The Bachelor's Bride by Audra Adams

Author:Audra Adams
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 1995-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Six

It was nothing like she’d imagined. She’d thought grand, elegant, a sprawling version of his town house with trees. It was anything but.

It was beautiful.

Set at least half a mile off the road, the house had all the rustic charm of an advertisement for country retreats. It had no airs about it, no artifice of any kind. Sturdy, naturally stained oak gave it an ordinary touch she did not associate with someone like Reid. Or at least the Reid that she—and everyone else—thought they knew.

If the New York town house was the urbane, polished Reid James, then the Connecticut country house represented his alter ego, a down-to-basics side of him he’d never shown to anyone.

This was a home, quaint, understated, hospitable. As Rachel exited from the car, the wraparound porch seemed to reach out to her like giant arms extended in welcome.

Rachel felt the excitement build in her. She stood behind Reid as he fumbled with the old lock. She was thrilled to be here, excited to view what lay behind the door. Her face lit up with a beaming smile of anticipation.

Then the door swung inward on a loud creak and Reid turned to her. The look on his face stopped her cold. It was dead serious, and a feeling of imminent dread washed over her. Her smiled faded. “What is it?” she asked.

“Let’s do this right,” he answered, and, before she could say another word, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her over the threshold.

Rachel held on to his neck tightly. He didn’t put her down right away, but swung her around as he surveyed the interior.

“I haven’t been here in ages,” he said apologetically as he readjusted her weight in his arms. “It’s very simple, kind of small, and underdecorated.”

“‘Underdecorated’?” she repeated breathlessly. Her heart was pounding as much from trying to fathom his mercurial moods as from being swept off her feet.

Reid gazed into her eyes. They were clear, gray, and wide with wonder. He hadn’t realized until he’d put the key in the lock how badly he’d wanted her to like this place. From the look on her face, she was in shock. She’d probably been expecting a mansion on a waterfront estate. He felt the need to compensate for the poor showing.

Without thinking, he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. She responded by parting her lips, and he lost no time in deepening the kiss. A wave of longing gripped him as her tongue touched his, but he knew he had to let her go...and now, before he lost control, before he laid her down right here in the hallway and made love to her. The day had been endless, the drive up tense. He was too tightly wound to give in to this kiss, and too afraid of what would happen if he did.

This wasn’t the way he wanted it to be. If they were to make love tonight, it had to be special, so perfect that she would remember it forever.

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