Read Online Persuasion Skills by Laurel Cremant - Free Book Online
Authors: Laurel Cremant
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fairy-tale marriage.
Chapter Eight
Jax tugged at Pepper’s hand, pulling her
up the cabin porch steps and hoping she wouldn’t notice the satisfied
expression he was struggling hard to contain. She had a bemused look on her
face. Her eyes seemed unfocused, and her lips were swollen from the kisses
they’d shared on their walk. It was a good look for her.
He helped her out of her heavy coat
before shrugging off his own and hanging them both on hooks beside the door.
The cabin was filled with the burning
swirl of purple and orange haze of colors as the sun set beyond the massive
windows. He hoped the whole scene helped set a romantic mood.
He guided her to the large comfortable couch
in front of the fireplace.
“I’ll start the fire to warm up the room,
and then we can get started on dinner,” he said, maneuvering her to sit on the
couch before turning to the fireplace.
“How much food do you actually have up
here?” She settled down into the plush cushions of the couch.
“I hired a catering company. They stocked
the fridge and pantry as well with containers of full meals.”
Her soft snicker filled the room.
Glancing over his shoulder, he saw her face and eyes lit with laughter.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” she said before dissolving
into giggles.
Finishing with the fire, he turned and
stood over her shaking body, frowning. “Are you going to share the joke?”
She looked at him and just shook her head
before standing. She wrapped her arms around his middle and gave him a quick
hug before releasing him and walking to the kitchen.
“It’s just good to know that even when
you go off the deep end, it’s a well-planned jump,” she said as she flipped on
the light, opened the fridge, and began rummaging around.
The sight of her bent over with her ass
displayed in perfect offering distracted him momentarily from her words.
“I already told you I’m being perfectly
sane and logical,” he said when she finally straightened with a stack of
containers in her arms.
“Yeah, whatever. You in the mood for some
pork chops and veggies?”
He shook his head. It was obviously going
to take more time for her to realize that he wasn’t going through some mental
breakdown.
Her stubbornness only confirmed that his
plan really was the best strategy. They’d known each other long enough for him
to know that for Pepper, actions always spoke so much louder than words. It was
one of the reasons their company had done so well in such a short amount of
time. She was a tenacious business-woman who believed in concrete results more
than abstract proposals and promises. It would take his best effort to convince
her that he planned on keeping her in his life, his bed, and his heart for the
rest of their lives.
He just wished he hadn’t wasted years
oblivious that he had the perfect woman. And of course, when he finally managed
to pull his head out of his ass, the timing was less than ideal. He shrugged
his shoulders in resignation. In all honesty, kidnapping her really was the
best option.
It’ll be a funny
story for the grandkids.
“There should be a cheesecake in the
freezer. We can have that for dessert.” He walked to a cabinet and pulled down
dishes.
She tossed him a quick smile. “Perfect.”
He went about arranging the place
settings on the island while she heated the food. Stepping back, he cast the
surface a critical eye before turning to rummage around in a drawer and pulling
out some thick candles and matches.
According to his research, candle-lit
dinners were supposed to be romantic. He’d never really bothered with them
before. All of the women he dated in the past had been casual relationships.
They knew he wasn’t interested in anything permanent, so romantic dinners had
never really figured into any of their dates.
He wanted things to be different with
Pepper. He wanted her to know that she was different from all the other women
he’d been with.
He did a mental review of the
Chapter Eight
Jax tugged at Pepper’s hand, pulling her
up the cabin porch steps and hoping she wouldn’t notice the satisfied
expression he was struggling hard to contain. She had a bemused look on her
face. Her eyes seemed unfocused, and her lips were swollen from the kisses
they’d shared on their walk. It was a good look for her.
He helped her out of her heavy coat
before shrugging off his own and hanging them both on hooks beside the door.
The cabin was filled with the burning
swirl of purple and orange haze of colors as the sun set beyond the massive
windows. He hoped the whole scene helped set a romantic mood.
He guided her to the large comfortable couch
in front of the fireplace.
“I’ll start the fire to warm up the room,
and then we can get started on dinner,” he said, maneuvering her to sit on the
couch before turning to the fireplace.
“How much food do you actually have up
here?” She settled down into the plush cushions of the couch.
“I hired a catering company. They stocked
the fridge and pantry as well with containers of full meals.”
Her soft snicker filled the room.
Glancing over his shoulder, he saw her face and eyes lit with laughter.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” she said before dissolving
into giggles.
Finishing with the fire, he turned and
stood over her shaking body, frowning. “Are you going to share the joke?”
She looked at him and just shook her head
before standing. She wrapped her arms around his middle and gave him a quick
hug before releasing him and walking to the kitchen.
“It’s just good to know that even when
you go off the deep end, it’s a well-planned jump,” she said as she flipped on
the light, opened the fridge, and began rummaging around.
The sight of her bent over with her ass
displayed in perfect offering distracted him momentarily from her words.
“I already told you I’m being perfectly
sane and logical,” he said when she finally straightened with a stack of
containers in her arms.
“Yeah, whatever. You in the mood for some
pork chops and veggies?”
He shook his head. It was obviously going
to take more time for her to realize that he wasn’t going through some mental
breakdown.
Her stubbornness only confirmed that his
plan really was the best strategy. They’d known each other long enough for him
to know that for Pepper, actions always spoke so much louder than words. It was
one of the reasons their company had done so well in such a short amount of
time. She was a tenacious business-woman who believed in concrete results more
than abstract proposals and promises. It would take his best effort to convince
her that he planned on keeping her in his life, his bed, and his heart for the
rest of their lives.
He just wished he hadn’t wasted years
oblivious that he had the perfect woman. And of course, when he finally managed
to pull his head out of his ass, the timing was less than ideal. He shrugged
his shoulders in resignation. In all honesty, kidnapping her really was the
best option.
It’ll be a funny
story for the grandkids.
“There should be a cheesecake in the
freezer. We can have that for dessert.” He walked to a cabinet and pulled down
dishes.
She tossed him a quick smile. “Perfect.”
He went about arranging the place
settings on the island while she heated the food. Stepping back, he cast the
surface a critical eye before turning to rummage around in a drawer and pulling
out some thick candles and matches.
According to his research, candle-lit
dinners were supposed to be romantic. He’d never really bothered with them
before. All of the women he dated in the past had been casual relationships.
They knew he wasn’t interested in anything permanent, so romantic dinners had
never really figured into any of their dates.
He wanted things to be different with
Pepper. He wanted her to know that she was different from all the other women
he’d been with.
He did a mental review of the
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