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Judged and found lacking.
Amelia felt stricken. If she’d been in her ugly-duckling mode when the gorgeous pair had driven up, she was definitely in an acute stress molt now.
“Oh, I was just taking a walk before it got too hot,” she said, feeling desperate to escape them.
“I want you to meet an old friend. I’m driving her to the station. Céline, this is Amelia Weatherbee.”
Céline barely glanced at her. She was clearly anxious to be on her way with Remy.
He nodded to Amy. “Well, if I can’t give you a lift, enjoy your walk.”
“The day is so lovely, how could I do otherwise?” she muttered, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible.
“See you later, then.” He tossed her a careless smile before hitting the gas.
Hugging herself tightly, she watched the Alfa Romeo until it was no more than a blurry red dot against the horizon. Then she bit her lips, squared her shoulders and cut directly across the vineyard toward the château. An hour later she was inside the house alone packing furiously when she heard the Alfa Romeo roar up her drive.
Remy killed the engine and knocked. When she didn’t answer he banged more loudly and began shouting her name.
Squeezing her eyes shut and pressing her throbbing temples, she held her breath. How could he think she’d want to see him this morning? When his banging grew even louder, she hugged herself and began rocking back and forth.
When the front door slammed open, she jumped. Calling her name, he stomped through the rooms looking for her.
“Go home, why don’t you!” she yelled. “I’m busy!”
“So, here you are!” He grinned at her from the doorway. “I knew you’d be angry. That’s why I came as soon as I could.”
She yanked a pink ballerina figurine off the shelf and pretended she couldn’t decide whether to pack it in the box for the antique dealer or the one for her mother.
“Well?” he said when she just stood with her hands frozen around the slim porcelain legs. “Whatever you do, don’t throw it. Not at me, anyway!”
“As if I’d waste a valuable porcelain on the likes of you! You are so not worth it!”
He laughed. “Don’t be mad.”
“You think I’m jealous, don’t you? Well, I’m not!”
“Did I say the j-word?”
She set the ballerina down on a low table for fear that she might throw it at him. “I’m not!”
“Of course you’re not.” His voice was mild. Was he teasing her? “I’m just the scoundrel you chose to be your sex teacher. You couldn’t possibly have feelings for me.”
“Right. And you certainly don’t have to account to me for every second you spend with someone else! I don’t care who you’re with! Or where you go! And I won’t ever!”
“Excellent. You are the perfect mistress for a man like me. We have a rational arrangement, and you made the rules.”
He stepped forward and picked up the ballerina and turned it thoughtfully in his hands. “So as a rational person, aren’t you even the slightest bit curious to know more about her?”
“No!”
“Well, just in case you’re a little bit curious, she’s an old friend.”
“Define friend. No! I said I don’t care, and I don’t.”
He smiled. “We dated years ago. Before I was the kind of man who stars in tabloid newspapers. She’s a Parisian fashion designer and the widow of a German prince.”
He couldn’t possibly know that she’d once dreamed of designing clothes. And what was she doing, instead? Recycling used clothes.
“My mother and sisters adore her.” He set the ballerina back down and knelt beside Amy. “They all agree she’s perfect for me.”
“I don’t care who she is or what she is or what she is or was to you!”
“Right. Well, since you’re not the least bit jealous or curious, I commend you. But the fact remains that she came to Provence to see me. But because of you, I sent her away. I made her and my mother unhappy. And now I’m sort of at loose ends.”
“Not my problem.”
“Who demanded to be my mistress for a month?” he queried in a goaded undertone. Standing up, he took her hands and pulled her up beside him. “I am in need of a woman. Are you up to the job or not?”
Before she knew what was happening, he’d wrapped his arms around her and was holding her close against the muscular length of his body. Much to her utter amazement, he was fully aroused.
When she placed her hands against his chest to push him away, she felt his violently thudding heart. Had the beautiful Céline turned him on?
