The Cinderella Bride by Barbara Wallace

Author:Barbara Wallace
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2010-04-09T16:00:00+00:00

Gideon didn’t know why he’d picked this particular restaurant. He’d never eaten here himself, having always considered the place a five-star tourist trap. But as soon as the elevator doors opened and he heard Emma’s gasp, he knew he’d made the right decision. Thirty-five stories above Manhattan, the entire penthouse dining room was a glassed-in paradise. Outside, the skyline beckoned from all four sides. Inside, crystal chandeliers bathed the room in light softer than candles, while real flames adorned glass-topped tables. “Like dining in midair,” the restaurant ads touted.

Manufactured romance, Gideon had always thought, but seeing the wonder on Emma’s face, worth the effort. Her eyes danced, they sparkled so brightly. Pleasure shot from his head to his toes. Not sexual pleasure, but the thrill of having pleased her. Her lack of pretense fed his desire to treat her like a princess. The more she refused to indulge herself, the more he wanted to shower indulgence on her. He thought back to her earlier comment, about being the one to stay back and work. He wished he knew who or what had convinced her she couldn’t have more.

“What do you think?” he asked, slipping the wrap from her shoulders. “Better than a hot dog?” Her speechless nod only made his satisfaction swell more, and compelled him to lean in closer. “Wait till you see the view up close.”

Just then the maître d’ approached them, a crisp, slim man in a silk suit. “May I help you?” he asked in a clipped voice.

Gideon introduced himself, and the man instantly snapped to attention. “Yes, of course, Mr. Kent. Right this way. Your table’s waiting.”

He led them through the crowded dining room to a table in the back with an unobstructed view of the Chrysler Building, just as Gideon had requested. A bottle of champagne was chilling in a nearby stand, also as he’d requested. Gideon waited until Emma had been seated, then slipped a generous tip in the man’s palm. Normally he detested men who threw money and entitlement around, but tonight he made an exception. He wanted Emma to have an experience she wouldn’t forget.

“Okay, I admit, this is better than a hot dog,” she said once the maître d’ had left them. “This view is beautiful.”

Emma’s eyes sparkled in the candlelight. He hadn’t noticed before, but the brown had flecks of green. It made them glitter even more than usual. A man could get lost studying those eyes.

And that dress… Christine had outdone herself. He’d sent her a Little Match Girl and got a copper-haired siren. When Emma stepped from the dressing room, every ounce of air had rushed from Gideon’s lungs and he was still having trouble getting it back. The woman sitting across from him wasn’t his adorable Miss O’Rourke; she was a woman who swept coherent thought straight from a man’s head.

“Not as beautiful as you.”

He probably shouldn’t have said the words aloud, but when her blush seeped past her collarbone, regret faded in favor of his growing arousal.

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