Unknown - [Carly Phillips] The Bachelor (The Chandler Brothe(Bookos.org) (1)

“Curiosity about the unknown makes you intelligent, not shallow.”

She often wondered. “What if the need to see those places or do those other things takes you far from home and keeps you there?” she asked. “Far from the people who love you.”

Roman listened to her words and looked for deeper meaning. She could be talking about him, but he had a hunch she was admitting to more personal fears. “You’re talking about your father, aren’t you?”

“That’s a rhetorical question.” She still faced the window, away from him.

He reached over and touched her chin, turning her toward him. “It’s not his desire to live in Los Angeles or even to act that’s caused the problem. It was his unwillingness to live up to his responsibilities and the fact that he seems emotionally disconnected from his family. Those are choices he made. Yours would be different because you’re different.”

She shrugged. “My father, my genes. You never know.”

“You also have your mother’s genes, and she’s a homebody.” More of a recluse, though he didn’t say it.

“You’re most likely a combination of both.” The best of both, he thought. “So what’s the other reason you’re so afraid of those hidden desires?”

She didn’t answer.

He had a hunch genetics wasn’t what was really bothering Charlotte. It was a convenient cover. He knew her better than to think she’d turn selfish, or into any kind of replica of her father. She had to know better too. Though to fear doing so was a normal, fleeting notion for anyone who resented a parent, Roman thought. Charlotte was intelligent enough to look inside herself and see the truth. “You’re no more shallow than those books on your table.”

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“You’re biased.” Her lips turned upward in a half smile.

“And that’s not an answer. Come on, Charlotte. You lived in New York, you cherish the books about foreign places. You crave travel, but you refuse to acknowledge it might make you happy. Why?”

“What if the reality is a disappointment?”

And she’d had too many of those in her life, he thought. But he was about to change that. “If you could be anywhere right now, where would it be?”

“Other than here with you?”

He grinned. “Good answer.” On impulse, he leaned over and grazed his mouth against her warm lips. An unmistakable tremor shook her and his body tensed in response. “I guess it’s time I show you where here is. I’m coming around to get you.” He climbed out of the front seat, walked to her side, and helped her out of the car.

A light drizzle fell around them, mist and clouds heavy in the darkness, the weather adding to the almost moody atmosphere of this spot he’d chosen. Only when he had her facing their ultimate destination did he pull the blindfold off. “Take a look.”

As she refocused on her surroundings, Roman watched her. Her jet-black hair, mussed from the scarf and the weather, swirled over her shoulders and around her neck. She brushed the long strands back with one hand, leaving her neck bare and exposed. The urge to nibble the white skin was strong and overwhelming, but he managed to watch and wait instead.

She blinked and squinted, crinkling her nose as she took in her new location. “It looks like a farmhouse.”

“Actually, it’s a renovated dairy barn. It’s pretty secluded, with an incredible view of the Adirondack Mountains. We missed the sunset, but there’s no reason we can’t catch the sunrise.”

She took a step forward, obviously eager to see more.

“Hang on.” He grabbed their bags from the trunk. She’d packed light, something that not only surprised him, but in a ridiculous way made him feel like he could relate to her better. Or she could relate to him and his lifestyle in a way he wouldn’t have expected.

Unsure what to make of those feelings, he caught up with her instead. “It’s not a Scottish castle, but it’ll make you feel like you’ve left the real world behind. And I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

She turned to face him. “You’re perceptive and intuitive. As a reporter I’m sure it comes naturally. What I can’t figure out is whether this is for your benefit or mine.”

He knew better than to be insulted. Because she was ruminating on her father, she felt compelled to look for Roman’s ulterior motives. He understood and didn’t mind answering. “Getting out of town is for our benefit, taking you with me is for mine, and choosing this particular place was all for you, sweetheart.”

“You think you’ve got me figured out.” She bit down on her lower lip.

“I don’t?” He swept an arm out, gesturing to the mountain getaway. “This sudden escape doesn’t please you? Doesn’t this inn remind you of places you’d like to visit but haven’t had the chance?”

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“You know it does. That’s obvious from you studying my apartment, or dissecting me with those reporter’s instincts. But that doesn’t mean you know everything. There’s plenty that’s still hidden.”

“And I can’t wait to uncover the rest of your secrets.”

A slow smile tilted her lips until it turned into a wicked grin. “So what are you waiting for?” She tossed the parting shot. Then she pivoted and started for the inn, the effect of her regal departure diminished by her teetering, high-heeled walk on the unpaved parking lot.

Charlotte’s time with Roman was, by agreement and necessity, a short-term affair. Affair being the operative word. As much as she liked confiding in him and listening to his comforting voice and understanding words, she didn’t want to waste what little time they had—time of undetermined duration—on talk.

Not when they had many more exciting, erotic things they could do. Things to give her memories to cherish and a way to prove she was her own person—stronger than her mother. She could take what she desired and walk away, instead of waiting for him to come back and make her life whole. She’d be whole on her own. No matter how much she’d miss him.

By the time she made it inside the converted farmhouse, unpretentiously named The Inn, excitement had become her sole companion.

They were greeted upon entering by an older couple. “Welcome, Mr. Chandler.”

“Roman, please.”

The woman with streaked gray hair and bright eyes nodded. “Roman it is. Do you know you look just like your father?”

He grinned. “So I’ve been told.”

“She knows your parents?” Charlotte asked, surprised.

“Mom and Dad came here on their honeymoon.”

He spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, but Charlotte didn’t find the information so cut-and-dried. He’d brought her to the place his parents had shared their post-wedding night. Wow.

“They most certainly did. I’m Marian Innsbrook and this is my husband, Harry.”

Charlotte grinned. “So that explains the name of this place.”

“Easy to remember in case folks want to come back,” Harry said.

Charlotte nodded.

Roman stepped beside her and placed his hand on her lower back. He branded her with his touch and the excitement she’d felt upon entering The Inn turned to pure unadulterated arousal. Warmth flooded Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html

her, a heaviness in her breasts and a distinctive throbbing between her legs. All inappropriate for the time and place—but soon they’d be alone, and she intended to shed not just her clothing but her inhibitions.

As if oblivious to the havoc he wreaked on her body, Roman smiled at the Innsbrooks. “This is Charlotte Bronson.”