Read Online A Summer Smile by Iris Johansen - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Iris Johansen
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beautiful. Giving was love. Her lips curved in a smile of radiant tenderness invisible to him in the dark-ness. And Daniel had given her that beauty. He had been rough and passionate as a storm at sea yet he had still given as well as taken. Why was he worrying so about a roughness that she had instigated herself? "You were upset."
He stiffened. His hand ceased its intimate petting motion and dropped away from her. "And you sorry for me," he said with soft violence. Dammit, you felt sorry for me!"
"No," she protested. "I mean, yes, I did feel sorry for you. I wanted to help you." He had rolled away from her, and she could hear him moving in the darkness, pulling on his clothes. "But that's not—"
"The hell it wasn't. You felt sorry for me." His voice was jerky. "My God, you even told me how grateful you were to me. So grateful you decided to give the guy a little tip for his trouble."
"A tip?" Zilah tried to smother the anger that flared at his choice of words. She sat up. "I don't give tips of that nature." Her voice was taut with pain.
"Contrary to what you may think, I am not a whore."
"Oh, hell, I've done it again." The light of the lantern snapped on to reveal Daniel kneeling in front of her. He was dressed, with the exception of his shirt.
His hair was a tousled mass of flame and his eyes were narrowed in concern on her face. "I've hurt your feelings, haven't I? I'm sorry. I guess my damn pride got in the way. I couldn't stand the thought of being a charity case. It brings back too many memories." "Memories?"
The light of the lantern struck sleek shadows over his naked shoulders as he shrugged. "I was an orphan from the time I was six. I guarantee that it doesn't give you a liking for being on the receiving end." His gaze wandered down her body to rest with compulsive intensity on the soft velvet folds that his hand had so recently caressed. His tongue ran over his lips to moisten their sudden dryness. "On the other hand, there's a distinct possibility I could change my mind given the right set of circumstances. You're lovely, Zilah."
She felt a familiar tingling begin where his gaze was caressing her. "You're not very steadfast."
"Oh, but I am." His gaze flew back to her face, and he answered with surprising gravity. "I'm as steadfast as the North Star. Once my course is set, I don't change. Remember that."
She was caught up in those swirls of dark intimacy once again and for a moment she couldn't break free. She pulled her eyes away from his with an effort and lowered them to the glittering silver sheet on which they were sitting. "Ill remember." She felt suddenly shy. Strange after all they'd experienced together to feel this sudden rush of shyness. She reached for the blue shirt Daniel had taken off her earlier and slipped it on hurriedly. "I wasn't treating you like a charity case, you know. I just wanted to help." She lifted her eyes to meet his. "I still do." She drew a deep breath and turned away, snatching up her clothes and pulling them on quickly. "And I intend to do just that, whether you think it's charity or not. As I said before, you can be a idiotDaniel."
He frowned. "Idiotic? What the hell do you mean? What are you doing?"
She glanced up from where she was kneeling, stuffing items hastily in the backpack. "Packing up. We're getting out of here. Grab the sheet and the lantern, will you?" She was crawling toward the opening, dragging the backpack behind her.
"Zilah, dammit, come back here!"
"Not a chance," she said over her shoulder. "If you're so determined to keep me safe, you'll have to do it under an open sky." She heard him growl something under his breath but she ignored it serenely. By the time she had negotiated the barricade that Daniel had erected at the mouth of the cave he was right behind her. His expression was grim in the halo of light from the lantern. "This is crazy, Zilah. Get back into the cave."
"And lie awake worrying about you all night?" She shook her head. "You know
He stiffened. His hand ceased its intimate petting motion and dropped away from her. "And you sorry for me," he said with soft violence. Dammit, you felt sorry for me!"
"No," she protested. "I mean, yes, I did feel sorry for you. I wanted to help you." He had rolled away from her, and she could hear him moving in the darkness, pulling on his clothes. "But that's not—"
"The hell it wasn't. You felt sorry for me." His voice was jerky. "My God, you even told me how grateful you were to me. So grateful you decided to give the guy a little tip for his trouble."
"A tip?" Zilah tried to smother the anger that flared at his choice of words. She sat up. "I don't give tips of that nature." Her voice was taut with pain.
"Contrary to what you may think, I am not a whore."
"Oh, hell, I've done it again." The light of the lantern snapped on to reveal Daniel kneeling in front of her. He was dressed, with the exception of his shirt.
His hair was a tousled mass of flame and his eyes were narrowed in concern on her face. "I've hurt your feelings, haven't I? I'm sorry. I guess my damn pride got in the way. I couldn't stand the thought of being a charity case. It brings back too many memories." "Memories?"
The light of the lantern struck sleek shadows over his naked shoulders as he shrugged. "I was an orphan from the time I was six. I guarantee that it doesn't give you a liking for being on the receiving end." His gaze wandered down her body to rest with compulsive intensity on the soft velvet folds that his hand had so recently caressed. His tongue ran over his lips to moisten their sudden dryness. "On the other hand, there's a distinct possibility I could change my mind given the right set of circumstances. You're lovely, Zilah."
She felt a familiar tingling begin where his gaze was caressing her. "You're not very steadfast."
"Oh, but I am." His gaze flew back to her face, and he answered with surprising gravity. "I'm as steadfast as the North Star. Once my course is set, I don't change. Remember that."
She was caught up in those swirls of dark intimacy once again and for a moment she couldn't break free. She pulled her eyes away from his with an effort and lowered them to the glittering silver sheet on which they were sitting. "Ill remember." She felt suddenly shy. Strange after all they'd experienced together to feel this sudden rush of shyness. She reached for the blue shirt Daniel had taken off her earlier and slipped it on hurriedly. "I wasn't treating you like a charity case, you know. I just wanted to help." She lifted her eyes to meet his. "I still do." She drew a deep breath and turned away, snatching up her clothes and pulling them on quickly. "And I intend to do just that, whether you think it's charity or not. As I said before, you can be a idiotDaniel."
He frowned. "Idiotic? What the hell do you mean? What are you doing?"
She glanced up from where she was kneeling, stuffing items hastily in the backpack. "Packing up. We're getting out of here. Grab the sheet and the lantern, will you?" She was crawling toward the opening, dragging the backpack behind her.
"Zilah, dammit, come back here!"
"Not a chance," she said over her shoulder. "If you're so determined to keep me safe, you'll have to do it under an open sky." She heard him growl something under his breath but she ignored it serenely. By the time she had negotiated the barricade that Daniel had erected at the mouth of the cave he was right behind her. His expression was grim in the halo of light from the lantern. "This is crazy, Zilah. Get back into the cave."
"And lie awake worrying about you all night?" She shook her head. "You know
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