Read Online Challenge Accepted - A Contemporary Romance by Carol Rose - Free Book Online
Authors: Carol Rose
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wouldn't he understand? "You gave my crew orders that directly contradicted mine. And you knew it because Skip told you so."
Colt made a disgusted sound. "Hayley, Skip stutters every time he talks to me. The only thing I heard him say was something about your compressor being 'okay'. I thought the idiot was afraid he'd mess my compressor up."
"If you'd listen to us 'idiots' sometimes," she retorted, furiously, "you might actually get the picture."
"Oh, I'm getting the picture okay," he shot back, his ne ck reddening. "And what I'm seeing is a woman who's so hung up on her independence and so insecure in her own abilities that she sees threats where they don't exist. "
Hayley jerked back as if she'd been slapped.
"How dare you," she breathed, her voice stunned. "You don't have any idea what threats I've had to conquer, how long and hard I've fought to get where I am."
"Maybe I don't," said Colt, his voice flat now. "But I'm damned tired of being cast as the villain. It's time you learned that no one can steal authority and respect from you. If you lose it, you do that on your own."
He half-turned and then swung back to face her. "And one more thing. I've taken it upon myself to report our progress to Mrs. Latham. I suppose that's taking your authority, too."
"You went to the president of the Preserva tion Society without even telling me?" she demanded incredulously.
"Yes," replied Colt. "I picked up the phone and reported everything factually. Pretty damn subversive of me, wasn't it?"
She watched in angry disbelief as Colt turned and strode down the stairs.
CHAPTER SIX
Colt parked the Suburban at the curb in front of Palmer House and killed the purring engine. He stared into the dark night, his mind overloaded with frustration and self-reproach.
No way in hell was he going to sleep at this point, so he might as well check the day's progress. He'd intended to come by the house after his confrontation with Hayley, but it had taken all of the afternoon and most of the evening for him to calm down.
Colt got out of the Suburban, taking his flashlight but not turning it on, as he walked up the long cracked sidewalk. Palmer House stood silent and ghostlike in the moonlight, its gardens alive with night insects and the whispering breeze. Dodging the overgrown shrubs and rose bushes that encroached the walk, Colt paused by the gazebo.
Images of Hayley flooded his mind; the memory of her in his arms seduced him with the power of fantasy. If he let himself, he could remember the taste of her, the sweet scent of her skin. Colt turned, rolling his shoulders in an attempt to release the sudden tightness.
He couldn't seem to do a damn thing right--certainly not with Hayley. She had the attraction of a siren, her eyes mischievous and beckoning. Yet whenever he followed the prompting of his own powerful response, she danced away like a vision, maddening and ever-desirable.
Colt stopped in the shadow of a tall oak, studying the house, its gables and curlicues fanciful in the moonlight. From the crested rooftop to the wide, wrap-around veranda, it seemed like something out of a fantasy.
A sudden movement caught his eye. Colt frowned into the night, his gaze caught by the flurry of motion on the veranda.
Across the moon-drenched yard, he could see someone dancing. The woman twirled gracefully, her body half-hidden by shadows as she turned and swayed.
A nameless emotion stole the breath from Colt's lungs. As her steps carried her into a patch of light, Hayley was silhouetted against the pale backdrop of the house.
She cl early thought herself alone, her supple, beautiful movement in harmony with a music only she heard. Colt stirred in the shadows, pulled toward her, yet hesitant to break the spell.
Her arms lifted as she arched her body, the tantalizing outline both erotic and innocent.
Sleek and slender, she spun, the unruly straight on her shoulders swaying with her movement.
Colt walked toward her as she twirled, her
Colt made a disgusted sound. "Hayley, Skip stutters every time he talks to me. The only thing I heard him say was something about your compressor being 'okay'. I thought the idiot was afraid he'd mess my compressor up."
"If you'd listen to us 'idiots' sometimes," she retorted, furiously, "you might actually get the picture."
"Oh, I'm getting the picture okay," he shot back, his ne ck reddening. "And what I'm seeing is a woman who's so hung up on her independence and so insecure in her own abilities that she sees threats where they don't exist. "
Hayley jerked back as if she'd been slapped.
"How dare you," she breathed, her voice stunned. "You don't have any idea what threats I've had to conquer, how long and hard I've fought to get where I am."
"Maybe I don't," said Colt, his voice flat now. "But I'm damned tired of being cast as the villain. It's time you learned that no one can steal authority and respect from you. If you lose it, you do that on your own."
He half-turned and then swung back to face her. "And one more thing. I've taken it upon myself to report our progress to Mrs. Latham. I suppose that's taking your authority, too."
"You went to the president of the Preserva tion Society without even telling me?" she demanded incredulously.
"Yes," replied Colt. "I picked up the phone and reported everything factually. Pretty damn subversive of me, wasn't it?"
She watched in angry disbelief as Colt turned and strode down the stairs.
CHAPTER SIX
Colt parked the Suburban at the curb in front of Palmer House and killed the purring engine. He stared into the dark night, his mind overloaded with frustration and self-reproach.
No way in hell was he going to sleep at this point, so he might as well check the day's progress. He'd intended to come by the house after his confrontation with Hayley, but it had taken all of the afternoon and most of the evening for him to calm down.
Colt got out of the Suburban, taking his flashlight but not turning it on, as he walked up the long cracked sidewalk. Palmer House stood silent and ghostlike in the moonlight, its gardens alive with night insects and the whispering breeze. Dodging the overgrown shrubs and rose bushes that encroached the walk, Colt paused by the gazebo.
Images of Hayley flooded his mind; the memory of her in his arms seduced him with the power of fantasy. If he let himself, he could remember the taste of her, the sweet scent of her skin. Colt turned, rolling his shoulders in an attempt to release the sudden tightness.
He couldn't seem to do a damn thing right--certainly not with Hayley. She had the attraction of a siren, her eyes mischievous and beckoning. Yet whenever he followed the prompting of his own powerful response, she danced away like a vision, maddening and ever-desirable.
Colt stopped in the shadow of a tall oak, studying the house, its gables and curlicues fanciful in the moonlight. From the crested rooftop to the wide, wrap-around veranda, it seemed like something out of a fantasy.
A sudden movement caught his eye. Colt frowned into the night, his gaze caught by the flurry of motion on the veranda.
Across the moon-drenched yard, he could see someone dancing. The woman twirled gracefully, her body half-hidden by shadows as she turned and swayed.
A nameless emotion stole the breath from Colt's lungs. As her steps carried her into a patch of light, Hayley was silhouetted against the pale backdrop of the house.
She cl early thought herself alone, her supple, beautiful movement in harmony with a music only she heard. Colt stirred in the shadows, pulled toward her, yet hesitant to break the spell.
Her arms lifted as she arched her body, the tantalizing outline both erotic and innocent.
Sleek and slender, she spun, the unruly straight on her shoulders swaying with her movement.
Colt walked toward her as she twirled, her
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