âGive that back.â
Lilah made a lunge for the pad. Zane evaded her reach.
âWhy do you need it so badly?â
âThose sketches are ⦠private.â
He handed her the pad, but used it to draw her closer.
The relief that had spiraled through her when she thought he hadnât checked out the drawings dissolved. âYou looked.â
âUh-huh.â He drew her close enough that her thighs brushed his and the sketch pad, which she was clutching like a shield, was flattened between them.
âAnd you would be drawing and painting me because â¦?â
Lilah briefly closed her eyes. âYou saw the painting in my apartment.â
âBecause then you could avoid admitting that youâre attracted to me. And have been ever since we met two years ago.â
Gently, he eased the sketch pad from her grip. âYou donât need that anymore.â He tossed the pad aside. âNot when you have the real thing.â
Dear Reader,
The final story of THE PEARL HOUSE trilogy centers on two people who have deep issues with relationships and wildly opposing agendas. Both Lilah Cole and Zane Atraeus are a little extreme by nature, but with some very likable quirks.
Desperate to escape the embarrassment and undeserved notoriety of being her billionaire bossâs dumped date, all Lilah wants is to put that mistake behind her and get back on track with achieving her five-year marriage plan. Until she runs headlong into the object of her secret fantasies for the past two years, the dark and dangerously unreliable Zane Atraeus.
As powerfully attracted as Zane is to Lilah, he has trust issues with women who are on the hunt for well-heeled husbands, although he is fascinated and drawn by her methodical approach and, actually, just canât seem to leave her alone.
Short term is Zaneâs middle name, but as time goes by, he finds himself wanting to convince Lilah that, despite his terrible track record with commitment, he just could be the perfect man for her â¦
I hope you find when you read it, that I really did have the most fun writing Lilah and Zane!
Fiona
FIONA BRAND lives in the sunny Bay of Islands, New Zealand. Now that both her sons are grown, she continues to love writing books and gardening. After a life-changing time in which she met Christ, she has undertaken study for a bachelor of theology and has become a member of The Order of St Luke, Christâs healing ministry.
Each of the gates is a single pearl, and the street of the
city is pure gold, transparent as glass.
âRevelation 21:21
Dark hair twisted in a sleek, classic knot ⦠Exotic eyes the shifting colors of the sea ⦠A delicate curvy body that made him burn from the inside out â¦
A sharp rapping on the door of his Sydney hotel suite jerked Zane Atraeus out of a restless, dream-tossed sleep. Shielding his eyes from the glare of the morning sun, he shoved free of the huge silk-draped confection of a bed heâd collapsed into some time short of four that morning.
Pulling on the jeans heâd tossed over a chair, he dragged jet-lagged fingers through his tangled hair and padded to the door.
Memory punched back. An email Zane had found confirming that his half brother Lucas had purchased an engagement ring for a woman Zane could have sworn Lucas barely knew. Lilah Cole: the woman Zane had secretly wanted for two years and had denied himself.
His temper, which had been running on a short fuse ever since he had learned that not only was Lucas dating Lilah, he was planning on marrying her, ignited as he took in glittering chandeliers and turquoise-and-gold furnishings.
The overstuffed opulence was a far cry from the exotic but spare Mediterranean decor of his island home, Medinos. Instead of soothing him, the antiques and heavily swagged drapes only served to remind him that he had not been born to any of this. He would have to have a word with his new personal assistant, who clearly had a romantic streak.
Halfway across the sitting room the unmistakable sound of the front door lock disengaging made him stiffen.
Lucas Atraeus stepped into the room. Zane let out a self-deprecating breath.
Ten years ago, in L.A., it would have been someone breaking in, but this was Australia and his fatherâs company, the mega wealthy Atraeus Group, owned the hotel so, of course, Lucas had gotten a key. âEver heard of a phone?â
Closing the door behind him, Lucas tossed a key card down on the hall table. âI phoned, you didnât answer. Remember Lilah?â
The reason Zane was in Sydney instead of in Florida doing his job as the company âfixerâ and closing a crucial land deal that had balanced on a knifeâs edge for the past week? âYour new fiancée.â The tantalizing beauty who had almost snared him into a reckless night of passion two years ago. âYeah, I remember.â
Lucas looked annoyed. âI havenât asked her yet. How did you find out?â
Zaneâs jaw tightened at the confirmation. âMy new P.A. was your old P.A., remember?â Which was why Zane had chanced across the internet receipt for Lucasâs latest purchase. Apparently Elena was still performing the role of personal shopper for his brother in her spare time.