The Innocent's Emergency Wedding. Natalie Anderson

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       CHAPTER THREE

      ALESSANDRO STARED, FLOORED by the husky innocence of her reply. He just needed to ask? He ground back the inappropriate, obvious response. Why was he degenerating into some lame jerk who took every chance to turn the conversation towards the sexual? Why was he thinking of sex at all around her? He refused to be no better than the bastard prospective fiancé she was escaping—full of unwanted amorous attention…

      But at the same time Alessandro had never met a woman he couldn’t seduce. That wasn’t to say he’d slept with every woman he’d met, and he was hardly about to seduce Katie. That would be like a lion playing with a lamb. Disastrous for her and unsatisfying for him.

      But as he studied her closer he discovered more—her delicate chin, her high cheekbones—and then he returned to her complex coloured eyes that changed with the light, or perhaps with her mood. Elfin-featured, fine-boned…she was stunning when he teased that worry from her eyes and replaced it with excitement.

      And she was as aware of him as he was of her. He needed very little of his vast experience to know that.

      Temptation tugged.

       No.

      He whirled away from her fascinating features, dismissing those wayward thoughts, and picked up his phone again instead.

      ‘Dominique, I need a report on Brian and Susan Fielding, owners of White Oaks Hall—business dealings as well as personal. I also need a complete update on Zetticci Foods. Latest financials, forecasts, reviews, analysis, new product offerings from the last couple of years, plus their performance and internal management structure. The same with any company Carl Westin is involved with. I want everything. Email it ASAP.’

      He needed information and ammunition.

      ‘I also need the jet ready to leave for the States in an hour. Cancel all my meetings for the next…’ He mulled for a moment and factored in the travel time. ‘Five days.’

      As always Dominique simply said yes, and Alessandro hung up.

      ‘I need your passport.’ He gestured to Katie, who was sitting with her mouth ajar. ‘For the flight manifest, border control conditions and so on.’ He waggled his fingers impatiently.

      Katie snapped her mouth shut, wordlessly rummaged in her bag and handed the document to him. As he strode out to give it to Dominique he quickly flicked through it. None of the pages was stamped—which didn’t mean she’d hadn’t travelled, at least within Europe—but it looked almost brand-new. His curiosity sharpened.

      Back in his office, she was still clutching the bag like it was some kind of protective shield.

      ‘Did you leave your suitcase out in Reception?’ he asked.

      ‘I…uh…no.’ She shook her head.

      ‘You don’t have any clothes with you?’

      Her eyes widened.

      He bit back another laugh, refusing to verbalise the next obvious innuendo.

      ‘Not even a toothbrush?’ A hit of pleasure warmed his blood at the prospect of getting her out of that plain skirt and into something that fitted her better. ‘It doesn’t matter. We’ll get you something over there.’

      He had five days—an eternity in his usual high-speed schedule. This was a chance to lay old ghosts to rest and to enjoy a mild distraction. Hell, in five days he could easily seduce her into surrender—not complete, of course, just enough to soothe the irritation she’d inflicted on him. She might think he was a shameless playboy, but for all her protests she was not immune.

      He smiled to himself. The satisfaction of her acknowledging that was going to be good.

      All of which proved he’d been working too hard lately. It was past time for some play.