Read Online Kelly's Man by Rosemary Carter - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Rosemary Carter
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quite still. Her body was rigid with shock. The cottage lay in a different direction from the hotel and the rondavels. They could not be walking the same way. Unless... But no! She had not misunderstood what Mary had said to her earlier that day.
'I don't think I understand.' Her voice was stiff.
'No?' The low chuckle rang out in the dark, close beside her—too close. The sound of it was so sensuous that it set Kelly's pulses racing. 'It's quite simple. We're both sleeping in the cottage.'
'No!' she cried urgently.
'Yes.' Casually, but with unmistakable finality.
'But Mary said ... she said...—it was hard to speak through the dryness in her throat—'you'd be sleeping in the hotel, and...'
'I'm sure she did say that,' Nicholas agreed pleasantly.
Kelly stared at him incredulously. 'She—lied to me?'
'Nothing so dramatic.' There was a mocking crispness in his tone, as if he found her confusion amusing. 'I had in fact meant to sleep at the hotel.But a couple arrived just before dinner. There was no spare room for them. I gave them mine.'
'They had a booking?' Kelly asked tautly.
'No.'
'You could have turned them away.'.
'That would have been foolish,' Nicholas said smoothly. 'Great Peaks needs every penny it can get. Especially now.' He put his hand on her arm and propelled her forward. 'Come along, Kelly. It's getting late.'
She was silent as she shook her arm from his grip, wishing that his touch did not do such alarming things to her senses. She needed to think, and she could not do that when the blood was pounding in her head.
'I won't sleep with you,' she said at length.
'I don't remember suggesting it.' Again the mockery which she so hated. 'Though I don't deny the idea is tempting. You're a desirable female, as Andrew Lang no doubt wasted no time in telling you.'
'Andrew Lang is a gentleman,' she threw out burningly.
'Where sex is concerned?' Nicholas questioned idly. 'I wonder.'
'You're the most hateful man I ever met!' Her voice -was low. 'You will not sleep with me, Nicholas.'
'Not "with", my dear Kelly,' he agreed equably, 'but alongside.'
She thought of the double bed, and shivered. She could not sleep with Nicholas in that bed. Even if he did not touch her, and she doubted if she could trust him on that score, there would be no sleep for her with the long virile body at her side.
'Please, Nicholas..Her voice was eloquent with pleading. 'We can't ... I can't ...'A little desperately she searched for a convincing argument. 'What would Gary think if he knew?'
"Your fiance has showed very little interest up to this point. There's no reason why he should start now.'
'You take every chance to belittle him, yet he's worth ten of your kind, Nicholas Van Mijden.' Kelly wished that she sounded more positive. 'Anyway, this conversation is futile. It's solving nothing.'
'As far as I'm concerned there's nothing to solve.' There was no mockery in the vibrant voice now. No derision. Just a complete lack of concern.
'You know that I will under no circumstances spend the night in the cottage with you.'
'And every room at the hotel is occupied.' Nicholas paused. When he spoke again his words were deliberate. 'Since the idea of sharing a bed with me is so distasteful, why don't you ask Andrew Lang if he will let you in for the night?'
Kelly bit her lip. 'You know I can't do that,' she said unhappily.
'Why not? Since he's so pure your virtue would be protected.' And now the mockery was back, hard and biting. 'If you do have any virtue left to protect.'
They were at the cottage now. Kelly spun round, caught by the meaning in his tone. He was so close to her that she had to lean against the door, but even then she could feel his warmth reaching her through the thin fabric of her clothes. 'What the hell are you trying to say?'
'Only that the role of outraged virgin doesn't suit you.'
It was hard to breathe through the tightness in her chest, a tightness that owed less to the malice of his words than to a
'I don't think I understand.' Her voice was stiff.
'No?' The low chuckle rang out in the dark, close beside her—too close. The sound of it was so sensuous that it set Kelly's pulses racing. 'It's quite simple. We're both sleeping in the cottage.'
'No!' she cried urgently.
'Yes.' Casually, but with unmistakable finality.
'But Mary said ... she said...—it was hard to speak through the dryness in her throat—'you'd be sleeping in the hotel, and...'
'I'm sure she did say that,' Nicholas agreed pleasantly.
Kelly stared at him incredulously. 'She—lied to me?'
'Nothing so dramatic.' There was a mocking crispness in his tone, as if he found her confusion amusing. 'I had in fact meant to sleep at the hotel.But a couple arrived just before dinner. There was no spare room for them. I gave them mine.'
'They had a booking?' Kelly asked tautly.
'No.'
'You could have turned them away.'.
'That would have been foolish,' Nicholas said smoothly. 'Great Peaks needs every penny it can get. Especially now.' He put his hand on her arm and propelled her forward. 'Come along, Kelly. It's getting late.'
She was silent as she shook her arm from his grip, wishing that his touch did not do such alarming things to her senses. She needed to think, and she could not do that when the blood was pounding in her head.
'I won't sleep with you,' she said at length.
'I don't remember suggesting it.' Again the mockery which she so hated. 'Though I don't deny the idea is tempting. You're a desirable female, as Andrew Lang no doubt wasted no time in telling you.'
'Andrew Lang is a gentleman,' she threw out burningly.
'Where sex is concerned?' Nicholas questioned idly. 'I wonder.'
'You're the most hateful man I ever met!' Her voice -was low. 'You will not sleep with me, Nicholas.'
'Not "with", my dear Kelly,' he agreed equably, 'but alongside.'
She thought of the double bed, and shivered. She could not sleep with Nicholas in that bed. Even if he did not touch her, and she doubted if she could trust him on that score, there would be no sleep for her with the long virile body at her side.
'Please, Nicholas..Her voice was eloquent with pleading. 'We can't ... I can't ...'A little desperately she searched for a convincing argument. 'What would Gary think if he knew?'
"Your fiance has showed very little interest up to this point. There's no reason why he should start now.'
'You take every chance to belittle him, yet he's worth ten of your kind, Nicholas Van Mijden.' Kelly wished that she sounded more positive. 'Anyway, this conversation is futile. It's solving nothing.'
'As far as I'm concerned there's nothing to solve.' There was no mockery in the vibrant voice now. No derision. Just a complete lack of concern.
'You know that I will under no circumstances spend the night in the cottage with you.'
'And every room at the hotel is occupied.' Nicholas paused. When he spoke again his words were deliberate. 'Since the idea of sharing a bed with me is so distasteful, why don't you ask Andrew Lang if he will let you in for the night?'
Kelly bit her lip. 'You know I can't do that,' she said unhappily.
'Why not? Since he's so pure your virtue would be protected.' And now the mockery was back, hard and biting. 'If you do have any virtue left to protect.'
They were at the cottage now. Kelly spun round, caught by the meaning in his tone. He was so close to her that she had to lean against the door, but even then she could feel his warmth reaching her through the thin fabric of her clothes. 'What the hell are you trying to say?'
'Only that the role of outraged virgin doesn't suit you.'
It was hard to breathe through the tightness in her chest, a tightness that owed less to the malice of his words than to a
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