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she didn t give in. She was as shaken by the events of the night as he was, which didn t leave her in a place
to comfort someone else, and so she retreated.
She d rarely been in the guest bedroom of the penthouse, always staking her claim on the king bed
and the man who slept in it. The guest room was decorated like the rest of the hotel, understated with light
colors and rich fabrics. She sat on the bench at the end of the canopy bed and slid off her heels, rubbing at
the soles of her feet.
Fear and exhaustion combined to make her both wired and tired. Maybe Brandon s idea of drinking
into a stupor had some merit. She got up and opened the door of the walk-in closet, turning on the light as
she stepped inside. Confusion flooded her as she looked around at more clothes than she d seen since she d
left her parents estate.
Looking closer, she tried to place when and where she d worn things last. These weren t the things
she d left at her parents or things she d sold at the consignment shop, but clothes she must have left here
over the years. There were shelves of sweaters, which made sense because they were always the first to
come off and she doubted she ever took the time to look for them when she left. Jeans, dresses, shoes,
evening bags by the dozen.
Had she really been so disconnected that she hadn t realized just how much was here? She usually
came with a bag, but it was obvious she d rarely left with one.
She turned to her left and her heart stuttered. Her entire lingerie collection hung neatly on padded
hangers, carefully finger-spaced apart. Maybe she d never noticed the things she left behind because
everything must have been tucked into his closet like her lingerie had been.
At least he d had the decency to transfer her things before he moved Gemma in. Since so much
remained, Gemma probably had no idea what he kept hidden in the guest room. If she d found such a stash
she would have burned every piece.
Thoughts of Brandon s new lover did serve to push down the events of the night. Megan rubbed her
face, knowing that staying here was only a temporary option. She couldn t stomach having to see Gemma
and Brandon play house.
She reached out and fingered the soft silk of one of her nightgowns. None of them were entirely
appropriate for sleeping. Lingerie had been more playwear than anything else. Brandon had a thing for red.
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Jenna Bayley-Burke
And sheer. And lace. And flyaway baby dolls that would release with a quick tug on the ribbons holding
them closed. Some of it was playful like the Santa teddy. Some had made her feel so incredibly sexy.
She found an aubergine nightgown with a slit so high even her legs seemed long in it. The lace along
the halter neckline seemed to push things together and used to make her feel like a siren. She lifted the
hanger and carried it into the ensuite bathroom and hung it on the back of the door. She turned the steam
shower on full before stripping out of her dress and underwear.
Beneath the spray, she tried to scrub off the events of the day, of the last few months. Maybe if she
scrubbed hard enough she d get back to who she used to be, how she used to feel. Steam billowed around
her, curling her hair and relaxing her muscles. She let the water course over her body until her limbs felt
week and heavy.
As she dried off, she wondered if she might be able to make it to bed before the sensation evaporated
like the steam. She finger-combed her hair and toweled it dry before slipping the nightgown over her head.
The silk whispered against her skin, the lace of the bodice molding to her curves.
The cool air prickled her skin as she left the bathroom in search of Cash. The penthouse was dark,
only the faint moonlight illuminating the rooms. Megan knew every inch as if it were her own home, but
that didn t make finding a tiny black dog in the dark any easier.
Everything was still, and she didn t want to wake Brandon in case his bourbon binge had led him to
sleep. After a few minutes of searching, the calm of the shower was gone as she realized the only place
both Cash and Brandon could be was the master bedroom.
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Chapter Seven
Brandon leaned back against the padded headboard and watched Megan patter about the darkened [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]