Christmas Seduction: The Twelve Nights of Christmas / His Christmas Acquisition / Caroselli's Christmas Baby. Michelle Celmer

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СКАЧАТЬ he met someone more exciting. Because I’m the girl next door and he’s known me since I was three years old. Because I was taller than him and I made him feel less of a man—’ She stared at him with exasperation, wondering why she was having to spell this out. ‘Because I’m me. He sent me a text, dumping me.’

      His lips thinned with disapproval. ‘That’s bad.’

      ‘Hypocrite. Are you seriously trying to tell me you’ve never dumped a woman?’

      ‘I wouldn’t use the word “dumped”. I’ve ended plenty of relationships, but always in person. I’ve never sent a text. That’s cowardly.’

      ‘I suppose it’s human nature to avoid a difficult conversation.’

      ‘Difficult conversations are part of my daily existence.’

      Evie had no trouble believing that. ‘Jeff is nothing like you.’ A wimp, her grandfather had called him. ‘Perhaps he was sensible. After all the lies he told, I would have blacked his eye if he’d told me in person.’

      His eyes lingered on her hair. ‘A true redhead with a temper to match.’

      Reminded of the embarrassing fact that he knew she was a true redhead, Evie ploughed on. ‘What this boils down to is that my grandfather isn’t going to be impressed to see me naked with another man. He’s very old-fashioned. I don’t want him to think I’m like that. I’m not like that! I don’t flit from one man to another.’

      ‘Unless the other man was someone important to you.’ Rio spoke under his breath and she had a feeling that he was thinking aloud.

      That thought was confirmed when she muttered, ‘Sorry?’ and received no response.

      ‘If it was someone you’d been secretly seeing. A rebound relationship that turned into something special—’ He paced the length of the bedroom and then turned to look at her, his eyes burning dark. ‘Wholesome.’

      ‘You make me sound like a breakfast cereal,’ she said irritably. ‘Why do you keep saying that?’

      ‘Never mind. How long ago did you start working here?’

      ‘I don’t know…I…’

      ‘Think!’

      ‘Don’t shout at me! I can’t concentrate when people shout!’

      Rio sucked in a breath. ‘I’m not shouting. I just want an answer. When?’

      ‘About six weeks ago. I came down after Jeff dumped me. I started as a receptionist. I thought it was my big break.’

      ‘Six weeks—’ Before the words had left his lips, his BlackBerry was in his hand and he was checking something. ‘I was staying in the Penthouse six weeks ago. I spent one night here on my way to New York. I need you to find out if you were working here then.’

      ‘I know I was because I made a point of avoiding you. So what? What difference does that make?’ Failing to follow his train of thought, Evie looked at him blankly but he was already dialling a number and speaking into his phone in Italian.

      He made call after call and each time Evie opened her mouth to ask him what was going on, he simply lifted his hand to silence her until she was ready to scream with exasperation.

      ‘Hello, I’m here too!’ After his seventh consecutive phone call, she waved at him. ‘I need to ring my grandfather.’

      ‘First, I want to get this announcement into the press and arrange a photo.’

      ‘What announcement? What photo?’ Worried, irritable, Evie snapped at him. ‘Haven’t we had enough photos for one day?’

      He gave a lethal smile. ‘This photograph will be different.’

      ‘Different as in I get to wear clothes? Yippee.’ She didn’t know how she was still managing to joke because she’d never felt less like joking about anything in her life.

      She knew enough about the press to understand that scandal and humiliation sold better than anything else. ‘Can’t you just stop them printing the photograph? Isn’t there a privacy law or something?’

      ‘That isn’t going to help us. The best thing we can do is stop this whole thing looking sleazy.’ Ruthlessly focused, he strode towards the door of the Penthouse. ‘Stay out of sight. Whatever you do, don’t emerge from the bedroom until I come and get you. I don’t want anyone to see you.’

      ‘Why? What are you going to do?’

      ‘Find you some proper clothes and then show the world we didn’t have a one-night stand.’

      Bemused, Evie stared at him. ‘How?’

      ‘By proving that we share something special.’ A triumphant gleam in his eyes, he yanked open the door and turned to look at her. ‘I’m going to announce our engagement.’

       Chapter Four

      Rio gave his Director of Communications a volley of instructions over the phone and then updated his lawyers.

      Listening to Pietro’s dire predictions, he felt his stomach clench.

      Whiter than white…

       He should have anticipated this.

      He should have known they’d do something to try and stop this deal going through. He’d been arrogant, allowing himself to relax and think that the whole thing was in the bag.

      Sweat cooled his brow and he realised that his hand was shaking. Making a conscious effort to control his breathing, he hauled his emotions back and buried them deep. Emotions had no place in negotiation, he knew that. And this was the most complex, delicate negotiation he’d ever conducted.

      ‘Whatever it takes,’ he promised his lawyer. ‘You wanted wholesome—I’m giving you wholesome.’

      When the delivery arrived at the Penthouse, he dismissed the staff member and took the boxes through to the bedroom himself. He then handed them to the girl without breaking off his conversation and without risking another look at her luxuriant red hair.

       Why the hell had he kissed her?

      He was well aware that his own libido had catapulted him into this situation. If he’d taken one look at her and left the room, the photographer wouldn’t have been able to get his shot.

      As it was…

      With a low growl, Rio focused his mind on the present.

      Having hammered out the plan with his team in Rome, he was about to call his team in New York when he heard the bedroom door open.

      The girl stood there, her eyes blazing with anger, her hair flowing like liquid fire down her back. ‘Excuse me! In case you’ve forgotten, this affects me, too. Do you intend to discuss any of this with me or are you just going to do СКАЧАТЬ