Rhys glanced at his brother, no longer bothered by his siblings being away. In fact, he quite liked the idea of having Jane to himself, too. He just wished he had thought to arrange a proper Christmas celebration, even if it was only for the two of them. He had so much to make amends for, he hoped she was an understanding woman.

“Have fun,” Sebastian said. Again that knowing little grin was on his lips.

Rhys supposed his brother found him actually being taken with his betrothed quite humorous—especially after all the objections he’d had. Rhys had to admit it was mildly amusing. If he’d known what he was missing, he would have arranged for her to join him sooner.

The bath didn’t have the desired effect Jane had hoped it would. She was too unnerved by all the events of the past two days to relax. Not that she wasn’t tempted to hide in her room the rest of the night, but she was supposed to be watching Rhys.

She finished drying her hair, then brushed on a little mascara, hoping it would make her look a little less tired. Examining her reflection, she decided it didn’t help much, but at least she was suitably clad, her turtleneck and jeans very modest.

She took a fortifying breath, then exited her room to find the “beautiful brothers.”

She walked down the hall toward the living area. She pushed open one of the dining room doors, but no one was in there. She paused, her hand still on the door and listened.

The whole apartment was silent as if not another living soul was there. Worry filled her. What if Rhys wasn’t here? What if he left the apartment?

She softly closed the door and hurried farther down the hall. The hall opened out into a large living room. It was as lavish as the rest of the apartment, with more dark antique furniture covered in rich upholstery. But other than a cursory scan of the room, she didn’t stop to study the decor too closely.

She rushed straight to another door at the far end of the living room. The door was ajar. She pushed the wood panel open and stepped inside.

Rhys stood in front of a huge stone fireplace, his profile to her, a drink held loosely in his hand.

She didn’t say anything for a moment, too captivated by how gorgeous he was. The firelight glinted off his hair. The simplicity of the black sweater and black pants he wore seemed to enhance the width of his shoulders and the narrowness of his hips.

After a few moments, he glanced over at her. “Do come in. I promise I won’t bite.”

Copyright

BRAVA BOOKS are published by

Kensington Publishing Corp.

850 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10022

Copyright © 2005 by Erin McCarthy