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off? The sidelong glance he slid her way lit a fire in her
womb and made her panties wet.
 I ll spell it out for you when we get there.
* * * *
The anticipation of that promise stayed with Sabrina through the ceremony and
conversation that followed among her and Brody and the
preacher and his wife. The heat and compassion she imagined seeing in Brody s eyes
as he recited the general marriage vows for formality s
sake made the hope she was trying desperately to keep at bay rise anyway.
If only he meant those sacred words.
If only the tender kiss he planted on her lips to seal the vows came from his heart rather
than his loins.
If only it hadn t all been a show for the preacher and his wife.
If only.
Sabrina thought she deserved an Oscar after her performance at the preacher s house.
Pretending to be the bubbling, blushing new bride when
her heart and mind were in utter turmoil took an acting skill she hadn t known she
possessed. Perhaps she should ve entertained those second
thoughts, put on the brakes, and threw the whole arrangement into reverse.
It s a little too late do to the right thing now. The country beat of the old Tanya Tucker tune
drawled in her head as Brody pulled the Mustang into
the barn at Holt em Up Ranch. Intrigued as much as confused, she pushed aside all her
misgivings and inner hem-hawing and got out of the car
before Brody got the chance to come around and open her door.
 So, by your definition, a weekend trip can be nowhere at all, especially when that
nowhere is somewhere that isn t my normal place of
residence. Is that it? The furrow that etched itself between his brows as he mulled over
her question nearly made her giggle.
 I don t have a clue in hell what you just said, he finally admitted.  How about I answer
all that this way? We re parking the Mustang because the
truck handles back-wood roads a lot better. We aren t spending the weekend here. I
have another destination in mind.
 That requires a truck to get to.
 Is that a problem?
 I guess not.
 Good. Hop in, and I ll be back in a second.
He left her to get in the truck while he disappeared into the main house. He returned
moments later with a duffle bag he slung into the truck bed
before climbing in behind the wheel.  Ready?
 For what I don t know, but yes, I m ready.
He grinned, slow and easy, and her heart did a leisurely roll.  Come here, Mrs. Holt. He
snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her against
him, planting a kiss on the top of her head before putting the truck in gear with his free
hand and backing out of the drive.
Sabrina s eyes misted, and she blinked rapidly to keep the tears from falling. She
understood his intent, recognized his efforts to make her
wedding day special for her, to ease her discomfort no matter the whys behind their
decision to get hitched in the first place. It touched her far more
than she wanted it to.
Less than ten minutes of a bumpy, wood-lined road brought them to a stop outside a
cottage right out of a fairy tale. She couldn t help but shake
her head as Brody got out of the truck, took her by the hand to help her out, and then
scooped her into his arms.
 Will this do?
 It s perfect.
 I figured we could have a quiet weekend out here.
 Then it s yours, I take it.
 It is. We ll save the big honeymoon for after the real wedding.
 I wasn t expecting any kind of honeymoon at all, so thank you.
Something passed through his expression that she couldn t define and didn t dare try.
He shook his head, and she felt his sigh beneath the palm
she splayed on his chest.  You really should stop underestimating me, darlin . He
stopped on the front porch, shifting her weight in his arms so he
could reach for the knob. The door opened with a quiet creak, and Sabrina gasped at
what she saw.
 You re telling me.
Chapter Eight
He had decorated the cabin fit for a princess.
Sabrina gaped at the candles strategically placed on every available flat surface and lit
to provide just the right amount of light for the matchbox
cottage room. A small two-seater table sat in a far corner, holding two flutes flanking a
bucket no doubt filled with ice to chill the bottle of
champagne perched inside. A bed, large enough to make her belly do a delicious flip-
flop, occupied the center of the space, the surface scattered
with rose pedals. Amidst the pedals, she spotted a lace and silk teddy laid out for her.
The sight sent bolts of electric excitement sizzling through her
system.
She turned slowly to find him watching her, his expression unreadable beyond the
almost palpable lust pumping off him in waves.  Carlotta did
an amazing job.
She expected him to chuckle, to shake his head, to make some move that would break
the thick sexual tension settling in the room. She didn t
expect his serious, gruff response that raked over her like sensual claws.
 Carlotta had nothing to do with this. I get full points this time. Our marriage is supposed
to remain a secret, remember?
 Right. You did all this? She spun back around, taking in everything one more time.  I
definitely have to stop underestimating you. The halfsmile
he wore when she faced him again was more dangerous than comforting. Her heart
sped. Her breath lodged in her throat. Hunger exploded
within her, very nearly drawing a soft whimper from her lips before she could stop it.
He didn t speak. He didn t have to. His expression and measured predatory movement
conveyed his intentions clearly enough. He kept his
gaze locked on hers as he closed the distance between them.
Sabrina started to quiver, from fear or excitement she couldn t quite tell. She took an
involuntary step back. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]