Page 7 of Unwilling Bride
I don’t know anything about the Abbott family, though I’m sure I must’ve heard the name before. They’re probably farmers or grape growers, like everyone else in this damn county. Before I can think on it more, Charlie’s eyes open. I can tell she’s a bit confused by her surroundings—I don’t think either of us intended to be in this hotel room the whole night through. I should’ve taken her home last night, but after the sex, I couldn’t resist a kip.
“Hey,” I say softly.
“Holy shit.” She bolts upright in the bed, pulling the covers up beneath her chin.
“Morning to you too, lassie.”
A look of angst crosses her face. She bites her lower lip, frowns, then runs a hand through her hair. And then she takes a deep breath and puts her palms down on the sheets. “Sorry, um. Wow. This is fine. It’s totally fine.”
I’m not sure if this is one of those passive-aggressive things that women do when they realize they’ve made a mistake, or if things actuallyarefine. But I don’t have time to figure it out at the moment.
Her eyes track me as I slip into my shirt and tuck it into the waist of my jeans. She tilts her head and makes a sad face, as if she’s sorry to see me getting dressed. My mind flashes to how she surveyed my cock last night, the longing on her face, and I can’t help but laugh.
“I suppose I’d better be dropping you off somewhere, then,” I say.
“Yeah. Definitely.”
“Unless you’d like to have another go,” I tease.
Her eyes widen.
“I’m teasin’ ye, lass,” I say.
“I mean, I’m not opposed to the idea,” she says, her cheeks going pink.
“I’m flattered, but I think we both have places to be. You had something to take care of at home, you said last night?”
She sighs, turns away from me, and slips out of the bed. I catch a glimpse of her smooth, firm backside before she disappears into the bathroom, a bit disappointed that she didn’t get dressed in front of me. She’s got a killer body, and I wouldn’t mind a slow watch.
The door opens a moment later and she comes out, twisting her hair into a braid over her shoulder. She doesn’t make eye contact with me. Before I can say anything else, my phone vibrates again. I sneak a glance at the text. It’s the address of the Abbott household.
“So. Where would you like me to take you, Charlie?”
“How about we start driving and I’ll figure it out as we go?”
I raise an eyebrow. “You don’t want to go home?”
Ignoring the question, she says, “You ready to go, or should I grab a coffee downstairs and wait?”
She stalks to the door, then looks over her shoulder at me. There’s not a hint of familiarity in her gaze. Considering the amazing sex we had last night, and her lack of experience, I’m rather shocked she’s ready to just walk right out of here without a second thought.
“Breakfast?” I suggest. “There’s a wee pancake house not far from here.”
She opens the door and steps out into the hall. “No thanks.”
Ouch. I grab my things in a hurry and head out after her.
“I didn’t expect you to turn me down.” My voice is light as we make our way toward the elevator.
“I bet you’re not used to that.” Hers is not.
Once we get to the parking lot and find my car, I open the door for her to get in. We don’t speak as I pull onto the main road, take a left, and get on the highway. It’s a full five minutes before she looks at me, her eyes narrowed as if she’s considering something.
“You can drop me off at the mall. You know where it is?”
I nod. “I do.” Those two words make me shudder. Bad choice of response.
I’m still confused about why she chose to hook up with me last night. I mean, my best guess is that it was a knee-jerk reaction to—or a retaliation against—the sudden engagement that was just dropped on her. But would she have chosen any random eejit out of the crowd, or was there something special about me? What if I hadn’t shown up when I did? Would she have woken up next to someone else?
