Read Online Single Girl Abroad (Mills & Boon M&B) (Mills & Boon Special Releases) by Kelly Hunter - Free Book Online
Authors: Kelly Hunter
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walking.’
‘It’s a Mercedes convertible.’ Madeline wasn’t above a little teasing of her own. ‘SL class, twelve purring little cylinders. Lots and lots of buttons to play with. You’ll like it.’ A strangled sound happened along the phone line. ‘Luke Bennett, are you whimpering?’
‘Yes, but only because the tailor just found my inside leg with a pin. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the thought of being picked up from my brother’s house in
that
car by a woman whose wealth is vastly superior to my own. My ego is far more robust than that.’
‘Of course it is. So I’ll pick you up from the dojo at seven, then?’
‘Whatever,’ he said glumly.
‘What colour’s your suit?’
‘Black.’
‘Perfect.’ Madeline smirked. ‘You’ll match the car.’
‘Life is cruel,’ said Luke and hung up.
‘Just because a tiger purrs, doesn’t mean you have to pet it.’
Yun’s words of farewell rang in Madeline’s ears as she slid to a halt outside the dojo at seven that evening, ignoring the ‘no parking’ sign in favour of giving Po—who stood on sentry duty in the dojo doorway—a smile and a wave. Po smiled back and disappeared inside. Moments later Luke appeared and Madeline’s heart thumped hard before settling into an irregular rhythm.
He’d been Navy once, she remembered, and those boys knew how to suit up when occasion demanded it. No discomfort from this man about wearing formal evening wear—just another uniform in a long line of uniforms that would help to get the job done.
Po skipped alongside Luke, a small boy with wide eyes as he stared first at Madeline and then at the convertible as Luke slipped in beside her.
‘Jake said to tell you that if Luke’s not home by midnight he’ll think the worst,’ said Po with a grin. ‘He said you wouldn’t want him to be thinking the worst because then he’d have to bust Luke’s sorry arse.’
‘Fair enough,’ said Madeline.
‘Easy for you to say.’ Luke eyed Madeline darkly.
Po slipped back inside and Madeline eased out into the traffic with a discreet rumble. Luke studied her as she drove and she wondered what he saw. A nervous charlatan playing dress-ups or a confident woman who knew exactly who she was and what she wanted? Becausewhen the Delacourte jewels went around her neck and the designer evening gown slid on, Madeline didn’t feel confident and empowered at all. Mostly, she just felt vulnerable.
‘Diamonds suit you,’ he said finally, and Madeline shot him an uncertain smile.
‘They belonged to William’s grandmother.’
‘They still suit you.’
‘I like your suit,’ she said.
‘It has its uses.’
One of which was to drive her insane with wanting to peel him out of it.
‘What do you know about Bruce Yi and his family?’ asked Luke next.
Solid ground. Finally. ‘Elena is Bruce’s first wife, which is something of a rarity for a man of his wealth and age. Elena’s family is practically Shanghai royalty. Bruce Yi’s lineage is equally impressive but Singapore based. Word has it that the marriage was an arranged one. Somewhere along the way it became a happy one.’
‘Any children?’
‘Two sons, our age. They work for their father. They work hard for him. No free rides there.’
‘Are the sons in relationships?’
‘Never for long. They play as hard as they work.’ Madeline thought back to the family relationships Bruce Yi had spoken of the other night. Of Ji being Elena’s brother’s child. ‘So Ji’s a Shanghai Xang?’
Luke nodded.
‘That’s serious wealth.’ Wealth enough to more thanmatch the Delacourte family fortune. ‘How did Jake cope with that?’
‘You mean when he finally found out?’ said Luke dryly. ‘Not well.’
‘I can imagine,’ she murmured. ‘Was that the reason their marriage failed?’
Luke shrugged. ‘One of them, maybe. But there were other difficulties. Other responsibilities that Jake had to shoulder that got in the way of a
‘It’s a Mercedes convertible.’ Madeline wasn’t above a little teasing of her own. ‘SL class, twelve purring little cylinders. Lots and lots of buttons to play with. You’ll like it.’ A strangled sound happened along the phone line. ‘Luke Bennett, are you whimpering?’
‘Yes, but only because the tailor just found my inside leg with a pin. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the thought of being picked up from my brother’s house in
that
car by a woman whose wealth is vastly superior to my own. My ego is far more robust than that.’
‘Of course it is. So I’ll pick you up from the dojo at seven, then?’
‘Whatever,’ he said glumly.
‘What colour’s your suit?’
‘Black.’
‘Perfect.’ Madeline smirked. ‘You’ll match the car.’
‘Life is cruel,’ said Luke and hung up.
‘Just because a tiger purrs, doesn’t mean you have to pet it.’
Yun’s words of farewell rang in Madeline’s ears as she slid to a halt outside the dojo at seven that evening, ignoring the ‘no parking’ sign in favour of giving Po—who stood on sentry duty in the dojo doorway—a smile and a wave. Po smiled back and disappeared inside. Moments later Luke appeared and Madeline’s heart thumped hard before settling into an irregular rhythm.
He’d been Navy once, she remembered, and those boys knew how to suit up when occasion demanded it. No discomfort from this man about wearing formal evening wear—just another uniform in a long line of uniforms that would help to get the job done.
Po skipped alongside Luke, a small boy with wide eyes as he stared first at Madeline and then at the convertible as Luke slipped in beside her.
‘Jake said to tell you that if Luke’s not home by midnight he’ll think the worst,’ said Po with a grin. ‘He said you wouldn’t want him to be thinking the worst because then he’d have to bust Luke’s sorry arse.’
‘Fair enough,’ said Madeline.
‘Easy for you to say.’ Luke eyed Madeline darkly.
Po slipped back inside and Madeline eased out into the traffic with a discreet rumble. Luke studied her as she drove and she wondered what he saw. A nervous charlatan playing dress-ups or a confident woman who knew exactly who she was and what she wanted? Becausewhen the Delacourte jewels went around her neck and the designer evening gown slid on, Madeline didn’t feel confident and empowered at all. Mostly, she just felt vulnerable.
‘Diamonds suit you,’ he said finally, and Madeline shot him an uncertain smile.
‘They belonged to William’s grandmother.’
‘They still suit you.’
‘I like your suit,’ she said.
‘It has its uses.’
One of which was to drive her insane with wanting to peel him out of it.
‘What do you know about Bruce Yi and his family?’ asked Luke next.
Solid ground. Finally. ‘Elena is Bruce’s first wife, which is something of a rarity for a man of his wealth and age. Elena’s family is practically Shanghai royalty. Bruce Yi’s lineage is equally impressive but Singapore based. Word has it that the marriage was an arranged one. Somewhere along the way it became a happy one.’
‘Any children?’
‘Two sons, our age. They work for their father. They work hard for him. No free rides there.’
‘Are the sons in relationships?’
‘Never for long. They play as hard as they work.’ Madeline thought back to the family relationships Bruce Yi had spoken of the other night. Of Ji being Elena’s brother’s child. ‘So Ji’s a Shanghai Xang?’
Luke nodded.
‘That’s serious wealth.’ Wealth enough to more thanmatch the Delacourte family fortune. ‘How did Jake cope with that?’
‘You mean when he finally found out?’ said Luke dryly. ‘Not well.’
‘I can imagine,’ she murmured. ‘Was that the reason their marriage failed?’
Luke shrugged. ‘One of them, maybe. But there were other difficulties. Other responsibilities that Jake had to shoulder that got in the way of a
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