Miranda Lee – One Passionate Night: His Bride for One Night / One Night at Parenga / His One-Night Mistress (страница 22)

You’ve had no trouble getting women to fall in love with you in the past, he was reminded. You have a hell of a lot going for you.

Still, it might help to tell Charlotte he’d fallen in love with her, and that he’d changed his mind about getting married.

He would have to pick his moment, however. Not too soon. She might not believe him. No, he would have to wait. Meanwhile…

Daniel stood up, wrapped the towel around his hips and headed for the bathroom. The sound of water running had stopped. Hopefully Charlotte was dressed by now. Still, he would knock and make sure.

Charlotte was about to start blow-drying her hair when a firm tap came on the bathroom door.

‘Yes?’

‘I’ve ordered breakfast for eleven,’ Daniel called through the door. ‘I need to shower and shave before then. Are you finished in there?’

She wasn’t. Not even remotely. But the hair-dryer wasn’t one of those connected to the wall, so she could finish her face and hair elsewhere. There was a carved wooden desk in the sitting area, she’d noted last night, with a gilt-edged mirror on the wall above it. That could serve as a dressing table.

But she was disappointed that Daniel would see her as Louise did most mornings. She’d wanted to be all made up for him, with her hair looking as if she’d just stepped out of a salon.

Oh, well. At least she had a new outfit on, one of the ones she’d bought to wear on her honeymoon. Crisp white hipster jeans—the stretch kind that clung and didn’t crush—teamed with a buttercup-yellow halter-necked top and white slip-on sandals. Strappy ones with sexy little heels.

Thinking of sex brought Charlotte’s mind to her underwear, which was very sexy but not altogether comfortable. Her bra was a silky cream push-up number she’d bought in that expensive lingerie shop. There was a matching G-string with a lace edging, which looked great.

Picking up the hair-dryer and her toilet bag, Charlotte reluctantly clip-clopped across the black marble floor and opened the door.

Daniel tried not to stare at her. Love, they often said, was blind. In his case, however, it was anything but. As he looked down into her freshly washed face and clear blue eyes, he was overcome with emotion.

He almost told her he loved her right then and there.

Instead he swore, which brought a startled glance to her beautiful eyes.

‘Sorry,’ he apologised rather grumpily. ‘But you have no right to look so damned gorgeous this morning. You should be all bleary-eyed. Like me.’

Bleary-eyed! Was he kidding? He looked scrumptious, that designer stubble on his chin only adding to his sex appeal. As did his only having a towel draped around his hips. Daniel had a great upper body, with broad shoulders, well-defined pecs and a flat, hard stomach.

Charlotte knew she was staring at the man quite shamelessly. But she didn’t care. She was totally besotted.

‘I’ve been thinking,’ she said. Anything to get her mind off ripping that towel off him, right here and now. ‘What’s your sister going to say to your going away with me today? I mean…she’s the one you’ve come all this way to visit, after all.’

‘She won’t mind,’ he returned abruptly. ‘I can always extend my visit.’

Charlotte’s heart jumped at this news. ‘Really? I thought you had to return to LA in a fortnight.’

He shrugged. ‘I’m my own boss.’

‘Oh. I see. Good. I wouldn’t want you getting into trouble because of me.’ And with a supreme effort of will she pushed past him. ‘All yours,’ she said blithely over her shoulder as she walked off.

Once the bathroom door was safely shut behind her and she heard the shower taps snap on, Charlotte bolted for the other room, dropping her things on one of the sofas and picking up the phone. Once she had an outside line she punched in her home number. She simply had to talk to Louise, had to have some common sense talked to her. And fast!

‘Yes,’ a foggy voice answered.

‘Louise, it’s me. Wake up.’

‘Charlotte! Brad, it’s Charlotte!’

‘I don’t want a three-way conversation, thanks,’ Charlotte said sharply. ‘I want to talk to you and only you.’

She heard some muffled sounds in the background before Louise came back on the line.

‘I’m on my way to the kitchen right now. Shoot!’

‘Tell me again it’s only lust.’

‘Oooh. That good, eh?’

‘Yes.’

‘Then it’s definitely only lust. A specially addictive kind. There’ll be no going back now, sweetie.’

‘So you don’t think I’ve fallen in love with the man?’

‘Nah. What’s to love?’

Charlotte could think of many things to love about Daniel. He wasn’t just a stud. He was kind, and intelligent, and sensitive, and successful, and generous.

Her heart contracted as she thought of how he’d given her father all that money. Thousands, it must have been. He needn’t have done that. She’d been angry at the time but that had been her problem, not Daniel’s. She must have seemed awfully ungrateful to him.

‘Hey there!’ Louise said. ‘Why so quiet all of a sudden?’

‘No reason. Louise, could you do me a favour?’

‘Anything.’

‘Pack a bag for me. There’s a navy sports bag in the bottom of my wardrobe. Throw in all those new clothes I bought for my honeymoon. And whatever accessories you think I’ll need. I already have my make-up, perfume and toiletries with me, so you don’t have to worry about those. I’ll be by to pick it up around twelve-thirty.’

‘I won’t be here by then. Brad’s taking me to his house for a barbeque.’

‘Oh…’

‘Don’t worry, I’ll pack it and leave it near the front door. Gosh, I’m so glad last night was a success, but I can’t stay and chat. Not if I have to pack you a bag and get ready myself. Brad’s just come in and given me strict orders to hurry.’

‘That’s fine. Thanks, Louise.’

‘No sweat. Take care.’

Louise hung up with Brad still looking impatiently at her. He came forward and pulled her into his arms. ‘Forget the coffee and come back to bed.’

‘I can’t. I have to pack Charlotte a bag before we go.’

‘Why can’t she pack her own bag?’

‘Because she wants to get lover-boy up to the Hunter Valley as soon as possible, I guess. Have some more of whatever she had last night.’

‘And you don’t?’ He looked offended.

‘I would have thought after six months of continual sex you’d have had enough by now.’

‘I’ll never have enough of you, babe. When are you going to realise that?’

Louise didn’t reply. Impossible with Brad’s mouth clamped solidly over hers. But underneath his kiss, her heart was doing strange things. Damn that wedding yesterday. It made a girl want things. And think things. And feel things.

Maybe the time had come to give love another chance.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

‘I’M SORRY about this, sis,’ Daniel said as he hastily repacked the clothes he’d unpacked a couple of days earlier. ‘I know you must be disappointed.’

‘Yes, and no,’ Beth replied.

Daniel flicked her a questioning glance. ‘Meaning?’

‘I had been looking forward to your stay. I won’t deny it. I’ve been lonely since I gave up work to have this baby. But I’m willing to sacrifice the immediate pleasure of your company for the long term.’

Daniel zipped up his natty travelling case then glanced up at his sister again. ‘Meaning?’

She smiled. ‘I know my big brother well enough to know when he’s finally fallen in love.’

Daniel’s smile was wry. ‘Have I been that obvious?’

‘Afraid so. Vince said it was written all over your face at the wedding. Says he’s never seen a groom so much in love with a bride.’