Читать книгу Modern Romance April 2015 Books 1-8 - Линн Грэхем, Annie West - Страница 38
ОглавлениеDANNY WAS ALWAYS CALM, always measured—at least that was what she told herself—except for tonight, when she was catapulting from one side of her room to the other, trying on clothes and trying to decide how she should wear her hair.
Finally she stood back, arms folded, wondering how it was possible for one person to buy so many sale rejects in the hope that one day she would find just the right accessory to pull the hopelessly mismatched set of items together. She had never pulled an outfit together in her life. She had always been a tomboy in jeans.
And she had around five minutes before Tiago was due to arrive to pick her up and take her to supper.
Why had she left things to the last minute?
She blamed it on the shortbread.
In the spirit of keeping things platonic, and to show Tiago some true Scottish hospitality, she had used her small worktop oven and her grandmother’s secret recipe—sure to melt all but the stoniest heart—to bake him a tray of the traditional Scottish cookies, so he didn’t think she was accompanying him tonight solely in the expectation of a free meal.
Tied up with a tartan ribbon, the small cellophane packet was a humble offering, but it was the best she’d been able to come up with in the time available.
* * *
Tiago took a shower, shaved, and tamed his hair in as much as it could be tamed. He even put on a jacket and tie with his jeans for the occasion. He checked himself over in the mirror. He looked like an undertaker. Ruffling his hair, he ditched the tie, opened a couple of buttons at the neck of his shirt and tugged on a sweater. Better.
Danny was waiting for him in the biting cold outside her front door. Because she didn’t want him to see where she lived, he suspected. The farm seemed even more dilapidated and unappealing to him on second viewing. He didn’t like the thought of her living here on her own.
‘You didn’t have to wait out here.’ He ushered her towards the four-wheel drive
‘I didn’t want to keep you waiting,’ she said, standing back as he opened the door for her. ‘Where are we going?’
‘I can’t say.’
‘You can’t say or you won’t say?’
He smiled. ‘You decide.’
‘Maybe I won’t come with you.’
‘You’ll come,’ he said confidently. ‘You never could resist an adventure.’
He would forgive her anything tonight. Just the fact that she had gone to some trouble with her appearance was enough for his groin to tighten with appreciation—though he would take her straight from mucking out a stable if he had to. Fortunately, that wasn’t necessary. Her hair was shining and she was wearing the familiar wildflower scent, and make-up—just a touch, but enough to suggest she wasn’t completely switched off.
‘You’d better not be teasing me with this supper,’ she warned him, frowning in a way that made him want to grab her close and kiss her hard. ‘You tell me where we’re going or I’m not moving another step.’
Maybe the signs weren’t all good, he amended, hiding his amusement. ‘I’m taking you somewhere new.’
‘Tiago,’ she said patiently, ‘there is nowhere new. This is the Highlands of Scotland, where nothing has changed for a thousand years.’
His lips curved with amusement, but he wouldn’t be drawn. Strolling round to the driver’s side, he got into the vehicle.
‘Where is this?’ Danny demanded a short time later, as he swung the wheel to turn the four-wheel drive onto a recently resurfaced driveway lined with majestic snow-frosted pines.
‘You tell me. You’ve lived in Rottingdean all your life—where nothing ever changes,’ he reminded her dryly.
‘But this place has been derelict for years.’ She frowned as she stared out of the window.
‘Not any longer.’
‘When did it become a hotel?’
‘Never, as far as I’m aware.’
She turned ninety degrees to stare at him. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I live here. At least I’m planning to spend a good part of the year here.’
A stunned silence greeted this remark.
‘I apologise if this comes as a shock to you, Danny, but as you haven’t been talking to me lately...’ He shrugged. ‘It’s better that you know. I can hardly be your neighbour and spend time at a house down the road without you noticing at some point.’
‘Let me get this straight. Are you telling me that you’ve bought the Lochmaglen estate?’
‘And the whisky distillery.’
‘You’re going into business here?’ Danny’s eyes widened.
‘I like Scotch.’
‘Tiago!’
‘Lochmaglen will form part of my business empire, but I won’t allow any investment to be a drain on my finances. Everything I put money into has to earn its keep.’
‘Is that what you thought about me?’ she asked him lightly.
‘You sent the money back.’
‘Yes, I did.’ She sounded pleased about that.
Tiago continued without comment. ‘I mostly bought this place for the excellent pasture—or it will be excellent once I’ve reclaimed it from the weeds. I’m going to build a new training facility for my horses.’
‘But you’ve got excellent training facilities in Brazil.’
‘On the other side of the world,’ he pointed out. ‘But now I’m setting up in Scotland—to service my European interests.’
This made perfect sense to him, but Danny was shaking her head.
‘Don’t think I’m coming to work for you. I’m very happy where I am.’
‘Good,’ he said flatly. ‘You couldn’t have said anything to please me more.’
Was that a flash of disappointment on her face?
‘Ah, there’s Annie!’ he exclaimed as he stopped the vehicle at the foot of the steps leading up to the sturdy front door of the ancient manse.
Hamish’s wife, Annie, the housekeeper at Rottingdean, had offered her services for the night, and was standing ready on the steps, waiting to welcome them.
‘You leave no stone unturned, do you, Tiago?’ Danny threw at him as she waved at Annie.
‘No,’ he admitted. ‘Annie’s missed you. It’s time you two were brought together. So, what do you think I have in mind for tonight?’
She firmed her jaw and refused to answer.
‘You do remember what isn’t on the menu for tonight?’
‘Sex,’ she said, turning her cool stare on his amused face.
‘That’s right.’ Tiago’s mouth curved in a smile. ‘Whatever you want, whatever you need—you’re not going to get it tonight.’
‘You are such an arrogant barbarian.’
‘But you knew that from the start.’
‘What makes you think—?’
‘Danny, please...’ He gave her a look and saw her eyes darken. ‘We should go in. Annie’s waiting to spoil you.’
‘I don’t need spoiling.’
‘Don’t you?’ He reached across to open her door and paused. ‘You’ve got shadows under your eyes. Have you been working all hours?’
‘What’s it to you?’
She turned away, shutting him out. He’d done his research and knew without her telling him that she was trying to shore up a failing stable on her own, with no financial input from the landlord whatsoever. Danny was too proud to take money from anyone—even when she’d earned it. She’d seen difficulty and hardship, and instead of turning her back had responded by throwing her heart and soul into the job. No wonder she looked so tired. She had to be exhausted.
‘What are your hours?’ he demanded as he helped her down from the four wheel drive
‘Whatever’s required,’ she said.
He believed her.
‘I’m building a nest egg. Remember that?’
‘You’re not going to build it at that place—there’s not even the money to pay you a fair wage.’
She didn’t answer this.
Taking hold of her hand, he helped her down. She let go of him at the first opportunity.
‘I hope I’m dressed appropriately tonight?’
He smiled. She never could resist making a teasing barb. He took it as a good sign.
‘You’re dressed perfectly.’
However tired she was, Danny would always look beautiful to him. However limited her budget, she looked like a queen. Tonight, in a simple dress of moss-green wool, and a pair of shoes that—well, the best that could be said for them was that they weren’t riding boots—she had a natural elegance that would put the society women he’d used to date to shame.
‘Let’s get one thing straight,’ she said at the foot of the steps.
‘By all means,’ he said pleasantly.
‘I only agreed to come to supper with you tonight because—’
‘Because...?’ He prompted with an amused stare.
‘Because you’re a stranger in town, and because it would be rude to ignore you.’
‘Extremely rude, considering you’re my wife,’ he agreed. ‘Come on. Let’s not keep Annie waiting.’
Annie swept Danny into a hug, and then chivvied her up the steps and into the welcoming warmth beyond the sturdy front door.
‘I’ve prepared you both a lovely supper and left it in the library, where you’ll be snug,’ the housekeeper was telling Danny breathlessly as she ushered them down the newly redecorated hall.
Tiago followed the two women into the library, glad to see them so close and Danny so happy. Asking Annie to come was a masterstroke. Danny had relaxed instantly in the older woman’s company.
‘This is a beautiful room,’ she said, turning to him now.
‘Thank you.’
He was very proud of the library. He had dreamed of a room like this—of the adventures contained within the covers of a book—ever since he was a child, and had created a library exactly to that dream design. He’d recoiled at his designer’s suggestion that he buy books ‘by the yard’, and had handpicked each one and had them shipped to Scotland.
The room was perfection, in his eyes, and never more so than now, with a fire burning lustily in the hearth, a feast prepared by Annie spread out on the table, and the woman he loved standing in the centre of the room. gazing around with wonder at the walls filled with books.
Yes. He loved her—more than anything on this earth.
‘I can’t believe how stupid I was not to realise all this was going on down the road!’
‘Not stupid,’ he argued as Annie smiled and left them to it. ‘My people are the best, and they were under strict instructions not to create any upheaval with their heavy vehicles in the village—and I didn’t exactly run a banner across the sky.’
‘But still,’ she argued, running her hand across the newly refurbished mantelpiece. ‘You’ve restored everything to its original state. This is wonderful, Tiago.’
‘I’m glad you like it.’
He had wanted to bring the old place back to life again, and now Danny was standing here he felt he had succeeded. The library was large and airy, with French doors leading out onto the newly reformed gardens, and there was a large oak table in the centre of the room, where he could sit and spread out his papers, but it was Danny who held his attention now.
As she shook her head in surprise at one new discovery after another her hair caught the light and gleamed as if it were coated with gold dust. All the suspicion had gone from her face and all that was left was happiness. He could almost believe they had never been apart.
‘What?’ he asked as her head shot up and she turned round to look at him.
‘I’m such a fool. I almost forgot.’
‘Will you stop saying that? You are not a fool,’ he insisted as she hurried back to the chair where she’d left her bag. Goodness knew what her mother had called her in the past, but he could imagine.
She delved inside her bag and rummaged around, before handing him a scrunched-up pack of biscuits. Taking care not to touch his hand, she said, ‘I’m afraid they’re a bit broken, but I made them for you. It’s traditional Scottish shortbread. We hand it out to visitors to encourage them to come back.’
‘Is that what you’re doing now, Danny?’
Her cheeks flushed red as he stared into her eyes. Her gift thrilled him. He had been given a full-blood Arabian stallion by the daughter of a sheikh, and a watch beyond price by a princess—both of which he had returned. Well, he had bought the horse for a fair price later, at auction... But nothing in his life had meant more to him than this packet of broken biscuits.
Broken? They looked as if they had been pulverised between Danny’s wringing hands.
‘You do eat carbs?’ she asked worriedly.
He raised an amused brow. ‘Please...’
‘Okay.’ She risked a smile. ‘Only some sportsmen—’
Danny had stopped talking, as if something in his face had made her think he was going to kiss her. It was sad to think his wife knew so little about him—but then they were both to blame for that.
‘We should eat,’ he said, moving away to give her space. ‘Annie’s made a feast for us. I’ll show you round later, if you like?’
‘I’d like...’ Danny’s brows drew together, as if she was trying to figure him out. ‘If this library is anything to go by, I suspect you’ve worked wonders on the rest of the house.’
‘You can judge for yourself after supper.’
* * *
She had seriously underestimated the effect of being close to Tiago after having spent so much time apart from him. When he didn’t look at her, her heart thundered with disappointment. And when he did look at her she could hardly breathe. And through all this she was supposed to appear cool and detached...
It shouldn’t be hard, when Tiago was so calm, but keeping her own counsel was proving almost impossible when she longed to ask him about so many things. Like what was left between them now Tiago no longer needed a wife?
Maybe the answer was in his manner. He was behaving more like an old friend keen to show her round his new house than a lover—let alone a husband. She would just have to adapt to this new situation between them, and fall into a similar role.
* * *
They took the tour after supper. He had to try very hard not to notice the soft dark green wool stretching over the plump swell of Danny’s buttocks as she walked in front of him, or her nipples pressing against the soft fabric through the fine lace of her bra. He concentrated instead on his wife’s animated face and the brilliance of her eyes, and relished the fact that it was thanks to Danny that he had learned so much about himself. He knew now that he wasn’t wholly gaucho or playboy, but a man determined to do his best. And if that meant curbing his playboy ways...
‘I like you here,’ Danny murmured as she looked around his home. ‘You seem more real.’
He laughed. ‘Do you mean I’m a hologram in Brazil?’
‘No. A barbarian,’ she said without hesitation.
‘Would you have me any other way?’
From the blush on her cheeks, he guessed not.
She started making thoughtful comments about the décor, but all he could think about was taking her to bed, pleasuring her through the night, and not even bothering to muffle her screams of pleasure.
Yes, he had aimed for discreet but sumptuous country casual, he agreed distractedly. And, yes again, he was glad she approved of the colour scheme. But frankly he wasn’t interested in jewel colours and expensive art when he had a living, breathing work of art standing in front of him, waiting to be undressed.
‘Nothing too obviously billionaire chic?’
He laughed at her comment. ‘I suppose you could say that.’
‘So, who did you use?’
He frowned. He knew whose body he’d like to use—right after he’d pleasured it into a state of erotic euphoria. ‘No one.’
Her gaze dropped to his lips. ‘You mean you designed this all by yourself?’
‘All except the library. Would you like to see the rest of it?’ He led the way to the stairs.
‘Why not?’
