A Seductive Proposal by Caris Roane Read Free Book Online

something, give a girl a break.
    * * * * * * * * *
    Quint enjoyed surveillance mode. He gathered information from her with every word she spoke, every gesture of her long, elegant fingers, every shift of her expressive brown eyes away from him. He could see her struggle, that while she found him attractive, she had every intention of keeping him at arm’s length.
    His body had become one solid vibration seated across from her. He was a missile and she was a lit target, her body, her winery, and anything else he wanted from her. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt quite so intent on a woman, maybe because even with the fortune he’d amassed she didn’t just throw her arms around him and hold on. That was her greatest attraction—she wanted him because of the unbelievable night they’d shared. Beyond that she saw nothing but danger signs and held him at bay.
    Most of the women he’d ever known, once they understood his net worth, set about laying traps, a hundred or so, in hopes of bringing him down. The effort to rebuke the hunting woman bored him.
    But this, a woman who shied away from him like a nervous horse around unfamiliar smells, kept his groin in a constant state of readiness. He wanted her on her back more than he could say. He was a stallion straining in harness and ready to bust loose.
    He stayed harnessed though. He wasn’t a teenage boy and he knew how to control himself. He had a critical goal to accomplish here and no matter how much he wanted inside, he would put business first.
    He needed to know more about her and he didn’t have a lot of time. His Napa clients would arrive in Sedona in just under a month. Maybe he’d have Brad hire a private investigator and get a full-service contract worked up on her.
    He only had to do one thing to maneuver Carly into a malleable position; he had to find her Achilles heel.
    So where was she weak? Probably not in her finances. She owned a now-working winery, a successful Jeep tour company, which she had built herself and which impressed him, and she owned a house in Uptown. He found himself intrigued.
    Right this moment he had the best of two worlds; the enjoyment his business always brought him along with the excitement of the hunt.
    Carly felt Quint’s intent in wave after wave of sensation, the way his blue eyes glittered, the way his gaze caressed her face, her neck, her shoulders, even her hands, the way he seemed to strain forward at times, leaning toward her, almost pressed into the table. Any of these gestures made her feel naked and reminded her of all the sex she’d had with him and how she wanted more.
    He had to go back to Phoenix.
    The sooner the better.
    She concentrated on her meal instead of her desire for Quint. She cut a slice of coq au vin , dipping it in the wine sauce. The flavors melted on her tongue. She took a sip of wine. For this moment, paradise existed right now, on earth, at a table in a French restaurant. Yes, focusing on her chicken instead of Quint was an excellent strategy. She closed her eyes and savored.
    “I’ve seen that look before,” he said.
    She opened her eyes and gasped. Did he mean what she thought he meant? Of course he did.
    She decided to ignore his suggestive comment. “The wine is so good and the chicken delicious.”
    “ Same look .”
    He was choosing to be bad.
    “You behave,” she whispered.
    “Why?”
    “You know why. We’re having dinner then you’re going back to Phoenix.”
    “Tonight?” He cut a slice of filet mignon and piled on a wicked, cheese crusted slab of potato au gratin. “No, I wouldn’t think about leaving just yet. I want to see the property tomorrow.”
    “No.” She shook her head. “No, that won’t do at all.”
    “Why?” he slid the filet and potato into his mouth.
    Her gaze fell to his lips—those sensual, kissed-her-everywhere lips—and shook her head. A resigned sigh slipped from her throat. She lifted her chin. “Because there’s no reason for you to