For Christmas, Forever: The Yuletide Engagement / The Doctor's Christmas Bride / Snowbound Reunion. Barbara McMahonЧитать онлайн книгу.
‘For you,’ Patrick repeated firmly, taking something black and woollen out of the box. ‘It’s a pashmina. It’s made from the soft wool of goats in Northern India—’
‘I know what it’s made from,’ Ellie cut in dazedly, staring at the soft woollen shawl. She also knew that it was very expensive! ‘Patrick, you really shouldn’t have—’
‘I really should,’ he told her firmly, shaking out the long shawl to drape it decorously about her shoulders. ‘You deserve something in the way of thanks for what you’re doing. Think of it as an early Christmas present. Besides,’ he added as she would have protested again, ‘that black coat does absolutely nothing for you,’ he told her dryly.
Or for the image of the woman who was to be his partner for the evening, Ellie realized ruefully.
Not that he wasn’t right about her long black winter coat; it had been bought more for warmth rather than as any sort of fashion statement. It was just the fact of Patrick having bought her a gift—an expensive one at that—that was so disturbing. And it might be Christmas in just over a week’s time, but Patrick wouldn’t have been buying her a present anyway…
But the shawl did feel so warm, and it had such panache—its front drape fell to just above her knees; the other drape was thrown stylishly across one shoulder by Patrick. She didn’t want to refuse it!
Patrick’s hands moved up to cradle either side of her face as he looked down at her intently. ‘Just say, “Thank you, Patrick”, politely,’ he told her dryly. ‘Give me a kiss for good measure. And then we’ll be on our way.’
She tried to swallow, knowing which part of those instructions had suddenly caused this obstruction in her throat. Verbally thanking him would be no problem—
‘Too difficult?’ he teased mockingly. ‘Okay, just kiss me and we’ll forget all about saying thank you!’
That was the part that was bothering her! And Patrick knew it too. The light of challenge burned in those otherwise enigmatic grey eyes.
The problem was, if she ‘just’ kissed him, as he suggested, would either of them be able to forget about that? Ellie knew that she wouldn’t!
‘Don’t take too long deciding, Ellie,’ Patrick told her dryly. ‘Or the party will be over before we even get there!’
Which, to Ellie’s mind, wouldn’t be a bad thing!
But she was prevaricating. She knew she was. Patrick knew she was, too. Why not just kiss him and get it over with?
‘Thank you for my present, Patrick.’ She stood on tiptoe and kissed him lightly on the mouth. ‘But you shouldn’t have—’
Patrick put silencing fingertips over her lips. ‘Don’t ruin it, Ellie,’ he told her huskily. ‘And do you call that a kiss?’ he added derisively. ‘Sarah shows me more enthusiasm than you just did!’
Sarah was his cousin, and perfectly free to kiss him as enthusiastically as she chose. Ellie—who wasn’t quite sure what she was to him—felt rather more constrained.
‘How about you try again, hmm?’ Patrick encouraged throatily.
He was suddenly very close. Ellie was able to feel the warmth of his body, smell his spicy aftershave, and as she looked up into his eyes she could see that his pupils were dilated, so that only a ring of grey showed about the eyes.
‘Patrick…!’ She groaned huskily, before she once again rose on tiptoe, her mouth soft and pliant against his as she kissed him with all the pent-up longing inside her.
Patrick’s arms moved about her waist as he pulled her in against his body, although he let Ellie continue to control the kiss.
If you could call it control when she just wanted to melt against him and give in to the languorous yearning of her body!
‘Wow!’ he breathed slowly when Ellie broke the kiss, lightly resting his forehead against hers. ‘Now, that’s what I call a kiss. You have hidden talents, Miss Fairfax,’ he added warmly.
Ellie swallowed hard. ‘I—’
‘Will I do?’ Toby burst unceremoniously into the kitchen, coming to an abrupt halt as he saw how close Ellie and Patrick were standing to each other. ‘Sorry.’ He grimaced self-consciously. ‘I had no idea—I mean—’
‘You’ll do, Toby,’ the older man told him dryly as he stepped away from Ellie. ‘I was just telling your sister how beautiful she looks this evening,’ he prompted pointedly.
‘Er—yes, sis, you look great,’ Toby said, a perplexed frown on his brow. He still sounded slightly flustered—as well he might; the last thing he had expected was to see Ellie and Patrick in what must have looked like a clinch!
Ellie was a little puzzled as to why Toby was dressed in a black dinner suit and white shirt…
Patrick shot the younger man a searching look, and whatever he saw there in Toby’s face caused him to give an impatient shake of his head. ‘Did I forget to mention that Toby is coming with us this evening?’ he said blandly, turning to pick up his car keys from where he had left them on the table earlier.
Not only had he forgotten to mention it—but so had Toby!
Chapter Six
ELLIE still had no idea, seated beside Patrick in the front of the car as he drove competently through the busy streets, why her brother should be accompanying them.
Obviously he was Patrick’s assistant, but this was a family party, to celebrate—or commiserate!—with Sarah on her engagement to Gareth. Admittedly, Toby obviously knew much more of the Delacorte family than Ellie had at first realised, but what possible place did he have amongst such a gathering?
She gave a dismissive shake of her head, giving up on trying to work that one out; she already had enough to think about this evening without worrying about why her brother should have been invited too.
Patrick’s present, for one thing…
Even now Ellie snuggled down into the warmth of the shawl, loving the feel of the soft wool against her arms. And Patrick had obviously been out and bought the gift himself. Which made it doubly precious.
That kiss, for another thing…
Given enough opportunity, she could quite get used to kissing Patrick. In fact, she couldn’t think of anything she enjoyed more, could still feel the sensuous warmth of his lips against hers…
Stop it, she instantly ordered herself exasperatedly. There was no point in getting used to Patrick kissing her. In fact, it might never happen again, so she had better get used to that!
The Delacorte house was ablaze with lights as Patrick parked the car outside. Over twenty cars were already parked in the long driveway—Jaguars, Mercedes, Rolls Royces and the occasional Range Rover, Ellie noted with a self-conscious grimace.
As Gareth had quickly realized when he’d come to work for Delacorte, Delacorte and Delacorte, Ellie was quite a favourite with George Delacorte, but she had never actually been to George and Mary’s house before. She now found a butler opening the door to their ring, a maid taking their coats and wraps. The luxurious de?cor and furnishings of the house were all a bit overwhelming.
Did Patrick’s parents have a house like this one too?
Probably, she acknowledged heavily. Even if, as she vaguely remembered Toby once telling her, as a bachelor of thirty-eight Patrick lived in an apartment of his own in town.
All this luxury made their own little house seem positively minute in comparison!
But then there was no point in comparison; the obvious wealth of Patrick’s relatives only served to emphasise the differences between the two of them. Differences she would do well to remember.
There