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Authors: Cherish D'Angelo
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mentally cursed her sudden weakness. What the hell had gotten into her? She never reacted this way to men. Ever. All the men she ' d met were uninteresting and forgettable. She could shrug them off because she never allowed them to impact her emotions. Or her life.
But how many men like Jonathan had she met? She ' d spent ye ars holed up with old people―dying people. She ' d cut herself off from the world of dating and romance. She didn ' t want or need a man to complete her, and she certainly could live without physical intimacy.
Yet, here she was wishing Jonathan would kiss her.
She had to think of something else. Anything else.
Higginson ' s face came to mind. How would he react if saw her stretched out on a sofa, sipping wine with an extremely attractive man? A man who oozed sensuality and made her want to―
Don ' t think of that, R hianna!
If Higginson could see her now, he ' d probably faint.
She giggled at the thought.
" What ' s so funny? " Jonathan asked softly.
" I, um, was just thinking about someone back in Florida. He ' d have a fit if he knew I was stranded here. "
Another warning flashed in Jonathan ' s eyes.
Oh for crying out loud, she thought. What ' s he ticked off about this time?
" You were given a holiday, " he said in a tight voice. " If I were you I ' d take advantage of it. " He finished his wine in one quick gulp and stood up. " I don ' t expect you to teach Misty, then hide in your room for the rest of the day. There are lots of things you can do to entertain yourself, and if you get really bored, just remind yourself it ' s only for six weeks. Maybe less if I get the parts for the radio before then. "
" I thought you said the parts you needed were in the boxes Roland brought you. "
He gave her a dry smile. " You mean the boxes that were left behind? "
She winced. " Oh…crap. "
Jonathan raised a brow. " Crap? That ' s it? "
" I ' m sorry, but it wasn ' t my fault. "
" Then whose fault was it? "
From the stormy expression in Jonathan ' s eyes, Rhianna knew a tempest was brewing. One that was out of her control.
" Your presence has uprooted my quiet life here, " he said. " Not only was I not expecting company, you managed to leave behind the one box we needed the most. Without a radio, we ' re at the mercy of fate. "
She chewed her lip. " Let ' s just make the best of it. "
" The best of it. " His mouth turned down. " I guess that ' s what I should expect from a spoiled city girl. "
" Hey! " She jumped to her feet, swaying slightly from the wine. " I am not a city girl. I was raised in a small town in Maine, I ' ll have you know. " She let out an unladylike snort. " And I ' m far from spoiled. You have no idea how hard I ' ve had to work. "
" I ' m sure you do work…hard. "
She glared at him, unable to wrap her tongue around a simple retort that would put him in his place. That ticked her off even more.
" Maybe your employer was planning on joining you on your holiday, " he added. " I bet he ' s married too. Rich and married. "
Rhianna was in complete shock. The fact that Jonathan saw her as nothing more than some rich guy ' s play toy was beyond comprehension.
A surge of ancient guilt brought bile to the back of her throat. Peter Waverley ' s face flashed before her. He ' d thought she was a play toy too, an innocent child who would never argue…or fight back.
Don ' t think about that!
Looking into Jonathan ' s eyes, a knifelike pang pierced her heart. " You don ' t know me, Mr. Tyler, " she said coldly. " And you have no right to judge me. "
" If you ' re teaching my daughter, I damned well do. "
" I volunteered, " she snapped. " You seem to have forgotten that. "
She watched the muscles contract in Jonathan ' s neck as he clenched his teeth. Without a word, he strode to the bar and poured another glass of wine before speaking.
" Maybe I need to reconsider your offer. "
" What? " Rhianna was enraged. " Of all the― "
" I ' d watch it if I were you. "
The
But how many men like Jonathan had she met? She ' d spent ye ars holed up with old people―dying people. She ' d cut herself off from the world of dating and romance. She didn ' t want or need a man to complete her, and she certainly could live without physical intimacy.
Yet, here she was wishing Jonathan would kiss her.
She had to think of something else. Anything else.
Higginson ' s face came to mind. How would he react if saw her stretched out on a sofa, sipping wine with an extremely attractive man? A man who oozed sensuality and made her want to―
Don ' t think of that, R hianna!
If Higginson could see her now, he ' d probably faint.
She giggled at the thought.
" What ' s so funny? " Jonathan asked softly.
" I, um, was just thinking about someone back in Florida. He ' d have a fit if he knew I was stranded here. "
Another warning flashed in Jonathan ' s eyes.
Oh for crying out loud, she thought. What ' s he ticked off about this time?
" You were given a holiday, " he said in a tight voice. " If I were you I ' d take advantage of it. " He finished his wine in one quick gulp and stood up. " I don ' t expect you to teach Misty, then hide in your room for the rest of the day. There are lots of things you can do to entertain yourself, and if you get really bored, just remind yourself it ' s only for six weeks. Maybe less if I get the parts for the radio before then. "
" I thought you said the parts you needed were in the boxes Roland brought you. "
He gave her a dry smile. " You mean the boxes that were left behind? "
She winced. " Oh…crap. "
Jonathan raised a brow. " Crap? That ' s it? "
" I ' m sorry, but it wasn ' t my fault. "
" Then whose fault was it? "
From the stormy expression in Jonathan ' s eyes, Rhianna knew a tempest was brewing. One that was out of her control.
" Your presence has uprooted my quiet life here, " he said. " Not only was I not expecting company, you managed to leave behind the one box we needed the most. Without a radio, we ' re at the mercy of fate. "
She chewed her lip. " Let ' s just make the best of it. "
" The best of it. " His mouth turned down. " I guess that ' s what I should expect from a spoiled city girl. "
" Hey! " She jumped to her feet, swaying slightly from the wine. " I am not a city girl. I was raised in a small town in Maine, I ' ll have you know. " She let out an unladylike snort. " And I ' m far from spoiled. You have no idea how hard I ' ve had to work. "
" I ' m sure you do work…hard. "
She glared at him, unable to wrap her tongue around a simple retort that would put him in his place. That ticked her off even more.
" Maybe your employer was planning on joining you on your holiday, " he added. " I bet he ' s married too. Rich and married. "
Rhianna was in complete shock. The fact that Jonathan saw her as nothing more than some rich guy ' s play toy was beyond comprehension.
A surge of ancient guilt brought bile to the back of her throat. Peter Waverley ' s face flashed before her. He ' d thought she was a play toy too, an innocent child who would never argue…or fight back.
Don ' t think about that!
Looking into Jonathan ' s eyes, a knifelike pang pierced her heart. " You don ' t know me, Mr. Tyler, " she said coldly. " And you have no right to judge me. "
" If you ' re teaching my daughter, I damned well do. "
" I volunteered, " she snapped. " You seem to have forgotten that. "
She watched the muscles contract in Jonathan ' s neck as he clenched his teeth. Without a word, he strode to the bar and poured another glass of wine before speaking.
" Maybe I need to reconsider your offer. "
" What? " Rhianna was enraged. " Of all the― "
" I ' d watch it if I were you. "
The
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