Designing Heart ISBN 978-1-59088-886-5
Excerpt
Georgie wiggled her toes and stretched. Sunlight streamed through the window, and she squinted towards it.
"Looks like it’s a beautiful morning, Lucy," she observed sleepily, throwing back the covers. As she put her feet to the floor, she jolted awake. Why was she wearing her bra and panties? And this definitely wasn’t the one-roomer she shared with Lucy.
Georgie yawned, rubbing a hand over her eyes. Strange, but she couldn’t remember getting into bed. The last thing she recalled was sitting in Stefan’s study. She groaned loudly.
Someone had brought her up here, and someone had taken off her clothes. Slapping a hand over her mouth, she looked about. Doors took up one wall, and Georgie went to open them. Her dress and vest hung neatly inside, looking lonely.
Mrs. Fisher was the only woman who could have done it, and she was probably reclining with her leg in a plaster case. Jimmy had been asleep and wouldn’t have attempted it anyway. That left one alternative, one that didn’t bear thinking about.
Heat engulfed her and surged like a warm tide over her flesh. Her scalp bristled.
He wouldn’t have. Couldn’t have.
Must have.
After whipping the clothes off their hangers, she opened a door opposite the wardrobe and found a small en-suite. The cabinet above the sink contained a toothbrush still in its packet, a tube of toothpaste, a bottle of expensive perfume, matching talcum powder, and a brush and comb. Stefan Soultanakis sure looked after his guests.
After showering, she wrinkled her nose at her undies. Unfortunately his hospitality didn’t stretch to an underwear change. Grimacing, she pulled them on, then opened the bottle of perfume, which she knew cost a fortune. The simple action of dabbing it between her breasts and on both wrists stirred her senses.
Thank goodness he’d hung up her clothes, she mused as she slipped into them. At the thought of him removing them from her unconscious body, she again went crimson all over. How was she ever going to face him?
She used the brush to tame her curly mane. Presumably her bag was still downstairs. Her make-up never consisted of much more than a touch of lipstick and eye shadow, but some cover for her rosy cheeks wouldn’t go amiss.
Bracing her shoulders she marched downstairs and headed for the dining room. Her boots still lay beneath the hall table. With a sigh, she pulled them on.
She heard Jimmy before she saw him or his father.
"How could you, Dad?" He sounded truculent. "You’ve always sworn nothing would come before us spending the two weeks over Christmas together at the cottage."
"I know, but there’s always an exception to the rule." There was no mistaking the appeal in Stefan’s voice. "This deal in Singapore’s worth a fortune to me, and if I don’t finalize it, I stand to lose a hell of a lot of money. You’re old enough to understand that sometimes business comes first."
"How can I go away on my own? I want you to come with me."
"Of course you can’t go on your own. You’ll have to spend Christmas with your grandparents." The edge of finality in Stefan’s tone brooked no arguments.
"You’ve got to be joking! I’ll stay here rather than there. They wouldn’t know how to enjoy Christmas."
"Don’t be so ungracious. They love having you. You can’t stay here. Grace won’t be fit enough to look after herself for weeks. She’s going to stay with her son. There’s only one solution: you stay with Sofia and Dimitri."
Georgie felt like a sneak for eavesdropping, but hated the idea of intruding on a private conversation. But she couldn’t stay outside indefinitely, so, plastering on a smile, she rounded the door and chirped, "Good morning."
Stefan hesitated with a forkful of melon halfway to his mouth. Did a glint of mischief flit across his dark eyes before he masked it to say coolly, "Good morning, I trust you slept well."
"I did," she agreed, avoiding his eyes but smiling and waving to Jimmy as he greeted her.
"Would you believe I was so tired I can’t recall getting undressed and into bed." It annoyed her when her voice cracked.
"You didn’t." Now she knew amusement glimmered in his eyes. She gave him a resentful stare and his dark brows rose.
"How’s Mrs. Fisher?" She yanked on the hem of her vest. How dare he think that seeing her in the next-to-nothing was amusing?
"She’ll be out of action indefinitely." Stefan gave a solemn shake of the head. "She’s broken the ankle I’m sad to say."
"What a shame. Can I see her? Is she still in bed?" Georgie momentarily forgot her own dubious emotions.
"Yes. She was sleeping when I peeped in. Her son’s picking her up shortly to take her to his place round the corner."
Jimmy stood up, looking displeased, asking, "Can I be excused please?
"Yes, son."
Jimmy reminded Georgie, "Don’t forget you said you’d play my guitar again."
"I haven’t forgotten," she said, not wanting to hurt his feelings when he looked so miserable. Georgie gave his father a swift glare.
"He’s a mite annoyed with me at the moment," Stefan said after Jimmy left. "Don’t hover. Sit and have some breakfast." Georgie sat, helping herself to fresh fruit salad. "Coffee?" he asked.
"I’d sooner have orange juice, thanks. I usually only have fruit and juice in the morning. I hate coffee. Marty always complains about my eating habits. He nags that I should start the day with cereal or eggs."
"Marty?"
"One of my landlords. He lives on the middle floor of the house where Lucy and I live. Lucy’s my sister. Marty lives with Curly, who’s bald..." She shrugged as she came to a halt. Why was she babbling? She knew why, and so did he.
"There’s no need to be embarrassed. I have seen a woman’s body before, you know." He seemed to ignore her hostile glance. "You wouldn’t have been happy if I’d dumped you in bed fully clothed, would you?"
That’s precisely what she would rather he’d done, but she said, "You’re right. Thank you for being so thoughtful. I was waiting up to see how Mrs. Fisher got on...I must have dozed off." What must he have thought when he found her in his domain. "I hope you didn’t think I’d been snooping...in your study. I was looking at your books."
"And what do you think of my reading tastes?" he asked, a whisper of a smile creasing his sexy mouth.
"Boring to be precise." She shrugged at his pained expression. "Sorry, but your tastes aren’t a bit like mine. I mean...I don’t know what I mean," she blundered to a halt, concentrating on her fruit.
Stefan gazed thoughtfully at her. The morning sunlight caught the highlights in her hair and made it shimmer like streaked silk. Would it feel as soft as it looked? He fisted his hands. He felt hot under the collar and fascinated by her luscious body.
That had been an undeniable surprise. For some reason she tried to conceal the most perfect breasts he’d ever set eyes on. If he hadn’t put her to bed, he would never have known. He’d unveiled such beauteous treasures, which were usually masked by the loose tops she wore. What would she say now if he were to ask if it bothered her that, for such a tiny person, she was certainly over-endowed up there?
"Why is Jimmy so upset with you?" Georgie felt uneasy under his close scrutiny. She could feel his eyes on her, burning through her clothes, and felt as if she was sitting in her undies.
Glancing up she caught an odd heated look in his eyes before he masked it to say, "I have to go to Singapore. Jimmy’s displeased because I can’t go away with him for Christmas. He’ll have to go to my parents’ house, which he objects to."
"I can see his point." Her face burned, and she groaned inwardly.
"We can’t have everything our own way," he told her stiffly. "He knows I have a business to run. He’s quite used to me going away."
Georgie took her eyes off the fruit to look at him and then wished she hadn’t. She was agonizingly aware that he’d seen her practically naked. His hands rested easily on the table, and she stared at them dazedly. Those hands had picked her up, carried her, undressed her, and put her between the sheets. Feverishly hot, she pushed her hair back and lifted it from the slope of her neck.
"I can see why he’s upset," she argued, clearing her throat. "I guess he’s learned to accept your frequent trips, but this Christmas holiday seems special to him."
"It is. I’ve always made sure that we spend two weeks together this time every year. But for once we’ll have to forgo it." He straightened his shoulders defensively.
"Is money so important you can go off and leave your son at this time of the year? It seems heartless to me," she objected and then clamped her lips together when his face tightened. "I’m sorry. You must think I’m rude. It’s none of my business, but seems a touch cold-hearted." With a groan she put her fingers over her mouth. Her and her loose tongue.
"Don’t be sorry. I have no argument with the way you speak your mind. I’m inclined to agree with you. Don’t look so stunned," he said then, his tone soft with amusement. "But this is a huge contract and means a great deal to me."
More than your son’s happiness, she felt like asking, but that would be grossly impertinent. "I couldn’t help overhearing. Jimmy doesn’t seem eager to stay with his grandparents."
He frowned. "If Grace hadn’t had this accident, he could have stayed here, but as it is..." He lifted his shoulders.
"I should be getting home, Lucy will be wondering where I am." Georgie stood up.
"Aren’t you going to see Jimmy before you go?"
"No. I really must go."
"He’ll be disappointed."
"I think you should be the one to worry about disappointing him, Mr. Soultanakis," she dared to advise.
"Don’t think I’m not." His beautiful mouth turned down at the corners. "What are you doing over the holiday?" he asked suddenly.
"We’re going to Rye. Our Aunt there is our only relative, and we go every Christmas. It’s the only time we see her." She grimaced.
"Why the face? Isn’t that the ideal spot to spend Christmas?"
"Definitely not! Uncle Sid gets loaded and rakes up memories, then gets annoyed with everyone because they don’t want to listen to him singing. His voice is the pits. He’s Dad’s brother, and we feel obliged to go. They didn’t want to know us after our parents died." She knew how forlorn that sounded. But it was true.
"How would you like to go to my cottage with Jimmy? It’s near Rye, and you could drop over to see these people." He paid his cup an exorbitant amount of attention.
Georgie stared at him. "I couldn’t."
Reviews:
"This is one of the most charming stories I've read. Georgie is a spitfire and poor Stefan is simply along for the ride. Ms McGill did an amazing job defining the age and maturity differences in her two lead characters within the story and character development was astounding. In this story, it's the heroine I wanted to shake some sense into, and I found that refreshing. I'll certainly be giving this book a second read!"
Amy L. Turpin for www.timeless-tales.net **** 4 and a half stars.
"Tricia McGill's delightful tale has all the key ingredients of a true romance: the characters are real, the conflict is believable and she delivers the type of ending that all romance lovers hope for."
Faith V. Smith for Romantic Times Book Club 4 & a half stars.
"Designing Heart is a fast read, and the plot is easy and not overly complicated, for those times when you're looking for nothing more than a highly entertaining, non-challenging story with a satisfying ending. Aussie McGill adds a decidely "down-under" flavor to the story, which absolutely delights this reader, and it's clear she knows the fashion industry well. Can't wait to read more from this talented romance author."
Anne Carter Beacon Street Books
"Designing Heart is a fun romp through the fashion world in Australia.Stefan Soultanakis is a dark, brooding hero with a fragile heart and a penchant for neutral colours. Georgie is a free spirit who surrounds herself with bright hues and lots of laughter. Their love story is touching, funny, and very moving. How Georgie wins her man and finds her dream job, is a fast-paced, beguiling story that kept me turning pages until way after midnight."
Jennifer Macaire author and reviewer
"Sparks fly when the head of a fashion design house Stefan Soultanakis promotes a new designer. Georgie McNamara, the irrepressible and talented whirlwind, has some designs of her own...and they include her handsome boss. Too bad that Stefan has already decided that he needs an unemotional wife to be the mother of his twelve-year-old son. And "unemotional" isn't in Georgie's vocabulary. Aided by Stephan's son and Georgie's younger sister, this mis-matched pair can't help but fall in love. Designing Heart is a thoroughly enjoyable read filled with humour and love."
Marie-Nicole Ryan Wings ePress
"In Designing Heart, Tricia McGill has created a story with a charming spirited heroine, a virile masterful hero, delightful supporting characters, and a thoroughly satisfying finish. This is the first Tricia McGill book I've read, but it won't be the last. I highly recommend it if you want a good read."
Fran Keighley (Burnout, Bed Breakfast and Beware, Renegade. Wings Press
"Diminutive Georgie McNamara is mature past her years with the sole responsibilty of her little sister in a wheelchair and plans to become a successful dress designer. Stefan Soultanakis, the handsome Greek fashion mogul, who is always in control, is looking for a new mother for his son. Then young Georgie's voluptuous charms and vivid style captures more than the executive's attention. And Stefan's unbridled passion for Georgie leads to a partnership that goes beyond plan or design. This down-under charmer by Tricia McGill is sure to please." Lynda LaPorte www.lyndasburch.com
"Designing Heart flows smoothly, quickly and easily as Tricia McGill delivers passion, warmth and strong family values in this fresh romance that touches your heart. This book is an emotionally satisfying read."
Jan Springer, Romance Suspense author.
"Take a stuffy, unemotional executive, pit him against a pint-sized ball of exuberance, stir into a fashion design house that needs a little more flair, and you have a pattern for a terrific read. Tricia McGill has written an absolute delight in Designing Heart, a witty, tender, charming romance that will warm your heart and make you smile."
Christine Janssen www.christinejanssen.com
"Designing Heart is a delightful story written in the style of the Harlequin Presents. Ms McGill writes with the kind of humor and skillful characterization that keep you turning the pages. All in all a very good story, one you'll want to pick up and enjoy while sitting in your favorite chair with your favorite drink."
Jaycee for Romance Reviews Today www.romrevtoday.com
"Designing Heart is a fast paced, action-packed romance that is truly a delight to read. With her distinct writing style, Tricia McGill has created a cast of characters that come to life before your eyes and draw you in until the very end. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a good romance."
Tonya Ramagos aka Calley Moore www.geocities.com/tomrbooks
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