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Where his late wife had used her abilities to gain an advantage or obtain something she wanted, Mia made love with an open directness. Giving freely and joyously, while taking—no,accepting—with abandoned delight.
Mia glanced up from her breakfast, fixing him with her stunning hazel eyes that radiated flecks of green and gold. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re staring.”
He leaned back in his chair and grinned. “Aren’t I allowed to stare at my wife?”
She stabbed a finger of biscotti at him. “It depends on why you’re staring.”
“You’re not at all what I expected.”
“In what way?”
“You’re … natural. Honest. Open. Nothing like Carina.”
She carefully set her biscotti on the edge of her plate, her expression closing over. “First, I’m not your late wife. And second, you don’t know everything about me, Brand.”
He shrugged that aside. “I’m well aware you’re not Carina. Once again, you’re nothing like her. As for not knowing everything about you… How could I? We’ve only known each other for a few hours.”
Did his luscious wife have secrets? Intriguing. He looked forward to uncovering them. And how curious that she lived so transparently in some regards and yet kept other aspects of her life carefully concealed from view. It made for an interesting contrast.
“This biscotti is wrong,” she murmured.
He sampled a bite. “I agree. What’s it missing?”
She answered without any hesitation. “Vanilla. It doesn’t have enough vanilla.”
“I’ll take your word for it. We don’t often have biscotti at home. I’ve been told my mother cooked it brilliantly, but she died when I was a newborn, so I never got to sample her special recipes.”
Sympathy blossomed across Mia’s lovely face. “I’m so sorry, Brand. That must have been rough growing up without a mother. Or did your father remarry?”
Brand kept his face carefully blank. “No, he didn’t. Although, he’s the one who insisted I remarry. For Toni’s sake.”
Instantly, Mia glanced down at her plate. “Yes, Toni,” she said. Taking a deep breath, she looked at him. For some reason, her eyes didn’t appear as brilliant as before. “Tell me what the plan is for today.”
He shouldn’t have mentioned his father. Had it felt like a slap, reminding her of the reason they’d married, especially after the night they’d spent together? “Mia…”
“It’s okay, Brand. Iknow why we married. Ialso understand our marriage is temporary. And I thank you for last night. It was an amazing seduction.”
“Practice,” he corrected gently.
That won him a smile. “Right. Practice.” She poked at her eggs. “So, today?”
“When we’re finished eating, we’ll take the corporate jet to San Francisco and I’ll introduce you to Toni.”
“I’m looking forward to it. Tell me about her,” she prompted.
He poured them each another cup of coffee, adding a liberal helping of cream to Mia’s. “She’s my life. My everything.”
She softened at his words. “So I gather. What’s her personality like?”
“Stubborn.” He shook his head with a soft laugh. “Oh, so stubborn. I’m afraid she got a helping of that from both parents.”
“Good to know.”
He leaned back in his chair, his cup cradled between hands. “She’s smart. Curious. Opinionated. Did I say stubborn? Loves math. Hates clutter. If you ask her to draw something for you, expect to find a picture full of shapes.”
