The Seduction (Billionaire's Beach Book 5) by Christie Ridgway

Author:Christie Ridgway [Ridgway, Christie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Christie Ridgway
Published: 2017-05-24T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

Hefting a heavy, insulated basket in one hand, Lucas let himself into the house. The smell of coffee immediately greeted him, and he swallowed a curse. He’d wanted to be back from his errand before Emmaline awakened.

But there she was, bustling about the kitchen, a cloth in hand and swaddled by a long expanse of dark-gray fabric tied with a bow at her waist. He frowned.

“I thought we agreed you’d forego the uniform,” he said.

She whirled, then ran a hand over the material covering her front. “It’s only an apron. I have on regular clothes underneath.”

Her nervous gaze traveled around the room, seeming to avoid him at all costs.

Without further comment, he strode to the island and set the basket on the surface, then crossed his arms over his chest. Watching her return from a date with another man the night before had been an unpleasant coming-home gift. The impromptu business trip had been compulsory, but the hassle of it had been doubled by the fact that it postponed Emmaline and his being able to process together what had happened between them on the couch.

In the heat of the delicious moment of satisfying her, completely and gratifyingly, he’d leaped to the conclusion that he’d done something as hasty and dangerous as falling in love. But on the plane flight north later that night, he’d reassessed. Surely he was too smart to be ass over ears, too controlled.

It didn’t make sense that he even believed in something as ephemeral and illogical as love.

For the hours of the flight and whenever he had a quiet moment while he was gone, he’d gone to work on the idea like one of his employees, seeking weaknesses.

They hardly knew each other.

Mutual lust did not a relationship make.

What the fuck was love anyway?

He’d flown home thinking maybe he’d return to find her prosaically folding towels or cutting up vegetables, and it would be as if that time with her naked and riding his hand was some kind of illusive fever-dream. A delayed and deceptive after-effect of the crappy bout of flu.

Driving up to the house, for a tense moment he’d even wondered if she wouldn’t be there at all. If perhaps those weeks of her in his household had been a figment of his imagination—an illness-induced fantasy. But then he’d spied tossed on a countertop the straw hat she wore out in the herb garden and noted the cheery bouquet of sunflowers popping from the mouth of an earthenware pitcher that he was sure he’d never seen before.

He’d smiled to himself and relaxed when he found the cookie jar full of the oatmeal and chocolate chip bars that she promised were ten-percent healthy for him.

All had been right with his world, though he’d worried, a little, about her continued absence. Then he’d heard a car drive up to the house.

His feet had headed straight for the front door.

Where he’d met her would-be swain. Instantly, Lucas’s competitive streak had been triggered. He’d determined he wasn’t happy

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