Bridegroom on Approval by Day Leclaire

Author:Day Leclaire [Leclaire, Day]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Harlequin Treasury
Published: 2011-05-30T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

IT WAS LATE when Marc awoke, his surroundings pitchblack and unfamiliar. He remained still until he’d regained his bearings and could determine where the hell he was. Then he remembered. He’d fallen asleep in Hanna’s living room on her sofa. He sat up with a groan. His head pounded and his stomach grumbled in hunger. He vaguely recalled seeing a lamp on the table beside him and he fumbled in that direction. His memory proved accurate. He flicked the switch, and a harsh glow stabbed through the high-ceilinged room, illuminating the uncomfortable starkness.

Glancing at his watch, he muttered a curse. It was three in the morning and judging by his gut reaction to the utter stillness, Hanna hadn’t stepped foot in the place since he’d arrived. The silence felt downright oppressive and he glared in frustration at his surroundings. The room echoed Hanna’s claims about herself—at least the self she presented to the world.

It was sterile and bland and completely lacking in personality. Although the floor had been laid with a good quality oak, the color had been bleached into nonexistence before being protectively coated with a heavy-duty varnish. A single area rug attempted to add a hint of warmth to the room. It failed miserably, the mottled grays, browns and whites as bland as everything else he’d seen around here. There were a few pictures on the walls, but they were all group photos and not one of them included Hanna. As for the furniture... He winced. It was an eyesore and gave him a backache. Two for the price of one. Just great.

Escaping the coldness of the living room, he entered the antiseptic environment of the kitchen. Checking the meager contents of her refrigerator, he decided he could probably throw together a couple of omelettes. If he was hungry, she must be starved by now—starved and too nervous to face him after he’d attacked her with that feather. If it weren’t so tragic, it’d be downright amusing.

In addition to the omelette, he peeled an orange for them to share and poured two glasses of wine. Perhaps once he’d fed her, he could coax her to bed, although he was almost afraid to see what her bedroom looked like. No doubt as monastic as the rest of the place. With his luck she’d have a single mattress—too short to fit a decent-sized man—covered with a horsehair blanket. If so, that would be the first change he instituted.

Ready or not, Hanna was going to find her bed filled with passion.

Loading the food and drinks onto a cutting board that he improvised as a tray, he made his way to her office. Outside her door, he juggled his handful and tapped lightly. Not receiving a response, he walked in.

He found Hanna behind her desk, as he’d expected, and he stood for a long minute, staring. She’d fallen asleep, her glasses askew on her nose, a stack of papers pillowing her cheek, her vivid hair blanketing her arms and shoulders. Even in sleep, tension gripped her, betrayed by the way her hands remained on top of her to-do list.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.