His Christmas Virgin by Carole Mortimer Read Free Book Online Page A

didn’t bother to look at her own menu, already knowing exactly what she was going to order: garlic prawns followed by lasagne. As far as she was concerned, Luciano made the best lasagne in London.
    Instead she looked across at Jonas as he gave every indication of concentrating on choosing what he was going to have for lunch.
    Every female head in the Italian bistro had turned to look at him when he’d entered a few minutes ago and taken off his long woollen coat to hang it up just inside the door. They had continued to watch him as he made his way over to the window table, several women giving Mac envious glances when he’d pulled out the chair opposite her own and sat down.
    Mac had found herself watching him too; Jonas simply was the sort of man that women of all ages took a second, and probably a third, look at. He was so tall for one thing, and the leashed and elegant power ofhis lean and muscled body in that perfectly tailored charcoal-coloured suit was undeniable.
    His irritation told her that he was also not in a good mood. ‘We don’t have to eat lunch together if you would rather not?’ Mac prompted ruefully.
    He lowered his menu enough to look across at her with icy blue eyes. ‘You would rather I moved to another table? That’s going to make conversation very difficult, wouldn’t you say?’ he taunted.
    Mac felt the warmth in her cheeks at his obvious mockery. ‘Very funny!’
    Jonas placed his closed menu down on the table. ‘I want to know more about the break-in to your studio on Saturday night. Such as how whoever it was got inside in the first place?’ he asked grimly.
    Mac shrugged. ‘They broke a small window next to the door and reached inside to open it.’
    Jonas noticed that some of the animation had left those smoky-grey eyes, presumably at his reminder of the break-in. ‘You don’t have an alarm system installed?’
    She grimaced. ‘I’ve never thought I needed one.’
    â€˜Obviously you were wrong,’ Jonas said reprovingly.
    â€˜Obviously.’ Anger sparkled in those grey eyes now. ‘I have to say that I’ve always found people’s smugness after the event to be intensely irritating!’ She was still wearing the black fitted sweater and faded denims of earlier, the silky curtain of her hair framing the delicate beauty of her face to fall in an ebony shimmer over her shoulders and down her back.
    Jonas relaxed back in his chair to look across at her speculatively. ‘Then hopefully I’ve succeeded in irritating you enough to have a security system installed. Orperhaps I should just arrange to have it done for you?’ he mused out loud, knowing it would immediately goad her to respond with the information that he wanted.
    â€˜That won’t be necessary, thank you; I have a company coming out to install one first thing tomorrow morning,’ she came back sharply. ‘Along with a glazier to replace the window that was broken.’
    His eyes narrowed. ‘You haven’t had the glass replaced yet?’
    â€˜I just said I hadn’t,’ Mac bit back.
    Jonas gave a disgusted sigh. ‘You should have got someone out on Sunday to fix it.’
    Mac’s eyes flashed darkly. ‘Don’t presume to tell me what I should or shouldn’t do!’
    â€˜It’s a security breach—’
    â€˜Oh, give it a rest, Jonas,’ she muttered wearily. ‘I’m quite capable of organising my own life, thank you.’
    â€˜I’m seriously starting to doubt that.’
    â€˜Strangely, your opinion is of little relevance to me!’ Mac snapped. ‘When I suggested we have lunch to talk about this situation I wasn’t actually referring to the break-in.’
    Jonas managed to dampen down his impatience as he smiled up at Luciano as he appeared beside their table to personally take their order.
    â€˜I take it you don’t have a date this