Filed to story: A Matter of Sin and Love Novel Read Free Online
‘Scared? No.’ Strangely enough, it was true. She was scared of what he made her feel, of the urgent, restless woman she’d become in the short time since they’d met. But not scared of him.
‘Not even after what you discovered in your research on me?’ The banter was gone from his voice. He sounded deadly serious.
Deadly. Now there was a word. Last night she’d thought he looked dangerous. Then, at home, sitting with her computer, she’d discovered how right she’d been. How many people had she known personally who’d been to prison for assault?
None.
Was it na?ve of her to believe that, despite his teenage criminal record, Christian Edwards wouldn’t hurt her?
She’d been stunned to read about his crime and his prison term. At the same time it went some way to explaining the sense she’d had last night that he was a man apart from everyone else.
As a nurse she’d worked with a huge range of people, from the frail aged to the bloodied survivors of brawls to the drug-addicted and downright dangerous. She was cautious, methodical, never taking unnecessary risks, especially doing home visits. But the only alarm she felt now was at her own avid response to Christian.
‘I’m not afraid of you because you’ve got a criminal record, Christian.’ In the intervening years he’d built a reputation for ruthlessness in business but there’d never been a hint he was anything but a model citizen. He’d been lauded for his work supporting inner-city youth centres and legislation to assist victims of abuse.
‘Then you’re unique.’ Was that bitterness she heard? She hitched herself higher against the pillows.
‘Are you saying I should be? That you’re violent?’
‘No.’ His voice was flat. ‘I’m not that person any more. I’ve learned to restrain my impulses. Instead I channel them into something more productive.’
He said nothing for a moment and she wondered what was going through his mind. ‘So, you’re not frightened. But you are curious.’
‘You’re not the average Australian business tycoon.’
His laugh was sharp but appealing and despite herself Ella’s lips twitched. How could she feel at ease with this man? His past and his dealings with her father should warn her off, yet she felt incredibly drawn to him. It wasn’t just desire; she was fascinated by the way his mind worked. She enjoyed their verbal sparring.
‘You’ve met lots of tycoons, have you?’
‘A few.’
‘And you weren’t impressed.’
By the men with whom her father did business? ‘Not usually.’
‘But still you want to know me better. Here’s the chance to satisfy your curiosity, Elena. Over lunch. We have a table reserved at the Opera House restaurant. I’m assured the food is excellent.’
But it wasn’t food on his mind, or even conversation. The low pitch of his voice was pure seduction. Elena pressed her thighs together, pretending she didn’t feel that tiny pulse of awareness awakening between them.
‘No, thank you.’
There was a pause. ‘Has anyone ever told you you’re stubborn?’
‘Yes.’
‘You know you want to. You’re denying yourself as well as me.’
‘Don’t presume to know my mind, Christian.’
He sighed. ‘Don’t make me force you, Elena.’
She tucked the sheet more securely under her arms and sat straighter. ‘You can’t force me.’
‘What if I told you your father’s financial viability is totally dependent on my support? And that support is dependent on the wedding he’s organising for us.’
‘You’re lying. You don’t want to marry me. We discussed it last night.’
What sort of bizarre game was he playing?
‘You discussed it, Elena, but you wouldn’t listen to my response.’ He paused and the silence thickened around her. ‘Ask your father if you don’t believe me. He’ll confirm it. The wedding goes ahead or there’s no deal. And if there’s no deal…’
Christian WAS WAITING for her, standing in the doorway of a white, two-storey art deco gem of a mansion that made Ella’s mouth water with envy. In the forecourt sat a gleaming convertible in dark red. Not a modern supercar but a vintage model with running boards that made her think of champagne picnics and romantic escapes to the country.
She choked down annoyance. It was easier to loathe the man before she realised they shared the same tastes.
But this wasn’t his home. Christian lived in Melbourne. Maybe he was a guest here. He probably lived in a soulless box of a house and had a chauffeur drive him in a stretch limo.
The thought soothed her. She didn’t like the notion they had anything in common. Anything other than that disconcerting stir of attraction. And the suspicion she’d got last night that he wasn’t a fan of her father. Clearly that was pure imagination, since he proposed to link himself with George Morrison’s family.
Elena stopped her little car, telling herself it was the house that quickened her pulse. Not the man.
With huge streamlined windows and a curved end like the prow of a ship, the old house was stunning. The glimpse of dark blue ocean glittering beyond it enhanced its beauty, as did the lush garden that hid it from the security gates. Gates that opened as soon as she’d nosed her car off the street.
Had Christian been watching for her, or his security staff? She’d seen no one on the long drive from the street to the clifftop house.
Now there he was under the huge circular portico, his expression unreadable. Against the bright beaten copper of the doors he looked severe. She told herself it was because he wore black trousers and shirt, the sleeves rolled casually up his arms. Yet the contrast between the man and the bright metal behind him reminded her again of that fallen-angel image.
There was nothing casual about his wide stance. Or the way he watched her. Through the windscreen Elena felt the sizzle of his dark eyes. Her skin tingled, her blood a rush of adrenalin as she stared back.
The scary thing about Christian Edwards was the way he saw beyond the surface to the woman she was inside. To the woman she’d never dared let herself be.
Elena had never felt so naked as with him. It was as if he saw through a lifetime’s defences. He challenged her in a way no man ever had. Christian called to a reckless side she’d never let loose.
For a moment fear pinned her to her seat. Then she thrust open her door and got out, to be instantly enveloped by the summer heat.
Over the car roof their gazes collided and meshed. Ella’s pulse racketed and her insides clenched in a way that wasn’t about fear but anticipation.
How could she want a man who’d calmly decreed she had to marry him or watch her father ruined?
Setting her shoulders, Elena slammed the door and stalked across the terrace.
He didn’t move towards her, just stood: tall, brooding and enigmatic. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets, making him look nonchalant. That only spiked her annoyance.
Even worse, he looked every bit as stunning as he had last night. The muted lighting at the party hadn’t exaggerated the wide set of his shoulders or the lean strength of his body. Her gaze skittered over corded forearms, dusted with dark hair, and heavy thigh muscles. For a shaky moment she wondered how it would feel to be held against that hard masculine frame.