Fatal Wild Child by Tracy Cooper-Posey Read Free Book Online Page B

out, astonishment warring with overwhelming joy and ripped open the bag to stare at the silver case of the laptop she had thought was gone forever. She looked up at Seth. "You went and got them out. My god!"
    He sat on the floor next to her, one knee cocked, careless of the suit. Over his shoulder, she could see the round eyes of her family staring at the astonishing sight of people sprawling on the floor when there were perfectly good chairs right next to them.
    "I don't think you can count on ever using them again, Gabrielle," he said. "But this will give you a chance to retrieve the data, with the help of a good technician."
    She nodded. "That was all I had wanted. To get my pictures back." She could feel her eyes stinging with unwanted tears and blinked furiously. Not in front of her sisters. Not if she could help it. "Thank you," she said, fighting hard to keep her voice even.
    "No problem," he said briskly, standing up. "I happened to be passing by." He got to his feet, and held out his hand. "Come on, up you get."
    The brisk tone, the snappy command...had he guessed her reluctance not to break down in front of her sisters? She was grateful for the reprieve, anyway. She allowed him to help her to her feet, her hand sliding inside his big, warm one. She shivered inside at the touch of his hand, her body suddenly on high alert. Like a schoolgirl, she didn't want to let go. She had to consciously make herself let go of his fingers.
    Gabrielle worked to look normal and unconcerned as she put the camera and laptop on the sideboard next to his whiskey glass. Then she nearly ruined her composure again by jumping when she realized Seth had followed her over to the sideboard.
    "Your father wanted to introduce me around to the family," Seth said quietly, standing very close behind her shoulder. "But I wanted to give you that option, first. You don't have to, Gabrielle and I won't be offended if you don't want to. Not after yesterday."
    She looked up at him. Her shoulder barely came to the middle of his chest. She couldn't help remembering seeing it bare and being held against it. Unbidden, the urge came to undo the buttons on his shirt and slide her hands inside. To reveal his chest again. Only this time, she knew his chest would be hot. She could hold herself against the heat. Rub herself against it...
    Gabrielle swallowed, trying to rid herself of the images. "Are you sure you want to meet them at all, Seth? They're a bunch of barracudas."
    "Your father hinted as much." He grinned. "I can hold my own."
    "Then I'd better introduce you," she said. "Or my sisters will try to eat you alive. If they think you're with me, they'll give you breathing room, at least."
    Seth laughed.
    "You think I'm kidding?" Gabrielle said. "With you looking the way you do and knowing my sisters, I'm astonished they hadn't already made a move before I got here."
    Seth's smile faded. "Your father was with me the whole time..."
    Gabrielle smiled sourly. "Dad has no illusions about them, either. The Sherborne family is infamous for its sex scandals. We've all contributed one way or another." She tucked her arm under his elbow. "Come and meet the family, Seth."
    * * * * *
     
    Seth was conscious of Gabrielle's hand on his elbow, but more aware of her slim figure walking next to him. The lace dress seemed insubstantial, a cloud floating over her figure. Every time she turned, he got a glimpse of her back...who would ever have thought a back could be sexy? Her hair was brushed in a way so that it pointed down her back and made a mockery of his pulse.
    Despite her petite size, her legs seemed to go on forever, too.
    Considering some of the outfits Gabrielle Sherborne had barely been wearing when the newspapers had splashed her across their front pages and the movies pushed her in front of cameras for promotion and PR, this dress was utterly conservative. But Seth's pulse and other parts of his anatomy were jack hammering like an adolescent schoolboy's, just the