Mysterious by Fayrene Preston Read Free Book Online Page B

what she appeared to be? So beautiful, so innocent. Lying there in the unguarded position of sleep, she appeared as fragile as a piece of fine Venetian glass. Yet when they had been in danger, she had had instincts almost as quick as his. Who the hell was she? And perhaps a better question would be, why did she affect him so?
    He would start with the first question, he decided grimly.
    Her purse lay on the end table. He reached for it and opened it. Cigarettes, matches, lipstick, a comb, a bottle of nail polish, a gold wedding band, a charm bracelet with a broken clasp, a billfold with a few dollars in it. He flipped to the ID section and found a driver’s license.
    It held her picture all right, but the name on it was different from the one she had given him. The license named her Jennifer Blake. He looked further and found a credit card which also had the name Jennifer Blake stamped across the front of it. An odd sense of betrayal and a fine obsession mixed, then firmed inside him.
    She stirred, turning her head slightly, and the early morning light settled a ribbon of the palest gold across her brow. She reminded him of an angel, with her dark untamed hair curling about her face and the ridiculously thick lashes forming fringed shadows over her ivory cheeks. Attempting to analyze it, he supposed it was her lips that really got to him. How could they look so innocent and, at the same time, look as if they had just been thoroughly kissed only moments before?
    Incredible. He had never wanted a woman as he had wanted her last night.
    Irrational. He knew she was a liar. What else was she?
    He stuffed everything back into her purse and returned it to where he had found it. Picking up his leather briefcase, he clicked it open and pulled his glasses from the inside pocket of the suit coat he had hung on the back of the chair. Putting them on, he began trying to read a brief he needed to familiarize himself with before a ten o’clock meeting.
    But his mind wasn’t on the papers in his hand, and minutes later his gaze was pulled back to Jennifer. Awakening out of her sound sleep, the soft word, "Jerome," escaped her slightly parted lips.
    Damn! How did she do that? he wondered angrily. Had it really come up out of her subconscious, the name of a man she had known only twelve hours? And what in sweet hell was he supposed to think about a married woman who awoke with his name on her lips?
    Waking slowly, Jennifer stretched with a leisurely grace before opening her eyes. She frowned momentarily, then almost immediately remembered the circumstances of her situation. Swiveling her head, she encountered the hard blue-eyed gaze of Jerome Mailer.
    "Good morning."
    Her lips curved upward, making the tiny dimple in her left cheek appear and disappear. And seeing it, Jerome felt a sudden urge to hit something. He took off his glasses and plunged them back into their case. "You better get up and get dressed. I’ll go make us some breakfast." He put aside the papers he had been studying and stood up.
    "Oh, please"—she sat up, clutching the blanket against her—"don’t go to any trouble on my account."
    "Don’t worry about it. Breakfast will be ready in fifteen minutes."
    So much for pleasantries, Jennifer thought, watching as he stalked from the room. Fifteen minutes. That would give her time for a shower. No telling when she’d be able to take her next one.
    A quarter of an hour later Jerome was placing two plates on the table as Jennifer appeared in the doorway of the small breakfast room that adjoined the kitchen. He seemed so stern. She ventured another hint of a smile only to see his jaw tighten more as he took in her dimpled cheek, her wet but neatly combed hair, and the white dress she had had to put back on. His gaze traveled to her legs. They were covered with the same wispy hose he had held in his hands last night, then thrown across the room.
    "Sit down," he said, disappearing through the doorway, then reappearing in a moment