Free The Proposition by Katie Ashley Page A

as
much.”
    “Actually, it’s me I hate this time for
leading you on.” With a frustrated grunt, he dropped his pants and
started back to the bed. When his hand gripped the sheet, she
jerked her head up in surprise. “What are you doing?”
    “What the hell does it look like I’m doing?
I’m coming to bed,” he grumbled.
    “But I thought—”
    “I guess since you’re going to be the mother
of my child, I can make an exception in your case.”
    A strangled cry erupted from her lips. The
last thing she wanted from him was pity. The moment Aidan got into
bed she edged as far away from him as possible. In a huff, she
twisted around in the sheets, leaving him in the cold in more ways
than one.
    “Em?” When she refused to answer him, he
scooted across the mattress to her. “Why are you so pissed off? I’m
staying, aren’t I?”
    Emma turned back to glare at him. “I don’t
want you to stay out of obligation or pity, Aidan. I want you to
stay because you wanted to.”
    “Fuck. I didn’t mean for it to come out like
that. I just meant that I should stay since you were different than
the others…someone special.”
    She momentarily softened her expression.
“Really?”
    “Yeah, really.”
    “Okay, then.”
    “Can I have some cover now? I’m freezing my
ass off.”
    “Of course. I mean, we can’t have anything
happening to that fabulous ass of yours now can we?”
    “That mouth of yours is trouble,” he mused,
as he slid under the covers. Surprise flooded her when he spooned
up against her, and she couldn’t keep the satisfied sigh from
escaping her lips.

CHAPTER
SEVEN
    Sunlight streamed in through the open
curtains, warming Emma’s face. She rolled over, shielding her eyes
with her arm. For a moment, she forgot she wasn’t in the comforts
of her own bed. And then the revelation hit her. She was in a king
sized bed in the Honeymoon Suite at the Grand Hyatt.
    When she turned over, she found Aidan had
already left, without a goodbye. A pang of sadness crisscrossed its
way through her chest, but she tried reasoning with herself that it
was already almost miraculous he had stayed the night. She couldn’t
expect for someone like him to wake her and give her a good-bye
kiss. It was way out of his realm of understanding.
    She glanced over at the clock and saw it was
after seven. If she wanted to make it to work on time, she knew she
needed to get going. Slipping on her dress from the night before,
she lamented she hadn’t thought ahead of bringing something else to
wear. At almost thirty, she had never experienced a walk of shame
before, and now she would have one. After all, who in the world
wore chiffon at seven in the morning?
    Thankfully, the hallway was silent as she
hurried down the floral carpeting to the elevators. When she got
downstairs, only the hotel staff milled around in the lobby. She
tried holding her head high as she passed them. She managed to keep
her dignity until she gave the valet her ticket. He eyed her attire
and rumpled hair and a knowing smile etched across his face. “One
minute, ma’am.”
    Emma inwardly groaned and willed herself
never to forget an overnight bag again.
***
    She barely made it into her office before
Casey stormed inside and slammed the door. “I can’t believe you
haven’t called me!”
    Holding up her hand, Emma warned, “I haven’t
even had coffee yet. I’d hold off on launching the Inquisition for
at least thirty minutes.”
    “Hmm, someone’s testy. Didn’t you get enough
sleep last night?” Casey asked, wagging her eyebrows.
    “No, as a matter of fact I didn’t.”
    Casey squealed and then flopped down in the
chair. “Deets, Em! I desperately need deets!”
    “Then go be a good best friend and get me
some coffee,” Emma moaned.
    With a huff, Casey rose out of her chair.
“Fine. But you better give me every single, erotic detail when I
get back!”
    As Casey stalked out the door, Emma sat her
things down and turned on her computer. In the