Effortless Read Online Free PDF Page A

Obviously, that didn’t happen. Hopping off the desk, I hitched up my dress and straddled him on the chair.
    “Amelia.”
    The strained way he said my name triggered an immediate response in me. I kissed him desperately, feeling him shudder in my embrace.
    “Come with me,” I requested, skimming my lips over his.
    I melted when he smiled.
    “You like stealing my phrases.”
    “What can I say? You’re quotable.”
    Squeezing my waist gently, he laughed. The sound of it always filled me with such joy. Leaning his forehead to mine, he closed his eyes. Bit by bit, the protective shield locked into place. I ran my hands down his chest, disheartened to feel him stiffen beneath my touch.
    “Sorry, love,” he said flatly. “I have to be in London for the rest of the week. I leave early tomorrow morning. Paxton will be here to make sure you get to and from work safely.”
    I swallowed down my disappointment like it was a spoonful of salt. “Why do y—”
    “My fucking uncle,” he snapped. “He’s trying to undermine my decisions regarding the music division. He set up an investor meeting behind my back and now I have to go talk everyone off a ledge.”
    “What happened?”
    Scrubbing his face with both hands he grimaced. “My grandfather is trying to convince me to dissolve the music end of the business and use the extra funds to launch a production company. I told him no and gave him my reasons but fucking Jason keeps,” he paused, scowling. “My uncle and I don’t see eye to eye on this and he’s constantly up my grandfather’s ass about it.”
    Not really knowing what to say, I could only play with his hair in the hopes it would calm him down. He never talked about work and I never asked so I knew nothing of the intricacies involved with running a worldwide media empire.
    “Well,” I said, “you’re the boss. Jason has to answer to you and your grandfather is retired so he really has no say, right?”
    Alastair laughed bitterly. “If only it were that simple.”
    “I’m sorry. I don’t know—”
    “My dad created the music division about a year before the accident,” he interrupted. “I was so young, I had no idea what it was but I do remember him being rather excited about it. He’d play records really loud on the weekends and my sister and I would dance around the living room. I think,” he paused, swallowing hard, “I think this was my dad’s dream. I think maybe he’d started it because he wanted to step out of my grandfather’s shadow. Jason was strictly the business minded one and yessed Samuel to death. My dad was the creative one.”
    He looked up at me. “Since Jason and Katherine have no children, I’m the last one in line. If I fuck up the business, it dies along with all the hard work my dad put into it.”
    “You’re not going to fuck up the business. You’re too smart to let that happen.”
    His frosty exterior thawed. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”
    “No, you shouldn’t have. Watch those sore spots, chief.”
    “Fair point.” He pulled me closer so our faces were inches apart.
    I kissed him because I could and because that’s really all I’d been wanting to do since I returned home.
    “Tell me to stay here with you.”
    His quiet words ripped through me, shredding my soul into a thousand pieces.
Oh, Alastair
. I hugged him, marveling again at the tremors shaking his body. He never failed to surprise me with the strength of his affection.
    “I love you so much, it hurts,” I whispered against his neck.
    Gently breaking our embrace, he looked at me with clear, bright eyes. We didn’t have to say anything for us both to know what I’d meant. “Come with me to London. I don’t want to be away from you for one second.”
    I smiled, completely aware of how easy it was for him to disarm me. “You know I can’t.”
    “Then come down this weekend. I’ll have the plane ready and waiting for you after work on Friday. We’ll go stay at the May Fair and