Marrying a Delacourt Read Online Free PDF

what exactly do you want me to do?”
    “Talk to them. Handle it. Figure out what’s going on. Get them back home.” He raked his handthrough his thick, dark brown hair in a gesture of frustration that pretty much destroyed the usual neat style. “I don’t know.”
    She found that appealing, too. Because her reaction irritated her, she snapped, “Just get them off your plate and onto mine, I suppose.”
    His expression brightened. “Exactly.”
    “Sorry, pal,” she said, getting to her feet. She needed to get out of here before she succumbed to Michael’s charm and the very real distress of those two boys. This was heartache she didn’t need. There were plenty of other people around who could step in here and solve this, professionals with nothing at stake except doing their jobs.
    “I think handling a couple of kids ought to be a piece of cake for a man who controls a multinational corporation,” she said. “You’ll be good for each other. Consider it your good deed for the century. Just think, you’ll have it out of the way right at the start.”
    With the pointed barb delivered, she skirted past him and aimed for the door. Conveniently, her overnight bag was still there. She’d barely made a grab for it, though, when he stepped into her path. Even though Michael went through life with an economy of movements, he had always been able to move as swiftly as a panther when he chose to. Apparently right now he was highly motivated.
    “You can’t leave,” he protested.
    “Oh, but I can.”
    “Grace, don’t do this to me. You’re a lawyer. You know how to cut through red tape, get things done.”
    She regarded him with amusement. “And youdon’t? Please. Compared to convincing a foreign government to let you steal mineral rights, this is just a little inconvenience. Deal with it.”
    “Do you want me to beg?”
    She grinned at the prospect, then regarded him curiously. “An interesting possibility. Are you any good at it?”
    “Let me give it a shot.”
    He reached for her hand, pressed a kiss against her knuckles that sent shockwaves cavorting right through her. It wasn’t exactly begging, but she had to admit it was an excellent start. Something inside her was melting right along with her resolve.
    “Please, Grace. Stick around through the weekend at least. Help me get a straight story out of those kids. Once we’ve figured out what to do, you can race straight back to Houston and I won’t bother you again for another half-dozen years or so.”
    She withdrew her hand, because she didn’t like the sensations his touch was kicking off. “Nice try, but I’m not convinced yet that you really need me. Any old lawyer would do. Doesn’t Delacourt Oil have a slew of them on retainer?”
    He frowned at that. “None like you.”
    She regarded him with surprise. “I almost believe you mean that.”
    “Believe me, Grace, I have never meant anything more, never needed you more,” he said with convincing solemnity. “Never.”
    There was a time when those words would have made her pulse ricochet wildly. Unfortunately, they still had a disconcerting effect. Ignoring it, she shookher head and took another step back, a step toward putting a safe emotional distance between them.
    “Maybe this will be good for you, Michael. Put you in touch with real human beings for a change.”
    He appeared genuinely offended by the implication. “I deal with real human beings all the time.”
    “You just don’t find them nearly as interesting as the bottom line, is that it?”
    “You’re not being fair.”
    “Probably not,” she agreed. “But we both know life isn’t always fair.”
    His gaze locked on hers. “But you are, Grace. Fairness is what you’re all about. You fight for the underdog. Nobody knows that better than I do. I’ve seen you take some of my friends to the cleaners to make sure their ex-wives get what they deserve. Hell, you’ve taken me apart on the witness stand to pry out some ugly