Read Online Man with a past by Jayne Ann Krentz - Free Book Online

Kelsey sat down at the glass-topped table, watching as he stepped over to the counter and switched on the coffee machine.
    „Kelsey, you didn’t come here to make nasty remarks about my home. You’ve made it clear you don’t like the place.
    Let’s move on to another subject.“
    „The monthly payoffs Roger is making to you?“ she suggested boldly. She hadn’t cared for the thread of command in his words.

    „How about discussing last night, instead?“ He leaned back against the counter and pinned her with a brooding expression.
    In spite of her determination to remain calm and in control, Kelsey felt the flush that stained her cheeks. „Last night is not on my list of topics open to discussion,“ she bit back tightly.
    „It’s about the only one I’m interested in discussing.“
    His quite resoluteness nearly unnerved her. „You can’t expect me to believe that. You’re the one who makes it a policy never to rehash the past, remember?“
    „That policy applies to my distant past, not the immediate one, and you know it.“
    „Do you have any idea how incredibly arrogant you are?“
    His expression hardened. „I’ve made a few rules for myself and I live by them. You can call that arrogant if you like
    – “
    „I do.“
    „I prefer to call it reasonable and prudent. I also call it my prerogative.“
    Kelsey yanked her eyes from his. Concentrating on the view of the ocean as seen through a row of iron bars, she said, „Forget last night. Any man who truly wanted to discuss last night would have stayed at least until morning.“
    God, she shouldn’t have brought that up, she told herself furiously.
    There was silence behind her, and then Cole was beside the table where she sat. His movement across the kitchen had been virtually soundless. Kelsey felt his fingers on her chin, lifting her face.
    „Is that what this is all about?“ he demanded softly. „Are you on the warpath this morning because I didn’t stay the whole night?“
    „No, damn it, that has nothing to do with the reason I’m here,“ she protested violently.
    He sank down onto the chair next to hers, still cradling her tense face. „Believe me, Kelsey, if I handled that scene all wrong it wasn’t intentional. I told myself that you’d need a little time to yourself this morning. I didn’t want to push you – “
    „You’re joking! You didn’t want to push me? After you’d already pushed me straight into bed?“
    The brackets around his mouth tightened and emotion flickered briefly in the icicle-gray eyes. „You wanted to be there as much as I did.“
    She flinched, but she was too proud to let her eyes falter. „I will admit I learned something last night, Cole; I found out I’m no more immune to the power of sexual attraction than anyone else.“
    „Are you going to tell me that’s all it was for you?“ His thumb moved on her jaw with faint menace. „A bit of sexual adventure?“
    „What else could it have been?“ she got out flippantly. „Assault?“
    „Kelsey, don’t push me too hard, okay? When I’m around you I find my self-control isn’t quite what it should be,“
    he warned gently.
    „I found that out for myself last night.“
    He shook his head and released her. Silently he got to his feet and went to pour two cups of coffee. „That’s about the same time I discovered it, too,“ he announced dryly. „Along with a few other interesting things.“
    Kelsey took a grip on her determination. „As I said, I’m not here to discuss last night.“
    „Ah, yes. You want to know about the thousand a month.“ Cole carried the mugs of coffee over to the table and sat down again. His attention seemed to be focused entirely on not spilling the coffee, as if a man who moved as smoothly as he did needed to be concerned about such a minor act of coordination. „How did you find out about it, Kelsey?“
    She reached for one of the mugs, more out of a desire to find something to do with her suddenly restless hands