"Oh, my God! It's beautiful!"
The two-story Tudor house and grounds known as Nottingham Green stretched out in front of Amber Whitley and she could do nothing but sigh in response. Everything had been a surprise: the reading of her biological father's will, the financial windfall and now, this gorgeous estate tucked in the fog-laden hills of England.
"Why didn't I know about this before?"
Claire Anderson, the real estate agent shrugged. "Can't tell you. I just know what Mr. Bromley's wishes were. It belongs to you." She dropped the skeleton key into Amber's hand and smiled. "You're the new Lady of the Manor."
Amber grinned, fingering the key. "Wow!"
Claire returned her smile. "Well, I've got to get back into town. I'll drop by later to see how you're getting along."
"Great. Thanks!"
Amber watched the woman drive away, then turned back to the huge house. It was just too beautiful for words and she had no words to speak when she entered the huge expanse of wood and crystal, standing in awe of the exquisite workmanship. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before.
"Miss Whitley?" Amber whirled to see a uniformed butler standing just inside the doorway. "The Master's waiting for you upstairs."
Confusion ruled Amber's brain but she stammered, "Uh, okay. Thanks." Didn't Claire tell her that the house was empty? Amber came to the conclusion that she must have been wrong and shrugged, taking the grand circular staircase to the upper floor. Here, more beautiful, gleaming wood met her, along with a uniformed maid who gave her a tiny curtsey as she headed away with a handful of soiled bedding. She thought she saw ... blood?
She continued down the hallway until she found a set of double doors that heralded the Master Suite and pushed them open. A handsome man lounged in the king-size bed, his blonde hair falling into his blue eyes and he sat up when she stepped forward. The doors quietly closed behind her.
"Ah, there you are!" He was tall, quite tall and quite naked. Amber stared as he swung out of the bed and came over to her, grabbing her hands and leading her back. She stumbled along, not quite sure of what the hell was happening. "I've been waiting for you."
"Waiting for me?"
"Yes! You were supposed to be here three days ago."
That much was true. She had had some things to take care of and delayed her trip to make sure everything had been handled. "Do I ... Am I supposed to know you?"
"I doubt it. Your father was a shit at taking care of details. I'm sure you've discovered that already." Amber nodded. Yes, he was correct. Some of the real estate information was woefully out of date or worse, incomplete. "But that's water under the bridge. I'm Peter. Peter Woollsley."
"Amber Whitley."
"Well, Amber, you are one thing your father did right." His gaze traveled up and down her body, resting for a long moment on her breasts. "You are a knockout!"
She laughed. Not once in her life had she ever thought that she was a knockout. Red hair, freckles, green eyes ... none of them had ever combined to make her a stunner. "That's a first."