New Arrivals: His Inherited Family. Barbara Dunlop

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СКАЧАТЬ minutes to enjoy the tranquility of her own home. “I had a great sleep.”

      “Alone?”

      Devin twisted her head to stare at Lexi. “Of course I was alone. What did he tell you? “

      “Nothing.” Lexi shook her head. “But I couldn’t exactly ask him, could I?”

      “Is that why you were being nice to him?”

      Lexi had had a pretty remarkable change in attitude over a boat rescue.

      “He’s not as bad as I expected,” said Lexi.

      Devin understood what her friend meant. There was something disarmingly charming about Lucas. Then again, that’s exactly what Monica had thought about Konrad—that he was misunderstood, nicer than people realized, not quite the cold, hard-ass the media made him out to be. It was a dangerous road to go down.

      “He’s trying to take Amelia away from me,” Devin reminded Lexi.

      “Challenge him to a diapering contest in the courtroom. You’ll win.”

      “This isn’t a joke.”

      Lexi sobered and gazed out across the sparkling water. “I know. It’s heart-wrenching. I find myself wishing he was more of a jerk, then I could hate him.”

      “You don’t have to hate him.” Devin gazed out across the water herself. A few powerboats streamed along in front of the far shore, white wakes streaking out behind them. Now that the sun was warm, most of the beaches were coming alive with residents. “I just have to beat him.”

      Lexi covered her hand. “You will.”

      “I’m not so sure.”

      Silently, they stared at the lake.

      “So,” said Lexi, “what’s up with the dancing?”

      “I can’t remember how it started.” Devin sat up straighter on the log. “But I mentioned how long it had been since I’d had a date.”

      “And he stepped up to the plate?”

      “He’s up to something.” Devin knew she should be annoyed by the way he’d managed to manipulate her into doing something she just knew she would regret. But she couldn’t help but smile at the thought of a fancy party. “It’ll be nice to dress up again,” she admitted. “And I made him promise not to kiss me.” “Seriously?”

      “Yes.”

      “You said that out loud?”

      Devin gave a decisive nod. She didn’t want there to be any misunderstanding. The very last thing she needed was another go-round in Lucas’s arms. She banished the unwanted image and tamped down her wayward hormonal reaction. It would be a catastrophic mistake to kiss Lucas.

      Okay, so technically, she was in Lucas’s arms again. But they were dancing, and it was all very proper. There was a good nine inches of space between them. Lucas’s dance frame was appropriate, and his lead was smooth and confident. He was also devastatingly handsome in his tux. No surprise there.

      The ballroom at the Saturna Club was opulent and spacious. It had thirty-foot ceilings, with a marble pillar perimeter around the rectangular dance floor. The chandeliers were lavish, the flowers fresh, and dinner had featured fresh Pacific salmon and white chocolate mousse served with an impressive flare by what must have been a hundred efficient, tuxedoed waiters.

      One long side of the ballroom opened to a concrete patio that overlooked Puget Sound. The crisp ocean breeze wafted in. Cruise ships, freighters and smaller boats passed by, while the lights of Bainbridge Island twinkled off in the distance.

      After months of drool and diapers, Devin felt like a fairy princess. She’d even splurged on a new dress—though she’d never admit to Lucas that she’d gone shopping. It was strapless, copper satin, with a fitted top that shimmered against her skin, and a full skirt that rustled at her knees. She’d worn the rhinestone sandals and borrowed a silver link necklace and matching earrings from Lexi. The earrings dangled from her lobes, gently brushing against her neck as she danced.

      It was fun to feel pretty.

      “The nanny interviews start at ten in the morning,” Lucas reminded her as they moved into a turn.

      Devin frowned up at him. “You’re ruining the mood.” “There’s a mood?”

      “Of course there’s a mood. We have music, fine food, champagne—”

      “And beautiful women.” His eyes lit up with a appreciative smile that bordered on mischief.

      “Handsome men,” she returned, refusing to react.

      “Thank you.”

      “Plural,” she corrected. “I was talking in general.” “Well, I wasn’t.”

      Her steps faltered. This wasn’t where she’d wanted the conversation to go.

      “You look very beautiful, Devin.”

      Though she knew she should, she couldn’t bring herself to look away from him, and it was a struggle to maintain her equilibrium. He was being polite, nothing more. It was appropriate to compliment a woman while escorting her for the evening. He didn’t mean she was beautiful in, say, comparison to the supermodels and trophy wives in ten-thousand-dollar dresses who were swirling around the room.

      He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I believe the words you’re looking for are thank you.”

      Her throat was dry, but she swallowed to clear it. “Thank you.”

      He smiled and straightened. “That wasn’t fair,” she admonished. Amusement still lurked in his eyes. “Not fair?” This time, she was the one who leaned in. “You promised.”

      “Not to compliment you?”

      “Not to…” She struggled for the right words. “This isn’t supposed to be a date.”

      “You didn’t want to talk about nannies,” he responded with a shrug, like there were only two topics in the world.

      “Fine. Let’s talk about nannies.”

      “And spoil the mood?”

      “Please. Go ahead and spoil the mood.” She didn’t care that she sounded petulant.

      The danger in pretending she was a princess was that it made Lucas the prince. And it was all too easy to let the fantasy meander into perilous territory.

      They’d arrived at the party tonight in a limo. Later, they’d go home to his castle. And if she wasn’t careful, she’d start thinking about a kiss good-night.

      “The interviews begin at ten,” he said.

      She shook off her wayward thoughts. “Not with the prison matrons.”

      “I gave the agency both your specifications СКАЧАТЬ