Desire (#2) Read Online Free PDF

in too deep.
    I took a breath. “I do want the job.”
    “Right. Okay then. But you don’t want to go to Hampshire?”
    “I wanted to see the sights. I haven’t had a chance to explore London yet …” I knew I sounded like a spoiled kid. I was here for work, not for pleasure.
    He smiled and pulled me into a hug, and as his dark eyes met with mine, I forgot my anger.
    “You still have tomorrow. You can see some of the sights during the day, and I’ll arrange a car to take you to the Vastors’ house tomorrow evening.”
    “Me? Aren’t you coming?”
    He frowned. “Of course not. I have work to do here.”
    After Benjamin fell asleep, I stared up at the ceiling in the darkness, wondering how I could protect my heart from getting trampled on. For a while, I watched him sleep.
    God, help me. I’d already fallen for him. Hard.

6

    I WOKE WITH A heavy head and a heavy heart the next morning to see Benjamin emerge from the bathroom. He was dressed, but his hair was still wet from the shower.
    “I’m sorry,” he said and sat on the edge of the bed, reaching over to stroke my hair. “I didn’t mean to wake you. I have a breakfast meeting.”
    “What time is it?” I asked in a croaky voice.
    “Six-thirty.”
    I groaned and buried my head in the pillow.
    He chuckled. “All right. I’ll let you get back to sleep. I’ll meet you later.”
    I grunted a response and closed my eyes.
    I didn’t wake again until almost ten.
    Crap. I hadn’t wanted to waste any of today. This might be my only chance to see London. I tore out of bed and showered and dressed in fifteen minutes.
    I grabbed my jacket and started to head out when I noticed a note had been pushed under the door.
    Intrigued, I bent over to pick up the pale blue note. The writing was loopy and elaborate. It was from Colin, telling me we had tickets to a Toulouse Lautrec exhibition at the Tate. Fantastic! I grabbed the phone, wondering why Colin hadn’t rung me instead of leaving a note.
    “Colin? It’s Kate. I’m sorry. I only just got your note.”
    “Ah, no problem. When would you like to go?”
    “I’m ready now. I could meet you downstairs?”
    After I hung up, I noticed the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign was still illuminated. I flushed. No wonder Colin had left a note.
    I quickly straightened the room a little. I knew they had room service, but I didn’t want to leave the luxurious suite looking like a mess. Then I headed out, taking the elevator down to the lobby.
    I looked around for Colin but couldn’t spot him, so I sat down in one of the luxurious armchairs. A waitress soon appeared by my side and asked if she could get me anything. I ordered a coffee, I really needed the caffeine kick, and I hoped I could finish it before Colin turned up.
    As I leaned back, thinking of the gallery, waiting for my coffee, I noticed a man on the opposite side of the room, reading a paper.
    I’m not sure what it was – maybe because he held the newspaper unnaturally high so it covered his face – but he made my skin crawl. He looked like one of those men in the movies who was tracking someone. A cold shiver of dread passed through me. But it couldn’t be me he was watching. Surely they wouldn’t have tracked me all the way to Great Britain?
    At that moment, the waitress arrived with my coffee. I took it with trembling hands, the cup, rattling against the saucer. She left the check for me to sign, and I sipped my coffee with my eyes fixed on the newspaper man.
    He looked up, perhaps sensing my eyes on him. He met my gaze for a fraction of a second. It may have been my imagination, but I thought I saw something sinister in his face. I looked around at the other people in the lobby, but they were all going about their usual business. No one seemed to notice him.
    “Ah ha, there you are,” Colin's loud voice sounded behind me, and I jumped, sloshing coffee from my cup into the saucer.
    “Oh, sorry about that. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
    “It’s