Royal Holiday Baby Read Free

so much easier if he’d taken advantage of her. Oozing his sexy Texan charm, it would have been sooo easy. Instead, he’d given her a choice, which meant she’d had to take the chaste high road when she’d wanted to be a bad girl. Just once. She’d always been the good daughter. At the moment, that halo she wore felt way too tight.
    The taxi stopped at a red light. When it turned green, the vehicle sputtered and stalled. Great, she thought. She was accustomed to riding in perfectly maintained limousines. Riding in a taxi was an adventure. Under a torrential downpour, she looked outside her window and hoped the cab would start.
    The driver cranked the engine again. And again. And again. To no avail.
    Darn it, she didn’t even have an umbrella with her. Her staff usually provided that. Tina sighed. Perhaps she should call her security. Heavens, she hated the idea. There would be a fuss from the head of security and her brother and maybe even her father.
    She waited several more moments, her cell phone ready in her hand. An SUV pulled alongside the cab. A moment later, a knock sounded at her window, startling her. Frightened, she stared into the rain, reluctant to open her door.
    â€œTina,” a male voice said. “Open up.”
    Recognizing the voice of Zachary Logan, she opened the door. “Zach,” she said.
    His Stetson dripping with raindrops, he swung an umbrella toward her. “Need a ride?”
    â€œTo where?”
    His gaze gave a dark flicker. “Wherever you want. I can take you to Keely’s or I can take you to my place in town.”
    Tina stared into his eyes and felt as if she were balanced on a precipice. She could be sensible or cautious or for once, give into her passions. She saw a ravenous need in Zach’s gaze that called to something inside her. She’d been taught to ignore her needs. But somehow, the tug she felt toward Zach was stronger than anything she’d ever felt before.
    Tina rose from the cab with all the grace she’d been taught since she could walk and accepted his hand. “Your place,” she whispered.

Chapter Two
    T ina stepped across the threshold of Zach’s apartment, her heart hammering in her chest. When Zach flicked on the light behind her, she stared into the spare, generically furnished living space and felt her stomach dip with reticence. What was she doing?
    â€œLet me get you something to drink,” he said, walking past her and removing his hat. “Sorry I don’t have much to offer. I spend most of my time working when I stay here instead of at my ranch.”
    She followed after him and watched as he stared into a near-empty refrigerator. “Juice, water.” He craned his neck. “Beer and chardonnay.”
    â€œWater’s fine,” she said, licking her lips.
    â€œSure you don’t want wine?” he asked, looking over his shoulder.
    â€œMaybe just one glass,” she said. “Besides ranching, what kind of business do you have?”
    Zach grabbed a beer, then opened the bottle of wine and poured the golden liquid into a glass. “My brother and I own some companies together—information-sharing systems and upgrading equipment for mid-size companies. We also offer consultation for trading futures and trade them ourselves.”
    â€œSounds busy,” she said and accepted the glass of wine.
    â€œWhat do you do?”
    â€œI work in public and international relations,” she said, not wanting him to ask any further questions. She took a quick sip and stared into his gaze, feeling her stomach dance with nerves.
    He skimmed his gaze over her, then took a long drink of beer. “Listen, if you’d like me to take you to Keely’s—”
    â€œNo,” she said, quickly, breathlessly. “Unless you want me to go.”
    â€œNo,” he said just as quickly, but his voice was rougher with a sensual edge to it that affected her on a visceral