The Earl's Outrageous Lover Page 0,46
evening when she’d slipped downstairs after waking alone in bed. Edward’s dark head bent low to listen to whatever she had been telling him and the concern in his eyes as he helped her through whatever she was saying.
Her honey blond hair looked perfect next to his darker hair. Besides, Julianna was perfect; her manners, her speaking, the way she could sit perfectly still for what seemed like hours. Edward would need her by his side to grow his business. Jessica hated sitting still and had vowed she’d never do that again once she’d become an adult. She smiled at that memory, remembering that she’d been sitting in Edward’s house on that horrible, dreary morning of his mother’s funeral when she was five and vowing that she’d never sit still once she left her father’s house.
Well, she’d learned to sit still…when it suited her. She had loved her classes in school and had listened to the professors, enraptured by their insight into the human mind and human behavior. She’d do that all over again if she could and she hadn’t minded sitting still during most of her classes.
As she drove into her driveway a half hour later, she thought about her degree and tried to come up with a career plan. She’d been so intent on getting through school, then her parents had died. So she hadn’t had a chance to figure out what she wanted to do now that she didn’t have school. Well, besides get married.
Why had her father done this to her? What a waste! Women were perfectly capable of running enormous empires. Okay, so she didn’t really want to do that herself, but there were women out there who did.
So why couldn’t she just sell the factory to someone who would keep it intact? She didn’t want the workers to lose their jobs, which would happen if it was broken up and doled out to charities. He’d definitely mandated this.
No, her father’s will had been a horrible way to ensure that his daughter got married. He knew she’d never let people down. He had certainly come up with a nefarious plan to get his way. She should visit his grave some day, but right now, she was too angry with him. Even a year after the reading of the will, she still was furious with him for his ridiculous terms.
She heard something behind her and glanced in her rear view mirror. When she saw Edward’s furious face glaring at her as he walked up beside her car, her heart instantly started beating faster.
“Get out!” he ordered and opened the driver’s side door for her, grabbing her hand and pulling her out.
He pressed his whole body against her, pushing her back against the car and Jessica looked up at him, wondering why he was so furious. “Is this just because I didn’t take your phone call a half hour ago?” she asked, pushing against his chest, her traitorous body already reacting to his touch and her breath caught in her throat.
“Where have you been?” he demanded.
Jessica stared at his chest and when that didn’t help her state of mind, she looked to the right, trying to focus on the trees out in front of her house. “Where I was is none of your concern, Edward.”
“Since we’re getting married tomorrow, it damn well is my business. So tell me where you were.”
She took a deep breath, but that was a mistake because her whole body tingled with the reaction of his male scent filling her lungs. “Let me go and we’ll talk about this.”
He looked down at her curly head but rejected her suggestion. His hands moved from the top of her car down to her waist, sliding sensuously along her ribs and then down to her hips. “I don’t think I’ll do that.”
“Just….give me some space,” she pleaded.
“The last time we were like this, all of your reactions were honest and sincere. But I left you that evening and ever since, you’ve gone out of your way to avoid me, and I have a feeling that you’re trying to figure out a way to be dishonest with me. So if it’s all the same to you, I think I’ll keep you just like this.”
“I’ve never been dishonest with you!” she came right back, grabbing his wrists when his hands moved too high on her waist. They were still, but precipitously close to her breasts which were aching to feel his hands move higher.
She closed her eyes, her