Page 26 of Forbidden Bastard
This was part of a huge room where the previous owners must have thrown lavish parties once.
She hugged her chest as if amazed and twirled back toward him. “This house is truly remarkable, Charles.”
Nothing in it felt comfortable to him. Sandi’s green eyes were the only source of compassion.
He saw the desire she had for him, but she shouldn’t want him. He followed her through the ballroom. “I’ve only stayed here for short periods, a couple times now.”
She stopped at the wall with gold roses embossed into the design. “Seriously? This is so much better than that hotel room I was in…”
Her silence echoed in the walls.
Had he upset her? He placed his hand on her lower back to lead her farther into the house, for dinner. “And?”
She sucked in her breath and met his gaze with a slight blush. “Or even my suite in my parents' house.”
Most people lived on their own, no? His mind raced as he directed her toward the dining room. “You live with your parents?”
She played with a small necklace around her neck, moving the rose back and forth. “I… I have no real skills and failed at business entirely. I’ve pretty much made wrong choice after wrong choice since taking over my family’s business dealings after my grandfather died.”
“How old were you?”
“Fourteen when my grandfather trusted me to watch over my parents.”
“That’s young.” He tugged his ear as he opened the next door and they headed into a dining room where plates were already set for them. “Were you a genius?”
“I earned good grades in school and my grandfather didn’t trust my parents.”
“But you still live at home?”
He led her to a cushioned accent chair closest to a glass window with a nice view of the green lawn and the outside maze. “We pool our resources so the business can stay afloat until I can handle our fortunes.”
“Was that why your doctor left?”
She flinched but then blushed as she glanced at the table instead of him. “He left because he didn’t love me.”
“Your parents seemed to believe they have a vote in your family business.” He fixed her chair and took the seat next to her, though the sharp corner created a separation. “So why were you in charge of the company?”
“My grandfather refused to leave my father anything to do but my parents are my parents who I love. So to keep it in the family, he trusted me but I was only a freshman in high school. And I trusted my parents who gave me some bad advice.”
“You were in a tough spot then. And it sounds like Clara and your parents are the opposite.”
“What do you mean?”
“She hates when I do anything for her and your parents expect you to handle everything.”
“That’s true.” Sandi settled in her seat and at least he could reach out and hold her if the mood hit him. Charles massaged the back of his neck to calm down.
“Well," Sandi said, "I know I wanted time for just us, but now that I'm here and know more about you, well…if you want to get married, we can.”
At least he understood more about Sandi now and his shoulders lifted. He could help her, but he kept that to himself. "That’s a fast change. What happened?”
“I don’t know… I guess I want to help you.” She studied the salad in front of her and picked up her fork.
“That’s sweet.” He patted her arm. “I don’t want to trap you.”
“Funny,” She crossed her legs like she was confident, “I thoughtyouwere the one feeling trapped by the way you talked in Paris.”
After seeing her with Clara, he’d become clear Sandi was a good choice for a bride, but he held that thought. “I changed my mind.”
