Claiming His Wedding Night by Lee Wilkinson Read Free Book Online Page B

feeling as if she’d been dragged through a hedge backwards, made her way to the lounge, where Jared was waiting for her.
    She was vexed to find he looked fresh and virile and supremely confident, with not a hair out of place. Once again, just the sight of him made every nerve in her body tighten and her heart start to beat faster.
    His eyes on her face, he enquired with smooth urbanity, ‘Feel any better?’
    Knowing her hair was a mess and her nose was shiny, and conscious of being even more at a disadvantage, she answered stiltedly, ‘Yes, thank you.’
    ‘Then let’s get ready for landing.’
     
    When they touched down at Boston, knowing her father would be waiting for her call, Perdita reached for her phone.
    She had been debating what to tell him. Should she admit that this was just a refuelling stop and that they would be flying on to San Francisco? Or let him go on believing they were going to Salingers’ headquarters in New York?
    She was still struggling to decide when Jared slanted her a sideways glance and enquired, ‘Have you made up your mind whether to let him think we’re at JFK, or admit we’re at Boston?’
    ‘I don’t know what to tell him,’ she admitted helplessly. ‘What do you think—?’ She broke off, vexed that she had actually asked his advice.
    Seeing her bite her lip, and realizing the cause, Jared smiled a little before suggesting, ‘Wouldn’t it be simpler, and cause him less worry, to let him go on believing that you’re in New York?’
    ‘But suppose he tries to contact me there?’
    ‘I’ll talk to the office and put them in the picture, make sure they channel any calls that go there straight through to California.’
    Somewhat cheered by that assurance, and knowing she’d need to tread carefully, she went ahead and called her father.
    ‘Hi, Dad, we’ve just landed.’
    ‘Good journey?’
    ‘Very good. You know where to find me if necessary, but I’ll keep in touch.’
    ‘Have you spoken to Martin yet?’
    ‘Not directly,’ she hedged. ‘But Helen was going to let him know what was happening.’
    ‘Well, I’d better let you go. I know the next few days are going to be tough, certainly no holiday, but if you get the chance try to have a little fun.’
    ‘I will,’ she promised. ‘And I’ll ring you as soon as I’ve anything to report. In the meantime, take care of yourself.’
    Their goodbyes said, she ended the call and, still afraid to talk to Martin, dropped the phone back into her bag.
    ‘Everything OK?’ Jared queried.
    ‘It seems to be. Though I really hate having to lie to him.’
    ‘Surely it’s better to…shall we say mislead him, rather than worry him with the truth?’
    ‘I suppose so,’ she agreed with a sigh.
     
    The refuelling was completed quickly and efficiently and in a relatively short space of time they were airborne again.
    When they’d reached the required height and levelled out, Jared unfastened their seat belts and they returned to the lounge.
    After his comment about it being better to mislead her father than worry him with the truth, he had relapsed into a thoughtful silence.
    Now, sitting opposite Perdita, he studied her face before remarking, ‘What with your father’s heart problems, the company’s financial difficulties and the added workload, the last few months must have proved quite a strain.’
    Wondering what he was leading up to, she agreed warily, ‘Yes. Why do you ask?’
    Looking at the fleshless angles of her face and the hollows beneath her cheekbones, he observed, ‘Because you’re thin almost to the point of gauntness, and extremely pale.’
    ‘I’m not wearing any make-up,’ she pointed out, her voice defensive.
    ‘You hardly wore any make-up in the past, but I’ve never seen you look so wan.’
    His reference to the past putting a silken noose around her neck, she observed huskily, ‘In that case it must have been the Californian sunshine that made all the difference.’
    Then, as the