Seducing Phoebe (Crimson Romance) by Nicole Flockton Read Free Book Online Page A

knowing that he would follow her into the house. Once she got inside she raced up the stairs. All she wanted to do was to get showered and changed and then back to Marco so that she could get him to leave. Only then would she be able to get her peaceful retreat back. And finally get to a place of happiness in her life.
    • • •
    The smell of bacon and toast wafted up to Phoebe as she made her way down the stairs. It seemed that Marco had made himself at home, and he was preparing one of her favorite sandwiches — a BLT. Her stomach grumbled in appreciation of the aromas. She didn’t think a way to a woman’s heart was through her stomach, she thought the saying was only appropriate to men. But at that moment, him remembering her favorite food was not making her goal of remaining impartial to him easy.
    She walked into the kitchen and appreciated Marco’s fluid movements as he dealt with the bacon just as the toast popped up. It brought back memories of the other times he’d cooked for her. She had to admit that they’d had a good relationship. She just felt she didn’t have what he needed; that she would let him down somehow. As he hadn’t shared much with her about his past, she didn’t think her assumptions were far off. She pushed those thoughts aside — going over it all wasn’t going to get her anywhere. She was who she was, and even though he said things weren’t over between them, if he couldn’t share things with her, then there was no point moving forward.
    “I see you’ve made yourself at home,” she said dryly as she sat down on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. “Just don’t get comfortable, because you’ll be leaving in a couple of hours.”
    Marco didn’t answer; he just placed a plate with two bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches in front of her. “Eat, we’ll talk soon.”
    She wanted to push the plate away and demand they talk right then, but she was starving. The apple she’d had before she’d gone to the beach was so long ago. A quick look at the time glowing on the microwave showed it was close to midday. She had been at the beach a long time.
    “I know what you’re trying to do,” Phoebe said around a mouthful of food. “But it won’t work.”
    “What am I trying do?” Marco asked as he sat beside her with his own plate. Suddenly the spacious breakfast bar shrunk in size.
    “You’re dragging out having our little chat, hoping I will change my mind and let you stay. But it won’t work.” She put her sandwich back on her plate. “I need to be by myself, Marco.”
    • • •
    Marco looked at the woman beside him. Her damp hair was drying in soft curls around her shoulders. His hands itched to reach out and touch the silky blonde strands. It had taken all his willpower not to sweep her up in his arms and kiss her when she’d walked onto the back patio. Her bikini had showcased the body he adored. If he closed his eyes the image of her as she wandered up from the beach would play like a movie. A movie he was happy to sit and watch over and over and over again.
    He knew he wasn’t going to leave, no matter what she said or wanted. He was determined to fight for her.
    “Why do you need to be by yourself?”
    She hesitated as if she was trying to work out what to say. Was she only giving lip service to him? Was she expecting John to come and see her? Had he already visited Phoebe? He clenched his fist at the thought of another man touching her. Phoebe was his and he didn’t share.
    He counted to ten, getting a reign on the anger that was starting to sizzle through him.
    “It’s not that hard of a question to answer.” He kept his voice neutral so as not to give any indication of what he was truly feeling. “Or is the reason you don’t want to answer and you want to get me out of here quickly, is because you’re expecting someone else to turn up on your doorstep?”
    “I can’t believe you said that,” Phoebe gasped. “Why would you even think