Taking Her There by Olivia Brynn Read Free Book Online Page B

another limo carrying other invited guests.
    Angeline smiled. After a few questions from the press and dozens of pictures on their way into the unveiling, the media had thankfully left her and Andre alone throughout the ceremony, only snapping pictures whenever she gazed up into his eyes. She probably came across as some love-struck idiot, but for once, she didn’t care. She only hoped her presence didn’t detract from Andre’s big day.
    She slipped her hand beneath his tux jacket and tugged him even closer. She’d kept a respectable distance throughout the lunch and ceremony, even as the new governor led one gushing fan after another to meet him. His smile shone brilliantly, his masterpiece the perfect background for every news station’s cover shot. Angeline knew nothing about art, but Andre’s painting had truly taken her breath away. And she wasn’t the only one who loved it. Moments after the unveiling, four austere-looking dudes in Armani suits stood with their heads together, gesturing wildly at the California mountain peak painted in unnaturally vibrant colors, and nodded with excitement. A gray-haired woman who reeked of old money insisted on an appointment next Tuesday. One woman in a skintight dress and Italian shoes asked for his card.
    “I thought I was going to have to mark my territory back there.” She pouted.
    He chuckled. “I think everyone was well aware of who I came in with. If you weren’t standing beside me the whole time, I think they would have forgotten all about me.”
    “I doubt that. In fact, most of the women there only spared me a glance to size up the competition.”
    He cupped her chin and forced her gaze up to his. “Angeline Rowe? Jealous?”
    “Well, you did have that pretty young intern beside you at lunch…”
    “And a beautiful movie star on my other side”—he lowered his voice—“who kept reaching under the napkin on my lap…”
    “No one could see.”
    “Maybe not your hand, but there’s no way they could have missed my reaction.”
    “I just happen to like your…reaction.”
    He growled.
    She smiled, then leaned up to kiss his cheek. “I’m so proud of you. But now the secret’s out, and I’ll have to make an appointment to see you. Maybe the Daily Mail was right. You’re too good for me.”
    “The Daily Mail hasn’t seen you at your finest like I have.”
    “Oh? You mean first thing in the morning, when I have bed-head and dark circles?”
    He smiled down at her. His expression so tender it almost made her chest ache.
    “That’s when I find you the most beautiful. Your eyelids heavy from sleep, your cheeks rosy, your hair a wild array, making you look completely beddable.”
    She raised an eyebrow. “Beddable? Is that even a word?”
    “Sure it is. Also, the Daily Mail doesn’t get to see the passionate woman strong enough to ignore the hateful things in the news, funny enough to keep me smiling and intelligent enough for meaningful conversation as we sit in front of a fireplace with marshmallows on our roasting sticks.”
    “I don’t remember much conversation in front of that fireplace, but I do remember the passion.” In fact, the next day, Angeline’s new housekeeper had berated her about the melted marshmallow stuck to the plush carpet fibers, but all Angeline could do was giggle like a little kid.
    Angeline closed her eyes and wondered how the hell she’d gotten so lucky. In the past two weeks, he’d played the part of friend, lover and even addiction counselor. When he held her through a flashback, whispering all the right things, Angeline knew she was in serious jeopardy of losing her heart.
    “It still seems so surreal. The cameras, the questions… I don’t know how you do it every day.”
    She grinned. “If you hate it, you could always turn into one of those recluse artists. Live off of raw meat and home-grown carrots. Scream at anyone who sets foot on your lawn…”
    “I knew you wanted a kept man. Not gonna happen,