Read Online The Billionaire Boss's Innocent Bride by Lindsay Armstrong - Free Book Online
Authors: Lindsay Armstrong
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need all the help I can get.’ He started to massage her ankle, then he said, ‘Does this come off? Your stocking?’
‘Of course.’
‘I mean on its own or are you wearing tights?’
She grimaced. ‘On its own.’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘I wouldn’t have taken you for a suspender-belt girl, but there you go.’
‘You would have been right,’ she replied, but with a scowl. ‘I’m wearing knee-highs.’
She sat up and rolled up her trouser leg to reveal a stocking that ended above her knee.
‘Oh. Well, I’m sure they’re very practical but—’
‘Not essentially seductive? No, they’re not. Ouch,’ she added as he rolled the offending stocking down over her ankle, but said immediately, ‘Why would you be so sandbagged if you’ve known about Nicky for a month?’ She stared at him. ‘I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help overhearing and—’ She paused. She’d been about to say it was actually common knowledge anyway, but decided not to.
He didn’t reply immediately. His fingers were cool on her skin as he started to massage again and there was something curiously mesmerizing about it, Alex found, as the pain began to subside.
There was also something entirely unreal about the situation, it suddenly occurred to her. Here she was, extremely annoyed with a man she found diabolically arrogant, but not at all annoyed with his handling of her. She was sitting back with her ankle in his hands being restored by the pressure of his long, strong fingers. It didn’t take a great leap of imagination to imagine those same fingers exploring her body and imparting a sense of well-being if not to say sizzling sensuality—she went hot and cold at the thought.
‘I didn’t want to believe it at first,’ he said eventually. ‘And even when it proved to be true I—I just couldn’t visualize it. I hadn’t seen Cathy for over six years. She moved to Perth, which is a hell of a long way away. It’s almost like a different country, WA, and my headquarters are up here.’ He grimaced.
He stopped massaging and looked into Alex’s eyes. ‘I couldn’t believe it was true at first but I couldn’t argue with the tests. And I was still furious with Cathy but I kept thinking—a son…So I was set to fly to Perth immediately but Cathy asked me not to. She said she needed a bit more time to get Nicky used to the idea.’ He paused and shrugged. ‘I’ve been living on tenterhooks ever since.’
Alex absorbed this and thought a little more charitably about Nicky’s mother.
‘And…now?’ she queried quietly.
‘Now? It was like being punched in the guts. The first words he said to me last night were, “Are you really my father? I didn’t actually believe I had one.” Now?’ he repeated with a nerve flickering in his jaw. ‘I won’t rest until he knows he has a father he can rely on.’
It had all been said quietly, but Alex could see the intensity behind it and the resolution. She looked away and blinked back a tear.
‘So that’s why,’ Max Goodwin said as he resumed massaging her ankle, ‘I’m prepared to go to quite some lengths to make this work out. And you—’ he gazed at her thoughtfully for a moment ‘—seem to have an intrinsic way with kids. How come?’
She explained. ‘We used to get kids from way out west, boarders from Dirranbandi, Thargomindah and so on who were terribly homesick at first—it just seemed to come naturally to me.’
‘Would it be so difficult for you to help me out at least with Nicky?’ he queried.
‘Would you feel it was an awful comedown from your position as interpreter, perhaps?’ He smiled faintly.
Alex shook her head. ‘No, of course not. It was just the way you did it.’
‘I had to think fast and on my feet,’ he murmured, ‘but I apologize.’
‘The only thing is—’ Alex looked uneasy ‘—it’s no good letting him come to rely on me.’
‘No. But by the time this is over, his grandmother should be out of hospital, his mother
‘Of course.’
‘I mean on its own or are you wearing tights?’
She grimaced. ‘On its own.’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘I wouldn’t have taken you for a suspender-belt girl, but there you go.’
‘You would have been right,’ she replied, but with a scowl. ‘I’m wearing knee-highs.’
She sat up and rolled up her trouser leg to reveal a stocking that ended above her knee.
‘Oh. Well, I’m sure they’re very practical but—’
‘Not essentially seductive? No, they’re not. Ouch,’ she added as he rolled the offending stocking down over her ankle, but said immediately, ‘Why would you be so sandbagged if you’ve known about Nicky for a month?’ She stared at him. ‘I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help overhearing and—’ She paused. She’d been about to say it was actually common knowledge anyway, but decided not to.
He didn’t reply immediately. His fingers were cool on her skin as he started to massage again and there was something curiously mesmerizing about it, Alex found, as the pain began to subside.
There was also something entirely unreal about the situation, it suddenly occurred to her. Here she was, extremely annoyed with a man she found diabolically arrogant, but not at all annoyed with his handling of her. She was sitting back with her ankle in his hands being restored by the pressure of his long, strong fingers. It didn’t take a great leap of imagination to imagine those same fingers exploring her body and imparting a sense of well-being if not to say sizzling sensuality—she went hot and cold at the thought.
‘I didn’t want to believe it at first,’ he said eventually. ‘And even when it proved to be true I—I just couldn’t visualize it. I hadn’t seen Cathy for over six years. She moved to Perth, which is a hell of a long way away. It’s almost like a different country, WA, and my headquarters are up here.’ He grimaced.
He stopped massaging and looked into Alex’s eyes. ‘I couldn’t believe it was true at first but I couldn’t argue with the tests. And I was still furious with Cathy but I kept thinking—a son…So I was set to fly to Perth immediately but Cathy asked me not to. She said she needed a bit more time to get Nicky used to the idea.’ He paused and shrugged. ‘I’ve been living on tenterhooks ever since.’
Alex absorbed this and thought a little more charitably about Nicky’s mother.
‘And…now?’ she queried quietly.
‘Now? It was like being punched in the guts. The first words he said to me last night were, “Are you really my father? I didn’t actually believe I had one.” Now?’ he repeated with a nerve flickering in his jaw. ‘I won’t rest until he knows he has a father he can rely on.’
It had all been said quietly, but Alex could see the intensity behind it and the resolution. She looked away and blinked back a tear.
‘So that’s why,’ Max Goodwin said as he resumed massaging her ankle, ‘I’m prepared to go to quite some lengths to make this work out. And you—’ he gazed at her thoughtfully for a moment ‘—seem to have an intrinsic way with kids. How come?’
She explained. ‘We used to get kids from way out west, boarders from Dirranbandi, Thargomindah and so on who were terribly homesick at first—it just seemed to come naturally to me.’
‘Would it be so difficult for you to help me out at least with Nicky?’ he queried.
‘Would you feel it was an awful comedown from your position as interpreter, perhaps?’ He smiled faintly.
Alex shook her head. ‘No, of course not. It was just the way you did it.’
‘I had to think fast and on my feet,’ he murmured, ‘but I apologize.’
‘The only thing is—’ Alex looked uneasy ‘—it’s no good letting him come to rely on me.’
‘No. But by the time this is over, his grandmother should be out of hospital, his mother
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