AllFreeNovel
Share Us
They reached the top of the stairs. As he moved down the hall, he spared her a glance.
“That it’s very unfair that people won’t leave you alone.”
This time his laugh was short, harsh. “For once, Miss Sutton, you and I agree. I didn’t used to mind the spotlight. As I’m sure you know, I embraced it.”
She thought back to the hours of meticulous research she had performed preparing to accept this challenge. To try and get inside the head of Griffith Lykaois, renowned shipping magnate and consummate playboy.
“I know.”
He reached her room and walked in through the open door, then sat her down on the long midnight blue sofa in front of the fireplace. As he released his hold on her, she knew a sense of loss, one that affected her body as much as it did her heart.
He moved over to the fireplace, turned his back to her as he braced his arm against the mantel.
“You think me spoiled.”
She thought for a moment, tried to find a way to be diplomatic. And then decided that the best course was truth.
“Yes.”
“I am,” he replied simply. “I’m spoiled and I like nice things. I also have the kind of money that can buy the kind of things that attract a lot of attention. Coupled together with...” He gestured at his face. “What I used to be, it attracted a lot of attention.”
She frowned. “That’s not all everyone focused on. I read a number of articles about the advancements you and your father made—”
“Stop.” The order snapped out, wiped away any of the intimacy that had developed between them in the kitchen. Her body tensed as she watched the tightening of muscles in his back beneath his shirt, the cords of his neck tensing.
“Don’t talk about my father. Please.”
“Okay.”
She wanted to say more, to offer some sort of comfort. His behavior, everything he said, convinced her more and more that while he might have selfish and indulgent tendencies, the man in front of her was a man in pain. A man with hidden depths, given the level of care he had administered to her just minutes after their argument.
He faced her then. Sadness bloomed in her chest at the frozen expression on his face. The mask had slipped back once more.
“Can I bring you anything?”
“No. I had some of the frozen crepes and fruit for breakfast. And there are bottles of water here in the guest room.”
One corner of Griffith’s mouth quirked up. “Beatrice lives in constant hope that one day I’ll return to the chateau. Bring someone here who I could share it with.”
A vision filled Rosalind’s head, of Griffith in the rose garden, a baby bouncing on his knee, a toddler running about. It was hard to imagine any of the women she’d seen pictured on his arm out here amongst the historic elegance. They seemed more suited to the city, to the nightlife and luxury shops that abounded in cities like London. But Griffith... Surprisingly, she could picture him here.
“Well, when you see her, please thank her.”
The stilted conversation stole her remaining energy. She leaned back into the couch.
“You could use some rest.” Griffith inclined his head to her. “I’ll check on you later.”
“I should be able to be up and about on my own in a few hours.”
“I’ll check on you all the same.”
“You would have made an excellent doctor,” she said as she failed to stifle a yawn.
“I sincerely doubt that,” he replied dryly. He hesitated, then nodded his head, as if he’d made a decision. “Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
“We’ll talk about the contract.”
