The Yuletide Engagement & A Yuletide Seduction Read Online Free PDF

Mercedes sports car. “Trust me, hmm?” he encouraged as she glanced at him with troubled eyes.
    She wasn’t sure, after Gareth’s duplicity, that she would ever completely trust another man again. But Patrick wasn’t asking her to trust him in that way…
    â€œI don’t believe I’ve ever thanked you for agreeing to help me out like this,” she murmured ruefully. Mainly because she had been too embarrassed by her need for him to be here to actually get around to thanking him!
    â€œI believe you did mention the word gratitude once,” he drawled. “But that was last week—when you were turning me down.”
    Before she’d had to go back and tell him the situation had indeed changed!
    â€œEllie, why don’t we wait until the end of the evening and see if you still want to thank me then, hmm?”
    Ellie shot him a sharp look; that sounded a little ominous.
    â€œDon’t look so worried, Ellie.” He chuckled after a brief glance in her direction. “I promise to be the soul of discretion this evening.”
    â€œYou do?” She eyed him doubtfully.
    After all, what did she really know about this man? Only what Toby had told her. Which, now that she thought about it, really wasn’t much. Maybe Toby could be discreet if he needed to be! At least as far as Patrick McGrath was concerned…
    Thirty-eight. Extremely successful. Single—which was probably all she really needed to know. Except… For all she knew the man might be a terrible flirt, or become terribly loud after a couple of drinks. In which case having him as her escort could prove more of a liability than a plus!
    â€œOf course, Ellie,” he answered blandly. “I’ll try very hard not to mention to anyone that you occasionally like to sunbathe topless in the back garden—weather permitting!” He grimaced as snow slowly began to fall on the windscreen.
    â€œYou—!” Ellie gasped, feeling the sudden heat in her cheeks as she turned to stare at him. “Patrick—”
    â€œAh, here we are,” he informed her lightly, turning the Mercedes into the car park of the restaurant, parking it beside the green Rolls Royce owned by Ellie’s boss before getting out of the car and coming round to open Ellie’s door for her. “Was it something I said?” heprompted innocently as she made no move to get out of the car.
    He knew very well that it was!
    â€œCome on, Ellie. I’m getting wet out here,” he encouraged briskly.
    Of course he was; the snow was coming down in earnest now. Ellie wrapped her coat around her and pulled up the collar about her neck as they hurried over to the entrance to the restaurant.
    â€œWe’ll leave this here, I think,” Patrick said firmly as they entered the foyer, removing Ellie’s coat and handing it to the receptionist before Ellie even had time to realise what he was doing.
    She suddenly felt self-conscious again as she looked down at the eye-catching red dress. Maybe it was too much. After all, this was only a company Christmas dinner. Instead of looking eye-catching, as she had hoped, was she going to look ridiculously overdressed?
    â€œEllie, you look beautiful,” Patrick told her firmly—before his lips came down gently on hers and his arms moved about her waist to mould her body against the hardness of his.
    The kiss was so unexpected that Ellie responded, her lips parting beneath his even as her arms moved up about his shoulders.
    She totally forgot where they were, why they were there—who she was, even—as those warmly sensual lips continued to explore the softness of her own. The tip of Patrick’s tongue was now moving erotically against her lower lip, turning her body to liquid fire, her legs to jelly.
    His eyes were dark with query as he finally lifted his head to look into the flushed beauty of her face. “Better.” He nodded, his thumb running