It was the weekend of the sheikh’s birthday, an occasion that also served as the first official event that Harper would be hosting as his wife. As he was a man who already had everything, she had thought long and hard on what to give him before eventually deciding that an exemplary performance as his queen was the best gift she could give him.

For this she had woken up early – earlier even than the sheikh, which startled and momentarily gave her pause. It had been a long time since she had glimpsed his sleeping face, and she couldn’t help staring.

Perfect, she couldn’t help thinking. He was so, so perfect in every way that a man could be, and the thought twisted her heart so because she knew she was still worlds away from being his equal. Whenever she spent time with his people, stories of hero worship were inevitable, and at first she had been skeptical, wondering if the people were only saying such things of the sheikh because they wanted to get on her good side. But as the stories only piled up, and they were always consistent in how they portrayed the Emir Sheikh, Harper had taken it upon herself to verify the truth on her own.

And what she discovered only made her love him more.

Here was a man who had used his personal fortune for the rehabilitation of injured Ramilian soldiers and offered monetary aid to grieving widows and orphaned children. And when he had learned of his grandfather refusing to offer basic healthcare to his people purely out of avarice, Khalil had once again dug into his own pockets to set up non-profit hospitals that offered free medical care. And all of this, he did despite King Hasim publicly branding him a bastard who’d never inherit the throne.

On the day Harper had married the sheikh, she had foolishly thought she was only marrying a man who happened to wear a crown. Now, she knew how wrong she was. She had married a man whose entire life had been selflessly devoted to Ramil – a man whom everyone believed would one day go down as one of history’s greatest kings.

Even now, it remained a daunting thought, a grave reminder of the monumental task that lay ahead of her, and as she continued to study the sheikh’s sleeping profile in silence, Harper gnawed on her lip worriedly. Could she ever measure up to him?

Yes. No. Of course. Never.

It was rare for her to be indecisive, and it frustrated Harper so. Releasing a sigh of frustration, she turned away and was about to stand up when fingers suddenly locked around her wrist, hauling her back---

Harper tumbled back into the bed, falling against the sheikh’s powerful chest with a gasp. “You’re awake!”

“You were staring at me too hard.”

Her face reddened. “I was not!”

But the sheikh only smiled, his gaze all-too-knowing making her squirm. She tried tugging her hand out of his hold, mumbling, “I should go.”

“At three in the morning?”

“I feel guilty enough that I went to bed when most of the staff insisted on working overnight.”

“Don’t be. We all have our own duties, qalifa.” He reached up suddenly, and she started in surprise when he ran his fingers slowly over her forehead. “This party appears to be stressing you unnecessarily.”

“It’s not---”

The sheikh’s fingers trailed down her neck, reaching the neckline of her silk nightgown. “You should relax.”

“I don’t have the time---” Her voice died as the sheikh pulled the fabric down until her breasts popped free.

He cupped one breast, and she automatically leaned closer, closer and closer until the pink, pouting tip brushed against his lips. His mouth opened, his tongue flicking against her nipple, and Harper whimpered, her toes curling hard at the throbbing sensation.

“Still no time to relax?” the sheikh purred.

“Actually,” she managed to say, “I think I have lots of time.”

The sheikh smirked. “I thought you’d say that.” And then he grabbed her by the hair, pulling her down, and his mouth covered hers. She moaned at his kiss, and when he flipped them around the next moment, she moaned again as his heavy weight pressed down on hers and his huge and already hard phallus pulsated powerfully against her folds.

Harper writhed restlessly as he squeezed her breasts, pinched and bit her nipples before moving down, sucking hard on her clit. Her legs went around his neck, her fingers driving through his dark hair, and just when she was about to come his mouth lifted---

“Khalil!”

He laughed at her frustrated tone, but he still pulled away and started everything all over again as he rose on his knees, pulled her legs up to his waist, and impaled his wife with one stroke. Harper screamed, his penis reaching all the way deep inside of her, and then she was gasping and panting, his hips moving forcefully as he impaled her over and over, his balls slapping against her aching, swelling pussy.

“Oh God, oh God, please.”

“Do you want me to fuck you harder?” the sheikh gritted out.

Harper moaned. “Y-yes.”

“Then say it. Say you want me to fuck you hard.” His fingers dug deep into the plump cheeks of her ass. “Say it.”

A sob tore out of her throat, and she choked, “Please fuck me hard.”

And he did.

He fucked her hard, so damn hard she could have sworn the room had started to spin, so damn hard it was like his phallus was tearing her pussy apart, and oh God, she loved it. She loved, loved the way it hurt, and when he started to grind his penis harder into her, his hips alternatively circling to make his phallus bump against the walls of her pussy---

Her eyes rolled back, her breath caught, and her body tensed.

“Khalil---”

The sheikh responded by reaching between their bodies as he withdrew his phallus. When he thrust back into her, he also slipped one finger inside of her, ensuring that every inch of her was stuffed –

Her pussy stretched open, her pleasure rocketed out of control, and Harper came apart with a scream.

She sobbed as she came, the strength of her release making her body heavy and pliant as the sheikh plunged into her over and over, fucking her with both his penis and his finger, fast and hard, until after another moment he, too, reached his release, the sheikh letting out a harsh growl as he shot his cum into her.

Later, much, much later, the sheikh carried his wife into the palace’s private Turkish bath, which was connected to his suite with a secret passageway. She was unnaturally silent, and she was clinging to him rather than resisting his touch like usual, and when he looked down at her, the first thing he saw was the fear that flickered in her eyes.

As they slipped into the water, he made her straddle him, and his lips slightly curved when she blushed at the way her breasts bobbed gently between their bodies.

“Why can’t we just shower the way normal people do,” she muttered, arms crossing over her chest.

“Because I’m a king?” She grunted in response, amusing him, but even so he didn’t forget what he had glimpsed in her gaze, and slowly, he murmured her name.

“Harper.”

Oh, shit. She knew that soft, coaxing voice of his, and she did her best to resist it, teeth sinking hard into her lower lip. But then he reached for her, winding a lock of her hair around his finger, and it was all she could do not to mewl.

Her hair unwound from his finger, and then he was clasping her cheek---

His gentle, protective warmth was impossible to ignore, and before she knew it, she was already rubbing her face against his hand like a kitten begging for its master’s affection.

Damn sheikh. Damn sheikh. Damn sheikh.

But even so, she couldn’t help enjoying his touch.

“I have something to ask of you, malakti, and I need you to answer me honestly.”

And there it was, she thought. An order he’d leave her no choice but to obey---

The sheikh cupped her chin. “What are you afraid of?”

Oh. It stunned her that he would notice her fears, and she couldn’t help hedging, muttering, “It’s unimportant.”

“Allow me to be the judge of that, qalifa.”

“But it’s really silly---”

“Harper.” His voice was still soft, but underlying it was a note of command. “Speak of your trouble.”

“Oh, fine.” She knew she was being ungracious about it, but she didn’t care. “I’m just worried I’d end up embarrassing you this weekend.”

Silence.

And Harper felt hurt. “You think the same thing, too, don’t you?’

“No.”

“Ha!”

He shook his head. “Do you truly believe I could be so easily embarrassed?”

Her mouth opened and closed.

“Would you like me to do something about your fears? Would you like me to slay dragons for you?”

Harper didn’t know what to say. The simple, easy way out would have been to answer ‘yes’ – but did she really want that?

“Tell me, wife. What do you truly wish to achieve?”

“To make you proud.” A part of her had expected the sheikh to be pleased with her answer, with the way she was being more forthcoming than usual, but instead she was stunned to see disappointment flash in his eyes.

“You already make me proud, qalifa.”

“It’s n-not enough.” Harper found herself stammering, and she hated herself for it because she didn’t even know why she was doing it. “I want you to be prouder, so you’ll see I’m a good queen---” But still the disappointment lingered in his gaze, and she bit her lip.

A moment later, the sheikh seemed to take her silence as the end of their conversation, and she didn’t protest when he made her turn around. He soaped her body and washed her hair, his touch painfully tender.

Before she knew it, the words were already out---

“What exactly do you want from me?”

Her voice shook in frustration. Was he really blind to all the things she did for him, to the way she bent backwards to be a proper queen? She had lost count of the times she had swallowed her pride for him, had bitten her tongue so many times that if it had literally happened, she would’ve already punched holes in it. For this damn sheikh, she had gone to bed, her jaw aching from too much smiling and faking, and all of this was for the sake of pleasing him.

And it still wasn’t enough?

Tears began to prick her eyes as the silence continued between them, but when she made a move to stand up, the sheikh captured her wrist---

“Let me go,” Harper snarled under her breath even as she fought back tears. Damn sheikh.

And still he kept pulling back, closer and closer---

Until she felt his lips touch her bare shoulder.

“I trust you, malikta, to discover the answer on your own.”