The Wedding Charade

The Wedding Charade by Melanie Milburne Page B

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Authors: Melanie Milburne
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always wanted more. More money, more excitement, more challenges.
    He was unscrewing the bottle of brandy one more time when he heard a footfall on the stairs. He put the bottle back on the drinks counter and moved out to the hall. Jade was walking slowly down the stairs, step by step, her green eyes staring straight ahead, one of her hands sliding down the banister as if she was wary of falling head first.
    ‘Jade?’
    She totally ignored him. She continued on, step by soft step, her face expressionless. He blinked a couple of times, wondering if it was the brandy that had conjured her up, but no, she was still there, taking those ever so softly treading steps until she came to the base of the staircase. The nightgown she was wearing was sheer enough for him to see her slim naked form beneath it. His eyes feasted on those high perfect breasts, sofull and round with those rosy-red nipples that he knew would be heaven to suckle on. He lowered his hungry gaze to the feminine cleft between her thighs and he imagined touching her there, filling her with his presence, making her feel him move inside her. It was all he could do not to go to her and pull her into his arms. He was about to take a step towards her when she looked around her with sightless eyes and sighed deeply before retracing her steps, all the way up the stairs again.
    Nic watched, his throat rising and falling over a swallow as he realised she was sleepwalking. He considered waking her but then he recalled how he had read somewhere it was not the thing to do. You supposedly had to lead the person gently back to bed, to make sure they were safe.
    He followed her up the stairs, keeping a few paces behind so as not to startle her. She padded back to the room she had chosen as her own. It was well away from the master suite, one of the spare rooms that in the past had been used for visitors. Half of her things were still waiting to be unpacked, in boxes and cases that littered the room. He made a mental note to get the housekeeper to sort it all out for her tomorrow. He watched as Jade moved across the room and climbed back into the bed, pulling the sheet over her body and closing her eyes as her head came to rest on the pillow.
    He stood watching her in the soft glow of the landing light for so long he lost track of time. After a while she made a murmuring sound and her lips fluttered over a deep sigh as she settled down even farther onto the pillow.
    Nic took a scratchy breath and stepped closer to the bed. He reached out and gently brushed a strand of herdark, silky hair back off her face. She gave another soft little murmur, something unintelligible, but somehow it made him feel as if she instinctively trusted him. It gave him a strange feeling deep inside. He was the last person she should be trusting. ‘Sweet dreams, cara,’ he said and, before he could stop himself, he bent down and pressed a light as air kiss to her creamy, velvety cheek. Her lips twitched as if she was smiling in her sleep at the light caress.
    Nic moved away from the bed and, with one last long look, he turned and walked out of the room and gently closed the door behind him.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    J ADE woke to the sound of a knock on the door. She scrambled upright and, hauling the sheets over herself, asked who was there. ‘It’s me, Nic.’
    She felt her heart give a funny little start. ‘Um …I’m not dressed.’
    ‘I’ve seen it all, Jade,’ he said with amusement colouring his tone. ‘You’ve done nothing but flaunt it at me for the last week or so.’
    She glowered at the door and then stiffened when it opened and Nic stepped in as if he owned the place. The fact that he did—or at least his family did—was beside the point. ‘What do you think you are doing?’ she said.
    He came over carrying a tray with steaming hot tea and fresh rolls and a selection of home-made preserves. ‘I thought you might like breakfast in bed,’ he said. ‘After all, you had a pretty restless

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