Read Online MrTemptation by Annabelle Weston - Free Book Online Page B

need to apologize. So I’ll see you around seven?”
    “Yes, I’ll be in the lobby.” The smile on her face could
have cracked her skin if she stretched it any farther.
    “Okay then.” His voice was so deep and masculine it sent a
chill of expectation up her spine.
    “Okay then,” she said, whisper-soft, and hung up.
    Flopping back on the bed, she covered her face with her
hands. That could’ve gone better. He must think she was a total idiot. He
wouldn’t be far off the mark.
    It didn’t matter. The attraction to him was so strong it was
making her crazy. She was being more reckless than she’d ever been. She had
asked him out. And he was taking her to his favorite restaurant. He either was
trying to cheer her up and impress her or he wanted to get laid. Either way it
was okay with her.
    She rolled her eyes heavenward and shook with laughter. She
had to laugh. Otherwise she’d cry.
    Cadence sat up. She really needed to get a hold of herself.
She was acting completely ridiculous. She was an adult with a PhD, for goodness
sake. And wealthy, thanks to her mother. She could have any man she wanted.
    She jumped out of bed and poured herself another glass of
champagne. She’d lots to do before tonight. Find something to wear, for
starters. Lightheaded and pumped about her dinner date, she opened her laptop
and logged in to Fashion Trends.
    * * * * *
    Preston clicked off his cell. Cadence had called to cancel.
He’d pretended to misunderstand.
    He started to pace. She had sounded so tense. What was that
all about? Was it because a woman had answered? He hadn’t missed the sparks
flying between Cadence and Muriel this morning. He and Muriel had shared a
couple laughs after hours, that was all. He never loved her, not in the way he
loved Cadence.
    He’d tried to reassure her, indirectly, that Elise answered
the phone because she was in his office for technical reasons, just in case it
was a jealous-possessive thing. Why did he flatter himself that Cadence could
be jealous?
    He continued to pace. Why had she changed her mind about
dinner? She’d asked him, for crying out loud. He’d been happy to rearrange his
schedule. Ecstatic.
    Mom stood in the doorway, watching. “How’d your meeting go
with Cadence Burke?”
    Preston stopped and shoved his hands in his pockets. “As
well as could be expected.”
    “Thank you for filling in for me. How did she react to the
news about her father’s affair?”
    “Remarkably well.”
    “What is she like?”
    He shrugged. Some thoughts a man didn’t share with his
mother. “She’s warm and intelligent. Her fault, if you can call it that, has
been her loyalty to the Burke name.”
    “I’ll give her a call. She shouldn’t be alone.”
    “She won’t be. I’m taking her out to dinner.”
    His mother raised an eyebrow. “Do you think that’s wise?”
    “Do you think there’s a problem?”
    “Are you expecting more than dinner?”
    Preston winced. Mom was reminding him, in her not-too-subtle
way, of his many short-term affairs.
    “That’s up to Cadence,” he replied.
    “Good,” Mom said.
    He rubbed the spot on his neck just below his hairline that
always knotted up with tension. He’d never hurt Cadence, not in a million
years. He wished there was a way to convince his mother.
    “What brought her in?”
    “She was seeking advice. She wants to sue her stepmother.”
    “A lawsuit? What on earth for?”
    “Burke wrote a second will giving all his money to his
second wife and her kids.”
    “A lawsuit would open up a can of worms,” Mother replied.
    “I think I’ve talked her out of suing them but she’s
determined to give the bunch a little grief.”
    “I never liked Edward Burke,” Mother said. “His public
persona oozed with charm but he could be cruel.” Mother shook her head as if
trying to forget. “I’ve never met Victoria.”
    “The pack of them sound like vermin.”
    “I don’t blame Cadence for being angry but she needs to
leave the Burkes