Read Online Jordan St Claire: Dark and Dangerous by Carole Mortimer - Free Book Online

minute—’
    ‘I believe I’ve already wasted enough of my time on you for one day.’ Jordan glowered at her from between narrowed lids before his expression turned to a scowl of dark and savage disgust and he looked down to pull the cold dampness of his T-shirt away from his chest.
    Stephanie couldn’t take her gaze away from the muscled perfection of that chest, which was clearly visiblethrough the wet T-shirt. She could feel her face burning with the memory of how much she had wanted to touch that muscled chest a few minutes ago. Of how much she had wanted to touch and caress all of him.
    She turned away to take a towel from the cupboard and dry herself off as a way of hiding the burning in her cheeks, her mind racing with the enormity of what had just happened. World-famous actor Jordan Simpson had just kissed
her,
Stephanie McKinley.
    Before accusing her of deliberately encouraging him so that she could push him into the pool! She certainly
hadn’t
done it deliberately, but had she encouraged him to kiss her? Stephanie didn’t think that she had … although she doubted that Rosalind Newman, for one, would believe that! This was terrible. She was fed up with being portrayed as some kind of scarlet woman. This would surely be the complete end of Stephanie’s professional career if Jordan went ahead and voiced his accusations about her to the cold and arrogant Lucan St Claire.
    Stephanie felt ill. Nauseous. Could literally feel the heat leaving her cheeks. She stumbled over to one of the loungers to collapse onto it as her knees gave way beneath her.
    She might be able to fight one accusation of indulging in sexual indiscretion with a patient—but no one was going to believe two such accusations. Even if Stephanie managed to prove her innocence, some of the mud was sure to stick. Her professional reputation would be in tatters—
    ‘What’s wrong, Stephanie?’ Jordan had moved so that he now towered over her.
    She blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall before looking up at him. God, they both lookedsuch a mess: hair wet and tangled, their clothes clinging to them damply. Although maybe she should feel grateful they were still wearing any clothes at all after the way she had responded to Jordan’s kiss!
    She shook her head as she murmured heavily, ‘That should never have happened …’
    No, it shouldn’t, Jordan accepted, disgusted with himself. He had meant to stay as far away from this woman as possible, and hope that his non-cooperation would eventually persuade her into leaving. Kissing her as if he wanted to eat every delectable part of her could hardly be called non-cooperation on his part!
    Although Stephanie’s guilt over a kiss was a little over the top, wasn’t it?
    Jordan frowned as he stared down into green eyes awash with unshed tears. As he remembered how Stephanie’s responses had been so sweet, so addictive … So much so that Jordan was still aroused, that hardness clearly visible against the clinging denim material of his jeans.
    Obviously the unexpected swim had been no more effective in dampening his desire for this woman than the cold shower had the night before.
    Hell!
    She blinked back those tears. ‘I really didn’t deliberately push you into the pool, Jordan.’
    Jordan already knew that—just as he knew it was himself he was angry with and not Stephanie. ‘I think it’s better if we both forget the whole incident, don’t you?’ he suggested huskily.
    ‘Yes,’ she breathed raggedly.
    He thrust a hand through his wet hair. ‘I suggest we both go back to the gatehouse now, and get out of these wet clothes before taking a shower.’
    ‘Before I leave?’
    ‘I think that would be the best thing for both of us,’ he confirmed heavily.
    ‘Just as well I didn’t unpack completely last night, isn’t it?’ Stephanie muttered dully as she stood up, giving Jordan a clear view of how the yellow T-shirt clung to the fullness of her bare breasts, clearly outlining