AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“The what is there’s press out front. The why is I don’t know, and from what I gathered from the members of the media I encountered when I asked what they were doing at our front gates, the how is because your brother-in-law called them.”
Tielle closed her eyes against the pressure of despair. “What’s he done?” she moaned.
“Well, no one’s seen him yet this morning, so…”
Tielle ran a hand through her wild hair, grabbed a fistful and gave it a yank. “Did they tell you anything else? The press?”
“They said he told them he had an announcement to make.”
“And he wants the press there for it…great…” Tielle rubbed at her temples. “Has anyone else in the house gotten wind of it yet?”
“You mean besides the house staff?” Laura sighed. “Only the entire Clegg family in residence. Maybe with the exception of Grae. No one’s seen him this morning, either.” She favored Tielle with another interested look. “The rest of the family is already heading to breakfast in the terrace dining room.”
Tielle made a beeline for her closet.
“We can’t afford having the press out there like that.”
“Well, what do you suggest, Laura? Inviting them in for breakfast?” Tielle snapped from the bowels of her closet then made her way out to face Laura. “I’m sorry.”
“I should be apologizing.” Laura waved a hand. “Looks like something pretty amazing happened in here last night.”
“Yeah…” The observation took the edge off a great deal of Tielle’s anxiety. “It did…but we’ve got work to do. Starting with giving the Cleggs the best breakfast they’ve ever had and keeping them out of sight from the press.”
“On it.” Laura headed for the room’s door, but hesitated before opening it. “Maybe after all this is done, you and Grae can get lost for a few days, huh?”
“Get out,” Tielle ordered, though the smile on her face proved what an excellent idea she thought it was.
Laura left her with a wink, and Tielle continued her trek toward the closet. She paused for another look around the room, paying particular attention to the disarrayed bed. She smiled. Things were still a mess between her and Grae, probably more so in light of whatever Faro was brewing.
She shook her head, not wanting to wrap herself up in the hope that a chance was on the horizon. Still, she couldn’t resist praying that one was. She smoothed her hands over her arms when a shiver of anticipation kissed her skin. A wince followed the motion, the pressure from her hands agitating the bruise above the bend of her elbow.
Her smile returned, and Tielle wondered how many scratches her ex was wearing on his back that morning. Suggestive tingles attacked her someplace intimate, and Tielle left off her daydreaming to prepare for another day of Clegg fireworks.
* * *
Grae didn’t bother with catching a few extra hours of sleep once he’d returned from Tielle’s room that night—well, that morning. He was way too wired, despite how thoroughly, how impressively, he’d been depleted. He’d taken her over every square inch of that way-too-neat bedroom of hers.
Smirking, Grae recalled the state in which he’d left the room. Quickly, he closed his eyes to shut down the memory that threatened to return him to the state of almost throbbing arousal he’d endured since spending a full day in his ex-wife’s presence after a year of separation.
Ex-wife…
He grumbled a silent obscenity over the phrase. That was a status long overdue to be changed, but when, dammit? Grae tossed aside the damp hand towel he’d been using to dry his hair following a long shower.
He’d expected Faro to have already revealed all or at least some of the hand he was using to play his game of Family Secrets and Lies, but the man had been remarkably cool. The longer he remained so, Grae knew the longer he’d have to wait to devote his full attention to Tielle. The longer it would take to bring her home where she belonged.
Grae closed off the thoughts that would only fuel his anger. He reached for the hand towel and ran it through still-damp hair. He was tugging at the knot securing the bath towel at his hips when a knock fell to his room door. Unmindful of appearance, he answered.
