Seduced: The Unexpected Virgin by Emily McKay Read Free Book Online Page A

repeated.
    “The city?”
    “Yes, the city. I certainly wasn’t planning on taking youdancing.” A look of confusion flickered across her face and he added, “I have horrible rhythm.”
    She narrowed her gaze, clearly unsure how to take his words. “Somehow I doubt that.”
    “Honest to God. I can’t dance to save my life.”
    She just shook her head, obviously deciding to ignore his teasing. “What’s in Charleston?”
    “The Cara Miller Foundation headquarters. Once you see the kinds of things we do there—”
    She didn’t let him finish but cut him off. “Are you insane?”
    Again, she didn’t give him a chance to answer, and he let her talk, her impassioned words pouring out in a stream. “I admit that the street fair is a good idea, but between that and my normal work, I can’t possibly jaunt off to Charleston on a whim. Even if we had the money in our budget for such a trip—which we don’t—I can’t take the time away from work.”
    Frankly, it impressed the hell out of him that she had the confidence to rant at him. Most people didn’t. She seemed to have the unique ability to forget that he was a superstar.
    “This isn’t time away from work,” he pointed out. “I’m not suggesting you come to Charleston to go sightseeing. It’ll be a working trip. You can meet our lawyers and accountants. People who can make the work you’re struggling with here go twice as fast. Two, three days max. If we leave Sunday night I’ll have you back in San Diego in plenty of time to get ready for Chase and Emma’s wedding next weekend.”
    She seemed to consider it for a moment. Then firmly shook her head. “I just don’t see how I could justify—”
    He took that as a yes. She kept on talking as he pulled out his iPhone and dialed his assistant. He was midway through the conversation before she even noticed he wasn’t listening. She came to stand directly in front of him, hands propped on her hips, gaze narrowed in annoyance.
    “Hang on, Jess,” he said into the phone before he lowered it. He cocked an eyebrow at her in silent question.
    “Did I just hear you say ‘first class’?”
    “It’s a long flight. At night. You really don’t want to fly coach.”
    “ I don’t want?” she repeated. “ I don’t want to go at all.”
    “I know that. But you’re going to have to trust me. The trip will be worth it.”
    Before he could explain more, Jess started talking again and Ward turned his attention to him. He was listening to Jess’s reply as he felt a tap-tap-tap on his biceps. He glanced over to see Ana frowning at him, arms crossed over her chest.
    Into the phone he said, “Call me back with the details on the flight. Thanks.”
    As he slipped the phone back into his front shirt pocket, her scowl deepened.
    “I can’t just run off to Charleston for the weekend.”
    “Of course you can.”
    “No. I can’t. In addition to all the paperwork—which I’m ridiculously behind on—” she gestured to the whiteboard behind her “—now I also have to plan a street fair.”
    He laughed outright. “You’ve already said all of this. Now you’re just grasping at straws. Besides, you don’t have to do anything about the street fair.”
    “Of course I do.” She threw her hands up in the air in obvious frustration. “Everyone here is excited about it and—”
    He gently grabbed her arms. “Exactly. They’re excited about it. Let them handle it. You don’t have to be in charge of everything. Jess could do this kind of thing in his sleep. Presumably, your people have contacts here who can smooth the way. My PR guy, Ryan, is relatively new and still eager to prove he’s useful. Frankly, I haven’t had a lot for him to do yet. He’ll be thrilled to have something to keep him busy.”
    “You make it sound so easy.” Her tone was heavy with accusation.
    “It is easy,” he assured her.
    For an instant, doubt flickered across her face. He was struck by how warm and solid her arms felt