How To Seduce An Heiress: The Reluctant Heiress / Pride After Her Fall / Project: Runaway Heiress

“Garrett, I didn’t know it could be this way,” she confessed. “I couldn’t say no to you.”

“I hope you never can,” he whispered, kissing her temple while he held her against his heart with his arms wrapped around her. “This is perfect, Sophia.”

“You might as well stay tonight. There’s no reason not to.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that. I’m surprised you asked me.”

“I surprised myself, but it seems logical. And my bracelet is beautiful. Thank you again.”

“Just remember our weekend together.”

“I will always. There’s no way I can forget it.”

He gazed into her eyes. “I hope you don’t. It was special to me.” He kissed her lightly. Though he’d told her many times before, his words thrilled her. She ran her hands over his shoulders, relishing being with him.

At two in the morning, he partially sat up. “I’m ready now for that cup of hot chocolate you offered. Is it still in the offering?”

“Of course. You have to wait a minute because I’m putting on a robe.”

“That takes away the fun.”

“Otherwise, we’ll never get to the hot chocolate.”

“True enough.”

She stood, wrapping herself in a comforter and going to get a robe. “I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”

He grinned and waved, his gaze roaming over her as if mentally peeling away the comforter.

“You look gorgeous.”

“It’s my beautiful gold bracelet,” she replied, holding out her arm and letting the bracelet catch glints of light. Smiling, she left to go upstairs and get her best robe, a black velvet robe with a silk lining. She brushed her hair and went down.

When she entered the kitchen, Garrett already had mugs with steaming cocoa on the table. Dressed in his white shirt and slacks again, he gazed at her, then walked to meet her and place his hands on her waist. His white shirt was unbuttoned halfway and she wanted to run her fingers through the hair on his chest. He had turned the fancy French cuffs back and he looked sexy.

“You look far too gorgeous for that to be called a bathrobe. And far too sexy for that to not be for the benefit of some man.”

“You know absolutely there hasn’t been a man—until now. It’s my best warm and comfy bathrobe.”

“I’m glad you said ‘until now’ and I hope it stays that way.”

“Garrett, I’ve warned you about that from the beginning.”

He leaned down to kiss her long and hard. Her heart raced as if it were the first time. She couldn’t get enough of him. Fighting an inner battle between what she wanted and what she thought she should do, she shifted away.

“We’re going to drink hot chocolate, remember?” she said breathlessly, placing her hand against his chest.

He still held her. “Sophia, you’re important to me.

I know we haven’t known each other long, but that really doesn’t matter. You’re essential and I want you in my life.”

While her heart drummed, his words held her enthralled. “Saturday night wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t been very important to me.”

“I’m glad. Don’t forget what I’ve said.”

“Garrett, you’ve said that to me before. What am I missing?”

“Before we sit to drink our hot chocolate, I want to talk to you and I hope you’ll listen to everything I have to say.”

She looked at him and realized that whatever it was he was about to tell her, it wasn’t good. “What is it, Garrett? Go ahead and tell me what’s troubling you,” she said, puzzled, wondering what he wanted to talk about.

“We’ve become friends, haven’t we?”

“Yes, of course. But more than friends, Garrett. Lovers.”

“Good. I want to keep it that way.”

“What are you getting at?” she asked, growing chilled. What had he been keeping from her that might change her feelings for him? “What do you want to talk about?”

“I want you to promise me you’ll listen and keep an open mind.”

“I’ll listen and I’ll try to keep an open mind unless you’re going to tell me you’re married with a family,” she said stiffly. Suddenly, all her fears about rushing into intimacy with him came back to her. All her life she had been cautious, but she threw caution to the wind when Garrett came into her life. And she had a feeling she was about to find out that she’d made a terrible mistake.

He shook his head. “Nothing like that.”

Relief was slight because whatever he intended to tell her, it was serious. “I’ll try to keep an open mind,” she said, though she could already feel the walls closing down around her heart. “But I can’t make any promises.”

Six (#ulink_2cde4882-dbff-5213-ae80-6dad948eedcd)

Garrett framed her face with his hands and she watched as he took a deep breath. “I was asked to meet you and get to know you. I was hired to do so, actually, but I’ve told them I won’t take the money. I swear I never expected it to turn out this way at all. I didn’t dream I would get any closer to you than I had to in order to talk to you.”

“You were hired? To meet me? I don’t understand,” she said, confusion flooding her. Garrett was struggling with his words, and he wasn’t giving her information fast enough. “Answer me, Garrett! Who hired—” She stopped speaking and stared at him, her confusion changing to burning fury. There was only one group of people in the world who would have to hire someone to try to get her to meet with them. “No! It’s the Delaneys, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it’s the Delaneys. Please, Sophia, you have to believe me. I never thought I, we would—”

“Damn you, Garrett,” she said, astounded at his pretense and the advantage he had taken of her. She was furious with herself for letting down her guard. “I promised to listen and keep an open mind, but I’m not going to now. Everything you’ve done has been a sham. You’ve been conniving and false from the start,” she accused. “All that asking about my family, listening while I told you about my father—you’re as bad as he was,” she said, shaking with rage. “You knew! You knew all the time who Argus was and what he had done! You knew how I grew up. You knew everything when you met me and passed yourself off as a Houston businessman.”

“I am a Houston businessman. I own that business.”

“How are you connected with the Delaneys?” she blurted, startled to hear he actually had the Houston business.

“I’m the CFO of Delaney Enterprises.”

She felt as if he had delivered a blow to her. “So the best friend you talked about, the family obligations—that’s all the Delaneys, isn’t it?” She clenched her fists. “I’m not going to listen to you. Everything you’ve done has been underhanded and low. How could you?” she cried.

“Sophia, by denying your heritage and your inheritance, you’re hurting innocent people and you’re hurting yourself.”

“You can’t possibly justify your actions.” She thought of what had happened between them in Colorado, devastation washing over her like a crushing wave. “How you must have laughed after this weekend. You seduced me for the Delaneys,” she said, grinding out the words, tears of anger and hurt threatening, adding to her fury.