An Unlikely Bride for the Billionaire by Michelle Douglas Read Free Book Online Page A

mean...?’
    â€˜I mean we want you , Mia. Not Nora. I want everything associated with this wedding to be a joy for Carla. She likes you. And that’s rarer than you might think.’ He suddenly frowned. ‘How much will taking charge of this affect your traineeship? Will I be creating a problem for you there?’
    He was giving her an out. If she wanted one. If...
    She pulled in a breath. ‘The wedding is nine months away, right?’
    He nodded.
    Being Carla’s liaison wouldn’t be a full-time job. Very slowly she nodded too. ‘That leaves me plenty of time to continue with my fieldwork and studies.’
    If it weren’t for Dylan she wouldn’t have a job right now or a chance to finish her traineeship. She owed him. Big-time . She made a resolution then and there to do all she could to make Carla’s wedding a spectacular success.
    Her gaze rested on the chocolate bar he’d handed to her earlier. She suddenly realised how she could tacitly thank him right now. Without giving herself time to think, she ripped off the wrapper and bit into it.
    â€˜I’m ravenous. And this is so good.’
    As she’d known he would, he grinned in delight that his gift had given her pleasure. She closed her eyes to savour the soft milky creaminess, and when she opened them again she found his gaze fastened on her lips, the blue of his eyes deepening and darkening, and her stomach pitched.
    She set the chocolate to the table and wiped damp palms down her trousers. ‘I... This is probably a stupid thing to raise...’
    He folded his arms. ‘Out with it.’
    â€˜I don’t believe you have any interest in me beyond that of any employer, but after what Gordon just accused me of...’
    She couldn’t meet his eyes. The thing was, Gordon had recognised what she’d so desperately wanted to keep hidden—that she found Dylan attractive. Very attractive. He’d woken something inside her that she desperately wanted to put back to sleep.
    â€˜I just want to make it clear that I’m not in the market for a relationship. Any kind of relationship—hot and heavy or fun and flirty.’
    She read derision in his eyes. But before she could dissolve into a puddle of embarrassment at his feet she realised the derision was aimed at himself—not at her.
    â€˜No relationships? Noted.’ He rolled his shoulders. ‘Mia, I have a tendency to flirt—it’s a result of the circles I move in—but it doesn’t mean anything. It’s just supposed to be a bit of harmless fun. My clients like to feel important and, as they are important to me, I like to make them feel valued. I plan celebrations, parties, and it’s my job to make the entire process as enjoyable as possible. So charm and a sense of fun have become second nature to me. If I’ve given you the wrong impression...’
    â€˜Oh, no, you haven’t!’
    â€˜For what it’s worth, I’m not in the market for a relationship at the moment either.’
    She glanced up.
    Why not ?
    That’s no concern of yours .
    Humour flitted through his eyes. ‘But what about friendship? Do you have anything against that?’
    That made her smile. People like Dylan didn’t become friends with people like her. Once the wedding was over she’d never see him again.
    â€˜I have nothing whatsoever against friendship.’ She’d sworn never again to steal or cheat. A little white lie, though, didn’t count. Did it...?
    * * *
    Thierry Geroux, Carla’s fiancé, was as dark and scowling as Carla and Dylan were golden and gregarious. Mia couldn’t help but wonder what on earth Carla saw in him.
    She pushed that thought away. It was none of her business.
    As if he sensed the direction of her thoughts, Thierry turned his scowl on her. She wanted to tell him not to bother—that his scowls didn’t frighten her ...she’d been scowled at by