Read Online Caprice by Amanda Carpenter - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Amanda Carpenter
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things close to him, and then poured.
'Would either of you like breakfast?' the older lady then asked.
Caprice, who had been watching silently, reached for her offered cup
and declined with a smile. After letting her reply first, Pierce shook
his head, and the housekeeper left.
She stared into her cup, fine bone china, and concentrated on sitting
very still. His eyes ran over her slowly, and she could almost feel it
as a physical touch. A muscle bunched in her jaw, a quick pulsing
reflex.
'What an enigma you are,' he said then, leaning forward to put his
elbows on the dark grained wood. 'Contradictory, sympathetic, light-
hearted, angry, inconstant. Unfathomable, when you choose. Shall I
hazard a guess?'
'Would I be able to stop you?' she asked mockingly, though not
unkindly. She sent a fleeting glance at him, and found him smiling at
her, dark head angled.
He didn't bother to answer that. 'I think,' he said softly, and she nearly
jumped out of her skin when she felt a finger touch delicately at her
rigid jaw. 'I think that you're fully aware that J find you very
attractive. And I also think that you're attracted to me.' The finger
traced down her neck. She turned her face away and stared blindly
across the room. 'And far from the mindless unreliability you seem to
wish to convey, I believe you're motivated by a whole complex rash
of reasoning I can only guess at. There's a deep person in that lovely
body, underneath all those layers. It's just a matter of finding her.'
That muscle in her jaw was not rigid. It was trembling, and she
turned to stare into Pierce's eyes. 'How amusing,' she said, and was
shocked at herself for, instead of it coming out lightly as she'd
intended, the words, and her face, were stark.
His eyes quickened. His hand then went under her shirt collar to cup
the nape of her neck. She told herself she should want to draw back,
but her head felt heavy, willing to be propelled to him as he leaned
forward and kissed her with gentle, open lips. Her eyelids fell.
Neither heard the sounds of people approaching. Caprice felt as
though she were falling deep into the sensation of his warm, curved
lips and the coffee scent within his mouth. There was a noise at the
open doorway. She saw Pierce draw back, and then turn his head to
look, quite calmly. In turn, she knew he must have seen the startled,
shaken awareness that she felt quiver over her features, but she could
not control it.
She deliberately took an extra second, forcing herself under control
while Pierce exchanged greetings with his mother, Jeffrey, and
Roxanne. Then she turned very blandly and smiled at the three,
noting the various reactions of rage, jealousy, and sheer, simple
consternation.
Later that morning, after the others were downstairs, an idle
discussion was held as to how they would spend their time until the
first of them had to leave that afternoon. Pierce had excused himself
from the dining room with a quiet word, and a strange look at
Caprice. Jeffrey was ignoring her for the moment, and Roxanne acted
thoughtful and withdrawn. Why life had to be so unnecessarily
complicated, she wearily did not know.
Quite soon, the possibility of swimming was brought up for, as Ralph
put it, though the weekend had been balmy today it was actually
quite hot. Caprice kept silent, with a rather set expression, as the
others quickly and enthusiastically agreed that a swim in the lake
would be nice, and so it was settled. With a wry twist of her mouth,
she looked at Roxanne, who suddenly looked quite understanding,
for the brunette was the only one who knew her well enough to be
aware of her aversion to deep water.
The group tramped upstairs to change into swimsuits if they had
brought one, or to borrow one from Jeffrey, as the family kept several
in various sizes for just such an occasion. Roxanne stopped Caprice
just outside her door.
'Look, you don't have to swim if you don't want.'
She smiled
'Would either of you like breakfast?' the older lady then asked.
Caprice, who had been watching silently, reached for her offered cup
and declined with a smile. After letting her reply first, Pierce shook
his head, and the housekeeper left.
She stared into her cup, fine bone china, and concentrated on sitting
very still. His eyes ran over her slowly, and she could almost feel it
as a physical touch. A muscle bunched in her jaw, a quick pulsing
reflex.
'What an enigma you are,' he said then, leaning forward to put his
elbows on the dark grained wood. 'Contradictory, sympathetic, light-
hearted, angry, inconstant. Unfathomable, when you choose. Shall I
hazard a guess?'
'Would I be able to stop you?' she asked mockingly, though not
unkindly. She sent a fleeting glance at him, and found him smiling at
her, dark head angled.
He didn't bother to answer that. 'I think,' he said softly, and she nearly
jumped out of her skin when she felt a finger touch delicately at her
rigid jaw. 'I think that you're fully aware that J find you very
attractive. And I also think that you're attracted to me.' The finger
traced down her neck. She turned her face away and stared blindly
across the room. 'And far from the mindless unreliability you seem to
wish to convey, I believe you're motivated by a whole complex rash
of reasoning I can only guess at. There's a deep person in that lovely
body, underneath all those layers. It's just a matter of finding her.'
That muscle in her jaw was not rigid. It was trembling, and she
turned to stare into Pierce's eyes. 'How amusing,' she said, and was
shocked at herself for, instead of it coming out lightly as she'd
intended, the words, and her face, were stark.
His eyes quickened. His hand then went under her shirt collar to cup
the nape of her neck. She told herself she should want to draw back,
but her head felt heavy, willing to be propelled to him as he leaned
forward and kissed her with gentle, open lips. Her eyelids fell.
Neither heard the sounds of people approaching. Caprice felt as
though she were falling deep into the sensation of his warm, curved
lips and the coffee scent within his mouth. There was a noise at the
open doorway. She saw Pierce draw back, and then turn his head to
look, quite calmly. In turn, she knew he must have seen the startled,
shaken awareness that she felt quiver over her features, but she could
not control it.
She deliberately took an extra second, forcing herself under control
while Pierce exchanged greetings with his mother, Jeffrey, and
Roxanne. Then she turned very blandly and smiled at the three,
noting the various reactions of rage, jealousy, and sheer, simple
consternation.
Later that morning, after the others were downstairs, an idle
discussion was held as to how they would spend their time until the
first of them had to leave that afternoon. Pierce had excused himself
from the dining room with a quiet word, and a strange look at
Caprice. Jeffrey was ignoring her for the moment, and Roxanne acted
thoughtful and withdrawn. Why life had to be so unnecessarily
complicated, she wearily did not know.
Quite soon, the possibility of swimming was brought up for, as Ralph
put it, though the weekend had been balmy today it was actually
quite hot. Caprice kept silent, with a rather set expression, as the
others quickly and enthusiastically agreed that a swim in the lake
would be nice, and so it was settled. With a wry twist of her mouth,
she looked at Roxanne, who suddenly looked quite understanding,
for the brunette was the only one who knew her well enough to be
aware of her aversion to deep water.
The group tramped upstairs to change into swimsuits if they had
brought one, or to borrow one from Jeffrey, as the family kept several
in various sizes for just such an occasion. Roxanne stopped Caprice
just outside her door.
'Look, you don't have to swim if you don't want.'
She smiled
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