O'Brien's Lady - By Marsha Doss Page 0,19

the one he wanted the most was the most unobtainable.

"It's time to bring them back in, isn't it?"

Sonny spoke quickly.

"Not yet." Michael's hand moved slowly over her cheek, tracing the line of her chin and then moving along her lips in feathery strokes. Sonny shuddered and closed her eyes. She didn't dare look at him now. This was the man who would take her inheritance from her if he could. And right now he was taking her heart.

She should hate him. Had he not been named in

her father's will, she might be nearing her return to Paris. Sonny tried to focus her thoughts on Pierre, but her skin began to tingle as Michael held her even closer.

"You're staring to fit right in here, Sonny." Michael's finger was stroking the side of her face again, doing strange things to her stomach.

"No, Michael, I don't belong here. That's why

I want to get this six months over with so I can get on with my life."

"And your love," Michael said curtly.

"Yes, my love of fashion photography. I'm very proud of what I do." Sonny defended herself.

"I'm sure you are."

"This is your life, not mine. And the sooner I get back the better for all of us."

She tried to turn away, but his hand came in back of her, gently guiding her until her blue eyes were locked into his brown ones.

"Why do you shy away from me, Sonny?"

"I've never run away from anything or anybody, Michael."

"Anything that reminds you of your father? Or is it anything that requires real work and an honest committment?"

"Is that your opinion of me? Then you don't know how hard it was to get established in Paris. Competition was very stiff."

Michael's dark eyes bore into her skin. "And that bothers you?"

"No." Sonny could feel the anger burning in her throat. "Sharing my inheritance with you bothers me!"

Michael's hand, which had been withdrawn now hung at his side. "Having me on equal grounds is what really hurts, right Sonny? I'm no longer Will O'Brien's son that you can flirt with and flaunt yourself around."

Sonny thrust her hands deep into her jeans pockets. She had to do something with them to dispel the urge she had to slap Michael's face.

"If I ever flirt with you, Michael, you'll certainly know it. As far as what happened four years ago, I can only say that I was a teenager who didn't know what she wanted."

Michael looked her squarely in the face as he spoke. "But now you do, is that it?"

"Yes. I want to get out of this place, to have my hair done and my nails long again."

Michael regarded Sonny with a strange look of curiosity. There had been no sacrifice on his part.

He was just continuing life as he knew and loved it, but she was stepping into something that meant nothing to her. This life was alien to Sonny, and she felt like the outsider she really was.

She pretended to be in charge, but underneath it all she felt inadequate and unequipped to make the decisions that Michael took as everyday life. She had

made all the sacrifices; the career she had to put on hold, the lifestyle that had to be changed, and the death she was still trying to cope with. No, things hadn't been easy for her.

"Here I am trying to run my business and you're worried about your nails." Michael threw his hands up.

"Our business, Michael," Sonny corrected him.

"Then act like it!"

"How would you have me do that? Pretend I enjoy all of this?"

"If you don't like it, then go back to Paris."

Sonny had been waiting for that remark.

Michael would like nothing more than to have her run home, leaving him in complete charge. That would solve only part of her problem, and make the other part worse. No, she had to stay, there was no other choice.

"And make it easy for you to steal my land?" Sonny smiled.

"I can't steal what's already mine, Sonny," Michael reminded her.

Sonny knew that she was allowing her emotions to run away with her and that would only serve Michael's purpose. If she were to stay on top of this situation, she would have to remain calm and in control.

There had to be a legal way to stop this partnership, and she meant to find it. She had accepted what Ben Mathison had presented from her father's will and never questioned its validity. Now she would see about that. Perhaps there was a legal way to remove Michael's name. She