Operation Saving Daniel (Entangled Covet) by Nina Croft Page A

lonely.” She shuffled into the kitchen. Her feet were bare and made no sound on the terra-cotta tiles. “And you were gone for ages.”
    “About thirty seconds.”
    She ignored him. “And I missed you.”
    Maybe she needed coffee, not water. He crossed the room and switched on the coffee machine. He should leave her to it but he couldn’t resist spending a bit more time with her. The state she was in, he doubted she would remember much of the conversation. And on the plus side, he’d keep his hands off her because she was drunk, and he didn’t take advantage of women who were in no state to say no. “How much have you had to drink?”
    “Lots and lots of sangria.”
    He leaned back against the counter and shoved his hands in his pockets. “How many jugs?”
    “I’m not sure, but more than one.”
    “Quite a lot more, I’m guessing.”
    “Well, the waiters were so sweet and so obliging.”
    “I bet they were.” He had a thought. “I take it you all made it back.”
    “Debora wanted to stay. She liked one of the waiters,” Lissa said. “I mean really liked.” She leered at him in case he didn’t get her meaning. He did. “She wanted to go home with him, but Marcy made her come back with us.”
    “Good.”
    “So Debora invited him to the party, tomorrow.”
    Oh well, one more was hardly going to be noticeable. This party was turning into a circus. But he supposed his mother was only sixty once. “That’s nice.”
    He was trying his damnedest not to look directly at her, because then he would remember that she was wearing nothing but a pair of silky pajamas and that she was naked underneath. Instead, he got milk from the fridge and poured it into two cups, added the coffee, and finally turned back to her.
    She’d perched on one of the stools at the breakfast bar, her bare feet dangling inches from the floor. Her toenails were painted goldy yellow and sort of matched her eyes. After placing the cup beside her, he moved a safe distance away.
    “Don’t you want to sit next to me?” she asked. Leaning over, she patted the stool next to her, giving him a view right down the front of her top to the shadows between her breasts. He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry.
    “I’m okay here, thank you.”
    She eyed him suspiciously. “Are you afraid of me?”
    “Terrified.”
    She nodded solemnly. “You’re right to be afraid. And you know why?”
    “No, but I suspect I’m about to find out.”
    “Because I’m out to ruin your perfect life.”
    “My life isn’t perfect.” He tried to keep the bitterness from his voice.
    “No, it isn’t, is it? You’re going out with the bitch monster from hell, a.k.a The Evil One.”
    He bit back a smile at the amazingly accurate description of Sophia. “She’s sweet underneath.”
    “Are you really going to marry her?”
    He glanced away, staring out of the window into the night. “Yes.”
    “That is so sad.” She blinked and a tear spilled out of one eye and dribbled down the flawless skin of her cheek. She blinked again and another tear. Oh, God, she was crying. He took a step toward her, before remembering something. Lissa had always been able to cry at will—it was one of her party tricks.
    “Cut the crocodile tears, Lissa. I know you too well.”
    “Ha, nearly got you though.” She pulled a face and then grinned. “It was worth a try. And it is sad. Very sad. Do you want to tell me why?”
    “Why what?”
    “Why are you marrying her?”
    “Because I love her?” It came out as a question and he hadn’t meant it to.
    “Bullshit.”
    Too right, it was bullshit. He searched his mind for something she might believe. “Because she’s beautiful, sexy, and great in bed.”
    “Yeah well, she’s probably had a lot of practice.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Is she better than me?”
    What was he supposed to say? Nobody had ever been better than Lissa. That night was indelibly ingrained in his mind. He still dreamed of it—woke up with a