Truly Madly Deeply Boxed Set Read Online Free PDF Page B

cheeks. “Well, don’t be subtle about expressing yourself.” She turned her back to him and picked up an old gray sweatshirt pulling it over her upper body, effectively hiding her sexy shape from his view. “Excuse me for a minute,” she said and disappeared into another room.
    As his gaze swept the expanse of the small living area, he noticed his surroundings for the first time. Crystal animals and fragile ornaments accented an otherwise sleek decor comprised mostly of leather and glass. Hardly a place for a child. At least he’d left Alix at home with Mrs. Baxter. He’d hate to think of the damage a little girl could do in such an environment.
    Griff picked up a crystal rabbit and fingered its smooth contours. Miss Russell obviously loved fine things. He thought of his mother, of the expensive pieces she’d bring home after a romp with one of her many men. “A woman wants more out of life,” she’d told him on the afternoon Griff had watched her pack. “And your daddy can’t give it to me. But I’ll find it just you wait.”
    She’d looked around before closing her tattered suitcase, her eyes focusing on the chipped coffee table in the center of the room. And Griff, like the twelve-year-old child he’d been, had thought she’d take the picture of himself and Jared, that she’d be back. Instead, her hand grasped a perfume bottle, one of the many objects she’d used to flaunt her affairs before his father. Griff had been wrong on both counts. And Chelsie, it seemed, was similar to his mother and ex-fiancée, sharing their love of possessions and probably valuing them above people.
    This visit had been a mistake. She couldn’t help Alix. He wanted to turn and run before she returned. He nearly did, until his eyes focused on the bookshelf in the corner. Mixed in with the expensive trinkets were a set of books worn by use and age. A gap between two of the volumes indicated one was missing. He thought of Alix and the death-grip she kept on the damned yellow story book. There it was again—Chelsie Russell and her contradictions.
    She cleared her throat. With a sound that was half sigh, half groan, he faced her. She’d covered her long legs with baggy sweats that matched the oversized sweatshirt. Unfortunately, instead of sexy, she now looked soft and cuddly. Neither helped Griff’s frame of mind.
    “The rabbit’s my favorite,” she said.
    He frowned and replaced the animal.
    “Getting back to your point.” She gestured towards the door. “As it happens, I live in a high-security building. And the door was unlocked, not open.”
    “Like a burglar or rapist would have recognized the difference,” he said. “And it must have opened while you slept.”
    “Oh.” She looked down, apparently duly chastised.
    At least he’d made his point about her safety.
    Suddenly, she glanced up, her dark eyes narrowing suspiciously. “Just how did you get up here without the doorman calling first?”
    “I latched onto a large party headed for another floor. I didn’t think you’d be too receptive if I called ahead.”
    “Good thinking.”
    “And if I could do that, so could anyone.”
    “Point taken. I’ll be more careful in the future, though I was expecting company.”
    Male or female? None of your damned business
. This evening was not going as he’d planned. Both his thoughts and his actions were betraying him. He needed to focus on the purpose of his visit and not his past... or her impossibly long legs. “Good,” he muttered.
    “What do you want?” she asked.
    You. He shook his head in pure frustration. Focus, he reminded himself. “Look, I realize I frightened you and I’m sorry.”
    She crossed her arms over her chest. “Apology accepted.”
    The silence in the small apartment overwhelmed him. Obviously, she intended to make him pay for his rude behavior last week. Anything for Alix, he thought, and prepared to grovel.

THREE
    C helsie glanced at her surprise visitor, who obviously planned on