Read Online Falling For His Proper Mistress by Tessa Radley - Free Book Online

glasses only served to accentuate the simmering sexuality that her pouty mouth and curvaceous body radiated.
    To his relief, the group booked to go ballooning trooped into the lobby, providing a much-needed distraction from just how much of his thoughts Avery consumed. But not before Guy took in the appreciative smile one of the men bestowed on her. A sharp pang of annoyance caused him to turn away, before he snarled at a guest of the resort.
    Hot damn but he had it bad.
    Shoving his hands into his jeans’ pockets, Guy hunched his shoulders and headed through the open, double glass doors, past the sleepy doorman in blue-and-gold livery, and out into the crisp, cool dawn air. Autumn was not yet here, but soon it would be.
    To one side of the Manor Lodge, on a wide concrete apron that doubled as a helipad, he made out the figures of three pilots and a few members of the chase crew tending to the colorful nylon envelopes spread out on the concrete, while wicker baskets waited for passengers. The rest of the chase crew, including the resort staff who would be attending to the state-of-the-art catering, stood around joking and chatting and drinking coffee from paper cups.
    An engine-driven fan droned to life and the red envelope of the closest balloon began to inflate. Minutes later the burners started to hiss, heating the cold air, and the envelopes rose above the baskets amidst whoops of delight from theguests. Twenty-odd guests quickly sorted themselves into three groups and entered the baskets to pose for last-minute photos and wave to well-wishers.
    Once the first balloon started to ascend, the others swiftly followed.
    â€œIsn’t that simply stunning?”
    Avery spoke from behind Guy as fingers of sunlight poked over the mountain ridge behind them and caressed the vivid balloons with morning light, brightening the dawn sky to a blaze of red, magenta and yellow.
    Guy turned. The blue of her eyes was blinding, and her smile caused a fresh rush of heat. He swallowed. “You can go up one morning if you want,” he said, his voice sounding hoarse even to his own ears.
    She shook her head. “Never in a million years. I’m afraid of heights.”
    â€œYou?” Guy gave a choke of laughter. “I can’t imagine you afraid of anything.”
    Although Avery might be delicate and fine-boned, she could be as fierce and fiery as a tigress with cubs. That thought caused him to grin—because Avery was the least maternal woman he’d ever met. It had been a major reason for his attraction to her back in New York. She was so focused on her career—which suited him just fine. He’d made a habit of steering clear of starry-eyed women with marriage written all over them in diamond-bright letters.
    â€œI get dizzy,” she said with clear regret. “So you’ll never catch me up there.”
    â€œIn a balloon you don’t get that vertigo feeling.”
    â€œOh, sure.”
    â€œReally! The ride is smoother than I can ever describe. You move with the wind. No swaying or jostling. So never say never.”
    â€œForget it, Guy!”
    â€œSometimes one needs to take risks, walk a little on the wild side.”
    She took a step away from him and wrapped her arms around her stomach. “I’ve done some dumb things in my life, but this sounds too wild for me.”
    Her face had closed up.
    Was she talking about sleeping with Jeff…or what had happened last night between them? He had no intention of discussing Jeff—the anger hadn’t yet settled. “I never pegged you for a ‘fraidy cat,'” he taunted gently in an effort to bridge the chasm that suddenly yawned between them.
    â€œToo bad. You’re not talking me into this.” She hunched her shoulders. “I’m too risk-averse.”
    Risk-averse? Avery? Puzzled, he frowned at her. “Not sure I swallow that.”
    She glowered at him. “Because I leapt into bed with you the