(2012) Evie Undercover Read Online Free
Plan A had worked – he was where she’d wanted him to be – he didn’t look likely to start spilling the bea ns, and she was clearly going to need a Plan B after all. Maybe something involving hot sun and plenty of wine . When he wasn’t as physically close to her, she’d be able to think more clearly.
‘Then I’ll be a gentleman and get up first, shall I?’
Without waiting for an answer, he swung his legs over the side of the bed, reached for his robe and put it on. He stood up and mad e his way across the room to the door. When he reached it , he started to turn the handle, then he paused and glanced back at her.
‘I’ll see you on the terrace in half an hour for breakfast. After that, I think we ought to buy something to deal with any insects that might threaten our future comfort, don’t you? ’ he said cheerfully, and he opened the door and went out.
‘Holy cow . ’ S he groaned inwardly as she heard hi m close his door behind him. ‘What does come next?’
Chapter Three
Their first morning in Umbria
Perhaps it hadn’t been such a brilliant idea to wear her grey trouser suit, she thought, com ing out from the hotel into the bright morning sun . I t was amazingly warm for the beginning of June. She wriggled uncomfortably in her jacket, pushed her glasses more firmly on to the bridge of her nose and looked around the terrace , but there was no sign of Tom.
She hesitated a moment, then mad e her way towards one of the small iron tables next to the balustrade that ran round the edge of the terrace. The jacket would have to go , she decided, and she started to unbutton it as she walked. I t was going to be much too hot to be all starchy and formal. She slipped it off as she sat down. And it was much too hot for glasses she didn’t need. She took off her glasses, put them in the centre of the table and reached up to adjust the tortoiseshell barrette that held her hair back from her face.
God knows what he w as going to say when he turned up for breakfast, which would be at any minute – it must have surely been a first for him that an almost naked woman practically forc ed him into her be d . Looking back on the night before, she wondered how she’d had the nerve. She groaned aloud . S he couldn’t even bear to think about it in the light of day.
Yes, he’d seemed OK about everything when he’d woken up that morning – in fact he’d seemed almost amused by what had happened – but that was then and this was now, and by now he’d have had time to think about it some more . Instead of going one step forward after their night together between the sheets, they might have just gone two steps back.
But she wasn’t g oing to panic; no, she wasn’t. S he’d deal with the fallout when it fell out and not before. Hopefully , her formal get-up that morning, softened by a slightly more relaxed hairstyle, would strike the right note and things wouldn’t be too embarrassing between them.
Anyway, s he wasn’t going to give him another thought.
Taking a deep breath of lavender-scented air, she turned to stare at the slopes that swept away from the terrace towards distant hills that were a rich green and purple in colour. On top of one of the hills, a small town sh one brightly in the clear light.
She wondered whether she should still call him Tom.
‘It’s a lovely view, isn’t it?’
The sou nd of his voice made her jump. She glanced at him a s he sat down opposite her. H e nodded towards the distant town. ‘That’s Todi. You can also see it from my house. Obviously, it’s a different outlook, but the view from the house is stunning, too. The scenery around here is one of the reasons why I fell in love with the area .’
‘It certainly is beautiful, Mr Hadleigh.’
‘I thought we’d agreed on Tom for the week. But if you’d prefer to be more formal …’ His voice t r ailed off and he gave a slight shrug.
She shook her head. ‘I don’t do
‘Then I’ll be a gentleman and get up first, shall I?’
Without waiting for an answer, he swung his legs over the side of the bed, reached for his robe and put it on. He stood up and mad e his way across the room to the door. When he reached it , he started to turn the handle, then he paused and glanced back at her.
‘I’ll see you on the terrace in half an hour for breakfast. After that, I think we ought to buy something to deal with any insects that might threaten our future comfort, don’t you? ’ he said cheerfully, and he opened the door and went out.
‘Holy cow . ’ S he groaned inwardly as she heard hi m close his door behind him. ‘What does come next?’
Chapter Three
Their first morning in Umbria
Perhaps it hadn’t been such a brilliant idea to wear her grey trouser suit, she thought, com ing out from the hotel into the bright morning sun . I t was amazingly warm for the beginning of June. She wriggled uncomfortably in her jacket, pushed her glasses more firmly on to the bridge of her nose and looked around the terrace , but there was no sign of Tom.
She hesitated a moment, then mad e her way towards one of the small iron tables next to the balustrade that ran round the edge of the terrace. The jacket would have to go , she decided, and she started to unbutton it as she walked. I t was going to be much too hot to be all starchy and formal. She slipped it off as she sat down. And it was much too hot for glasses she didn’t need. She took off her glasses, put them in the centre of the table and reached up to adjust the tortoiseshell barrette that held her hair back from her face.
God knows what he w as going to say when he turned up for breakfast, which would be at any minute – it must have surely been a first for him that an almost naked woman practically forc ed him into her be d . Looking back on the night before, she wondered how she’d had the nerve. She groaned aloud . S he couldn’t even bear to think about it in the light of day.
Yes, he’d seemed OK about everything when he’d woken up that morning – in fact he’d seemed almost amused by what had happened – but that was then and this was now, and by now he’d have had time to think about it some more . Instead of going one step forward after their night together between the sheets, they might have just gone two steps back.
But she wasn’t g oing to panic; no, she wasn’t. S he’d deal with the fallout when it fell out and not before. Hopefully , her formal get-up that morning, softened by a slightly more relaxed hairstyle, would strike the right note and things wouldn’t be too embarrassing between them.
Anyway, s he wasn’t going to give him another thought.
Taking a deep breath of lavender-scented air, she turned to stare at the slopes that swept away from the terrace towards distant hills that were a rich green and purple in colour. On top of one of the hills, a small town sh one brightly in the clear light.
She wondered whether she should still call him Tom.
‘It’s a lovely view, isn’t it?’
The sou nd of his voice made her jump. She glanced at him a s he sat down opposite her. H e nodded towards the distant town. ‘That’s Todi. You can also see it from my house. Obviously, it’s a different outlook, but the view from the house is stunning, too. The scenery around here is one of the reasons why I fell in love with the area .’
‘It certainly is beautiful, Mr Hadleigh.’
‘I thought we’d agreed on Tom for the week. But if you’d prefer to be more formal …’ His voice t r ailed off and he gave a slight shrug.
She shook her head. ‘I don’t do
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