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housekeeper used to let me have it whenever I snuck down to the kitchens."
She frowned, watching him spread the peanut butter on his toast as she took in what he'd said. She
hadn't realised that his parents were dead. He hadn't mentioned it last night. He handed her a piece of
toast, smiling broadly. She took it and continued to look at him. No matter how much she'd thought she
knew about him, it seemed there were still things she was yet to discover.
"You're not eating? His voice broke into her thoughts. She blinked herself back to the world.  Are you
all right?"
"I'm fine, she said and delicately bit the corner of her toast, chewing it slowly so she didn't look like a
pig.  Why?"
"You just looked a little distant. Are you sure you're all right? He took a bite out of his toast and had
swallowed it down before she had a chance to respond.  Sorry I'm being a bit strange. Alistair calling me
out of the blue has thrown me."
"It's understandable. She hopped down from the counter and took another bite of her toast as she went
to the refrigerator. She opened it and grabbed the orange juice, placing it on the side. Shutting the
refrigerator door, she looked at Erik.  You really don't like him do you?"
He shook his head and finished off his toast.  It goes both ways. When our parents were alive things
weren't so bad between us. Now we'd probably kill each other if you left us alone in a room together for
long enough."
She took another bite out of her toast and poured two glasses of orange juice as she chewed it
thoughtfully. Handing one to Erik, she swallowed her mouthful.
"So why the contract? she said.
He drank down his glass of orange juice and then sighed.  It's complicated."
"Is that a nice way of saying I wouldn't understand? She smiled and sipped her drink.
"It's a nice way of saying you don't want to get involved in this."
"I am involved, she said and they both fell silent. She knew he'd hated her reminder that she was his
client as much as she did. Forcing a smile, she pushed away all the questions about the contract and his
family.
She placed the remains of her toast down on the plate and walked over to him. He looked down at her,
his expression heavy and thoughtful. She was ruining their day. Time to make things better again. Taking
his toast from him, she tossed it onto the plate and then caught hold of his shirt collar. She lured him
down to her and kissed him, slowly exploring his mouth with light brushes of her lips, so barely there that
it made her feel light and giddy inside. He responded by placing his hands against her hips, holding her
gently and kissing her with equal tenderness. She stepped closer to him, into his embrace, and melted
when his arms encircled her, wrapping her up. The world drifted away and the way she'd felt when they'd
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been kissing on the bed came back full force. She sighed against his lips, loving how relaxed this felt. He
tasted like peanut butter. She presumed she did too.
His lips left hers and trailed down her neck. She was surprised when he stopped kissing her and just
held her. He pressed his cheek against hers and she closed her eyes, wrapping her arms about him and
holding him.
His grip on her tightened and she wondered if there was something wrong. She pushed against his
shoulders and looked into his eyes as he stared at the work surface. Lightly cupping his cheek with her
right hand, she brought his head around to face her. There was a look in his eyes again that she couldn't
decipher. Maybe his brother had said something to upset him.
She smiled reassuringly, touched by the way he let his guard slip around her and was showing her the
man he was beneath his strong exterior. The corners of his lips twitched a little, but he didn't manage a
smile. There was so much sadness in his eyes that it made her heart ache. Who was this sadness for?
Was it for his parents, or for them, or someone else?
Her fingers stroked his cheek and she let her guard slip too, wanting him to see the way he made her feel
so if any of the mixed feelings in his eyes were about her, he'd feel reassured about those at least.
He smiled this time and kissed her. It was a gentle caress that made her ache inside, but not with desire.
She felt as though he'd breathed a little of his sadness into her and she knew without words what he was
trying to say. She clung to him, kissing him and wishing he wasn't about to leave.
He broke the kiss and brushed a few strands of hair out of her face.
"I have to, he said, as though he'd heard her thoughts. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]