Читать книгу Passion From The Past - Кэрол Мортимер, Carole Mortimer - Страница 6

LAURA’s first instinct was not to answer the door. But Gideon knocked again and again, and living in a block of flats as they did, she would be getting complaints from the neighbours if she didn’t soon answer the door.

She furiously wrenched the door open, ready to do battle with him, her anger dying in her throat as she saw how handsome he looked in the black fitted shirt and black trousers, the tan jacket tailored to his powerful shoulders and narrow waist. He took her breath away, appearing even more magnificent in the ordinariness of her home. Devastating, that was the word to describe him. He looked devastating.

Laura could only stare at him open-mouthed, not raising any objections when he brushed past her into the flat, closing the door before following him dazedly into the lounge.

‘I didn’t think you’d be ready to go out to dinner,’ he told her, ‘so I dressed casually.’

‘Yes, I—er—No.’ She was doing it again! She took a deep breath, steadying her nervous stuttering. ‘Those clothes don’t look very casual to me,’ she said defensively, knowing that just one of his shirts must cost a fortune, being silk. He probably had them hand-made, as he did the rest of his clothes.

He shrugged dismissively. ‘Your mother is out?’

‘Yes.’

‘Then you may as well have this.’ He reached into his breast-pocket, pulling out a white envelope. Her resignation!

She made no move to take the proffered envelope from his strong fingers. ‘Mr Courtney—–’

‘—Liked the way you stood up to him,’ Gideon half-smiled.

Her eyes widened. ‘He did?’

‘Mm,’ he nodded. ‘James was beginning to wonder whether he’d hired a mouse or a woman as his secretary.’

Considering both men made her feel like the former this wasn’t in the last surprising!

‘Can I sit down?’ Gideon asked mockingly.

Laura flushed at her lack of manners. ‘I—er—Yes. Yes, of course. Please do.’

He stretched his legs out in front of him, completely dominating in one of the flower-patterned chairs of their suite. The white envelope containing her resignation was placed on one of the arms of that chair.

Laura eyed it nervously. ‘Did you mean it about giving me back my—er—letter?’

He held it out to her once again. ‘Here.’