Hotbed Honey Read Online Free PDF Page B

She didn't normally go for the contemporary look, but this house combined modern things with touches of old elegance in a way that filled her senses.

    Once upstairs, she dragged her garment bag on another quick exploratory excursion, this time finding bedroom after bedroom, each decorated with its own specific theme and style. None of the lavish rooms appeared lived in, so Kimberly suspected they were all guest rooms.

    Searching for the master bedroom, she glanced over her shoulder to find Max, still looking irritated at her amazement. But she didn't care. This place was too fabulous, and she thought that if he was smart, he'd let her get the wonderment out of her system before their guest arrived later.

    In the meantime, she was ready to unload the garment bag. "Um, where is our—"

    "That way." He pointed to the end of the hall she hadn't yet approached, and she headed in that direction, instantly glad he hadn't let her finish the sentence. She was overwhelmed enough at the moment without being forced to start thinking about their sleeping arrangements.

    She burst through the double doors that led to the master suite and released a heartfelt gasp, completely thunderstruck by what lay before her. Four tall, polished cherry posts emerged from the enormous bed. Wrought-iron bars connected the posts at the top from which a wide swath of filmy white fabric cascaded like a chiffon waterfall. Beneath the canopy, the lavishly dressed bed was adorned with more throw pillows than Kimberly had ever seen in one place. The bedroom's cathedral ceiling featured skylights, and a small fireplace graced one corner of the room, where two stylish easy chairs sat on either side of a low marble table.

    Kimberly flung her garment bag on the bed and spun to face Max, who lingered in the doorway. "Have you seen this? It's gorgeous!"

    But it would seem that Max never smiled anymore. "That it is," he agreed dryly, stepping into the room and lowering her suitcase to the floor. "You'll also find a huge master bath with a tub set in marble and a walk-in closet big enough to be a bedroom. But, Brandt, you own all this stuff . So it's no big deal, remember? Get used to it."

    She hated his tone. Did he have to take all the fun out of everything? "Relax," she snipped at him. "I will get used to it. And I'll know every inch of it by heart before tonight. But for now, is it so horrible for you to let me enjoy it for a minute?"

    "I'm not paying you to enjoy anything. I'm paying you to do what you're supposed to do. Think you can handle that?"

    She turned to look at him. He'd just succeeded in draining every bit of youthful joy from her heart. She didn't say anything—she didn't have to. His little innuendo was completely clear. "Then I guess we'd better get to work," she finally said, using her most mocking tone.

    But when would she learn? A little mocking never daunted Max. "Yes. We'd better."

    Max then showed Kimberly the dresser drawers and closet space that had been cleared for her. The idea of putting her things in places that really belonged to other people seemed a little creepy, but she took it in stride. And she tried to hide her astonishment at the size of the closet, too, lest Max think she was having too good a time on the job.

    "Most importantly," Max told her as he crossed the room, "is this." He lifted a painting from the wall and revealed a safe. "The combination is simple. Thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two." Even more simple to remember, Kimberly thought, since she'd just turned thirty.

    She watched as Max turned the knob on the lock three times, then opened the safe door and pulled out a round black velvet box that measured at least a foot in diameter. He thrust it into her hands and she reached down to lift the lid.

    "What's in— Oh!" Inside, diamonds and a few emeralds and sapphires sparkled against the dark velvet. Kimberly gaped at the jewels, then raked her hand through them to scoop up necklaces and bracelets that dripped