she really didn’t want to sleep in the same room as the enemy.
Okay, so she’d found him to be an interesting conversationalist on the ride down to his country home. And he had been sweet and kind to his sister last night not to mention stopping at a wonderful little restaurant where she had some of the most delicious foods of her life.
But he was so scary! She couldn’t imagine what he might want from her! She wasn’t up for this. He was so out of her league on too many levels.
She spun around, determined to tell him that there was no way she could do this. She’d just have to explain to his sister that this was all a sham, that she’d lied to her and was ashamed, but she had to get out of this house as fast as possible! She simply couldn’t go through with this. Not with that huge bed looming in front of her.
“Going somewhere?” Royston asked, holding a glass of some sort of creamy liquid in one hand and a tall glass of amber liquid in the other.
“I have to…” she blinked when he handed her the creamy glass. “What’s this?”
“Try it,” he told her, then waited for her to take a sip.
Miranda looked at the liquid, not quite sure she should drink anything he handed to her. He looked like he was up to mischief and she didn’t trust him.
Okay, yes, she trusted him, but she didn’t know what this was and she had to keep her head about her. “What’s in it?”
He shrugged and took a long sip of his beer. “I noticed that you don’t drink red wine, nor white wine, so I had my housekeeper mix up something that you’ll probably like.”
She sniffed the mixture in the martini glass carefully. “I don’t think I can handle a martini.”
He chuckled. “I doubt you’d be able to handle a gin or vodka martini. But this is different.” He watched her carefully, a definite challenge in his eyes. “Are you going to trust me or stand there staring at the drink until you figure out what it is?”
She laughed softly, still not sure she should, but in the end, she was too curious so she took a sip of the creamy liquid. As soon as the taste struck her tongue, her eyes widened in delighted surprise. “Oh my! That’s delicious!” and she took another sip. “Pumpkin?” she asked.
He nodded his head. “Pumpkin martini.”
She laughed, thrilled with the sweet, creamy drink. “This is amazing! It’s smooth but still,” she took another sip, thought for a moment as the drink hit her taste buds, “but still has a bit of a kick to it, doesn’t it?”
He winked at her then took her hand. “Now that I’ve finally found a drink you like, let’s go relax by the fire while we wait for my sister to show up.”
She followed him down, taking another sip simply because the drink was so delicious. It wasn’t like a normal alcoholic beverage, but more like a dessert. Yes, she could definitely get used to this! “What other flavors of martini are there?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Just about any kind you can imagine, from what my housekeeper tells me.”
She laughed, understanding by his tone that he didn’t want anything to do with the sweet drink. It occurred to her that he had gone out of his way to find a drink she would like and could enjoy socially. Not that she could order this in a restaurant, she thought with a laugh. She could just imagine the horror on a bartender’s face if she requested a pumpkin martini! The horror!
“Well, whatever is in it, I really like it.” He pulled her down onto a deep, sofa. Fortunately, for Miranda’s peace of mind, the doorbell rang only moments after they were seated. Even Royston saw the look of relief on her face and almost laughed. “There’s always tonight,” he whispered into her ear a moment before his housekeeper showed Wyndi and Tamar into the room.
She thought about telling him that she couldn’t sleep with him, but it was too late. She didn’t want to do it in front of his sister and Royston was already moving forward to gently hug his sister.
The afternoon was delightful with Wyndi keeping the conversation moving along and only a few glares between Tamar and Royston during the evening meal. But too soon, Wyndi started yawning and she excused herself to get some rest. “I never knew