Determined (Determined Trilogy Book 1) by Elizabeth Brown Read Free Book Online

familiar. This bed was soft and big, much larger than mine. No one was with me, and it was early—gray light was just starting to break through the curtains. The room was huge. Bigger than my whole studio, with soaring, vaulted ceilings.
    I rubbed my eyes. Last night, of course. I started to remember. I remembered falling asleep in the car, and ... Did David carry me inside? Oh, God, David. Where was he? The events of the night before came crashing back to me. The meeting in the hallway, the conversation on the veranda. The pantry. I was sore, and I blushed as I remembered why.
    I didn’t know where he was, but I decided to take advantage of his absence to freshen myself up. I scampered out of bed and into the en-suite bathroom, locking the door behind me.
    I flicked the light on and looked in the mirror. I was in a large men’s t-shirt and some navy flannel pajama pants. I was not sure what happened to my sweater dress and boots. I looked around the counter and spied a toothbrush and toothpaste.
    Why not?
    As I brushed away the cottony feeling in my mouth, I surveyed the rest of the large room. The bathroom was all pale marble and glass, very chic and modern. There was a generous shower and a huge soaking tub next to a window that overlooked the city. I peered out the window.
    Wow, we’re high up . Somewhere downtown. Despite ribbons of thick fog, the view was great.
    I finished brushing my teeth and rinsed the toothbrush before putting it back. I splashed my face with water and used a tissue to tidy up the mascara rings left on my face from the night before. There wasn’t a lot I could do with my hair since I didn’t have a brush, so I settled for smoothing and twisting it with my fingers. Bedhead was supposed to be sexy, right? I was just going to hope that David was into that kind of thing. I headed back to the bedroom to check what time it was.
    Just as I re-entered the cavernous room, the door opened. It was David. He was already dressed in dark jeans and a light blue button down.
    “Ah, she wakes.” He flashed a low-key smile as he cut across the room. He pecked me on the forehead and handed me a glass filled with something green and frothy.
    “What is this?” I said, sniffing the liquid. It smelled like grass.
    “Green juice.”
    I eyed him skeptically.
    “My special blend—kale, wheatgrass and apple. Drink it. It’s better than it sounds, I promise.”
    “So are you some kind of health nut?” I put the glass up to my lips and took a small sip. It wasn’t bad. It was horrible. I put the glass down.
    “I do what I can.” I think he was enjoying watching me. “So, how did you sleep, beautiful?” he said, gazing over at me, clearly ignoring my matted hair.
    Sleep? The night before was hazy.
    “Um, good. You?” I stammered. I gripped the glass of juice with both hands.
    He smiled, and I could feel his stare boring into me, carving out his territory with those dark eyes.
    “Don’t worry, nothing happened last night. You fell asleep in the car, and whilst I find you impossible to resist, I ventured to guess that a rape-y vibe is not something most women look for in a man. So I carried you up here. I slept in the guest room.”
    “Oh,” I breathed a quiet sigh of relief. I looked down at my unfamiliar clothes.
    “Did you undress me?”
    “Yes.” his eyes were entirely unapologetic.
    “I see.”
    “Ms. Sharp?”
    “Yes?”
    “Would you like to join me for breakfast?”
    I’ll take anything, as long as it’s not more of this green stuff.
    “That sounds great”
    “Very good. Do you eat eggs?”
    “Yes.” Hallelujah, real food.
    He typed something into his phone and then glanced back at me. “I had Hilde press your dress. It’s hanging in the closet. Take your time. I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”
    “Sounds great,” I replied, still bewildered that I’d woken up in this man’s apartment. This was just not something I normally did. He clearly, however, did. My dress was pressed? I