AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘I’m not asking most women to marry me, I’m asking you, Scarlet, and I’m still waiting for an answer.’
You had to respect the man for not pretending he loved her, she thought. People in arranged marriages sometimes fell in love and even when they didn’t they had happy marriages.
My God, Scarlet, you’re talking yourself into this, aren’t you?
It would be mad to marry without love.
‘Yes, I’ll marry you.’
A smile of pure male triumph spread across his face. ‘Excellent.’ He got to his feet and Scarlet saw that Sam was awake and had his nose pressed to the window. ‘Come on, Sam, you’ll get a better view of the chopper up there,’ he said, taking the little boy’s hand.
‘I want to fly in a chopper.’
‘And you will, Sam,’ his father promised.
Just like that, she thought, watching as he led the boy away. She hadn’t expected a fanfare or champagne, but excellent?
Dear God, what have I done?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
ROMAN had not exaggerated the remoteness or inaccessibility of the O’Hagan estate. They had driven four miles from the village before they finally reached the gated entrance. They had been travelling along what Roman referred to as the drive, but it wasn’t like any drive Scarlet had seen, for at least ten minutes now, and there was still no sign of a house or for that matter a person!
Occasionally there was a break in the trees flanking the driveway affording breath-taking vistas over parkland towards the mountains or sea, and sometimes both. Under normal circumstances Scarlet would have wanted to get out of the car and spend time appreciating the magnificent scenery.
These were not normal circumstances!
She sighed as the next bend revealed no end to the journey. She was still dreading the entire ‘meet the in-laws’ thing, but she had reached the point where she wanted it over and done with. The reality could not be worse than what she was imagining…could it? At least Sam was no longer grouching—he had fallen asleep a couple of miles back, but this almost guaranteed he would be incredibly cranky when he woke up.
‘What if they hate me?’ They would like Sam. Everyone liked Sam.
Roman slid an amused sideways look at her tense face. ‘Well, naturally I will cast you off like a smelly sock.’
‘I don’t smell!’ she protested.
His nostrils flared. ‘You do,’ he contradicted throatily. ‘I can smell you on my skin after we’ve made love.’
She was overpoweringly conscious of the fluid heat in the pit of her belly. ‘Like that’s happened such a lot,’ she retorted, and shifted her position to lessen the pressure on her sensitised breasts.
‘It will,’ he declared arrogantly.
Now she really was a basket case.
Eyes fixed glassily on the narrow track ahead, Scarlet kept her tongue firmly between her teeth. She had learnt she could say some very reckless things when consumed by lust and right now she was shaking with it! She still was, only hopefully less obviously so, when he spoke a few moments later.
‘Why do you crave approval?’
‘I don’t,’ she denied indignantly.
‘The only person you need to please is me.’ His dark-lashed midnight eyes only touched her face for a split second but it was long enough to send a lick of heat through her body.
‘And do I? Because you have no idea how much I would not care if—’
‘Yes, you do please me…very much.’
Scarlet’s audible gasp filled the short pause that followed his earthy admission.
She screwed her eyes up tight. ‘I really wish you wouldn’t say things like that.’
‘The truth bothers you?’
‘You bother me!’ she exploded resentfully.
‘Hold on,’ she heard him say.#p#????#e#
Scarlet opened her eyes and saw there was a horse just ahead. The rider, a female, twisted around in her saddle as she heard the car engine. Apparently recognising Roman, she started waving madly at them.
Scarlet turned her head, but Roman wasn’t looking at her, he was looking at the figure on the horse and he was grinning, an uncomplicated grin of pleasure.
‘Someone you know?’
Roman didn’t reply; instead he pulled the car up on the grass verge.
‘I won’t be long.’ He was already out of the door when he put his head back inside. ‘Has it occurred to you they are probably equally concerned about what you’ll think of them?’
‘Your family?’
‘Our family.’
She lowered her eyes, confused by the possessive glow in his dark eyes. ‘Because I’m so very scary.’
