All in the Chemistry [The Royal Wolves 4] (Siren Publishing Allure) by Honor James Read Free Book Online Page A

hide them so she leaned closer to him as he led them out of the ballroom and toward where the valet waited. She watched as he handed the man his ticket and leaned against him, inhaling the scent of the ozone and rain as they waited under the canopy for his car.
    Slipping his arm around her shoulder, he turned into her slightly and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Eyeing the people watching them, he rolled his eyes wondering why they couldn’t just mind their own business. When his car pulled up he moved around to the passenger side and opened the door for her.

Chapter 2
     
    She got into the car and tugged the train of her gown in to wrap around her feet. Buckling up when he closed her door, she waited for him to come around and take her home. His car was a surprise, much like him.
    When he got in she waited until they were on the road to slip her hand into his. “Where are we going?” She didn’t want to ask if he was taking her to her studio apartment or his home, so she left the question as it was.
    Turning his hand and lacing his fingers with hers, he stroked his thumb over her soft flesh. “Home,” he said softly squeezing her fingers gently. Heading for the city limits, he let the silence stretch, and for the first time ever, it was a comfortable silence.
    She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, a gentle smile caressing her lips. “We will have to eventually go to my studio so that I can get clothes, but for now, home sounds delightful, Kristof.”
    Looking to her he smiled. “Clothing is overrated,” he told her softly. Lifting her hand he nibbled on her fingers gently as he kept his eyes on the dark road ahead of them. Resting her hand on his thigh he continued to stroke her skin with his thumb. Twenty minutes later he pulled into his driveway and hit the remote for the large gates. Glancing to her as they swung open, he winked before pulling up the long drive and swinging slowly around the central planter full of huge trees that sheltered the front door and parked before the single level rambling ranch style open concept house. Parking, he climbed out, reluctantly releasing her hand, and moved around to open her door and help her out. “Welcome to my humble abode,” he said of the four thousand plus square foot house. His was slightly larger than his brothers’, but he’d had to put in a lab at home so he could putter on the weekends.
    She let out a breath and whistled low. “Wow, humble abode, huh?” She turned and looked at him, grinning. “I think that we are speaking different languages. This”—she gestured with her hands—“this is a palace in the hills. This is a mansion. Humble is nowhere on this map, Kristof.”
    Shrugging, he looked at it. “You say that now, you haven’t seen inside yet,” he told her quietly. His style of decorating was boring to say the least. Except for a large sofa, his portrait with his mother over the fireplace and his huge bed he really didn’t have much furniture or need for much. Although, he did have the guest rooms done up thanks to a designer, but he’d cut her off when she’d wanted to do his room in earth tones with a fountain and kicked her ass to the curb. Unlocking the door he let her go through first. “Remember, I warned you,” he said hitting the lights, the giant chandelier hung in the double high entrance throwing softly muted light around the whole space.
    She looked at the wide open space and grinned. “You, too, are a minimalist.” She lived in a studio because ‘things’ drove her to distraction. She wasn’t much on a lot of things. “Can I have a room in the house to use for painting?” She would have to choose just the right room and hoped that he didn’t have it earmarked for something else.
    Looking at her he grinned. “Not a minimalist so much as lazy,” he told her honestly. “I keep thinking I should get some more pieces in so it doesn’t look like a cavernous space, but I just find it annoys me to shop