Wife in Public Read Online Free PDF

him if he’d been more understanding during her father’s last months.
    No chance of marriage with Jordan Powell.
    Only bed and roses.
    But the bed part might be an experience worth having.
    Maybe she would never meet a man who would be happy to share their lives. Ben had been the only possibility and she was already twenty-seven. For the past two years there had been no one of any real interest on her horizon. Jordan Powell was interesting, though not, of course, in any lasting sense. But for a while…
    It was tempting and becoming more tempting by the minute.
    He bought Waterlilies .
    Henry put the red dot on the frame of the painting, congratulated Jordan on a fine buy, smiled at Ivy as though to say she had done well by her mother, and moved off, probably hoping she would do more on the sales front with a billionaire in tow.
    ‘This was not a bribe, Ivy,’ Jordan assured her. ‘If you weren’t at my side, I would still have acquired it.’
    ‘What will you do with it?’ she demanded, wanting proof that his liking for it was genuine.
    ‘Hang it in one of the nursing homes. It gives a sense of serenity. I’m sure the residents will enjoy it.’
    Her curiosity was piqued. ‘You seem to care about the people who buy into your properties.’
    ‘I like them. They’ve reached an age where impressing a person like me is irrelevant. They say it how it is for them and I respect that.’ There was a glint of cynicism in his eyes as he added, ‘Honesty is a fairly rare commodity in my world.’
    Yes, it probably was, Ivy thought, and wondered if the high turnover of women in his life was related to some form of deception on their part. Although that was putting them in the wrong and she shouldn’t assume he was not. Undoubtedly Jordan Powell had his shortcomings when it came to relationships. She suspected he had a wandering eye, for a start. The last time she’d been in this gallery he’d sought an introduction to her when he was with another woman.
    Sliding him a searching look, she asked, ‘Are you honest yourself, Jordan?’
    ‘I try to be,’ he answered. The wicked twinkle reappeared. ‘On the whole, I think I deliver whatever I promise.’
    He was definitely thinking sinful pleasures.
    Ivy’s stomach fluttered in sinful excitement.
    He cocked a challenging eyebrow. ‘What about you?’
    ‘Oh, I always deliver what I promise,’ she said. The reputation of her business depended upon it.
    ‘Ah! A woman of integrity.’ He rolled the words out as though tasting them and his smile said he liked them.
    Ivy was beginning to like him. She had managed tokeep her father at home where he’d wanted to be during the last months of his life, but if he had gone into a nursing home, one of Jordan Powell’s would definitely have been the best choice. Sacha had done a painting of roses to hang in his bedroom, but her father would have liked Waterlilies, too.
    A sudden welling up of sadness brought tears to her eyes. ‘Let’s move on. There might be something else that appeals to you,’ she said huskily, turning aside to draw Jordan with her as she blinked rapidly and took a deep breath to restore her composure.
    Gentle fingers stroked the hand resting on his arm. ‘What is it, Ivy?’ he asked caringly.
    She shook her head, not wanting to explain.
    ‘Something upset you,’ he persisted. ‘Was it my comment on integrity? Did you think I was being flippant? I assure you…’
    ‘No.’ She summoned up a wry little smile. ‘Nothing to do with you, Jordan. I was thinking of my father.’
    ‘What about him?’ There was concern in the eyes that searched hers.
    Ivy was touched by it. Her heart swelled with the sense of caring coming from him. Maybe he simply wanted to dispose of the distraction from him, get it out of the way so he could pull her back to what he wanted, but it tripped her into spilling the truth.
    ‘Sacha’s last show…when we first met here… It was soon after my father had died. Your mention