Unnatural Relations (Lust and Lies Series, Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

took only a glance or a touch to stir the aching need again.
    When they weren't making love, Howard was giving her an education on the pleasures of being wealthy. They traveled about Manhattan in a limousine, stayed in a suite in the Plaza, saw the hottest Broadway shows and ate at the most exclusive restaurants. He insisted on buying her a new wardrobe, and everything else that caught her eye... or his.
    She knew they were in love, yet she was still completely surprised when he presented her with the enormous blue marquis diamond and asked her to marry him. She hadn't hesitated a heartbeat then, but her confidence abandoned her when they boarded the train to Boston that morning. Though he kept telling her everything would be fine, she couldn't help but feel that something was very wrong.
    She wasn't the least bit surprised by the long, black limo waiting for them when they arrived in Boston, but the snooty chauffeur wasn't anything like the good-humored driver they'd hired in Manhattan. The way he looked down his nose at her, it was as if he'd judged her on sight and found her terribly lacking in suitability for the young master.
    When Howard told her the man had been a full-time employee of the Hamilton-Greene Corporation for more than two decades and would probably be around for two more, the acid level in her stomach increased another notch.
    Neither Howard's claim that he was very rich nor the ease with which he spent large sums of money prepared her for his family's estate. First appeared the great brick wall with its iron entrance gates, then the lushly landscaped lawn as sprawling as any golf course, and finally the mansion that was bigger than the average shopping mall.
    As the limo pulled up to the front door, she wished she had forced Howard to talk more about his family and how and where they would live after their marriage.
    An elderly butler opened the door and gave Howard a stiff nod. In a strong British accent he said, "It's good to have you home, Master Howard. Your parents requested that you and your guest await them in the library. They'll be down momentarily." He led them to a set of double wooden doors off the main foyer, waited for them to enter then closed them inside a room with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, a fireplace and a lot of expensive furnishings. It looked precisely the way Barbara imagined a rich family's library should look.
    "That was Chesterfield, the butler," Howard said in a hushed voice. "He's been with the family—"
    "Let me guess," she interjected. "For centuries. But why didn't you introduce me?"
    He tapped her nose and closely imitated Chesterfield's accent. "That would have been most improper, my dear." He smiled at the face she made. "Mother would have been devastated if a servant met her future daughter-in-law before she did."
    "God, Howard, this really doesn't feel right. Are you sure you shouldn't have warned them about our engagement before we arrived?"
    "Barbara, please. I think I know best how to deal with my parents."
    There was a harsh edge to his voice that she'd never heard before, but considering the fact that she had already asked that question a dozen times, she supposed he had a right to be annoyed with her. "I'm sorry, hon. My nerves are on the outside of my skin."
    He pulled her close and stroked her hair. "I know. I shouldn't have barked at you. It's this house. As long as I can remember, I've never been able to relax here."
    She tipped her head back to look up at him. "We aren't going to have to live here, are we?"
    He paused long enough for her to fear his answer, but before she could prod him, the library doors opened and a handsome couple entered. Barbara didn't need an introduction to guess their identity. The regal way they moved announced their status, and the man looked very much like she guessed Howard would thirty years in the future, except that he seemed to lack any softness in his features.
    Howard greeted his mother with a light kiss on the cheek she