Secret Nights at Nine Oaks Read Online Free

toward the foyer. Her heeled sandals clicked on the pinewood floors, almost echoing in the big house. The sound made her feel as if she were in a museum, that any extra noise was going to earn a reprimand from the guard.
    That would be Benson, she thought, smiling. She passed several unused rooms, and knew she and Cain were the only people here who didn’t work for the estate. It was sad to have so much room and not use it. The house screamed for a big summer party.
    Suddenly she found herself staring at the library door. She hadn’t meant to come this way, especially not dressed as she was. But Cain was in there. She could hear the low murmur of his voice. She thought about how he’d slipped out of the room when heknew she was coming in, and the sting of it skipped through her again. This need to see him irritated her. She didn’t really want to speak to someone who went out of his way not to be near her, but just the same, the need was there. Being so casually dismissed pushed her to reach for the door latch. Her hand stopped midway. Whoever Cain was talking with, he didn’t sound pleased.
    When it grew quiet again, she rapped on the door. She heard his unintelligible response and pushed it open, her gaze sliding around the room, then focusing on the desk. He stood behind it, his hands clasped behind his back as he looked out the window. He stared at the water a lot, she realized.
    â€œYes, Benson?”
    â€œIt’s me, Cain.”
    He stiffened, yet kept his back to her.
    â€œWhat is it that you want?” Cain said more tersely than he intended.
    She considered the wisdom of confronting him when clearly he didn’t want her near. “Am I truly welcome here?”
    Her voice sounded fragile, and Cain sighed softly and faced her. His gaze latched onto her face, to her pretty green eyes that looked so hollow right now. Then his attention slipped lower. Good God, he thought and swallowed, his pulse skipping a coupleof beats. The skimpy bikini barely covered her smooth tanned skin while the sarong was tied low on her hips and showed the enticing dip of her navel. He’d never seen anything so exotic.
    â€œAm I, Cain?”
    He dragged his gaze to her face. “Of course you are.”
    She sagged a little. He didn’t want to make her feel uninvited. He just didn’t want her within touching distance. His moods had a tendency to rub off on people, and knowing she was here, simply reminded him that he’d made a terrible mistake before and would never risk it again. But the temptation just to look at her won out over his better judgment and Cain moved from behind the desk.
    Phoebe watched his approach as if she were looking down a long thin tunnel. Her world narrowed. Cain. The man who’d made her world tilt years ago and never tip right since then. Her knees softened a little. Her tastes in men didn’t normally lean to the suit-and-tie type, but lordy-my, a girl could change her taste, couldn’t she? His white dress shirt pulled at his broad shoulders, his hair a dark, chocolate-brown that shone so much she wanted to run her fingers through it.
    He stopped, and she looked up at him. “Thank you, Cain.”
    He only nodded. Silence stretched between themand for a woman who normally didn’t know how to shut up, she was at a loss for words. She tried for the ordinary.
    â€œSo are you going to have dinner with me or anything, or just keep this distance you’re so fond of lately?”
    â€œPerhaps.”
    That wasn’t an answer. “Well, just so you know, I’m available for cocktails at five.”
    A smile barely curved his mouth. “I’ll remember that.”
    Her gaze traveled over his face. “You’re just so snappy with the pleasant conversation, aren’t you?” Now that she was near him, her nervousness fled. Amazing, she thought. It was like staring into the face of someone she’d known