Buying His Bride (The Donovan Brothers Trilogy Book 1) by Alison Ashlyn

Author:Alison Ashlyn [Ashlyn, Alison]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Contemporary, Women's Fiction
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc
Published: 2016-07-05T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

After her outburst, Michael steered her there, sat next to her, asked if she were comfortable, and then ignored her for the duration while he scrolled through messages on his cell phone.

She made one attempt to talk about what happened, but he shut her down. “This is not the time or place to discuss the matter further. We’ll wait until we’re alone.”

Mortified by how she’d overreacted, Sierra bit back a response to his high-handedness.

In the parking lot, Michael made no further mention of the possibility of wine tasting and instead set a course for the Hermitage resort, still in silence.

It was only mid-afternoon. The last thing Sierra wanted was to spend any more time together.

“It’s still early enough to get back to the city today,” she said as they approached the resort. “We’ve taken our little romantic ride. Let’s just go back.”

He shot her an impatient look. “Are you always this self-focused? Our trip has a two-fold purpose. I need to check out the hotel for DEI and meet with the general manager, and your ridiculous behavior hasn’t changed that.”

“What am I supposed to do in the meantime?”

“Oh, I don’t know. How about enjoy yourself? Take advantage of what the place has to offer? How hard can that be?” He shrugged. “Or you can continue to fixate on your fantasy that I’m hell-bent on getting you into bed.”

She lapsed into silence again.

They were given a large double room with a veranda overlooking the hills. Large and sprawling, set on the edge of one of Napa Valley’s finest vineyards with a view of the vines from many of its windows, the resort catered to every conceivable need. Tuscan-style buildings were scattered across the landscape, encompassing secluded accommodations, a full-treatment spa, a four-star restaurant, meeting rooms, and landscaped grounds.

If she hadn’t been so rattled by their exchange on the wine train, she might have enjoyed the opulent surroundings. Michael insisted to the manager he preferred to examine the regular guest rooms rather than take advantage of the suite that was always kept free for use by his family. She didn’t argue with his choice lest he believe she cared about the luxury he could provide or think her a prude at the thought of sharing a bed that a traditional double room would contain.

She’d been histrionic enough for one day.

If their engagement were conventional, everyone—including herself—would expect them to share a room. They’d just have to figure out the details of sleeping arrangements later.

She was about to offer a belated dignified apology when they reached their room, but Michael cut her off once again. “I’m going to meet with the general manager to review operations. It’ll take a few hours. I’ve arranged for you to have carte blanche here, so explore the resort to your heart’s desire.” He handed her one of the two key cards. “Or not, if you prefer to sulk.”

He went left the room without a backward glance. She groaned aloud and flopped into one of several comfortable armchairs.

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.