Burned by Passion Read Online Free PDF Page B

room. His clothes were cut with a unique style that made them look custom-made for his broad, lithe frame – which they probably were. And his voice…good heavens. She’d never known a British accent could sound so sexy even though his wasn’t that pronounced. He was everything she’d imagined him to be and it made her cheeks grow warm in embarrassment thinking she’d been unable to say a word to him when they were introduced just now.
    She finally looked away from the departing Mr. Carter and turned to Blake only to discover he’d been giving her a thorough once-over. Just thorough enough to be able to supply a good guess at her statistics, Kira thought with rising annoyance. Her chin lifted as she dredged up her hard-won confidence to meet his eyes squarely.
    “So you’re really my father’s hostesss ?” was his opener, his tone questioning, implying something else.
    “Yes,” Kira said stiffly. “He asked me to play hostess as a favor to him.” When Blake simply raised one eyebrow she went on, “He’s told me a lot about you, actually.”
    “Really?”
    At his doubtful look, Kira found herself saying, “You didn’t think he simply forgot all about you, did you?” Kira bit on her lip and wondered at her audacity for saying what she just did but couldn’t resist speaking her mind.
    “Well I’m not going to argue with you,” he murmured, shrugging. And then she saw his eyes scan the room while he shook his head. “Damn, what a racket this all is.”
    Kira’s eyes flashed and despite herself, she was speaking up again. “You’d do well to appreciate it. Your father went through a lot of trouble to make tonight special for you,” she said more sharply than she intended.
    Blake huffed, but then glanced at her face and smiled, tilting his head in an ironic bow. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
    Kira wasn’t sure she liked his expression or tone, but decided not to push it. Blake Carter might be fine as hell but his manners left a lot to be desired. And she hadn’t appreciated being looked over like a slab of meat.
    She’d been getting that a lot tonight; she’d found herself being the target of all eyes and had almost started to regret taking her boss’s advice and picking this very expensive, designer dress. She’d tried it on in the pricey store and the sales woman had cried out that ‘this was it!’ Then the shoes had been picked out to match and Kira had paid for it with her boss’s card, walking out of the store with her purchases before she’d even realized it. Mr. Carter hadn’t even blinked when she showed him the bill and then when she’d arrived, he’d looked so glad to see her dressed nicely that she’d erased the last traces of guilt.
    Kira liked that she fitted in with this crowd thanks to her carefully picked outfit, hair and makeup, but she still felt self-conscious around Blake especially since she found him so damn attractive.
    She was glad she’d been right about one thing though: Blake Carter was so not her type. It wasn’t even about race. She simply found him too cynical for his own good. Within minutes of meeting him she had a funny feeling he looked upon everyone around him and even her as nothing but a joke.
    But then he had apologized for his mean comment earlier, and Kira felt compelled to apologize too for being far too frank. She had no cause coming at him like that but even as she opened her mouth to speak, a sharp, lilting female voice sailed up from behind them.
    “Blake darling….”
     
    Chapter Four
     
    Blake had a quizzical frown on his face at the sound of an unfamiliar voice addressing him with such familiarity. When he saw the blonde-haired, elegantly beautiful woman walking up to him, his eyes widened.
    Her soft blue eyes were twinkling as her glossy red lips broke into a wide smile. “Hello, Blake. It’s Brittany. Don’t you remember me?”
    Blake looked confused as he seemed to rack his memory. “I don’t think