Christmas with Him: The Tycoon's Christmas Proposal / A Bravo Christmas Reunion / Marry-Me Christmas. Jackie Braun

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СКАЧАТЬ her knees felt weak afterward.

      She credited Dawson’s expression for that. She’d seen the man nearly naked, but at the moment he was far more exposed. Emotions played over his face in rapid succession, so many that she could barely keep track of them. But a couple stood out. He definitely looked angry and he most certainly was turned on.

      We’re even, she thought, as he stalked down the hall and she closed the door.

      CHAPTER SIX

      “YOU might have mentioned something to me about Dawson’s having lost his wife and child,” Eve said.

      She was at Carole’s comfortable home just outside Denver, making good on the movie, wine and Chinese food night that she’d previously had to cancel. Carole’s leg was propped up on a pillow on the couch and an old Cary Grant movie was playing on the television, though neither one of them was watching it.

      Between bites of sweet and sour pork Carole admitted, “I thought about it. In fact, I nearly did when you said he wanted you to come to the charity ball. But I wanted you to form your own impression of the man without being prejudiced by his tragic history.”

      “Why?”

      Carole shook her head. “We’ll get to that in a minute. First, I want to hear what you think about him, especially after spending an entire evening in his company.”

      “You make it sound like it was a date,” Eve said dryly. “It was work.”

      Her gaze slid away. Well, it had been mostly work. The big exception of course was the kiss he’d given her at her apartment door. While it had ended well before turning into anything remotely passionate, it had been on her mind ever since. Were Dawson a different sort of man, Eve might have thought that was his intent.

      Keep her guessing …

      Keep her wanting …

      As it was, she doubted he’d meant to lock lips with her in the first place. Afterward, he’d barely managed to bid her a curt good-night before stalking away.

      “Are you going to tell me you didn’t enjoy yourself?” Carole asked.

      “No. I enjoyed myself.” It was easier to concentrate on the event rather than the man, so she said, “It was a first-rate affair. You wouldn’t believe the food that was served, or the dishes it was served on, for that matter. It was like being at a five-star restaurant. And the dessert? Sin on a plate.”

      “Chocolate?” Carole asked.

      “You got it.”

      Carole made a humming sound, but then she was back to the subject at hand. “Okay, so tell me what you thought of the man.”

      Eve poked through the white takeout carton with a pair of chopsticks, coming out with a peapod. “Let’s see. He can be incredibly overbearing and arrogant. Oh, and he definitely needs to be in control all of the time,” she added as she recalled their dance and the jolt it had given him when she’d taken the lead.

      She still wasn’t sure why she’d done that. She only knew that for some reason she’d felt the need to push him outside the rigid confines of his comfort zone.

      “Anything else?” Carole’s smile turned knowing. “What did you think of him physically?”

      Eve heaved a dramatic sigh. “Okay, he’s also seriously gorgeous and just about as sexy as they come.”

      Carole laughed. “That was what I thought, too. Of course, he was married at the time and I’d just gone through a very ugly divorce. In fact, landing the Burke Financial account helped pay for my lawyer fees among other things,” she said wryly. “Officially, Clive hired me, but I worked mainly with Dawson via Rachel Stern.”

      “Mrs. Stern. That woman needs a hobby.”

      “She’s really not so bad. She’s just very protective of Dawson, almost like a second mother,” Carole said. “And speaking of mothers, what did you think of Tallulah and the rest of his family?”

      Eve grinned. “I liked them all. Very much. They’re nice people. Normal. Not at all hoity-toity, if you know what I mean.”

      “I know.”

      “Dawson is different around them. He’s less … stuffy. They obviously love him. That much came through loud and clear.”

      “The Burkes are a close bunch,” Carole agreed.

      Eve frowned. “Yes, but he won’t shop for them. And he told a friend that he’ll be heading out of town at the end of the month to spend the holidays in Cabo San Lucas. From the various comments I overheard, I couldn’t help but feel he’s avoiding them.”

      “He’s avoiding life and has been since the accident,” her friend replied. “In fact, it wasn’t until the accident that he added his personal shopping needs to my duties. Before then, I just took care of the business end.”

      “Sounds like he’s really changed.”

      “Oh, he has.” Carole nodded. “Do you feel sorry for him, Eve?”

      “Well, of course I do. How can I not? The man lost his wife and daughter.”

      “Yes. In a car accident on Christmas Eve three years ago.” Carole’s expression turned grim. “Dawson was the one driving at the time.”

      “And he was the only one to survive,” Eve finished. She closed her eyes, imagining his horror. Her chest ached. “Oh, God.”

      “Exactly. The Burkes are highly regarded in the community not just because of the business, but because of their overall involvement. In addition to the charity ball, they’ve got their finger in just about every philanthropic venture that comes along. Dawson’s late wife’s family is well-known, too, so the accident received plenty of media coverage. There was even some ugly speculation about drunken driving before police revealed that his blood alcohol level had been well below the legal limit.”

      “How horrible,” Eve said.

      “Yes,” Carole said. “He also was cleared of any negligence. He was driving within the speed limit at the time and, with the exception of that patch of black ice, road conditions were fine.”

      “It was an accident.”

      “Yes. An accident. And it could have happened to anyone. Still, from what I’ve seen and from what those who know him well say, Dawson blames himself.”

      Of course he does, Eve thought. He was that type of man. Duty, responsibility, family—he took such things very seriously. They were his foundation and in one fell swoop that foundation had been reduced to rubble.

      “I really wish you had given me a heads-up, Carole. I’m the first to admit I can be too blunt at times. I might have been a little more diplomatic, a little more sensitive if I’d understood why he needed a personal shopper to purchase gifts for family.”

      “Actually, that’s one of the reasons I didn’t tell you,” her friend surprised her by saying. “I won’t presume to СКАЧАТЬ