The Billionaire's Bridal Bid Read Online Free Page B

that’s left.”
    “You’re angry,” he observed.
    Studying her, he realized most people probably wouldn’t realize she was angry right now. She kept it well hidden, but he knew her too well for her to hide it from him. How unsettling was that? He wasn’t supposed to know her moods.
    Claire just glared at him. “Ya think?”
    “Maybe I’m missing something here.” He shoved his hands deep in his pocket. “The way I see it, you don’t have anything to be angry about.”
    “That’s probably understandable. You’ve dated a lot of women over the years. You probably don’t even remember me.” Her voice was overly solicitous, like she was talking to an Alzheimer’s patient or something. Only the slight emphasis on the words a lot hinted at her anger. “Let me jog your memory. I’m Claire.” She pressed her hand to her chest. “You and I dated for six weeks in college. It was 1998. I know that’s short even by your standards but—”
    “Yeah, Claire, I remember,” he interrupted, his harsh tone revealing far more of his emotions than he wanted.
    “Oh, good. Because after last night when you didn’t even seem to recognize that you were bidding on me, I wasn’t sure.”
    Finally, her attitude pushed him over the edge. He reached out and grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Stop acting like the victim here, Claire. You dumped me.”
    Her eyes blazed with anger as fierce as his own. “Yeah, I dumped you. But I—”
    Abruptly, she broke off, her voice cracking as she dropped the brush and covered her face with her hands. He heard her breath catch and for a second he wondered if she was crying.
    But then she lowered her hands and her eyes were dry, her expression almost rueful. “You’re right. I’m not angry about what happened in college. I have no reason to be, right?” She gave a strangled sound that might have been laughter. “Is that what last night was about? Revenge for me dumping you?”
    “Revenge? What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “You’re the smart one. You figure it out.” And just like that, she returned her attention to the doughnuts.
    Was that really what she thought? He’d been so distraught over being dumped by her that all these years later he was still holding a grudge? Yeah, that was just what he wanted.
    He moved around the worktable so he stood opposite her. When she said nothing, he reached a hand out and wrapped it around her wrist, halting her motions. “Bidding on your date wasn’t revenge. I was doing you a favor.” He smiled. To prove just how little she mattered to him.
    But she wasn’t looking at his smile. Her attention was glued to her wrist where his fingers rested against herskin. Suddenly, he was aware of her pulse thundering under his touch. Of the silken skin of the underside of her wrist. He sucked in a deep breath and got hit with the powerful blast of her scent. The aroma of freshly baked doughnuts and warm sugar mingled with the spice that was uniquely Claire.
    The combination was as potent as a drug. Not that he’d ever done drugs. No, he had only two vices: pride and Claire. But he imagined this was just how a junkie felt. Twelve years, he’d been clean. One hundred percent Claire-free. He wasn’t about to jump off the wagon now.
    But damn he wanted another hit of her. Especially when she looked up at him with her green eyes wide and her chest rising and falling rapidly. He dropped her hand at the same instant she jerked it away from him.
    “A favor is watching someone’s dog when they’re out of town.” She rubbed her wrist against her shirt like she was scrubbing away his touch. “Or picking up some chicken soup at the grocery when they’re sick. In what universe would bidding twenty thousand dollars for a date be a favor? What were you thinking?”
    He propped his hands on his hips. His hand still burned from her touch, but he wasn’t about to let her see that she’d rattled him. “What was I thinking? I was thinking the