Love Is Elected by Alyssa Howard Read Free Book Online Page B

bedroom," Kara retorted. But he had already shut the door and left her alone. She stood up and walked to the center of the large, airy room. Through the sliding glass doors she could see a balcony, and beyond it the lake glittering in the late afternoon sun. The two sets of doors flanked a dramatic fireplace wall. Brown leather chairs and a Scandinavian area rug were arranged in a conversational grouping around the fireplace. A chrome and leather couch sat directly in front, facing a glass coffee table. A few prized antiques were mixed with the modern furniture to produce a pleasingly eclectic effect.
    From there Kara drifted through the well-equipped kitchen and then up the stairs toward the bedrooms. A brown and white tweed carpet muffled her steps as she made her way to the second floor. Once in the hall, she peered through an open door on the right. She was obviously looking into the master bedroom. A huge king-size bed covered with a brown suede quilt dominated the large, skylit room. To one side stood a massive, mahogany dresser. Opposite, there was an armoire. An off-white shag rug covered the polished wood floor. Kara stood taking it all in for a moment and then turned quickly away. She had no intention of spending time in this particular room.
    Across the hall she located a guest room. It was attractively decorated in shades of royal blue with cream walls. The furniture was sleekly modern, but the bed looked soft and comfortable. With a decisive nod of her dark head, Kara made her way back down the stairs to retrieve her suitcases. While she was busily unpacking, Matt suddenly appeared in the doorway, an ironic smile curling his lip as he watched.
    Nervously she glanced up at him. His large, athlete's body seemed to fill the entire opening as he lounged indolently, one broad shoulder propped up against the wooden doorframe. His left leg was crossed easily, revealing the outline of his muscular thighs through the tautly stretched material of his jeans. Kara blinked and dragged her gaze away from his legs to look up once more at his face.
    His narrowed gray eyes appraised her through a screen of lashes, and there was a thin smile on his well-molded mouth. As his glance skimmed slowly over her small, well-proportioned body, Kara had no trouble reading his mind. She felt vulnerable and powerless. How was she going to get through the next few weeks living with this arrogant, demanding man?
    "I can see you're making yourself at home," he commented wryly. "There's far more closet space in my room across the hall, you know."
    "The closet space here is quite adequate, thank you," she returned. Despite her efforts to make her voice cool and controlled, it came out sounding nervous and quavery. Turning her back to him, she bit her lip and busied herself arranging a wool skirt on a hanger.
    "Just as you like," he replied carelessly, straightening up and moving away from the door. "I'll leave you alone so you can change for dinner. I've sent out for food. We can eat after the six o'clock news."
    "The six o'clock news?" she questioned, folding a slip and placing it in a drawer.
    "Yes, we'll probably be on it, and I'd like to see how our marriage act is playing." He moved away, closing the door gently behind him while Kara stared in consternation. What would the television reporters have to say about this hasty marriage and the reluctant politician's wife? she wondered. Kara looked at her watch. It was a quarter after five.
    She took the next forty minutes unpacking and changing her clothes, deliberately stretching out the time so as not to confront the stranger she'd married that morning. Was it only that afternoon, she wondered as she pulled off her bridal blue jeans and searched through the clothes she'd brought for something else to wear. So much had happened in so short a time, she mused, as she rummaged through her drawer for her favorite beige sweater. When she'd found it, she pulled on brown corduroy slacks and a comfortable