Free The Perfect Proposal by Rhonda Nelson Page A

inspiration. But that was entirely too
childish and she was likely to see right through him. She’d also
deduce that she’d unnerved him with that little performance, which
wouldn’t do at all. So, rather than let her know she’d scored a
direct hit, he smiled and agreed with her.
    “ The distribution plant,” he
told her, finishing up his drink. “Are you ready?”
    “ Can’t wait,” she
chirped.
    Mitch waited for Annie to slide out of the
booth, a courtesy that had a payoff. From this vantage point he
could see the swell of her breasts revealed in her V-necked pale
yellow sweater. She wore a long tailored skirt of the same buttery
color, a shade that looked particularly well on her, Mitch noted.
In fact, clothed in the soft hue, her amazing long dark curls swept
up in a provocatively unkempt arrangement, Annie looked incredibly
feminine and utterly beautiful.
    Which was deceptive because Mitch knew a
she-devil lurked beneath that angelic façade. To his ultimate
irritation, male creature that he was, Mitch found that revelation
every bit as appealing. Disgusted with himself, he followed her to
the car.
    At the trunk, she paused. “Do you mind if I
drive?”
    Undoubtedly another facet of her
control-freak personality, Mitch decided as he tossed her the keys.
He shook his head. “Not at all.”
    Annie took her time about settling into the
seat, then to his additional consternation, carefully reapplied her
lipstick before backing out of the parking lot. “Which way to do we
go?” she asked.
    Mitch consulted the map and gave her the
directions. They’d only gone a couple of miles when Annie announced
she had to stop and use the ladies’ room. Mitch refrained from
asking her why she hadn’t gone at the diner—Annie was piloting the
vehicle and he’d witnessed her temper. Only a man with a death wish
would anger her at this point.
    Annie grabbed her wallet from her purse and
hastily exited the car. She pivoted toward the convenience store,
then stopped short and poked her head around through the driver’s
side window. A bright Texas sun backlit her, giving her an ethereal
quality that made his throat constrict in a perplexing way. “Do you
want anything?” she asked.
    Oh, yeah, he wanted
something. He wanted her . Her on a bed and writhing beneath him…and he wanted to know
what she’d written in that damned little notebook. He cleared his
throat. “No, thanks.”
    As soon as she’d disappeared inside the
store, Mitch’s gaze strayed to her purse. A corner of the notebook
peeked through the zipper. His fingers practically itched. No,
Mitch told himself. To glance at that notebook would be the same as
stealing. It wouldn’t be ethical. Hell. As if he didn’t have enough
problems already? He shook his head. Just forget about it. Whatever
her idea, it couldn’t be any better than his.
    Mitch glanced nervously at the store, then
back to the notebook. She’d seemed awfully excited. Too excited,
really. She’d probably been trying to goad him, and unfortunately,
it had worked.
    But what if that hadn’t been her motive at
all? What could she possibly seen in that vile packing plant that
could have triggered her imagination? Nothing of value, he decided
again. He wouldn’t look at the notebook.
    He wouldn’t.
    Mitch blew out a disgusted snort. But he
hadn’t a doubt that Annie would. Were their positions reversed,
she’d have had the notebook out and liberated the page in less time
than Mitch had taken to debate about it. The unscrupulous Annie
would have seen this as a golden opportunity to outwit him.
    Which was the argument that Mitch employed to
ease his conscience as he snatched the notebook from her purse. A
quick glance confirmed that Annie hadn’t exited the store yet. With
another furtive look around, Mitch quickly flipped the book open
and perused the page.
    Be blinked, stunned, then read her grand
“idea” again. Not once, not twice, but three times in pretty
cursive writing had she