The Costarella Conquest Read Online Free PDF

what will delight Mum and does it. Like the solar lights he’s just put around the rock-pool. I’ll show you. It’s over this way.’
    He strolled beside her, apparently content to bide his time, ensure she was relaxed with him. Which was totally impossible, but at least he didn’t know it and wouldn’t know it until he made a move on her.
    â€˜A waterfall, too,’ he remarked as they came to the pool.
    â€˜Yes. It makes a soothing sound. Most people enjoy sitting near falling water…fountains in a park. Also reflections in water. The lights placed around the pool shimmer in it when it’s dark.’
    â€˜Does your mother come out here at night?’
    â€˜Sometimes. Though she can also see this part of the garden from her bedroom window. What’s really special is how Nick lit up the figurines of the Chinese water-carriers coming down the rocks at the side of the waterfall. There’s another light at the back of the pot-plant below them. It bathes them in a ghostly glow. Quite a wonderful effect.’
    â€˜Landscape architecture,’ he said, slanting her arueful smile. ‘I’ve never thought about it but I can see why it should be appreciated.’
    â€˜I guess in the career you’ve chosen, you don’t take the time to smell the roses,’ she shot at him.
    â€˜True. I haven’t,’ he conceded readily enough, as though it didn’t matter to him.
    It niggled Laura into asking, ‘Is it worth it?’
    There was a subtle shift of expression on his face, a hardening of his jaw, a determined glint in his eyes. ‘Yes, it is. To me,’ he answered in a tone that didn’t allow for a different point of view.
    Laura couldn’t leave it alone. ‘You like working for my father?’
    â€˜Your father is part of a system that interests me.’
    It was a clever sidestep, depersonalising her question.
    â€˜The system,’ she repeated, wanting to nail down his motivation. ‘I can’t imagine any pleasure in dealing with bankruptcy.’
    â€˜No, it can be very traumatic,’ he said quietly. ‘I would like to make it less so.’ The dark brown eyes drilled into hers. ‘Not even the most beautiful parks in the world resonate with people in that situation, Laura. All they see is their lives crumbling, their jobs gone, their plans for the future shattered. It can lead to divorce, suicide, violence, depression so dark there is no light.’
    She shivered at the intensity of feeling coming from him, a depth of caring she hadn’t expected in this man. It didn’t sit with coldly calculated ambition.Not only that, but he’d also somehow turned the tables on her, making his job much more seriously special than hers.
    â€˜I know that people going through trauma do find some solace in a pleasant environment,’ she argued with conviction. Her mother, for one.
    â€˜I didn’t mean to undervalue it.’ He gestured an appeal. ‘I’m not your father, Laura. Perhaps we can both work on having open minds about each other.’
    â€˜Why did you come here today?’ she asked point-blank.
    â€˜Your father wanted me to meet you and I was curious enough to accept the invitation,’ he answered, his eyes gently mocking the hard challenge in hers.
    She planted her hands on her hips, sick of how he was churning her around and wanting open confrontation. ‘So what do you think of me?’
    His mouth moved into a very sensual smile. ‘I think you’re very sexy.’
    A tidal wave of heat rushed through Laura. She snatched at his own words to her and threw them back at him. ‘That doesn’t have much currency with me.’
    He laughed and stepped forward, sliding an arm around her waist and scooping her into body contact with him, his eyes glittering with reckless intent. ‘I’ve been wanting to do this from the moment we met, so I’ll do it, and you