Read Online An Exception to His Rule by Lindsay Armstrong - Free Book Online
Authors: Lindsay Armstrong
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grinned. ‘He’ll need plenty of support to get through this! He’ll be a nervous wreck.’
Harriet laughed.
Damien put his coffee mug down and simply watched her. Her hair was tied back but becoming wayward as it escaped. Her skin was unbelievably smooth, her hands and wrists slender and elegant, and her eyes were like deep blue velvet and still sparkling with amusement.
He said slowly, with his dark gaze still resting on her, ‘I don’t know how the hell I didn’t see it the first time we met but you’re breathtaking when you laugh.’
‘I had nothing to laugh about at the time,’ she said, still smiling. But gradually it faded as she moved awkwardly and nearly knocked her coffee over.
‘So nothing’s changed?’ he said barely audibly as his gaze tracked her awkward movements.
‘N-no,’ she stammered.
‘It doesn’t make it easier that we’ve both stated our cases and I think we’ve both indicated we’re not talking love ever after?’
Harriet tilted her head as she studied him with a frown in her eyes. ‘No,’ she said slowly.
‘Any special reason?’ he enquired dryly.
‘I’m—I don’t think I’m like that. I seem to be an all or nothing kind of person. In that regard,’ she said thoughtfully.
Damien Wyatt smiled in a way that brought to mind an unamused tiger. ‘You shouldn’t go around saying things like that, Harriet Livingstone.’
‘Why not? I think it’s true.’
‘It’s also an incendiary kind of statement,’ he murmured dryly.
Harriet looked at him wide-eyed. ‘I...I’m not sure what you mean...’ She faltered into silence. Then a flood of colour poured into her cheeks as his meaning became plain and she jumped up so precipitously she took Tottie by surprise and she tripped over her.
This time Damien Wyatt was too far away to rescue her and she’d fallen to her knees when he got to her.
‘It’s all right, I can manage,’ she panted and held a hand out as if to ward him off as she scrambled to her feet. ‘I didn’t mean to...to imply,’ she went on, ‘what you obviously thought I meant to imply.’
‘What was that?’ he enquired and looked as if he was having trouble keeping his face straight as he steadied her with his hands on her waist.
‘That—oh! You know what I mean!’ Her expression was seriously frustrated.
‘That you’re only great in bed when you believe you’re in love?’
She nodded then shook her head, more frustrated than ever. ‘I didn’t say anything about being great in bed and—’
‘I’d like to bet you are, though,’ he broke in.
‘There’s no way you could possibly know that!’ she said heatedly.
He gestured. ‘You’re talking to a guy who’s kissed you, remember?’
Harriet subsided a little. ‘Well,’ she said uncertainly.
‘And you did suggest you were an all or nothing kind of person in that regard, which suggests—which conjures up certain images,’ he said gravely, but she just knew his dark eyes were laughing at her.
She took a distressed breath and formed her hands into fists. ‘Don’t laugh at me,’ she warned.
‘Or?’ he queried, his hands still on her waist. ‘You don’t expect to slug it out with me, do you?’ He eyed her clenched fists.
‘I would like nothing better,’ she confirmed with great feeling again.
‘How about testing out the other side of the coin?’ he suggested, and pulled her closer.
She stiffened and urged herself into battle mode. Resist this, she told herself fiercely. Don’t fall under his spell as you did last time, don’t get mesmerised again. Don’t allow the somehow simply wonderful feeling of being in his arms to overcome you and make you dizzy with delight. Dizzy and delighted because he feels so strong, because he knows just how and where to touch you and arouse you... She started as he spoke again.
‘How about—this?’ And he slid his fingers beneath her top and cupped her breasts.
CHAPTER FOUR
H ARRIET TREMBLED AND he felt it through his
Harriet laughed.
Damien put his coffee mug down and simply watched her. Her hair was tied back but becoming wayward as it escaped. Her skin was unbelievably smooth, her hands and wrists slender and elegant, and her eyes were like deep blue velvet and still sparkling with amusement.
He said slowly, with his dark gaze still resting on her, ‘I don’t know how the hell I didn’t see it the first time we met but you’re breathtaking when you laugh.’
‘I had nothing to laugh about at the time,’ she said, still smiling. But gradually it faded as she moved awkwardly and nearly knocked her coffee over.
‘So nothing’s changed?’ he said barely audibly as his gaze tracked her awkward movements.
‘N-no,’ she stammered.
‘It doesn’t make it easier that we’ve both stated our cases and I think we’ve both indicated we’re not talking love ever after?’
Harriet tilted her head as she studied him with a frown in her eyes. ‘No,’ she said slowly.
‘Any special reason?’ he enquired dryly.
‘I’m—I don’t think I’m like that. I seem to be an all or nothing kind of person. In that regard,’ she said thoughtfully.
Damien Wyatt smiled in a way that brought to mind an unamused tiger. ‘You shouldn’t go around saying things like that, Harriet Livingstone.’
‘Why not? I think it’s true.’
‘It’s also an incendiary kind of statement,’ he murmured dryly.
Harriet looked at him wide-eyed. ‘I...I’m not sure what you mean...’ She faltered into silence. Then a flood of colour poured into her cheeks as his meaning became plain and she jumped up so precipitously she took Tottie by surprise and she tripped over her.
This time Damien Wyatt was too far away to rescue her and she’d fallen to her knees when he got to her.
‘It’s all right, I can manage,’ she panted and held a hand out as if to ward him off as she scrambled to her feet. ‘I didn’t mean to...to imply,’ she went on, ‘what you obviously thought I meant to imply.’
‘What was that?’ he enquired and looked as if he was having trouble keeping his face straight as he steadied her with his hands on her waist.
‘That—oh! You know what I mean!’ Her expression was seriously frustrated.
‘That you’re only great in bed when you believe you’re in love?’
She nodded then shook her head, more frustrated than ever. ‘I didn’t say anything about being great in bed and—’
‘I’d like to bet you are, though,’ he broke in.
‘There’s no way you could possibly know that!’ she said heatedly.
He gestured. ‘You’re talking to a guy who’s kissed you, remember?’
Harriet subsided a little. ‘Well,’ she said uncertainly.
‘And you did suggest you were an all or nothing kind of person in that regard, which suggests—which conjures up certain images,’ he said gravely, but she just knew his dark eyes were laughing at her.
She took a distressed breath and formed her hands into fists. ‘Don’t laugh at me,’ she warned.
‘Or?’ he queried, his hands still on her waist. ‘You don’t expect to slug it out with me, do you?’ He eyed her clenched fists.
‘I would like nothing better,’ she confirmed with great feeling again.
‘How about testing out the other side of the coin?’ he suggested, and pulled her closer.
She stiffened and urged herself into battle mode. Resist this, she told herself fiercely. Don’t fall under his spell as you did last time, don’t get mesmerised again. Don’t allow the somehow simply wonderful feeling of being in his arms to overcome you and make you dizzy with delight. Dizzy and delighted because he feels so strong, because he knows just how and where to touch you and arouse you... She started as he spoke again.
‘How about—this?’ And he slid his fingers beneath her top and cupped her breasts.
CHAPTER FOUR
H ARRIET TREMBLED AND he felt it through his
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