And now he’d see Di—he felt rather like one of Lou’s dogs, which greeted you with unreserved enthusiasm however long it had been since they’d last seen you. But that was the way he felt about her, full of mindless joy, wanting to talk to her and touch her and find out everything about her. She was at her mum’s house, so he doubted they could take a shower together or go to bed for some fucking on English soil, but they’d find a way. So this was being in love—weird, fantastic, finding yourself helpless and powerful at the same time. Better ask Mac for advice, or perhaps not. He was pretty sure he and Di could work things out together.
* * *
Lou
THIS TIME SHE MADE HER ENTRY into Paradise Hall wearing blue jeans and tugging wheeled luggage along the gravel drive. She no longer searched for ghosts.
This afternoon a man of flesh and blood lay fast asleep beside her in this low-ceilinged room at the top of the house. Servants’ quarters, now that they worked at Paradise, but with a wide bed and soft cotton sheets. Their second room was set up as an impromptu office.
She couldn’t sleep, restless and excited, despite her jet lag. This evening they would break the news about the Austen find—and she had to remind herself, nothing was yet proven, but the possibilities were thrilling—to Peter and Chris.
She turned and laid her hand on Mac’s chest, her fingers tangled in his chest hair, envying his repose. What a marvel he was, this man of so many contrasts, tenderness and roughness combined. They still had so much to discover about each other, time to deepen and strengthen their bond.
He shifted at her touch and brought his hand up to link their fingers; his dark, strong fingers clasped her smaller, more slender ones. With her free hand, she traced a casual line down his chest and kept going, beneath the sheet. “I’m asleep, Lou.”
“Sure you are.” She rolled on top of him. “Asleep in Paradise.”
* * * * *
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin ebook. Connect with us for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!
Subscribe to our newsletter: Harlequin.com/newsletters
Visit Harlequin.com
We like you—why not like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Follow us on Twitter: Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
Read our blog for all the latest news on our authors and books:
HarlequinBlog.com
ISBN: 9781459237889
Copyright © 2012 by Janet Mullany
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
www.Harlequin.com
Hidden Paradise Page 28