Millionaire Playboys. Emilie Rose

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СКАЧАТЬ come out in nearly as scathing a tone as she’d intended. How could it when he was right?

      “That’s what I thought, too, until I realized you’re not the type of woman who picks up men.”

      “Don’t be so sure,” she blustered.

      “You’re an accountant.”

      “So?”

      “So you like things neat, and you like to be prepared. The CDs in your car are arranged alphabetically. You memorize instruction manuals that most people don’t even bother to read. You fasten your seat belt before putting the key in the ignition, and you check your mirrors three times before changing lanes. I’ll bet you don’t have a risk-taking bone in your body.”

      Boy did he have her pegged, and that annoyed her immensely. “I bought you, didn’t I?”

      “I’m guessing you researched my background before you did, because lady, you sure know a lot about me for someone who’s not a country music fan.”

      Guilty as charged. If he’d noticed that her CDs were in alphabetical order then he’d probably also noticed she liked Broadway tunes. Little did he know she’d shoved his CDs under her seat before letting him into her car. “There’s nothing wrong with being prepared.”

      “Never said there was. But the fact remains that what you want isn’t available. I can’t deny I need your help this week, but I’ll arrange for you to take the rest of your lessons elsewhere.”

      She could concede to her embarrassment and his demands or she could stay the course she’d set. Last chance. Last chance echoed in her head. “Like you said, you owe me and I want my lessons from you. No substitutes.”

      Anger flared in his eyes and he opened his mouth—to argue probably—but snapped it shut again when the youngest of the girls toddled into the kitchen. She wordlessly held up her arms. Rex set down his coffee mug and scooped her up. “Hey, sweet pea.”

      The child popped a thumb in her mouth, laid her head on Rex’s shoulder and then twirled a strand of his hair around the fingers of her opposite hand. The absolute trust in the gesture and the gentle kiss he planted on the child’s crown brought a lump to Juliana’s throat.

      “Liza, this is Juliana. She’s going to help me take care of you for a few days.”

      A pair of dark eyes briefly met Juliana’s and then the child hid her face against Rex’s neck. The tiny fingers tangled in Rex’s hair wiggled in a wave and Juliana’s heart melted. “Hi, Liza.”

      Juliana caught another peep from those shy eyes and smiled as she transferred the French toast onto plates. Kelly had told her Liza was three, Becky five and both girls adored their uncle. To hear Kelly talk last night, you’d think Rex was a big softie, but that wasn’t the man Juliana had encountered.

      “The girls must spend a lot of time with you.”

      He shrugged. “I try to help out when Mike’s deployed.”

      An older girl bounced into the room and vaulted toward Rex. He caught her in his free arm so easily it was clear this was a common occurrence, and then he juggled a giggly girl on each hip. His smile nearly knocked Juliana’s legs out from under her.

      Seeing the obvious affection between Rex and his nieces turned her thoughts in a decidedly untemporary direction. She quickly squelched the unwelcome feelings. She’d never been one to listen for the ticking of her biological clock, and she didn’t intend to start now. One month with the rebel was all she’d allow herself.

      “This is Becky. Becky, Juliana is going to help out while Mom’s away. You’re going to spend the day at Juliana’s house with her nanny.”

      “Hello, Becky.”

      The older girl studied Juliana suspiciously and then asked Rex, “Why? Why can’t we stay here with you?”

      “Because I have to work.”

      She might not have much experience with children, but Juliana could see the protests forming on that pouty lip and decided to head them off. “My town house has a pool and a playground, and Irma, the lady who took care of me when I was your age, is very excited about having young ladies to help her bake cookies.”

      Either the pool or the cookies did the trick. Both girls’ eyes brightened. If only their uncle was as easy to bring around. Juliana stifled a sigh.

      She had a plan and she would stick to it regardless of this slight detour. Despite Rex’s avowed disinterest in a relationship, his kiss said otherwise, so her plan still had a chance. No one loved a tough case as much as she did, and she wasn’t ready to throw in the towel yet.

      She faced her reluctant seducer. “I need a key to your apartment.”

      And that, judging by Rex’s balky expression, was the last thing he wanted to give her.

       Five

      Rex’s life was spinning out of control—much like it had when he’d signed his first record deal, and others, his manager, his agent and the record company execs, had seized the wheel and started steering his life. He’d fought a long, hard battle to regain control, and he didn’t like being knocked off track now.

      Last night he’d been shanghaied by Kelly and Juliana. Today, Irma, as grandmotherly a woman as he’d ever met, had shooed him out of the way the moment he and the girls had arrived. She’d whisked Becky and Liza into the kitchen to help her unpack the groceries. Juliana had disappeared upstairs to dress for work, leaving him to prowl around her living room and wonder what in the hell he’d gotten into. Not that he’d had a choice. He wouldn’t let Kelly down again.

      Who was the real Juliana? The flirty siren who’d bought him at the auction, the innocent seductress who’d ridden his horse, the bold and sexy biker chick or the cautious woman who planned every detail and triple-checked everything? There were too many contradictions to count—contradictions that kept him off balance. He couldn’t plan a defense if he didn’t know his opponent.

      Her living and dining rooms looked like something out of a magazine. Not fussy or cluttered, but decorated and comfortable. A soft toast-colored fabric covered the long sofa and matching chairs. The oversize furniture was the kind he could sink into and take a nap—which he sorely needed after tossing and turning on his shorter couch last night. A man could prop his boots on her wood-and-wrought-iron tables without worrying about scuffing the surface. The best part was that, other than a few colorful ceramic pieces on high shelves, Juliana didn’t have valuable knickknacks all over the place that the girls could break.

      A noise made him turn. He looked up and saw legs—amazing, long, sexy legs—coming down the stairs. And then the rest of Juliana came into view. In her gray body-skimming suit, twisted-up hair and low-heeled shoes, she bore little resemblance to any of the versions of Juliana he’d encountered thus far. This woman looked like a bank employee. Cool. Collected. In charge. The tap of her heels on the hardwood floor as she crossed to a cabinet drew his attention back to her killer legs.

      Damned if he didn’t find her sexy in a librarian kind of way. Not good. Not good at all.

      She СКАЧАТЬ