Read THE REBEL AND THE RICH GIRL Online

Authors: Emma Daniels

THE REBEL AND THE RICH GIRL (21 page)

“You don’t like it?” he sounded disappointed.
“I love it, but how on earth did you get it in here?”
“It didn’t come from Sydney. I had it custom-made. Come on, I want to see you lying in it.”
Nicole happily obliged, slipping out of her shoes, before sinking into the soft duvet.
For what seemed like a long time, Philip merely stood there gazing down at her with a depth of emotion in his eyes that went way beyond passion or desire. It was more intense than love, a look that made her feel infinitely precious to him.
Then very slowly he began removing his jacket and tie. Nicole lay there watching him, her insides contracting with longing, her own heart overflowing with love for him.
“I’ll be gentle with you. I’m going to kiss you all better again,” he promised, coming to lie down beside her.
“Did Dad tell you what happened?” she asked.
“Yes. It was just as well he was on the other end of a telephone line hundreds of kilometres away, because I felt very much like doing him some serious damage. If only I’d known! I should have been there for you, but I’ll make it up to you. I’m going to love and cherish you, treat you like china until your brittle bones are healed.” He traced his fingertips down her throat, trailing them across her already aroused nipples.
“What a macho male chauvinist comment that was,” she laughed, as he cupped a breast with his large brown hand.
“And you love me for it.”
“Now and forever,” she promised, stretching up to kiss him on the lips.
Their lovemaking had never been more fulfilling. Together they sailed across the waves of love. As one they sunk into in the deep ocean of forever, leaving the turbulent shores of the past behind.

 

 

EPILOGUE
The vintage wedding car pulled away from the curb outside Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral on a clear, sunny autumn afternoon.
The groom leaned towards his bride, placing a tender kiss against her flushed cheek. She turned to him, smiling radiantly, barely believing it had finally happened. Wearing traditional white, Nicole’s gown of satin and lace frothed around her and over Philip’s legs as he hugged her to him. Dressed in navy tails, he looked so handsome, he took her breath away. She knew he always would.
“We’re well and truly committed now,” she murmured.
“I’m glad, but why did you let your parents organize the wedding?” he complained. “I know hardly any of those people.”
“I have to let them think they were getting their way some of the time. Surely having the reception at the yacht club can’t be that distasteful to you.”
“No, I suppose not, but I would have preferred something quieter.”
“That comes tomorrow,” she promised, touching his loving face with a gentle hand.
“I’m not so sure leaving you in charge of the honeymoon was such a good idea either.”
She smiled knowingly at him, which only raised his concern. Marrying into a prominent society family had never been something Philip ever envisaged himself doing. The Camerons may have agreed to the wedding, but something was still nagging in the back of his mind. It had all fallen into place too easily.
There was no time for worrying or second thoughts now. They arrived at the Cruising Yacht Club, where rounds of photographs and formalities sped them closer to their escape back into the quiet country life they had grown used to over the past months. Nicole had finally discovered her calling, after finding a job as a welfare officer at a school for disabled children in Hobart.
When it was time for the father of the bride to make his speech, he announced that he would be conducting his toasts outside, asking everyone to take their glasses with them. This caused a great deal of commotion, as over three hundred guests followed the wedding party down to the manna.
Peter stopped where his yacht
Gail Warning
was moored.
“What on earth is going on?” Philip asked Nicole, who just smiled sweetly back at him.
“As most of you know this fine young couple got to know one another aboard that yacht,” Peter began, indicating the vessel.
“A few of you might also be aware that at first I was staunchly opposed to this match. But once I saw how much they loved one another, I put aside my doubts, for when my Nicole decides to do something there’s no stopping her. In choosing Philip here,” he placed his hand on the younger man’s shoulder, “She picked someone with great courage and determination. I grossly underestimated his capabilities. I should have known Nicole would never pick a partner who didn’t possess great strength of character. I don’t suppose his good looks had anything to do with it, did they darling?” He smiled down at his daughter.
That elicited the expected chuckles of mirth, and the man in question looked suitably abashed.
“Anyway,” Peter continued, “To make up for all the problems I’ve caused you two, I will now present you with your wedding gift,” Again he pointed at the yacht.
For a moment Philip stared at the vessel, before glancing questioningly back at his father-in-law.
“That’s the surprise,” Nicole cried excitedly. “We’re sailing to warmer waters for our honeymoon,” she explained.
“You… you’re giving away your yacht?” Philip stammered in amazement.
“I’ve bought the yacht that beat us,” Peter admitted.
“Well, I’ll be.” Philip shook his head in amazement. This was the last thing he would have expected, but taking things into his stride he walked towards the yacht, still clasping his wife’s hand.
Within moments he was standing on the deck. Amidst the cheers and clapping from their guests, he reached for Nicole, safely swinging her and her voluminous petticoats over the railing onto the yacht.
“So, now you’ll have to think of another name for her,” she told him, as he drew her into his warm embrace.
“That’s true,” he acknowledged. “But if it wasn’t for this yacht we would never have met. How does
Rebel’s Revenge
sound to you?”
“Positively deadly with you at the wheel.”

 

 

THE END

 

 

If you liked The Rebel and the Rich Girl
by Emma Daniels, you might also like Jayden's Faith

 

 

During their final weeks of high-school, Janelle Moore and her friends played an exceptionally nasty joke on her brother Jayden and Faith Hargraves. After spiking Faith’s drink, the teenagers leave her naked in Jayden’s bed for him to find. All Faith has are disjointed memories of finding herself in the arms of a handsome man who might have done a whole manner of sordid things to her.
Seven years later Faith still doesn’t know exactly what happened that night, so when Jayden shows up at her office asking her to find him a secretary for his company, she decides to exact her revenge.
But Jayden has different memories of that night, the night he found the woman of his dreams in his bed.
Revenge doesn't taste so sweet when Faith discovers she's completely misjudged Jayden.

 

 

Chapter One

 

Stephanie leant across the table and said in a low voice; "A man just walked in and sat down near the windows, and boy is he hot!"

Faith rolled her eyes at the tall, attractive redhead sitting opposite. Stephanie was as outrageous as her hair, and her flashing hazel eyes danced with mischief as she grinned back at her friend. She fanned herself with a well-manicured hand, drawing attention to her low cut, body-hugging electric blue top. Her make-up was, as always, over-stated, and her fingernails panted an iridescent shade of pink. But for some reason she always managed to carry it off without looking like a tart.

In comparison, Faith was short and petite; with long, wavy honey-blonde hair she usually wore tied back with a plain clip or scrunchie. Whereas Stephanie dressed up, Faith hid her neat little figure under loose blouses and long flowing skirts. She rarely wore make-up, and looked younger than her twenty-five years. Today she was wearing her usual work attire; a pair of navy blue pants and a plain white blouse buttoned all the way to her neck.

“I’ve tried to catch his eye twice now, but he just seems to look right through me as though I don't even exist,” Stephanie lamented with a red-lipped pout. “He’s gorgeous, Faith, impossibly broad shoulders. Eyes a girl could drown in, and he has the most amazing hair. I can’t figure out if it’s red, blonde, brown, or all of the above. And it’s tied into a sexy ponytail.”

Faith groaned out loud as she bit into her gourmet sandwich. Stephanie really had a thing for men with long hair. Should Faith ever bring such a specimen home to meet her parents she’d never hear the end of it. Besides, she preferred her men clean cut and well groomed, when she’d still been interested in dating, that was. “Next you’ll be telling me he has tattoos and an earring.”

Stephanie glanced across the cafe again. “Can’t see an earring, and if he has any tats, they’re hidden by the business suit he’s wearing.”

“A guy with long hair in a business suit!” Faith scoffed. “Definitely Mafia materiel.”

Stephanie giggled, and drained the last of her cappuccino. “He’s got great bone structure too, just like Brad Pitt.”

“I get the picture, all right. Just go over and introduce yourself, for goodness sake,” Faith said, picking up her own cup of coffee. She glanced at her watch. “You have exactly ten minutes to hit on him before we’re due back at work.”

Stephanie groaned, glancing down at her own watch. “Already?”
Faith leant back in her chair. “Yep, I'll just sit back and time you.”
“That’s not fair. I was hoping you'd join me for moral support."

As if Stephanie needed moral support when it came to flirting with men, Faith thought cynically. She had watched her friend in action numerous times whenever they went out together to the never ending nightspots Stephanie seemed know. "I'm not going to introduce myself to a biker in a suit in the middle of a coffee shop."

"That's not the image I was trying to portray. I know you’ve suffered, but it’s been over a year since your last break up. Going on an occasional date wouldn’t hurt.”

"Since when was this about me?" Faith asked with arched brows.

"Since I've decided to let you talk to him. I can't do this without a stiff drink or two."

And then Faith remembered how Stephanie always drank something strong before she started cruising the dance floor. She clearly wasn't as confident as she had led Faith to believe.

Faith shook her head. "Sorry, I'm not walking up to a total stranger to say 'Hello, this is my friend Stephanie. She thinks you're totally hot and wants to go out with you.'"

"No I honestly think it's your turn. I've decided you can have him."

Faith rolled her eyes again. After two disastrous relationships, and more dreadful first dates than she cared to count, Faith was over the entire dating game. She had come to realize that the more good-looking the man, the more likely he was to be too full of himself to care about others. Since most of the guys she’d dated had been above average in the looks department, she had yet to meet one who possessed something even remotely resembling a heart.

“Honestly Faith, this guy has absolutely dreamy eyes. How could he possibly be bad news?” Stephanie persisted.

“I hate to tell you this, but gorgeous eyes got me two-timing Laurie Stevens,” Faith reminded her. Big brown and needy, so needy that he’d taken all her money as well as money she didn’t have.

“I think you take things too seriously. I rarely fall in love with them. I just want to have a good time. That way it doesn’t hurt so much when we do break up.”

“See what I mean. You know it’s going to end, that they’ll let you down. Why bother in the first place?”

“Maybe you can sit at home night after night, but I can’t.” Stephanie leant closer and added in a hushed whisper. “I enjoy sex too much.”

And therein lay the crux of the matter. Faith didn’t. Laurie had been the only man she’d gone all the way with, believing him when he said he loved her and wanted to marry her. Not only had he left her for another woman, sex had at first been painful, then uncomfortable, and finally a chore to endure if she wanted to keep her man.

What a joke! Not only had she ended up back on her own, she’d had to pay off his debts when no one could find him.

Ever since then her life had become a man-free zone. She was once again in charge of her own finances; she had a loving family, friends, a place to call home, and a job she liked and was good at.

“I need to be in love before I’ll let a man go all the way again. Call me a big softie if you like, but how could a biker in a suit ever hope to fulfill my obviously too high expectations?”

“I told you, he’s not a... Oh, he’s just got his laptop out of his briefcase. Since when do bikers have briefcases or laptop computers?” Stephanie asked with raised brows.

“All right then he’s their club leader cooking the books after their last drug haul. Come on, time to go.” Faith got to her feet and reluctantly Stephanie followed suit. But her curiosity had been piqued. Faith had to see with her own eyes if the image Stephanie had portrayed was real.

As they walked up to the counter to pay for their meals, Faith glanced covertly around the room. Most of the lunch crowd had left, only a few tables still occupied.

The man in question had the best position in the café, beside the potted palm in front of the window. Stephanie had described him to a tee; he
was
handsome, unnervingly so. His features were strong and evenly proportioned, with a wide, full-lipped mouth, and dark straight brows.

As for his hair; the cute ponytail seemed to suit him, drawing out long streaks of red, blonde and brown. Surely that couldn’t be natural.

His dark suit and tie didn’t make him look like a gangster, or a bikie gang’s bookkeeper, more like a businessman with an independent flair.

Faith experienced an uncomfortable tightening in her chest when he looked up and stared straight at her with those amazing eyes. They
were
dreamy, just like Stephanie had said; a deep ocean green a girl could drown in if she looked long enough. They were fringed with long dark lashes no man had a right to.

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