Log In
Or create an account ->
Imperial Library
Home
About
News
Upload
Forum
Help
Login/SignUp
Index
CHAPTER ONE AS ROMAIN DE VALOIS approached the ballroom he was glad for a second that the doors were closed. They acted as a barrier of sorts between him and that world. The thought caught him up short. A barrier? Since when had he ever thought he needed that? His strides grew longer, quicker, as if to shrug off the unaccustomed feeling that assailed him. And the most curious sensation hit him too at that moment…the desire to have someone by his side as he approached this set of doors. Someone…a woman…with her hand in his, who would understand effortlessly what he was thinking, who would glance up at him, a gleam of shared understanding in her eyes. She might even smile a little, squeeze his hand… His steps faltered for just a second before reaching the door. The vibration of the orchestra, the muted raucous chatter and laughter of the hundreds of people inside was palpable in his chest. What on earth was wrong with him? Daydreaming about a woman when he’d never felt the lack of anythi
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO AS ROMAIN spoke he felt righteous anger move through him at her insulting words. But he also felt uncharacteristically at a loss. What on earth had possessed him to cross the room so soon? He couldn’t even remember forming the wish or the desire to come closer…and yet here he was. Her back faced him, her skin so pale that he doubted she’d ever been in the sun. And it was very lightly freckled. A true Celt. It made her even more intriguing, added to her allure. An almost blue-black sheen rippled off her hair as she started to turn around, and when she faced him he sucked in a breath. She was, quite simply, ravishing. Almond-shaped blue eyes ringed with indecently long black lashes. Cheekbones so high and well defined that it was a sin that she wasn’t smiling, to make her cheeks full and ripe. And her mouth…Lord, it must have been created by a god of decadence. The lush lower lip was a sensual invitation to touch, feel, slide his tongue across, and on it rested a top lip that
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE NO-ONE will force you to do this… They wouldn’t have to, Sorcha thought grimly as she walked the short journey from her agent’s office to Romain’s exclusive hotel the following day. Lisa had told her where he’d be for their ‘meeting’. She had to hand it to him. He must have walked into the small Irish modelling agency and laughed out loud. It would have been like taking candy from a baby. She could picture it now: the industry’s most powerful head—a person who held the kind of authority that would make anyone dizzy, a man responsible for countless designers and their merchandise and advertising, not to mention his high profile as one of the world’s most eligible and handsome men—walked into a tiny basement agency, offered them a deal for one of their models that was in excess of six figures…Well, you wouldn’t have to be a rocket scientist to do the maths. When Sorcha had walked in that morning the place had been buzzing, the excitement palpable. Pretty Woman was not one o
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR ONCE seated, Sorcha avoided looking at the unnerving man opposite her. Out of the corner of her eye she could see long brown fingers curled around the edges of the menu, and her heart started to beat fast again. It was some moments before she realised that he was looking at her expectantly. Taking a deep breath, she closed her menu too, having no idea of what it offered. ‘So…how long have you needed glasses?’ He threw her with such an innocuous question after his last words, which had been so rawly personal. She looked at him warily and was glad of the table between them, and the sturdy frames of her glasses. Perversely, they seemed to give her some protection—as if projecting an image that made her more comfortable in such close proximity to his potent sexuality. ‘Relatively recently. Years of late nights cramming for exams have taken their toll—I find I need them for reading, or if I’m tired.’ His brow quirked. ‘A hangover from school? Surely it’s been some time since yo
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE ROMAIN watched her go through the swinging doors, catching fleeting glimpses as they swung back and forth. A whole host of conflicting emotions and desires were battling under the surface of his cool grey gaze. He was watching her walk away for the second time. He vowed at that moment that he would never watch her walk away again. An image crashed into his head of her lying underneath him, her sable hair spread out on a pillow, cheeks pink with arousal and passion. She was looking up, her blue eyes darkened, slumberous, and she was slowly bringing his head back down to hers, where their mouths…His whole body seemed to be igniting from the inside even as he tried to quash the picture. But its eroticism lingered. He wanted her badly. Past or no past; job or no job. He shrugged mentally. So what if she was the first woman he’d take to bed who didn’t like him, or profess to love him? For him that was the kiss of death to any relationship. He was a man who didn’t deal in emotio
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX THE wind was driven out of her more as a result of her reaction to coming into contact with his hard chest than because of the impact. Sorcha looked up with dazed eyes. Big hands encircled her upper arms and she could feel his body heat enveloping her. They were so close that all she’d have to do was stretch up slightly and her mouth would be close enough to— With an almost violent movement she pulled free and jerked away, rubbing her arms. She glowered at Romain, who stuck his hands in the pockets of his dark trousers and leant against the doorjamb. A dark shirt made him look dangerous, foreign, in the gloom of the corridor. The grey of his eyes stood out. Nervously she touched a hand to her glasses. ‘Do you always lurk outside people’s doors? Or were you just afraid I was turning my room into a den of iniquity?’ A smile quirked his mouth up at one side, making him look even more rakishly handsome. She wasn’t ready to face him—had been counting on the space, however brief,
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN A FEW hours later, feeling very nervous, Sorcha stood on the shoreline again, this time in a simple knee-length white broderie anglaise dress from an exclusive designer. It was meant to be a wedding dress. Her hair was up in a loose knot, and a white orchid was tucked behind her ear. Claire the stylist was muttering as she secured the dress at the back. ‘You would not believe the pressure I was under to get back here…And this dress—it’s not even been on the catwalk yet. We weren’t meant to be shooting it for another week. It had to come from Paris with a courier and a bodyguard. And now you’re the one that gets to be held in Romain’s arms…honestly…’ Held in his arms? Sorcha’s insides froze. Surely she just meant with his arm around her shoulders as they looked out at the sunset? And then he was there, striding towards her. He wore a white tuxedo shirt that was open at the neck, a bow tie dangling untied. His black trousers were rolled up to the knee, showing off strong, s
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT LATER that day, as Sorcha boarded the privately chartered jet, it felt as if aeons had passed. Those moments on the beach, that kiss, had an intimate residue that made Sorcha feel skittish. And, to her utter dismay, she saw that the only free seat was beside Romain. She hovered reluctantly for a second by the empty seat. Romain glanced up eventually from some papers in his lap. He looked more like the successful businessman now, in a dark suit, light shirt and tie, undone slightly, with a top button open. A glimpse of the strong column of brown throat was tantalising. ‘It seems as though this is the only free seat.’ He smiled wolfishly. ‘Please, be my guest. It’ll be fun to watch you try to squirm away from me for five hours.’ Sorcha sat down gingerly, very careful about where she put her arms. Then she sat back and closed her eyes. Before long, though, the familiar terror began making its all too predictable insidious climb inside her chest as the engine’s throttle roare
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE THE following night they were heading off to India. The next leg of the journey. Sorcha made sure to be one of the first on the plane this time, and chose one of the single seats. She wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. Last night had made her feel out of control…she’d found herself missing him! As though the set had become a more sinister place without him. Everything had seemed lacklustre…They were barely days into the job and this man was winding her around his little finger with little more than his magnetic presence and one kiss. The thought of which made her squirm in her seat. She’d tried to see Katie for lunch earlier, but it hadn’t worked out with timing. Romain was insisting that they all stay in the same hotels along the way, in order to bond, so she hadn’t seen her friend once. And she missed Katie’s practical, down-to-earth maternal advice. Although maybe it was just as well that they hadn’t met, as when she’d told Katie about taking the job her friend had s
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN SORCHA struggled to stay calm, but she felt like she wanted to get up and run—hide, go away. With every word he was saying he was getting closer, digging deeper, and soon he’d reach the very centre of everything, the place were her desire threatened to bubble out of control. She pulled her hand back and racked her brain for some way to take the intense spotlight off her. ‘And what about you? What are your secrets, Romain?’ Her voice felt very brittle, like her control. ‘How come you’re not married?’ Where had that come from? Romain sat back. At least she’d had the desired effect. His eyes narrowed on hers. ‘I was engaged once, actually…’ ‘You were?’ Sorcha’s treacherous heart fell. He nodded briefly, curtly. ‘Yes. A long time ago. I was eighteen.’ His mouth twisted cynically. ‘She was my first true love. But one day I walked into her bedroom and caught her in bed with my older half-brother.’ The words were said without a hint of emotion, but Sorcha could intuit the pain. Go
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN HE STOPPED dead in front of her, and immediately she knew she’d made one of the biggest errors of her life. He froze. His face became a mask of non-reaction, his eyes glittering jewel-hard shards of icy grey. He spoke after what felt like aeons, and his words dripped with disdain and disgust. ‘What do you know?’ It was a question but Sorcha wasn’t foolish enough to open her mouth again. ‘Maud told you. It can only have been her. What did she tell you?’ This person before her was someone Sorcha had never seen. Even at his most dismissive, judging…this cold creature hadn’t existed. A thousand miles gaped between this man and the man who’d taken her for lunch, the man who had kissed her. He moved closer, and Sorcha tried to move back but the wall was in her way. She wanted to apologise, wanted to tell him that he was scaring her. ‘Did Maud tell you that my mother was addicted to opium since she was a child growing up in Vietnam?’ Sorcha, horribly mesmerized by his nearness
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE ‘SORCHA, let me in.’ Sorcha stood in her room, arms around her belly, her breath still harsh. She’d run all the way back to the hotel. When his knock had come on her door, she’d jumped. Maybe if she just— ‘Sorcha, I know you’re in there. And if you don’t open the door I will knock it down.’ She could hear it in his voice. He would. She walked slowly towards the door and inexplicably felt as if shifting sands were beneath her feet. Her mind raced. What did this mean? Did he believe what he’d heard? Her headache pounded with a vengeance. With a deep, shaky breath, her heart pumping, she slid the bolt back and opened the door. Romain loomed tall and dark and powerful. Sorcha stepped back. She couldn’t take her eyes from his, they were staring at her with such intensity. Romain came in and shut the door behind him, resting his tall frame against it. His face was implacable. He folded his arms across his chest. In dark trousers and a dark shirt he was over-poweringly sexy and
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN ‘WHAT—what is it?’ His voice was hoarse, his breathing jagged. She could feel his bare chest rise and fall against her side. She turned her head, fighting back sudden tears. Then she pushed his hands away and sat up, moving back, taking her top and putting it over her breasts. Her hair fell around her shoulders. What the hell was going on? Romain couldn’t figure the lightning-fast change and went to reach for Sorcha again, his fingers itching with the need to touch, caress. He was on fire. She scooted back even further, her eyes huge in the dim light. ‘No! Don’t touch me.’ Such panic laced her voice that Romain jackknifed off the bed and switched on another lamp, coming to stand with hands on his hips. He looked angry and aroused and very intimidating. Sorcha swallowed miserably. ‘I’m sorry…I just can’t do this. With you.’ He ran a hand through his hair. ‘What are you talking about Sorcha? If not me then who? I don’t see you burning up for anyone else’s touch.’ And the
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN SORCHA turned around, her cheeks burning. She felt stiff—literally and emotionally. Nakedly vulnerable. ‘I’d like you to leave, please. I have plans for the day, and I have to pack and get ready for Spain.’ She avoided looking at him as he was dressed in nothing but a tiny towel. Baring everything except…Her cheeks burned again as he quite calmly dropped the towel and started to pull on his clothes. He didn’t seem to be fazed by her coolness. And that only confirmed her worst fears, suspicions. He dressed and strolled towards her. But when she would have turned the knob and opened the door he stopped her hand with his. Snaking his other hand around the back of her head, he tilted her head and dropped his mouth onto hers, stealing a kiss that was hot and made her yearn to lean into him, her body already remembering, wanting, aching all over again. But then…he let her go. She opened dazed eyes. His were cool, alert. It almost seemed as if last night had never happened—as
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN ‘OK, SORCHA, now look at him as if you really love him.’ Sorcha was doing her best. In a street full of extras, in the middle of Paris, she was looking into Zane’s eyes. But instead of blue all she could see was grey. And all she could feel was those grey eyes boring into her from the other side of the street. ‘OK, and now, Zane, take her in your arms and kiss her.’ Zane pulled her into his arms, his consummate professionalism making it smooth and graceful, but Sorcha felt as stiff as a board. And when Zane pressed his lips to hers she was glad that the camera was favouring him, because she could feel a wave of revulsion come over her. Romain watched from behind the monitor. A red mist had descended on his vision as he had watched Sorcha laughing and joking with Zane. And now she was kissing him. Did she have to look so good in his arms? Did he have to grab her so close? The thought of Zane feeling her curves pressed up against him had Romain ready to call out, the job
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN A LITTLE before seven that evening, Sorcha stood in much the same position as she had earlier, looking out of the window. She felt very still and serene inside, but she knew it was just the calm before the storm. The storm which was going to come when she would walk away from Romain and never see him again. A knock sounded on the door and she jumped. That brief moment of tranquillity was gone. This evening was it—the last time she’d be with him, see him, experience him. So whatever fantasy she had in her head would have to be lived out tonight. She walked over to the door and opened it. The breath left her body as if she hadn’t already seen him in a tux—first in New York and now here again. She reacted as if it were the first time. He looked resplendent. Too gorgeous for words. His heavy-lidded sensuality was overwhelming. Jerkily she gestured for him to come in. ‘I just have to put on my shoes, then I’m good to go.’ She went into the small dressing room and pulled out
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Two Weeks Later ‘AND it’s with great pleasure that I now declare this Dublin Youth Outreach Centre…’ Sorcha bent and cut the blue ribbon over the door with a flourish ‘…open!’ It was amazing, really, she marvelled, how the human body and mind could conceal pain from everyone around them. Everyone was clapping and cheering, party poppers were going off, flashbulbs were flashing, TV cameras were whirring. This was a moment of great personal joy. She had done this single-handedly, with no help from anyone except herself—not even a penny from Tiarnan—so why was it all she could think about was the lonely ache in her heart? ‘Sorcha, well done! You’ve done such a brilliant thing…and what a coup, getting the Prime Minister to launch it with you!’ Sorcha smiled as people filed past her into the centre, where the champagne was already flowing, giving their congratulations along the way. She’d got a call from Tiarnan that morning, to say good luck and that he was sorry he would
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
← Prev
Back
Next →
← Prev
Back
Next →