Arden Gemini Effect

Deception: Book Three
1. Auflage 2014
ISBN: 978-0-9925707-2-9
Verlag: Stirling Publishing
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 176 Seiten

A sexy contemporary romance about a case of mistaken identity in which Sarah falls for her boyfriend's twin brother... (15+) This is the third novel in the Deception series, and is set in England (York and Cornwall) and Canada. Deception: Sleeping with the wrong twin. What would make a 'nice girl' jump into bed with a total stranger? Sarah had been keeping her boyfriend Christopher at arm's length for simply ages, never quite ready to commit. But now he was back, and suddenly she wanted him with every fibre of her being. But why did she now feel so different towards him? Christian is stunned when a gorgeous stranger throws herself into his arms and rushes him back to his hotel room. She seems to think she knows him, and somehow he can't find the words to protest. After all, who could resist such a desirable woman? The only problem is, the longer he leaves it the harder it is to tell her the truth. How can he ever excuse his deception? And what will his brother say?

Autoren/Hrsg.

Arden, Emily

Leseproben

CHAPTER ONE – Sarah all alone Sarah Lawson worked late again that Friday night in July. The story she was investigating at the moment was interesting and she had nothing to rush home for. She was certainly not doing it to impress her employer, as Anthea Grant had already left for the weekend. Sarah enjoyed her work as research assistant for an historian, the combination of investigating, writing and proof-reading allowing her to use many of the skills she’d honed while studying History at Oxford. But just at this moment she was feeling rather lonely. It was a quiet job, based as it was in her employer’s house. Normally she was fine with that, but right now she could have done with a bit of company. While she was finishing off her work for the day, she couldn’t help thinking about Chris – Anthea’s son and the man she’d been dating for over a year. Since he’d gone away to America she’d led an even quieter life – and that had given her plenty of opportunity to miss him and to ponder their relationship. Fridays were the worst day. During the year before Chris had gone away, they’d gone out together every Friday night. Sarah had enjoyed his company – had enjoyed having someone to spend time with – so now she usually felt listless and as though there was something missing from her life by the time the end of the week arrived. Recently, she’d even been regretting and questioning her decision not to accompany him. Perhaps she should have allowed their relationship to blossom as Chris had obviously wanted it to. Perhaps she should have gone with him, as his partner or his wife. Perhaps she needed to think about her commitment to him, and what she really wanted out of their relationship. It was time for things to change between them. Sarah thought back to the first time she’d met Chris. She’d been working for Anthea Grant for three weeks when one Friday afternoon a blond god had walked into the large library-cum-study which she shared with her employer. Anthea had looked up vaguely from the tome she was studying to say, “Oh hello Christopher darling, what are you doing here?” Chris had sent a stunning smile straight towards Sarah as he replied, “Well I was planning to pay you a visit ma, but now I’ve revised my plans to include an introduction to your new researcher.” Anthea allowed a warm smile to transform her usually sad face as she swung her chair around and watched her son approach her young assistant. Sarah stood up as Anthea made the introduction, “Christopher, this is Sarah Lawson, my new right-hand woman; and Sarah, this is my son Christopher – in case you hadn’t already guessed.” “The one and only,” Chris interjected, proceeding to capture Sarah’s hand and kiss it slowly and lingeringly. He then looked steadily into her eyes and said “Where have you been all my life?” – with a completely straight face. Sarah was bemused. Chris was probably the most attractive man she’d ever seen. He was tall and muscular with blond hair which waved lovingly across his head, a sexy smile above some carefully cultivated designer stubble, and startling blue eyes which were currently gazing directly into her sherry brown ones. “Pleased to meet you,” she murmured huskily, smiling up at him as she tried to retrieve her hand. Chris continued to stare at her – he couldn’t believe his eyes. She was gorgeous! Her lustrous dark hair framed her heart-shaped face with a riot of curls that were tied back with a black velvet ribbon. Her above-average height was blessed with the sort of figure he’d often fantasised about: long legs, a slender waist and a more than generous bust. Her mouth with its full lips looked eminently kissable, and her amber eyes made him melt. For the first time in his life he felt completely speechless. After a minute or two had passed in uncomfortable silence, during which Sarah had liberated her hand and moved over to the window, and his mother had again become preoccupied with the work on her desk; he realised he needed to make a move. He couldn’t stand there forever trying to plan a strategy for ensnaring this beauty. Chris had intended avoiding any more clichéd pick-up lines, but nevertheless heard himself saying, “The pleasure is all mine, I assure you.” He winced slightly before adding, “It’s wonderful to meet you at last. Mother has told me so much about you... Perhaps we could get to know each other better over dinner tonight – that is if you’re free?” Sarah did not have any engagements for that evening, but she was unsure whether she should admit this and even less sure that she should accept his invitation. She didn’t know anything about him – other than his mother – and she was generally pretty careful about the men she dated. To her mind he seemed rather too sure of himself, and although his obvious admiration was rather flattering, there was something about his supreme confidence that unsettled her. On the other hand, he was extremely attractive, and perhaps she should give herself a chance to get to know him better. Her good friend Tamsin was always telling her she should ‘lighten up’– that she should let her hair down and enjoy herself like so many of her other friends did. Sarah’s problem was that she was a serious girl by nature. She wasn’t the sort of woman who would go out with just anyone. And she had been hurt once – badly. She’d thought that Daniel had been the one – she’d spent over a year getting close to him. And look at how that had turned out! He’d dumped her, and not even for another woman, but for the church! She’d trusted him, she’d given herself to him – her first lover. And he’d chosen to leave her for a life of celibacy. It hadn’t exactly been good for her morale and it also hadn’t made her want to try again in a hurry. The sex hadn’t been all that great anyway – they’d both been very inexperienced. So all in all, she wasn’t about to leap into something with the first charming man who asked her. After all, was it any wonder that she was wary of risking herself again? Still, she was 24 now, so perhaps it was time to try again. She shouldn’t expect to find an ideal man, but surely there’d be someone half decent who could help assuage her loneliness. She needed to be realistic – to stop expecting everything in one package. And Chris was certainly the most exciting man she’d met recently. She’d be foolish if she let this opportunity slip through her fingers. In addition, it was reassuring to know he was Anthea’s son – it helped her to feel safe with him. Therefore she smiled at him and confirmed that she did happen to be free that evening and she’d love to go out with him. Chris was jubilant and they agreed to go out to a small Italian restaurant just a few nonindents away. Their first date had been a happy one. Chris had picked her up at seven and they’d shared an excellent meal accompanied by a good bottle of wine. Afterwards, they’d gone for a walk along the river and Chris had held her hand and talked of his work in computer graphics. When he’d returned her to her home, she hadn’t invited him in for coffee and he hadn’t pushed the point. He had, however, left her on her doorstep feeling thoroughly kissed. The first time he wrapped his arms around her and bent his head to caress her lips with his, she was caught by surprise and felt a breathless tingle shoot through her. Was this it, she wondered? But as his arms grew tighter and his mouth pressed more firmly over hers she stopped enjoying the sensation of his closeness and started to feel uncomfortable. She barely knew him, and it just didn’t feel right to be too intimate at this early stage in their relationship. Not yet – it was all too much, too soon. She gently pushed against his chest, trying to extricate herself from his embrace. As she stood back from him and observed his heaving chest and smouldering eyes, her mind was blown away by how gorgeous he appeared. So why wasn’t her body wanting to be closer to him? Perhaps she just needed more time? Needed to get to know him better? And in the meantime, she could only hope that her abrupt ending of their clinch wouldn’t put him off. She knew she was lucky to have met someone so gorgeous, and she certainly didn’t want to scare him away. She groped for the right words to reassure him, eventually managing, “I’m sorry Chris, it seems a little soon. Tonight has been lovely, but...” “Okay, Okay.” Chris backed off, trying to smile through his lust-hazed disappointment. “I’m sorry for rushing you.” His hands wrapped gently around her elbows as he held her away from his body, his eyes shut against the temptation of her dishevelled clothing. “But, God, you’re just so hard to resist.” As he opened his eyes again, she could see something of the battle raging there. Yet he was clearly managing to keep it in check, grimacing wryly as he pushed her further away from him and turning as though to leave. It was almost as though he couldn’t trust himself to remain there any longer. Sarah felt moved by his obvious emotion and his impressive...