AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She tilted her head in assent but pushed up from the floor without his assistance, carefully tiptoeing over to the kitchen bench, hating the feel of her wet bottom and thighs.
Marcus had to concentrate to avoid staring at her figure. Dressed in a threadbare pair of dark denim jeans and a jumper that looked to lovingly caress every curve of her torso, he was finding her undeniably sexy, even with the addition of passata all the way down her backside. She turned her ice-blue eyes on him and fixed him with a stare that was part embarrassment, part impatient annoyance.
“Mr. Trent, I insist, head upstairs and let me sort this out.”
He’d been intending to correct her error. She’d assumed he was a guest, and it was the most natural thing for her to think.
Except, he wasn’t.
He was the man whose company had been trying to buy this old house from her for the past month. The man whose company she’d refused to bargain with, each and every time. The man whose company she’d politely told to get stuffed. Marcus Harris was nothing if not scrupulous, and he loathed the idea of lying to this beautiful, harried woman. Which is why he was completely floored to hear himself say, smoothly, “Please, call me David.”
He’d had the chance to scan his eyes over the full registration details of the would-be guest, Mr. David Trent of London, when she’d handed him the paperwork only minutes earlier. The lie sprang easily to his lips, but instead of feeling remorse for his uncharacteristic dishonesty, he felt only relief.
For some strange reason he couldn’t fathom, he didn’t want this woman to switch off her charming, frazzled welcome just yet. And she most certainly would when she realized he’d come to present his apparently unpalatable offer in person.
“David,” she smiled. “Nice to meet you. I’m Katie Collins.”
“Well, Katie Collins, why don’t you hand me some paper towels and I’ll help get this under control.”
“Oh, no.” She blushed again, and he marveled at how rare it was to find such a beautiful woman so quick to embarrass. “I couldn’t possibly.”
“Come on. It’s no problem. I’m here, why not let me help?”
“No!” She shook her head and then, to underscore how serious she was in her refusal, brought a hand up and pressed it lightly against his upper arm. It was the quickest of touches, just a light tap, but she felt a spark of electricity flow through her body. “You’re soaked. You really should go and change into something dry.” Katie operated a small bed and breakfast, and she normally sent her guests into the local pub for tea. It was just a mile down the road, and their kitchen made a point of staying open if she had guests coming in. And yet, one look at this man and she seemed to forget her standard operation procedure. “I’m just making a simple pasta for dinner,” she cast a rueful glance at the disaster on the floor. “Another one, that is. You’re welcome to join us.”
His grateful smile made her heart race. “If you’re sure it’s no trouble, I’d like that. Thanks.”
When he returned to the kitchen, a short time later, dressed in the only spare set of clothes he had available owing to his lost luggage, he saw that it hardly resembled the disaster zone it had been earlier. The floor was clean, with a lingering smell of bleach and lemon juice, and a fresh pot was bubbling away on the stove. He leaned closer for a better look and appreciatively inhaled the aroma of tomatoes, garlic and basil.
His h
ost was nowhere to be seen so he gazed around the small kitchen with renewed interest. She had asked if he would like join ‘them’. Us. Was she married? It was more than likely, though there was no wedding picture on the fridge. Nor was there any sign of a man in the house. No wallet on the kitchen bench, no shoes by the back door. Still, that didn’t mean she wasn’t in a relationship... He guessed she would have been in her mid-twenties, and she was obviously attractive. The kind of woman men couldn’t help but notice. Out of nowhere, an image of the old Disney movie Snow White came to him. He’d seen it as a child, so it was strange to be reminded so strongly now of that film. But she was very like the cartoon princess, with her pale English skin, and darker than dark hair. Her lips were bow shaped with a rich cherry color. And then there were her cheeks, which had flushed prettily whenever she felt the slightest discomfort.
“Oh!” A small noise from behind caught his attention and he spun on his heel. She’d changed into a simple black dress that clung to her curves and fell to just above the knees. The dress showed off her figure stunningly, but he guessed that had not been her aim. Though he’d only known her for a very short time, he knew instinctively that she wasn’t keen on attention. If anything, she seemed a little uncomfortable around him.
“Dinner smells good,” he said honestly.
“Thank you.” She flashed him a tight smile before crossing to the stove and slipping her apron back on over her head. Why, when he could tell that he made her uncomfortable, did he still follow behind her and take the waist straps of the apron, so that he could loop the ribbons into a bow around her middle for her? He fumbled with the knot a little and as his hands brushed against the small of her back, he felt her startle.
Damn it. Hadn’t he just decided she was probably taken? The way he was going, he deserved to get a thorough ass-kicking from her husband. “Sorry,” he said quietly. He was so close he could smell something sweet that she wore. Not perfume, more like her shampoo or body wash. It was like strawberries and coconut, a delicious hint of summer on a wintry night like this.
“That’s fine,” she said, her voice just a breathy whisper. She cleared her throat. “Please, help yourself to a drink from the lounge.” He didn’t want a drink, but it was obvious that she needed some space, so he left the kitchen for a moment to pour two small glasses of red wine. He took a sip of the sweet merlot and wished he had his own collection of excellent wines here to offer her.
“This seems like a remote part of the world. Have you lived here long?” He handed a glass of wine to her and she took it, careful not to touch his fingers. If he noticed, he at least had the good manners not to show it.
Katie stirred the pasta, trying not to look at him, but out of her peripheral vision she could see how long and lean his legs were as he sat down at the table. He’d changed into a pair of black denims and a gray sweater, neither of which did a thing to disguise how darkly handsome he was.
“Coming up on six years,” she said evenly. No one would have been able to guess from her tone how much had happened in that time.
“A reasonably long time, then. Do you like it?”
She shrugged her slender shoulders, then took a sip of the wine he’d given her. “Yes and no.” More honest than she’d meant to be, but something about this man made her feel like she could open up. Which was ridiculous given that he also made her feel like a cat on a hot tin roof.
“What yes, and what no?”
Her lips curled in a self-deprecating smile. “That was a bit cryptic, wasn’t it?”
His noise of agreement was a low rumble deep in his throat and it set her heart skittering again. “It’s a lovely community. They really took me in as one of their own when I moved here. My… my aunt had just died. We were close. She left the business to me.”
