Raoul was prejudiced against Claire. And as long as his eyes burned with contempt for her, Claire felt shielded from his powerful masculinity

"Even if you were my type, " he assured Claire coldly, "your evident greed and the fact that yon have a lover would be sufficient to kill my desire for you. " Raoul was wrong--in this and more!