Seducing the Secret Heiress by Seducing the Secret Heiress (epub)

Author:Seducing the Secret Heiress (epub)
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781742538037
Publisher: Penguin Books Australia I Destiny Romance
Published: 2013-01-03T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Charlie sat at the kitchen table sipping her tea. Her head hurt, but the dull thud paled in comparison to her excruciating embarrassment.

She played the previous night over again in her head. Having dinner with Gabe was pretty clear, but the time between leaving the club and waking this morning was . . . blurry.

Well, more than blurry.

Of particular concern was that she’d woken up naked except for her knickers and stockings. Thank goodness she’d left a few things behind at Gabe’s. How humiliating would it be eating breakfast in a slinky black party dress?

She hung her head in her hands and stared into her nearly empty tea cup. A shame tea leaves were only useful for telling the future. She’d give anything to have a clear picture of the past few hours.

The memory of throwing her arms about Gabe’s neck at the front door jumped into her mind. Her heart picked up pace and she winced. Had she tried to kiss him and been rejected?

She shuddered. Mortification washed over her.

‘Didn’t expect to see you up this early.’

She knocked over her mug. Heat rushed her cheeks as she leapt up and grabbed a cloth. She desperately wanted to read Gabe’s expression but couldn’t meet his eyes.

‘Eggs and bacon?’ she asked.

‘Sounds great.’

She busied herself making breakfast, keeping her back to him as much as possible.

‘Charlie.’

‘Hmm?’ she said.

‘Look at me.’

Her heart quickened in her chest. Taking a deep breath, she turned slowly and met his gaze.

‘Everything okay?’ His eyes were suffused with concern.

‘Fine. Fine,’ she said lightly. But her head pounded, more from humiliation than alcohol consumption. Well, maybe a bit of both. Gabe liked poached eggs, but her hands shook so much they’d be scrambled today.

‘It’s just that last night you were talking about Australia and secrets. To be honest, you weren’t making much sense. Anything you want to talk about?’

‘I’m sorry. I had too much to drink and—’A blob of bacon fat splattered onto her arm. ‘Ouch,’ she cried and dropped the spatula. Rushing to the sink, she ran cold water over the burn.

Gabe leapt from the table and stood next to her. ‘Are you burnt?’

‘I’m fine. It isn’t much.’ She pulled her arm from under the water. A nasty welt already glowed red just above her wrist.

‘No, keep it there,’ Gabe said, pressing her arm into the cold stream again.

Charlie tried to focus on the water and not think about Gabe’s fingers on her skin. He touched her arm lightly.

‘I think that’s going to blister.’

It was such a simple act, but his light touch thrilled her to her core. She closed her eyes and imagined Gabe caressing her in other places. The grandfather clock in the hall chimed.

‘Damn, is that the time?’ Gabe said, looking at his watch. ‘Keep your arm there for at least ten minutes,’ he said, giving her hand a little squeeze. ‘Sorry about breakfast, I’ve got to run.’

He hesitated, leaned towards her then pulled back quickly. ‘See you in a few weeks. I’ll call.’

‘Ah yeah.

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.