broke off and then continued with rough awkwardness, “Oh, hell, I mean I’ll try to be your friend before I become your lover.”
She opened the door. “You’re not going to beeither one. You’re just my jailer, Clancy.” The door closed firmly behind her.
Clancy uttered a brief but explicit curse. Lord, he certainly had a way with words. It was a wonder she hadn’t reacted more strongly to his clumsiness. He had wanted to tell her that he’d be gentle, charming, and considerate. The way it had come out, it had sounded as if he were doing her a favor by not throwing her in bed and jumping her bones. He had thought he’d learned a little diplomacy working for Alex, but evidently it had vanished completely the moment he’d first seen Lisa. All his confidence had disappeared, and he’d felt like a big clumsy oaf of an Irishman with his first woman.
He strode to the cellarette and poured himself a stiff drink. It would probably knock him on his backside as tired as he was, but that might not be a bad thing. At least he would forget what a colossal ass he had made of himself. He drank the brandy down in three swallows and started to reach for the bottle again, thenstopped. No, he didn’t want to get plastered tonight. Tomorrow he would try to repair the damage his clumsiness had wrought, and he didn’t need a hangover to cloud his senses.
Courtship. It was an old-fashioned concept, but one that was very appealing to him. A woman like Lisa deserved not only courtship, but the most careful gentleness and cherishing. Despite her strength and spirit, she gave the impression of being infinitely fragile and fine drawn. When she wasn’t smiling there was a somberness about her that filled him with a fierce protectiveness. Pain. There was so much pain behind that tranquil façade. Sometimes he could almost feel it beneath the rigid control she exerted. God, he wanted to share that pain. He wanted to share everything she felt, everything she was.
He turned away from the cellarette and moved toward the door. It was going to be an uphill battle all the way to gain her trust as well as her love. He had better try to get some sleep in order to be ready to begin that struggle.Perhaps he’d take her out on the yacht tomorrow. It would get them away from the intimacy of the villa and might put her at ease. He could try it, anyway. At this point, he’d try damn near anything that had even a chance of success.
T HE SUN WAS marvelously warm on her face, the breeze a soft caress scented delicately with salt and the musk-mint scent she had come to associate with Clancy. Something light fell across her knees, and Lisa reluctantly opened her eyes to see the blue cotton shirt Clancy had been wearing now draped across her outstretched legs.
“Keep covered,” he said tersely. “You’re too fair to be exposed to a strong sun for long periods without protection. You should have wornslacks instead of those shorts. Don’t you ever go to the beach?”
“When I get the chance. New York in the winter doesn’t offer many opportunities for sunbathing.” He certainly didn’t need to worry about burning, she thought as her eyes traveled idly over him. His massive shoulders and broad, corded chest were as deeply bronzed as his face and rippled with power in the afternoon sunlight. The triangle of dark hair, lightly peppered with gray, matted his chest, then narrowed to a thin line before disappearing into the low-slung waistband of his jeans. Lisa felt a sudden tingling in her palms as she wondered what it would feel like to put her hands on that springy cloud. Hurriedly she shut her eyes, closing him out. “Is it very hot in Sedikhan?”
“Yes, it’s mostly desert country. The hills can be very pleasant in the summer, though.” She could sense that his gaze was riveted on her, and she shifted uneasily in the canvas chair. There was a short silence, and then Clancy said, “Thank you for coming today. I was afraid you’d
She opened the door. “You’re not going to beeither one. You’re just my jailer, Clancy.” The door closed firmly behind her.
Clancy uttered a brief but explicit curse. Lord, he certainly had a way with words. It was a wonder she hadn’t reacted more strongly to his clumsiness. He had wanted to tell her that he’d be gentle, charming, and considerate. The way it had come out, it had sounded as if he were doing her a favor by not throwing her in bed and jumping her bones. He had thought he’d learned a little diplomacy working for Alex, but evidently it had vanished completely the moment he’d first seen Lisa. All his confidence had disappeared, and he’d felt like a big clumsy oaf of an Irishman with his first woman.
He strode to the cellarette and poured himself a stiff drink. It would probably knock him on his backside as tired as he was, but that might not be a bad thing. At least he would forget what a colossal ass he had made of himself. He drank the brandy down in three swallows and started to reach for the bottle again, thenstopped. No, he didn’t want to get plastered tonight. Tomorrow he would try to repair the damage his clumsiness had wrought, and he didn’t need a hangover to cloud his senses.
Courtship. It was an old-fashioned concept, but one that was very appealing to him. A woman like Lisa deserved not only courtship, but the most careful gentleness and cherishing. Despite her strength and spirit, she gave the impression of being infinitely fragile and fine drawn. When she wasn’t smiling there was a somberness about her that filled him with a fierce protectiveness. Pain. There was so much pain behind that tranquil façade. Sometimes he could almost feel it beneath the rigid control she exerted. God, he wanted to share that pain. He wanted to share everything she felt, everything she was.
He turned away from the cellarette and moved toward the door. It was going to be an uphill battle all the way to gain her trust as well as her love. He had better try to get some sleep in order to be ready to begin that struggle.Perhaps he’d take her out on the yacht tomorrow. It would get them away from the intimacy of the villa and might put her at ease. He could try it, anyway. At this point, he’d try damn near anything that had even a chance of success.
T HE SUN WAS marvelously warm on her face, the breeze a soft caress scented delicately with salt and the musk-mint scent she had come to associate with Clancy. Something light fell across her knees, and Lisa reluctantly opened her eyes to see the blue cotton shirt Clancy had been wearing now draped across her outstretched legs.
“Keep covered,” he said tersely. “You’re too fair to be exposed to a strong sun for long periods without protection. You should have wornslacks instead of those shorts. Don’t you ever go to the beach?”
“When I get the chance. New York in the winter doesn’t offer many opportunities for sunbathing.” He certainly didn’t need to worry about burning, she thought as her eyes traveled idly over him. His massive shoulders and broad, corded chest were as deeply bronzed as his face and rippled with power in the afternoon sunlight. The triangle of dark hair, lightly peppered with gray, matted his chest, then narrowed to a thin line before disappearing into the low-slung waistband of his jeans. Lisa felt a sudden tingling in her palms as she wondered what it would feel like to put her hands on that springy cloud. Hurriedly she shut her eyes, closing him out. “Is it very hot in Sedikhan?”
“Yes, it’s mostly desert country. The hills can be very pleasant in the summer, though.” She could sense that his gaze was riveted on her, and she shifted uneasily in the canvas chair. There was a short silence, and then Clancy said, “Thank you for coming today. I was afraid you’d
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