Read Online All Bets Are On by Charlotte Phillips - Free Book Online
Authors: Charlotte Phillips
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my planning skills?’
He was watching her, the blue eyes shrewd.
‘Don’t you think that level of predictability is stifling?’
She frowned at him.
‘No,’ she said boldly. ‘I don’t.’
He looked at her questioningly, the ghost of a smile at the corners of his mouth, and she realised exactly how moronic that sounded.
A smile bubbled up before she could stop it and she shook her head in wonder at her own mad behaviour.
‘OK, you might have had a point back there,’ she said. ‘Maybe I am a little strung out.’
He smiled back at her and her heart skipped a little at his understanding.
‘I thought you’d be angry,’ she said. ‘I mean, look at you, what a nightmare. And your glasses. I’ll pay for them, of course.’
She dreaded to think how much that would be; they’d obviously been designer. It was turning out to be an expensive day out.
‘It doesn’t matter,’ he said. ‘What’s done is done. No point stressing about it now. I’ll claim the sunglasses on insurance.’
He was so laid-back he was almost horizontal. She couldn’t quite believe it. She kept waiting for his delayed anger to kick in. It didn’t.
‘For someone so irresponsible you’re surprisingly good at taking responsibility,’ she said.
He smiled a half smile at her. His hair was damply tousled, his blue eyes crinkling gently at the corners. Even soaked in stinky lake water he was gorgeous and her stomach gave a slow flip. Unfortunately she didn’t need a mirror to know she must look a dripping frizzy-haired wreck. How unfair.
She felt oddly touched by his behaviour. Sewer-rat Simon hadn’t thought twice about her feelings when he’d humiliated her in front of their friends. He’d laughed right along with them.
Today Harry had taken the embarrassment at full force right alongside her. He hadn’t walked off and abandoned her to the anger of the park staff. He hadn’t lost his temper with her, not that she would have blamed him. He’d done everything he could to dig them out of the situation. Them , not her. He’d treated them as a team, and afterwards had tried to make her feel she could dust herself down and chalk it up to experience.
Maybe he wasn’t quite like her ex after all. She felt herself thaw towards him a tiny bit.
‘Let’s just say I’ve had some experience of smoothing over unruly teenage behaviour and it’s stood me in good stead for this kind of situation,’ he said.
‘You mean you were an unruly teenager? Why am I not surprised?’
He’d probably led a life of irresponsibility since birth. No wonder nothing fazed him.
An odd little smile that she took to be nostalgic touched his lips.
‘Something like that,’ he said.
He stood up and held his hand out for her empty coffee cup. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was closing the subject. Of course he was. Heaven forbid that she actually find out something personal about him.
Rule #4 A player will not want to share in-depth personal details with you. If he tries to keep the conversation superficial and seems reluctant to talk about himself, chances are what he wants from you is superficial too.
‘I was going to suggest lunch next,’ he said. ‘But under the circumstances maybe we’d better make our way back to the car. It’s pretty hot in the sun now, should dry us off a bit more on the way.’
‘Calling time on it before the first date’s even over?’ she said. ‘Not that I could really blame you.’
She glanced down at herself and offered him a wry smile.
‘I mean, look at me! Oven-ready turkey is so not a good look.’
In the soft sunlight her eyes were deep tawny, her damp hair softly tousled from the breeze across the lake. He caught a tantalising glimpse of pink lace underwear as she stood up before she managed to get the foil blanket clamped around her again and heat spiked in his abdomen. The loveliness of her was extremely necessary to counteract the infuriating insane high maintenance of her.
‘I
He was watching her, the blue eyes shrewd.
‘Don’t you think that level of predictability is stifling?’
She frowned at him.
‘No,’ she said boldly. ‘I don’t.’
He looked at her questioningly, the ghost of a smile at the corners of his mouth, and she realised exactly how moronic that sounded.
A smile bubbled up before she could stop it and she shook her head in wonder at her own mad behaviour.
‘OK, you might have had a point back there,’ she said. ‘Maybe I am a little strung out.’
He smiled back at her and her heart skipped a little at his understanding.
‘I thought you’d be angry,’ she said. ‘I mean, look at you, what a nightmare. And your glasses. I’ll pay for them, of course.’
She dreaded to think how much that would be; they’d obviously been designer. It was turning out to be an expensive day out.
‘It doesn’t matter,’ he said. ‘What’s done is done. No point stressing about it now. I’ll claim the sunglasses on insurance.’
He was so laid-back he was almost horizontal. She couldn’t quite believe it. She kept waiting for his delayed anger to kick in. It didn’t.
‘For someone so irresponsible you’re surprisingly good at taking responsibility,’ she said.
He smiled a half smile at her. His hair was damply tousled, his blue eyes crinkling gently at the corners. Even soaked in stinky lake water he was gorgeous and her stomach gave a slow flip. Unfortunately she didn’t need a mirror to know she must look a dripping frizzy-haired wreck. How unfair.
She felt oddly touched by his behaviour. Sewer-rat Simon hadn’t thought twice about her feelings when he’d humiliated her in front of their friends. He’d laughed right along with them.
Today Harry had taken the embarrassment at full force right alongside her. He hadn’t walked off and abandoned her to the anger of the park staff. He hadn’t lost his temper with her, not that she would have blamed him. He’d done everything he could to dig them out of the situation. Them , not her. He’d treated them as a team, and afterwards had tried to make her feel she could dust herself down and chalk it up to experience.
Maybe he wasn’t quite like her ex after all. She felt herself thaw towards him a tiny bit.
‘Let’s just say I’ve had some experience of smoothing over unruly teenage behaviour and it’s stood me in good stead for this kind of situation,’ he said.
‘You mean you were an unruly teenager? Why am I not surprised?’
He’d probably led a life of irresponsibility since birth. No wonder nothing fazed him.
An odd little smile that she took to be nostalgic touched his lips.
‘Something like that,’ he said.
He stood up and held his hand out for her empty coffee cup. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was closing the subject. Of course he was. Heaven forbid that she actually find out something personal about him.
Rule #4 A player will not want to share in-depth personal details with you. If he tries to keep the conversation superficial and seems reluctant to talk about himself, chances are what he wants from you is superficial too.
‘I was going to suggest lunch next,’ he said. ‘But under the circumstances maybe we’d better make our way back to the car. It’s pretty hot in the sun now, should dry us off a bit more on the way.’
‘Calling time on it before the first date’s even over?’ she said. ‘Not that I could really blame you.’
She glanced down at herself and offered him a wry smile.
‘I mean, look at me! Oven-ready turkey is so not a good look.’
In the soft sunlight her eyes were deep tawny, her damp hair softly tousled from the breeze across the lake. He caught a tantalising glimpse of pink lace underwear as she stood up before she managed to get the foil blanket clamped around her again and heat spiked in his abdomen. The loveliness of her was extremely necessary to counteract the infuriating insane high maintenance of her.
‘I
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