Read Online Irresistible Temptation by Sara Craven - Free Book Online Page B

the record, you also surprised Jeremy. If I wasn't the soul of charity, I'd even say you gave him a nasty shock. But perhaps that's how true love affects some people.'
    'It's easy to see it's never affected you,' she flashed.
    'I wouldn't argue with you there.' There was a grin in his voice the darkness couldn't hide. 'Maybe I'm not the type for grand passions. After all, they make the place look so untidy.'
    'Don't you care about anything?' she demanded.
    'Yes, of course. I care deeply about the integrity of my work. And I love my family,' he added, with a touch of grimness.
    Olivia bit her lip. 'But all the same you've decided not to say anything—to Jeremy?' She felt as if she were standing in a spotlight, naked, defenceless. All her emotions exposed to his merciless gaze.
    'Let's say I've decided to let nature take its course,' Declan said blandly.
    It wasn't a satisfactory answer, but something told her it was the best she was likely to get. Also, to get out while the going was good.
    She said stiltedly, It's getting late. I must get back. Goodnight'
    'Going already?' He sounded disappointed. 'I thought at the very least you'd hang on and serenade the man beneath his window. Perhaps I'm the true romantic after all.'
    'You, Mr Malone?' Olivia tilted her chin scornfully. 'You haven't one romantic bone in your body.'
    'Nevertheless,' he said softly, 'if you'd travelled a couple of hundred miles to see me, you wouldn't be alone in bed tonight So sleep on that, Miss Butler.'
    The shadows moved, and he was gone.
    For a moment Olivia was completely rigid, staring after him. Then she turned slowly and made her way back to her basement, furiously aware that her heart was pounding and her cheeks felt as if they were on fire.
    'Damn him,' she muttered as she locked the gate behind her. 'Damn him to hell—and back again.'
     
    In spite of everything, the fresh air did its work, and instead of lying awake brooding, as she'd half expected, Olivia slept almost as soon as her head touched the pillow.
    She was eventually woken by her mobile phone.
    Jeremy, she thought, snatching it up, but instead it was Sandra Wilton, calling to offer her a job.
    'Bit of an emergency, this one,' she announced. 'One of our small business clients—he runs a property rental office in partnership with his wife, who's sprained her ankle. He needs someone to step into the breach until she can make it back into work, so it's not a long-term proposition. I'd say a couple of days at most.'
    'It's also quite close to you—Kensington High Street Can I tell him you're on your way?'
    'What would I be expected to do?' Olivia asked, noting down the name and address.
    Sandra chuckled. 'Apparently it's Mrs Sutton who knows how the computer works, so poor Colin is currently climbing the wall. You'll earn your money if you can show him how to get into his database and perform a few simple functions.'
    Sandra had not exaggerated. On her arrival at Personal Property, Olivia found a tall, elegantly dressed man with greying hair eying the computer as if it were a poisonous snake.
    'Vicky told me what to do,' he said wretchedly, once they'd introduced themselves, 'what keys to press and all that, but it doesn't seem to respond. I think I've broken it.'
    Olivia smiled at him soothingly. 'Let me see what I can do,' she said, unobtrusively switching on the power source.
    'My God.' Colin Sutton stared at the sudden burst of activity on the screen. 'How did you manage that?'
    Olivia kept her face straight 'Just a lucky guess,' she said gently. 'Now, where do you want me to start?'
    As the name of their business suggested, the Suttons offered a property search service, matching people carefully with their accommodation requirements, and managing the rental arrangements thereafter.
    'Our clients like to feel they're being treated as individuals, whether they're landlords or tenants,' Colin Sutton explained. 'A lot of our properties are owned by people working abroad, and they have