his hand holding hers as he walked her to the dining room table.
He pulled out one of the seats and Miranda practically sighed with relief as she slid into the chair because she would finally get a bit of relief from sitting plastered against him. He even sat down next to her at the large, round table so she didn’t even need to look at him. She picked up her water glass and took a long sip, feeling the cooling power of the cold liquid seep into her body gratefully.
The housekeeper reappeared and placed a steaming plate in front of each of them. Miranda smiled her thanks to the kind looking woman who once again disappeared into what was most likely the kitchen.
As soon as Miranda picked up her fork and turned to Wyndi, the two couldn’t stop talking. Miranda was amazed that someone so lofty could be so easy to talk to. She enjoyed laughing and sharing with the woman who was shockingly beautiful. But when Miranda caught the kind woman smothering a yawn, she stopped and shook her head. “You’re exhausted,” Miranda announced. And then turned in surprise to Royston and Wyndi’s husband. “I’m so sorry,” she gasped. “We’ve been dominating the conversation and this was your time to catch up with your sister!”
Both men chuckled and Royston shook his head. “I learned a lot from your conversation,” he said softly, catching her hand and squeezing it gently. “But you’re right. Wyndi needs to get some rest.”
Tamar was already standing up, taking Wyndi’s hand in his and pulling her gently to her feet. “We’ll come back,” he promised when he caught his wife’s anxious expression at the idea of leaving her newly discovered brother.
Royston instantly came up with the perfect solution. “I have a house about an hour outside of London. Will you come stay with me this weekend?” he asked of his sister.
Wyndi’s eyes instantly cleared but she looked up to her husband before answering. “Do you have anything pressing this weekend?” she asked.
Royston saw the look in her eyes and relaxed. She truly loved her husband, he thought. He still wasn’t sure if he approved of the man, but the fact that he was treating her so well spoke volumes for his character. He still wanted to see how they interacted together for more than just a couple of hours.
Tamar lifted his hand to gently caress her neck. “Nothing at all.”
Wyndi turned to Miranda. “Are you sure you don’t mind giving up your private time with your fiancé? I know how excited I was to be with this old guy when we first met.”
Miranda quickly shook her head. “No! A quiet weekend is just what the two of you need to get to know each other better!” she replied quickly, relieved that he would be out of town and she wouldn’t have to be with him as well. She was still so confused after that kiss.
Unfortunately, she didn’t anticipate what was to come next.
“We’d love to have you stay with us,” Royston said, putting his arm around her waist.
Miranda looked up at the man, then back at his sister, trying to remember that she was in love with the big guy. It was extremely hard to remember anything with his arm around her though!
“Would you like us to drive you home?” Tamar asked Miranda, an odd look in his eyes.
Miranda was just about to say yes, desperate to get away from the man she was supposed to hate but was finding that she didn’t feel that way about him at all. At least not when he had his arm around her like this!
“I’ve got that covered,” Royston said, glaring at his brother-in-law, knowing exactly what the other man was trying to do.
Tamar just chuckled and took his wife’s hand. “I’ll ensure that your sister gets some rest then,” he promised.
“I’ll leave directions to the house with your assistant,” Royston promised. A moment later, Miranda was standing in Royston’s elegant foyer without any other protection. She looked up at him, nervous and trying to step out of his arms.
“Well, that was a very nice evening,” she said, trying to look away from his dark eyes. “Your sister is wonderful.”
Royston didn’t smile. He was remembering the kiss they’d shared only a couple of hours ago and thinking about how she’d reacted. He liked the way she felt, the way she kissed him back. And he especially liked the dazed look in her eyes afterwards. He wanted to do