Claiming His Wedding Night Read Online Free PDF

stop me?’
    ‘Certainly not. After all,’ he added sardonically as she reached for her bag, ‘we can’t have your father worrying about you.’
    His words echoing in her head, she froze. What could she possibly tell her father that wouldn’t worry him half to death?
    Watching her, well aware of her dilemma, Jared suggested, ‘Perhaps it would make more sense to talk business first? That way, if you can convince me that the company is worth saving, you’ll have something positive to report.’
    Though she deeply mistrusted him and was convinced that any discussion would be futile, seeing nothing else for it, she agreed, ‘Very well.’
    ‘Before we start, it might be an idea to move to somewhere more comfortable.’
    Rising to his feet, he pulled back her chair and seated her in one of the soft leather armchairs, before summoning the steward to clear away the remains of breakfast.
    As soon as Henry had cleared the table and whisked away the trolley, Jared moved to join her.
    Settling himself opposite, he stretched his long legs negligently and, his eyes on her face, waited.
    When she said nothing, he invited, a shade mockingly, ‘Go ahead.’
    But the reasoned arguments and the facts to support them that she had previously rehearsed had fled and, faced with a mental block, she hesitated.
    Apparently appreciating her difficulty, he suggested, ‘Why not pretend I’m Sean Calhoun and tell me why I should buy into JB Electronics?’
    His words provided a key to the block. Taking a deep breath, she began by explaining what had caused the company’s present difficulties before going on to outline exactly what was needed to restore the balance and make them really profitable once more.
    He listened without interrupting, his almond eyes fixed on her face. Extraordinary, handsome eyes, long-lashed and heavy-lidded, with jet-black pupils and silvery-grey irises.
    Eyes that in the past had, depending on his mood, made her think of cold winter moonlight, or the dangerous gleam of rapiers, or the brilliance of summer lightning…
    Dragging her recalcitrant thoughts back to the task in hand, she went on a shade unsteadily, ‘We have several excellent new projects in the pipeline which, once they’re properly funded, should be winners. In other words, the company is well worth saving.’
    ‘Eloquently put,’ he applauded. ‘But presumably your bank is unwilling to either provide a loan or extend your overdraft?’
    Convinced that he already knew she’d tried and failed, and was relishing it, she said tightly, ‘That’s right.’
    ‘As JB Electronics is an Anglo-American concern, I take it that the present problems aren’t confined to the UK, but affect the company as a whole?’
    ‘Yes,’ she admitted with a sigh. Even Elmer’s big house in San Jose—the house that she and her father had stayed in when they were in the States—was very heavily mortgaged.
    ‘So, to get a rough idea of how things stand overall, how much does the company owe the banks?’
    She told him.
    ‘And how much are you in debt to your suppliers?’
    When she had told him that too, he asked, ‘What about your workforce?’
    ‘Up until now we’ve managed to pay them.’
    ‘How?’
    Wondering exactly what he was getting at, she sat in tight-lipped silence.
    When she failed to answer, he remarked smoothly, ‘I understand that your house in Mecklen Square is mortgaged up to the hilt?’
    She had opened her mouth to deny it when the obvious truth of his statement hit her like a blow over the heart.
    It explained so many things. Things John hadn’t wanted to discuss or had hedged over.
    As she stared at Jared in horror, he said, ‘I see you didn’t know.’
    Why on earth hadn’t her father told her? she wondered despairingly.
    But even as she posed the question, she knew the answer. Only too aware that she had enough worries and unwilling to spoil her forthcoming wedding, he had deliberately kept it from her.
    ‘How remiss of your father