Page 4 of Intrigued
I headed up the stairs and followed William’s instructions exactly. My room would be to the right and at the end of the hallway. However, he hadn’t mentioned that there would be two doors side by side. I had no idea which one to enter. Since he’d said “the right” a few times, I decided to open the one on the right. I cautiously entered the bedroom then stopped to observe the tall king-sized bed with an opulent gold silk bedspread and a golden-tufted backboard. It was the sort of bed that I pictured the Queen of England sleeping on. Two thick curtain panels with beautifully draped valances sectioned off the sleeping area from the sitting room. My eyes gravitated toward the beautiful chandelier hanging not too far away from me. Then I turned toward the wall of windows. The elegant drapes and valances were made of golden brocade fabric. They were open at that time of day, and I had a view of the snow-covered lawn that gave way to an expanse of water. Next, I turned to look at myself in the standing mirror, which was outlined with a decorated golden frame. I appeared so out of place with my heavy black coat and dark messy hair. Then I spotted Jasper Christmas sitting in one of the high-backed chairs in front of the window and jumped.
“What are you doing in here?” he asked sharply.
My mouth fell open, and for one of those rare moments in my life, I was speechless.
Chapter Two
My face burned red with embarrassment as I explained how William had instructed me to that particular room. However, even I could hear the shadow of doubt in my voice. Apparently, instead of picking door number one, I’d picked number two, and that had been the wrong decision.
“This is not a guest room,” he said.
My feet felt glued to the floor even though I wanted to run the hell out of there as fast as I could. “Oh,” was all I could muster. Then I cleared my throat, realizing I could do better than that. “I mean I apologize if choosing the wrong room upset you so much. People make mistakes. Apparently, that’s what I did.”
I didn’t expect his eyes to soften, and they didn’t. However, they widened just a tiny bit, transforming from anger to confusion. I truly didn’t understand his overreaction. It was strange and uncalled for.
I was still immobilized by his intense blue-green gaze. Goodness, he was a sexy man. His soft black sweater, definitely made of cashmere, lay deliciously over the ripples of his chest. His strong neck was so manly and alluring. Oddly, I found myself wondering how it would feel to be under him, my arms wrapped around his neck while his solid cock plunged in and out of me, filling me with scrumptious pleasure.
He folded his arms. “You’re an investigative reporter, aren’t you?”
I quickly banished the image of the two of us fucking like Fabio and one of his heroines out of my mind. “Yes, I am.” I gulped nervously. I’d seen that look on his face before. He was assessing how much of a threat I was to whatever secrets he and his family were keeping. I had no doubt the Christmases had a multitude of them.
“How long will you be staying?” he asked.
“Until the twenty-sixth.” For a moment, I thought I saw his eyes veer to my collarbone.
“We value our privacy here,” he said.
“I’m not here to investigate your family. Plus, I would never choose your family as my subject matter—conflict of interest. I’m still paying the debt I owe you.”
That look in his eye was unreadable, which was odd because I was an expert at reading expressions and body language. It was how I knew what the right questions were as well as when and how to ask them. But all I could do was wonder what in the world Jasper was thinking.
“I hope you’re telling the truth,” he said.
I winked, smirking. “Just keep your shit in the closet, and we’ll be peachy keen.” His severe frown illustrated that he didn’t think my joke was funny. So I extended my arm for a handshake. “Sorry, that was a joke. I can’t help myself sometimes.”
He looked at my hand as if it had dung on it.Is he really that much of an elitist?I was about to withdraw my offer, but his large, strong hand took mine in his.
I had no idea what happened to me. My feet floated off the ground; at least, that was how it felt. Volts of tingling molecules soared through me. At first, I thought my eyes were closed, but they couldn’t be when I saw blue-green eyes looking back at me the whole time. Suddenly, Jasper quickly let go of my hand and let his arm drop to his side. But I saw how he stretched his fingers, opening and closing his hands.Did he feel what I felt?
I waited for him to say something else while I restrained myself from fanning my flushed skin. The look of confusion on his face made me extra nervous, so I thought maybe I should say something.
“Is this your bedroom?” I asked.
“No.” His voice was gruff again.
I folded my arms while my gaze rolled around the space. “It’s quite stunning.”
“I still find it alarming that Bronwyn didn’t say anything about your visit,” he said.
Oh, great, we were back to that again. “And I as well, especially since you seem so affected by my being here.”
He turned his head slightly and leaned toward me. “Miss Henderson…”
“Miss Henderson,” William’s familiar voice said from behind.
I quickly whipped my head around to see him.
“A room is being prepared for you next door. I apologize for not being clearer with my instructions.”
