Miranda Lee – One Passionate Night: His Bride for One Night / One Night at Parenga / His One-Night Mistress (страница 8)

Daniel absorbed all this information for future reference.

‘Ga-ry.’

Daniel was startled when Charlotte spoke up, the sweet smile on her face belying the dark irony in her eyes, and in her voice. ‘Could I have a moment? Mum. Dad. There’s something I need to discuss privately with Gary. Would you mind?’

‘That’s all right, love,’ her father said. ‘We’ll be back shortly. Give you two lovebirds time enough to sort out whatever it is you have to sort out.’

‘What in hell do you think you’re doing?’ Charlotte hissed under her breath as soon as her parents were far enough away.

‘I guess I’m going to marry you tomorrow,’ Daniel returned evenly, unable to stop a smile from pulling at his mouth.

‘Don’t be ridiculous!’

‘Look, it won’t be legal,’ he reassured her calmly. ‘But it’ll stop your parents from having a really rotten day today. And tomorrow. You might feel a whole lot better, too. You look seriously stressed out, Charlotte.’

She was shaking her head in continued disbelief.

‘You’re insane!’

‘Absolutely not. I’m a lot of things but insane is not one of them.’

‘But we can’t possibly get away with it!’

‘Yes, we can. Your parents already believe I’m Gary. Everyone else will, too.’

‘Louise won’t. She knows Gary didn’t show up.’

Louise. Daniel searched his excellent memory bank and retrieved Louise from their conversation this morning. ‘Isn’t she supposed to be your best friend?’

‘Yes.’

‘Then tell her the truth and ask her to go along with it.’

‘But…but I’ve already cancelled things!’ she protested.

‘What things?’

‘The celebrant for starters, and the flowers, and the tux rental, and…and…’

‘Nothing that can’t be sorted out.’ Though the celebrant could stay cancelled, Daniel decided. He’d find someone else to act as a celebrant. As a lawyer, he couldn’t risk being guilty of any kind of fraud.

Vince would probably do it. For a doctor, he was somewhat of a thrill-seeker. Went skydiving for fun.

‘You haven’t cancelled the reception yet, have you?’ he rapped out.

‘No.’

‘Where’s the ceremony itself taking place? Not a church obviously, if you were having a celebrant.’

‘Here, in the hotel.’

‘No problems there, then.’

‘You are crazy,’ she muttered under her breath.

‘Crazy about you, beautiful.’

She stared up at him, stunned by the speed with which he’d arranged things, and taken advantage of his similarity to Gary.

Not that he was really like Gary.

‘I’ve never met a man like you,’ she said dazedly. ‘I’ll bet you wouldn’t romance a girl over the internet, ask her to marry you and then not show up.’

‘No, Charlotte, I definitely wouldn’t. Aside from being allergic to real marriages as opposed to pretend ones, I can’t stand the internet. Waste of time except for business reasons, and very bad for the eyes.’

She laughed. She couldn’t help it. This whole situation was bizarre. And it was whilst she was laughing that he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, right there, in the hotel lobby. In front of everyone.

At thirty-three, Charlotte had been kissed many times before. But this man kissed the same way he’d looked at her at the airport this morning. With a passion and intensity that was mind-blowing. His arms were wrapped tightly around her, his mouth white-hot on hers. She could feel herself dissolving under the sizzling brand of his lips. Not just her body, but also her mind. When his tongue joined in, every ounce of will-power she owned melted right away, replaced by the desire to surrender herself totally to what he wanted.

He wanted to pretend to marry her tomorrow?

Fine.

He wanted her to go to dinner with him tonight?

OK.

He wanted to take her to bed afterwards?

Yes, please.

Her father noisily clearing his throat had Charlotte finally surfacing from her liquid state to the real world. Once she stepped back out of Daniel’s arms, some semblance of common sense returned. But the smouldering inner heat he’d generated remained, teasing her with the thought that maybe this man could do for her what no man ever had before…

Charlotte tried not to blush at this thought, whilst Daniel looked highly satisfied with the situation. His mission had been accomplished.

Charlotte knew he wasn’t doing this for her parents’ happiness. Or for hers. He was doing it to put her in his debt, and in his bed.

Not that he had to go to such amazing lengths. She would have gone to bed with him, anyway.

Twenty-four hours ago, Charlotte would have scorned anyone who said she would ever be a pushover. The fact she was prepared to say yes to Daniel Bannister within hours of meeting him was as shocking to her as it was intriguing.

Why him?

Was it his movie-star looks? His charm? His intelligence? Or was it the power of his desire that was seducing and compelling her? Men had desired her before but never quite like this. This was something else.

Her cheeks continued to burn as her eyes met his, her heart-rate having not yet calmed. If she felt like this after a kiss, then how would she feel once she was in bed with him, their bodies totally naked, his flesh inside hers?

A quiver rippled down her spine at the thought, her heart flipping right over when he slid an intimate arm around her waist and pulled her back against him.

Daniel resumed the conversation. ‘Charlotte was confessing to me that you’d all organised a bigger wedding for us than we’d originally planned.’

‘Yes, well, I couldn’t give my youngest daughter a lesser wedding than my other daughters, could I?’ her father pronounced proudly, reminding Charlotte why she’d been sick with worry over disappointing her darling dad. She would be forever grateful to Daniel that she didn’t have to now, regardless of his ulterior motives.

Of course, it was still going to be awkward at a later date, explaining why her loving husband had to go back to the States, then extremely disappointing for her to confess that their marriage hadn’t worked out.

But she would cross that bridge when she came to it.

For now, her mum and dad were smiling. That was all that mattered.

‘Do you think we might get along to the restaurant, daughter?’ her dad said. ‘Haven’t had a bite since breakfast.’

‘I’m hungry too,’ Daniel said with a wicked glance at Charlotte.

The man was a devil, no doubt about it. But it was impossible not to like him, as well as want him. He must have cut a right swathe through the ladies in LA these past few years, Charlotte reckoned. That combination of magnetism, machismo and manners was lethally attractive.

‘I hope we’re not going to one of those places where they take hours to serve you,’ her father said with a frown.

‘Amen to that,’ Daniel agreed. ‘When I’m hungry, I have to be fed quickly.’

Charlotte cocked an eyebrow, just to show him she was well aware what he was up to with his double entendres. Then she shot him a sickeningly sarcastic smile. ‘I had a feeling you’d say that. Don’t worry, Dad, the bistro is just a short walk away. You boys could have a beer while we’re waiting for our meal. And, Mum, you could have a sherry. Or some white wine, if you’d prefer.’

‘A sherry would be lovely,’ her mother said, the warm approval on her face giving Charlotte a real buzz.

Charlotte rarely received her mother’s approval, unlike her two older sisters, who hadn’t put a foot wrong in their lives. They’d both done well at school. Both had married their childhood sweethearts, sons of local farmers. Both had produced children.

Charlotte, by contrast, hadn’t finished school, had never learned to cook, couldn’t take up a hem, regularly forgot important dates and, till recently, was yet to find a husband.

As a child, she’d often been described as difficult. And a dreamer.