Read Online Say You Love Me by Johanna Lindsey - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Johanna Lindsey
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that implied he found it impossible to believe that she could have.
“Yes. I was apparently exhausted. It was a…trying day.”
“Was it?” More doubt that was impossible to mistake, but then he smiled. “Well, hopefully today will be better. Shall we?” He indicated the door.
She sighed and nodded. The man was behaving exceedingly strangely, but it was nothing to her. Perhaps it wasn’t strange at all and he was naturally skeptical about every little thing. Not that it mattered, when she doubted she’d be seeing him again after today.
He assisted her into the waiting carriage, and the moment his hand touched hers, she felt one of those disturbing reactions again. But that wasn’t why she frowned as he settled into the seat across from her. It was because the carriage was empty.
She didn’t put off asking, “Will we be picking up your friend Jeremy?”
“Jeremy?”
His momentary confusion annoyed her, coming on top of her own confusion, but she repeated calmly, “Yes, Jeremy. Will we be picking him up this morning?”
“Whatever for?” he countered. “We hardly need his company on the way to Bridgewater.” And then he smiled, and she could have sworn his eyes were green again. “Besides, this is a perfect opportunity for us to become better acquainted, and I find I can’t resist another moment finding out what you taste like.”
Before she realized what he was going to do, he was pulling her onto his lap. But she wasn’t the least bit slow in reacting. Before he’d barely got his lips close to hers, she slapped him. He looked at her then as if she had gone crazy. She looked at him in a like manner.
And then he was dumping her back on theseat across from him and saying, albeit quite stiffly, “I don’t know if I’ll be begging your pardon or not, Miss Langton. Considering the hole you put in my pocket yesterday for the exclusive use of your sweet self, I believe an explanation is in order. Or are you under the mistaken impression that I’m like those select few who frequent Lonny’s place because they like their sex a little rough? I can assure you that isn’t the case.”
Her mouth had dropped open at the same time her cheeks had flamed with color. He had bought her. Not Jeremy. And she’d just begun their relationship by slapping him.
“I—I can explain,” she said, feeling a bit sick to her stomach.
“I do hope so, m’dear, because at the moment I’m about to demand my money back.”
9
Kelsey was feeling rather sick. She didn’t know how to explain what she’d just done. And she didn’t know how to explain it because she couldn’t think clearly with Derek scowling at her. The only thing that was clear in her mind just then was that he’d bought her. Him. The one who disturbed her. The one out of the three she had hoped wouldn’t be the one.
And goodness, now she knew why she had hoped it wouldn’t be him. He flustered her so much, she couldn’t think.
“I’m waiting, Miss Langton.”
For what? For what? Oh, yes, for why she’d slapped him. Think , you ninny!
“You startled me,” she said.
“Startled?”
“Yes, startled. I wasn’t expecting you to attack me like that.”
“ Attack you?”
She cringed at the volume he was fast reaching. She was making a muck of explaining. How to make him understand without admitting what an idiot she was. Why hadn’t sheasked immediately which one of them had bought her? She should have asked. Actually, she should have been told. But she never should have assumed.
“A bad choice of words,” she allowed. “But I’m not used to being yanked onto men’s laps and—well, as I said, it startled me and—and I reacted before I thought…”
She didn’t finish. He was still scowling, and she’d run out of excuses. There was nothing for it but to own up to the truth of the matter.
“Very well, if you must know, I didn’t see which of you had bid on me. I only heard Lord Malory mentioned, and when Jeremy was called
“Yes. I was apparently exhausted. It was a…trying day.”
“Was it?” More doubt that was impossible to mistake, but then he smiled. “Well, hopefully today will be better. Shall we?” He indicated the door.
She sighed and nodded. The man was behaving exceedingly strangely, but it was nothing to her. Perhaps it wasn’t strange at all and he was naturally skeptical about every little thing. Not that it mattered, when she doubted she’d be seeing him again after today.
He assisted her into the waiting carriage, and the moment his hand touched hers, she felt one of those disturbing reactions again. But that wasn’t why she frowned as he settled into the seat across from her. It was because the carriage was empty.
She didn’t put off asking, “Will we be picking up your friend Jeremy?”
“Jeremy?”
His momentary confusion annoyed her, coming on top of her own confusion, but she repeated calmly, “Yes, Jeremy. Will we be picking him up this morning?”
“Whatever for?” he countered. “We hardly need his company on the way to Bridgewater.” And then he smiled, and she could have sworn his eyes were green again. “Besides, this is a perfect opportunity for us to become better acquainted, and I find I can’t resist another moment finding out what you taste like.”
Before she realized what he was going to do, he was pulling her onto his lap. But she wasn’t the least bit slow in reacting. Before he’d barely got his lips close to hers, she slapped him. He looked at her then as if she had gone crazy. She looked at him in a like manner.
And then he was dumping her back on theseat across from him and saying, albeit quite stiffly, “I don’t know if I’ll be begging your pardon or not, Miss Langton. Considering the hole you put in my pocket yesterday for the exclusive use of your sweet self, I believe an explanation is in order. Or are you under the mistaken impression that I’m like those select few who frequent Lonny’s place because they like their sex a little rough? I can assure you that isn’t the case.”
Her mouth had dropped open at the same time her cheeks had flamed with color. He had bought her. Not Jeremy. And she’d just begun their relationship by slapping him.
“I—I can explain,” she said, feeling a bit sick to her stomach.
“I do hope so, m’dear, because at the moment I’m about to demand my money back.”
9
Kelsey was feeling rather sick. She didn’t know how to explain what she’d just done. And she didn’t know how to explain it because she couldn’t think clearly with Derek scowling at her. The only thing that was clear in her mind just then was that he’d bought her. Him. The one who disturbed her. The one out of the three she had hoped wouldn’t be the one.
And goodness, now she knew why she had hoped it wouldn’t be him. He flustered her so much, she couldn’t think.
“I’m waiting, Miss Langton.”
For what? For what? Oh, yes, for why she’d slapped him. Think , you ninny!
“You startled me,” she said.
“Startled?”
“Yes, startled. I wasn’t expecting you to attack me like that.”
“ Attack you?”
She cringed at the volume he was fast reaching. She was making a muck of explaining. How to make him understand without admitting what an idiot she was. Why hadn’t sheasked immediately which one of them had bought her? She should have asked. Actually, she should have been told. But she never should have assumed.
“A bad choice of words,” she allowed. “But I’m not used to being yanked onto men’s laps and—well, as I said, it startled me and—and I reacted before I thought…”
She didn’t finish. He was still scowling, and she’d run out of excuses. There was nothing for it but to own up to the truth of the matter.
“Very well, if you must know, I didn’t see which of you had bid on me. I only heard Lord Malory mentioned, and when Jeremy was called
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