Read Online Too Wild to Wed by Jayne Ann Krentz - Free Book Online
Authors: Jayne Ann Krentz
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stricken moment she could only stare wide-eyed at the stranger lounging in the doorway. Xavier Augustine, the stranger she had very nearly married.
"Letty?" Molly's voice sounded very far away. "Is something wrong? Are you all right? I know this is something of a shock. But it's actually kind of exciting when you think about it. I mean, there's a real mystery here. Just think, you almost married the man and you don't even know who he really is. Letty?"
"Hello, Xavier," Letty said weakly. "What are you doing here?"
"I accepted Peabody's invitation, remember?" Xavier said with patient calm. He folded his arms across his chest and leaned one broad shoulder against the door frame. His cool, brooding gaze never left her face.
"Xavier's there?" Molly yelped in Letty's ear. "Right there in your room?"
"Yes. Yes, he is, as a matter of fact." Letty's fingers clutched the receiver. "He just walked in."
"Good grief. I'd better get off the phone. Listen, Letty, be careful, do you hear me?"
"I hear you."
"Don't confront him until we know more," Molly advised quickly. "We don't know what we're dealing with yet. He could be anything, anything at all."
Letty frowned, her gaze still on Xavier. "Like what, for heaven's sake?"
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe a gangster or a jewel thief or an undercover agent of some kind. Listen, if he's a criminal he might turn violent if he knows you're on to him."
"I'll keep that in mind," Letty snapped as irritation overcame her initial panic. Molly's thinking always had an imaginative bent.
"Goodbye, Molly," she said very clearly. "Thanks for checking up on me. As you can see, I arrived safe and sound and I'm looking forward to the next few days. Don't worry, I'll give you a full report when I get back."
"Right," Molly said conspiratorially. "That's the spirit. Play innocent. Don't let Augustine know we're checking up on him. I'll get back to you when I've got more info. 'Bye."
Letty gently put down the phone and glowered at Xavier.
"That was Molly, 1 take it? Checking up on you?" Xavier asked.
Letty cleared her throat with a small cough. "Checking up on... me. Yes. Right. Me. She was checking up on me. She just wanted to make certain I'd arrived safely."
"A good friend."
"She certainly is."
Xavier smiled grimly. "So naturally she's on your side in this little war we find ourselves waging."
"Well, of course she's on my side. What other side is there?" Letty retorted.
"Mine?"
Her scowl deepened. "Don't be ridiculous." She pushed her glasses up a bit higher on her nose. "What war?"
"Haven't you noticed? You've retreated inside your castle walls and locked and barred the gate. I'm left with no option but to lay siege."
Letty blinked. "What a ridiculous analogy."
He appeared thoughtful. "Do you think so? I was rather proud of it. It seemed sort of appropriate under the circumstances."
"How would you know?" she demanded.
"Letty, my sweet, I don't claim to be an expert, but neither am I a total write-off when it comes to medieval studies."
"What?"
"I've read almost everything you've ever written and published on the subject and I'm told it's some of the best stuff being done in the field today."
That stunned her. She stared at Xavier, aware of an immediate sense of warmth at the realization that he had gone to all that bother. "You have? Everything?"
"Everything I could find."
"I hadn't realized you'd looked up all those papers." She blushed with embarrassed pleasure. "You never mentioned them. Some of them were awfully dull."
"I read every word," he assured her gently. "And I didn't find a single one of them boring."
"Oh." Then it struck her that it was undoubtedly his private investigation firm that had dug up the articles and papers she'd authored. Xavier had probably received neatly annotated summaries of each one presented to him as part of the firm's final report. Just a few more boring entries in her very boring file. The brief warmth faded. "Well, don't worry, there won't be a
"Letty?" Molly's voice sounded very far away. "Is something wrong? Are you all right? I know this is something of a shock. But it's actually kind of exciting when you think about it. I mean, there's a real mystery here. Just think, you almost married the man and you don't even know who he really is. Letty?"
"Hello, Xavier," Letty said weakly. "What are you doing here?"
"I accepted Peabody's invitation, remember?" Xavier said with patient calm. He folded his arms across his chest and leaned one broad shoulder against the door frame. His cool, brooding gaze never left her face.
"Xavier's there?" Molly yelped in Letty's ear. "Right there in your room?"
"Yes. Yes, he is, as a matter of fact." Letty's fingers clutched the receiver. "He just walked in."
"Good grief. I'd better get off the phone. Listen, Letty, be careful, do you hear me?"
"I hear you."
"Don't confront him until we know more," Molly advised quickly. "We don't know what we're dealing with yet. He could be anything, anything at all."
Letty frowned, her gaze still on Xavier. "Like what, for heaven's sake?"
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe a gangster or a jewel thief or an undercover agent of some kind. Listen, if he's a criminal he might turn violent if he knows you're on to him."
"I'll keep that in mind," Letty snapped as irritation overcame her initial panic. Molly's thinking always had an imaginative bent.
"Goodbye, Molly," she said very clearly. "Thanks for checking up on me. As you can see, I arrived safe and sound and I'm looking forward to the next few days. Don't worry, I'll give you a full report when I get back."
"Right," Molly said conspiratorially. "That's the spirit. Play innocent. Don't let Augustine know we're checking up on him. I'll get back to you when I've got more info. 'Bye."
Letty gently put down the phone and glowered at Xavier.
"That was Molly, 1 take it? Checking up on you?" Xavier asked.
Letty cleared her throat with a small cough. "Checking up on... me. Yes. Right. Me. She was checking up on me. She just wanted to make certain I'd arrived safely."
"A good friend."
"She certainly is."
Xavier smiled grimly. "So naturally she's on your side in this little war we find ourselves waging."
"Well, of course she's on my side. What other side is there?" Letty retorted.
"Mine?"
Her scowl deepened. "Don't be ridiculous." She pushed her glasses up a bit higher on her nose. "What war?"
"Haven't you noticed? You've retreated inside your castle walls and locked and barred the gate. I'm left with no option but to lay siege."
Letty blinked. "What a ridiculous analogy."
He appeared thoughtful. "Do you think so? I was rather proud of it. It seemed sort of appropriate under the circumstances."
"How would you know?" she demanded.
"Letty, my sweet, I don't claim to be an expert, but neither am I a total write-off when it comes to medieval studies."
"What?"
"I've read almost everything you've ever written and published on the subject and I'm told it's some of the best stuff being done in the field today."
That stunned her. She stared at Xavier, aware of an immediate sense of warmth at the realization that he had gone to all that bother. "You have? Everything?"
"Everything I could find."
"I hadn't realized you'd looked up all those papers." She blushed with embarrassed pleasure. "You never mentioned them. Some of them were awfully dull."
"I read every word," he assured her gently. "And I didn't find a single one of them boring."
"Oh." Then it struck her that it was undoubtedly his private investigation firm that had dug up the articles and papers she'd authored. Xavier had probably received neatly annotated summaries of each one presented to him as part of the firm's final report. Just a few more boring entries in her very boring file. The brief warmth faded. "Well, don't worry, there won't be a
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