Undercover Princess. Suzanne Brockmann

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СКАЧАТЬ studied, memorized. Which was why he’d spotted that tag on her pants. He probably hadn’t been checking out her rear end after all.

      Katherine wasn’t sure whether to feel disappointed or relieved. She motioned toward the door. “I should…”

      He nodded, taking another step backward. “See you at nine, then.”

      “Not for dinner? I mean, I’m sure the children will expect to see you.”

      “Oh,” he said. “No, I, um, I have a conference call scheduled and…”

      “Oh,” Katherine said. “That’s too bad.”

      “Yeah, I, uh…I’ll see you…later.”

      That was completely strange.

      Katherine found herself standing in the hallway outside the closed door to Trey’s office. What had just happened? Had she just imagined that Trey had suddenly gotten very, very tense? And if it wasn’t imagined, what had she done? Had it been something she’d said, or perhaps her body language? Her eagerness for him to join her for dinner?

      It was absurd even to think he’d want to have dinner with her, but surely he’d want to see his children. Wouldn’t he?

      Katherine walked down the stairs and back toward the playroom.

      Yes, it was absurd to think Trey Sutherland would want to have dinner with her.

      Regardless of what kind of underwear she had on, the man was completely out of her league.

      Chapter 4

      “Stacy, what do you want on your sandwich?” Kathy backed out of the refrigerator, holding a pile of cold cuts. As she turned around, she slammed directly into Trey.

      He saw it coming, but couldn’t get out of the way fast enough.

      “Oh, dear, sorry!”

      “No, I’m sorry,” he said.

      She’d lost her hold on some of the slippery plastic bags, and now they were pinned between them. Trey grabbed for the bags with his left hand, juggling his morning mug of coffee in his right.

      He should have just let them fall. Instead, he grabbed the swiss cheese and a packet of ham—along with Kathy’s right breast.

      “God, I’m sorry,” he said again.

      She made it to the counter and dumped the cold cuts there. She was laughing, thank God, although her cheeks were tinged pink with a blush.

      She looked about eighteen years old this morning, with her hair pulled back into a ponytail, face scrubbed freshly clean of makeup, dressed in an oversize sweatshirt and jeans.

      “Well,” she said. “That certainly woke me up.”

      “Sorry.” Damn, he was blushing, too. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually blushed. Was it back in sixth grade or maybe third…?

      He refused to think about how soft her body felt, or the fact that the accidental full body block had been the closest he’d been to a woman in far too long. He refused to acknowledge the sharp flare of sensation and emotion. He didn’t want to analyze whether that sudden turmoil in his chest was the result of longing or need or even attraction—he’d already decided that his feelings toward Kathy were brotherly.

      He quickly changed the subject. “And as long as I’m apologizing, I’m sorry I had to cancel our meeting last night.”

      “No problem,” she said briskly. “Thank you for leaving a note.”

      “I had to go into the office—I didn’t get back until late. I think it was around two-thirty,” Trey explained. He didn’t want her thinking he’d blown her off for anything other than work. “We’ve got a deadline for a big software project for an important client. We’re down to the wire—I’ve got teams working around the clock. There was a problem and the project manager was home celebrating her tenth wedding anniversary, so I went in instead.”

      She looked up from making Doug’s sandwich to smile at him. “That was so sweet of you.”

      Sweet. God. He didn’t think he’d ever been called sweet in his entire life. He shrugged. “Anyone who can stay married for ten years these days deserves a night off.”

      “I’m never getting married. It’s definitely overrated.” Stacy was wearing her standard black, and this morning she’d accessorized it with an equally dark scowl. She got on her skateboard and rolled with her bowl and a box of her current favorite nuts-and-twigs-type cereal to the kitchen table.

      “Is it possible,” Trey said to his daughter, “for you to leave that thing at the door?”

      She didn’t answer him. He hadn’t really expected her to.

      She rolled back to the counter and glared at the orange juice as she poured herself a glass.

      Mornings were by far one of the roughest times of the day. Like Trey, neither Stacy nor Doug were morning people, and the rush to get ready for school could be fraught with real peril.

      “So, Stacy,” Kathy said exuberantly, “what do you want on your sandwich? Roast beef or ham?” It was possible that her British accent made her sound extra cheerful. Or maybe she simply was bright and upbeat in the morning.

      Stacy didn’t look up from the table where she was slumped over her bowl. “I don’t want lunch.”

      “Too bad,” Trey said. “You’re going to have lunch whether you want it or not.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew it had been the wrong thing to say. But he couldn’t seem to be in a room with his daughter these days without triggering some kind of disagreement. He couldn’t so much as look at the kid without feeling this flare of frustration and despair. “Give her ham and cheese,” he told Kathy grimly.

      But Kathy was still being cheerful, ignoring the tension that filled the room. “How ‘bout it, Stacy? Ham and cheese today?”

      “I’m a vegetarian.”

      “But last night you ate Anita’s stew—”

      “Today,” Stacy said rudely. “I’m a vegetarian today.”

      Lord, help me. Trey realized from Stacy’s belligerent expression and from Kathy’s sudden wide eyes that he’d spoken aloud. “Sorry,” he said. Damn it, all he was doing this morning was apologizing. “Fine, Stace. Take a cheese sandwich.”

      “I’m vegan.” At his blank look, she added, “No cheese.” You idiot. She didn’t say the words aloud, but they certainly were implied.

      “Great. Take a salad.” He tried to mimic Kathy’s upbeat style as he turned to her. “Do we have lettuce?”

      “Absolutely.” Kathy’s smile was warm and welcoming after Stacy’s icy look. “One salad, coming up.”

      Doug skittered into the kitchen on all fours and Trey felt his neck and СКАЧАТЬ