“You mean you weren’t ready to share her with Dane.”
Simon stiffened. A muscle jumped in his jaw. All trace of softness vanished. He’d become as cold and relentless as a glacier.
“Dane has you, Francine. You’re all the woman he needs.”
From the sarcasm lacing his tone, Caroline doubted he meant to flatter Francine. Nonetheless, her lips curved in a smug smile.
“I’ll call you tomorrow.” Francine thrust her hands into her coat pockets and headed for the front door. “We can discuss plans for traveling to Savannah together.”
“I’m afraid that’s not going to work for us. Caroline and I are driving down on Friday.”
That stopped the redhead cold. She pivoted on her toes and brought her green gaze to bear on Simon. “You’re bringing her home for Christmas?”
He slid his hand across Caroline’s hip and drew her body against his in a proprietary manner. His shrug dispersed the tension vibrating in his muscles. When he smiled down at Caroline, he looked like the happiest man on the planet. “I think it’s time my family met my bride to be. Don’t you?”
Chapter Two
“You’re really going through with this?” Disbelief raised Francine’s eyebrows, confirming that the redhead was suspicious of Simon’s surprise enga
gement.
“Of course.” Forgoing subtlety, Simon herded Francine toward the foyer. “Say hello to your parents for me.”
His brother’s fiancée didn’t look at all pleased to be so unceremoniously bundled out the door, but Simon remained unmoved by her pout and her attempts to stall. Her heels sounded like exclamation points on the foyer’s wood floor.
“It appears we’re going to have an interesting Christmas this year,” Francine said, her sharp gaze returning to Caroline.
“Indeed we are.” Simon gestured Francine through the open door. “And I’ll be very disappointed if you spill my news to Dane or my parents before I get the chance to tell them.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it.”
With Francine gone, Simon strode straight at Caroline, his long legs eating up the distance between them way too fast for her comfort. “She’s probably dialing Dane’s number right now.”
“I can’t go to Savannah with you.” Caroline stiffened as he neared, a little intimidated by the forceful scowl on his face.
He halted with his toes just inside her personal space bubble and set his hands on his hips. “I thought your note last week said you didn’t have any plans for Christmas.”
“I don’t.”
Caroline cursed herself for giving in to melancholy and opening up about what a pathetic social life she had. Corresponding with a man she’d never met had seemed like a perfectly harmless thing to do. Well, at least it had started harmlessly enough, with a note from him asking her to do a little grocery shopping. Followed by a note back from her about a particularly good deal on salmon.
Then, after a few weeks of impersonal missives, he asked her what she did for fun.
She’d explained that between her classes and work she didn’t have any time for fun.
He lectured her on all work and no play, and she acknowledged he seemed to be an expert when it came to having fun, based on his frequent travel and the sports equipment she’d find in his spare bedroom afterward: rock climbing, surfing or skiing. She’d never asked him what he did for a living, but professional thrill seeker seemed fitting given the photos of him skydiving, hang gliding and white-water rafting. The common denominators in all the photos: danger and Simon’s broad grin.
Having worked every spare second since she was fifteen years old, Caroline couldn’t imagine the sort of lifestyle Simon lived. She rarely took a weekend off, much less spent precious dollars on something as frivolous as a vacation.
“Come on.” Simon stripped off his tie and tossed it toward the couch. His suit coat followed.
Her heart gave a vigorous thump of gratitude when the only thing separating her from his well-developed muscles was a cotton dress shirt.
“What could be better than coming home with me?”
Nothing. In fact, the idea sounded great.
“It’ll be fun.”