Bought: One Bride

They hadn’t driven here. They’d taken a taxi, Richard explaining that parking at Darling Harbour on a Sunday afternoon was difficult.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked breathlessly as he pulled her along the pavement at power-walking pace.

“Where do you think?”

Holly ground to a halt once she realised what he was talking about.

“No,” she said, panic-stricken at the idea of going back to that penthouse and being seduced over and over. Her mind was already in a mess. “I don’t want to do that, Richard.”

His eyes bored into hers. “Yes, you do.”

“Well, yes, I do, but I’m not going to. You don’t understand. I…I’ve never experienced anything like I experienced with you last night. And again this morning. It’s sent me into a tail-spin.”

“What’s wrong with my making love to you?”

“It’s confusing. And corrupting. I mean…I know you might laugh at this, but I…I’ve never had an orgasm before. Then, in the space of a few hours I had about twenty. With you.”

He just stared at her. “Are you serious?”

“Of course I’m serious! Why would I lie about something as embarrassing as that?”

His eyes softened on her. “I don’t think that’s an embarrassing admission at all. I think it’s sweet. You’re sweet.”

“I’m a silly, naïve little fool!” she snapped.

“No. Not at all. You just haven’t had the right lovers. I’m flattered that I gave you such pleasure. But why not have more where that came from?”

“I knew you’d say something like that. I should never have told you. I am a fool.”

“Would all women be such fools, then,” he muttered. “Okay, I’ll take you home, if that’s what you want. But I’ll be over to visit you tomorrow night.”

“Tomorrow’s one of my gym nights.”

“Then cancel it.”

“No.”

“There’s a gym in my apartment block,” he pointed out. “A private one for the owners and their guests.”

“You’re not going to leave me alone now, are you?”

He smiled. “I just want to give you more pleasure.”

“You just want me to marry you.”

“That, too.”

Holly groaned. “You’re a wicked man, Richard Crawford.”

“Not really,” he returned. “Just a very determined one.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

RICHARD sat in his office at the bank the following morning, thinking about Holly.

As determined as he was to marry her, she was just as determined to marry only for love.

Love, Richard thought scornfully. If only she knew what kind of hell love could create. He’d been in hell ever since he’d read that coroner’s report.

Thinking about that reminded Richard of his thoughts after running into Kim yesterday. Maybe if he knew the truth, he might be able to find closure on the subject of Joanna once and for all.

Richard pressed the button that connected him with his PA.

Five minutes later he had what he wanted. Kim’s phone number. It seemed she was still living in the Kirribilli apartment she’d lived in with her husband. No doubt it had been part of her lucrative divorce settlement.

He rang straight away, experience telling him women like Kim didn’t go to work. They did charity work occasionally. Other than that, they had their hair done, went to health spas, shopped at Double Bay and lunched at Doyles. Oh, and they seduced other women’s husbands.

“Hello, Kim,” he said when she picked up on the seventh ring. Clearly not an early riser by the sound of her groggy greeting. “It’s Richard. Richard Crawford.”

“Richard! My God. Fancy you calling me. I got the impression yesterday you weren’t too pleased to see me.”

“Whatever gave you that idea?” he returned drily.

“Sarcasm, Richard?”

“I won’t lie, Kim. I wasn’t pleased to see you. I don’t like you. I never did. Not after the way you tried to come on to me that night.”

“You really are pompous, Richard. Most men would have been flattered. But not you. You wanted to keep yourself for your one true love. Your beautiful Joanna. If only you knew the truth about your darling wife,” she sneered down the line.

“The truth is why I’m ringing, Kim. You and Joanna were always as thick as thieves. After seeing you yesterday, I began to wonder if you knew the name of Joanna’s lover, the one who fathered the child she was carrying when she died.”

“Well, well. Looks like I kept mum for nothing. You knew all along.”

“Not till after the autopsy.”