OneClick Buy: April 2009 Harlequin Presents by Penny Jordan

Author:Penny Jordan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2009-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

‘HEY, Alana, nice to have you back, we missed you.’

Alana smiled at Sophie, but it felt forced as she walked into her old office. ‘Thanks.’

She closed the door behind her. Everything had felt wan since she’d come home just a few days ago. She felt listless, as if a vital source of energy had been taken from her body. She smiled bleakly to herself. She knew what that was: Pascal. She sat down behind her desk heavily.

Just then a knock came on her door, and before she could answer, it opened and Rory barrelled in. ‘Alana! Great to have you back. Sorry about all that business before, but you know my hands were tied.’

Alana couldn’t help a wry smile as Rory’s words flowed into one another and washed over her aching head.

‘…Pascal Lévêque for the charity bash in the K Club this weekend.’

Alana’s body straightened up as if she’d been given a shot of adrenaline. ‘What did you say?’ Her heart was already beating fast. Out of control.

Rory rolled his eyes. ‘I was talking about the Rugby fund-raising party at the weekend. It’s at the K Club in Kildare. Your friend Lévêque is hosting it.’ The K Club was an exclusive golf club and hotel about an hour out of Dublin. The rich and famous regularly helicoptered in for a few days there. Alana felt her blood run cold. ‘Rory, you don’t want me to cover it, do you?’

She could have wept with relief when he said, ‘No, I think it’s still a bit soon to put you at the forefront of such a high-profile event.’ He laughed nervously. ‘Never know who you might run into!’

He rambled on for a bit about what he wanted her to concentrate on, and Alana was relieved when he got up to go. He stopped at the door though, and looked back for a minute, his eyes shrewd on hers. ‘I suppose things didn’t work out with Lévêque?’

Alana felt protectively for her belly, which seemed to be swelling each day now. She shook her head quickly and forced a smile.

Rory smiled too. ‘I’m sure it’s for the best. He’s not exactly in our league, is he?’

Alana shook her head again and held her breath till Rory left. When he did she sagged like a rag doll.

Hearing Rory mention his name now had somehow finally made Alana face up to the reaction that still held her body in its grip. She’d known it all along, if she was honest with herself, she’d just been in a pathetic state of denial.

She loved him. She loved him so much that even to think about it or acknowledge it made her feel dizzy. It was all so clear now, and what came with the clarity wasn’t panic, or claustrophobia; they had all been symptoms of the futile denial of her feelings. She actually felt relief, relief for being honest with herself for the first time in weeks.

She’d craved the physical contact with Pascal in order to feel connected to him without having to look at her feelings.

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