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

know what to believe.“
    „Answer me.“
    „I don’t want to believe it,“ she gasped.
    „But do you?“
    She sensed the threat in him and realized he was coldbloodedly furious. „No.“ Kelsey dropped her eyes, staring at the first button of his khaki shirt. „No, I don’t think you’re the blackmailing type.“
    He straightened, letting his hands fall away from the wall. Grim-faced, he went back to his chair. „Well, thanks for that much at least.“
    She glared at his back. „Don’t act as if it’s such a small matter. Considering your high-handed, strong, silent style, it’s a wonder I’m even willing to give you the benefit of a doubt!“
    He shot her a mocking glance. „Ill look on it as a small step toward trust.“
    „A very small step,“ she flung back, seething.
    „Sit down, Kelsey. We’ve got some talking to do this morning.“
    „Are you going to tell me what’s going on between you and Roger?“
    „No.“ He smiled faintly. „Other than to tell you that it’s a personal matter between Roger and me, I’m not going to discuss the subject with you, and you should realize that by now.“
    She held herself very still for a long moment, reading the implacable set of his face. „Then there’s nothing else to talk about, is there?“
    „There’s last night.“
    „Really?“ She moved determinedly back to the table, reaching for her red checkbook.
    „Kelsey, what are you doing?“
    „I’m writing out a check for three thousand dollars. That should cover my family’s obligation to you for the next three months. During that time I will find out just what in hell is going on, and then I’ll decide what to do next.“
    „Don’t be an idiot.“
    „I’ve been an idiot for the past month. I’m trying to recover some lost ground.“ She industriously bent over the check, filling in the blanks and scrawling her name with a flourish.
    „Forget the check, damn it, and look at me, Kelsey.“ He put out a hand to cover her fingers just as she finished signing her name. When she raised her eyes, resentment and wariness clear in them, he went on steadily, „I’m sorry if you were hurt by the fact that I left you alone last night. I honestly didn’t know quite how to handle things. I intended to walk over this morning, maybe take you for a long hike on the beach while we discussed the situation. I thought you’d want some time to yourself when you awoke, though. After all, last night you didn’t want to talk at all, remember?“
    Last night she hadn’t wanted to deal with the traumatic emotional events that had just taken place. She had been struggling between a longing to let herself drift in the physically pleasant afterglow of satisfaction and the knowledge that she was involved in a dangerous dilemma. She had chosen to give herself over to the physical languor.

    Meeting Cole’s steady gaze now, however, Kelsey realized there was no point trying to explain all that to him.
    There wasn’t much use trying to explain anything to a man who didn’t believe in open, honest communication.
    „I remember,“ she whispered.
    His expression softened and so did his voice. „Last night was good, wasn’t it, Kelsey?“
    „Depends what you use to judge it,“ she told him with surprising calm.
    He refused to react to the deliberate provocation, shaking his head with a whimsical smile. „I’m judging it by the way you wrapped yourself around me. By the fierce little demands you made. By the way you called my name and by the way you went up in flames in my hands. Going to deny it?“
    „No,“ she said honestly. „By those standards, it was good. Want to know the truth? It was unlike anything else I’
    ve ever known. It was fantastic.“ She got to her feet abruptly, the check in her hand, aware that she had at last managed to take him by surprise. „I’ll be sure to call you, Cole, the next time I’m in the mood for a terrifically interesting one-night stand. Here’s the three thousand.