Read Online Scandalous Summer Nights by Anne Barton - Free Book Online

America.”
    “It would serve you right.”
    Now it was Olivia’s turn to get up and pace. “And what of you? Do you not bear any responsibility? Not that I would ever dream of implicating you, but one could make the case that you encouraged me.”
    “I encouraged you?”
    “When you kissed me.”
    “Yes,” he snapped dryly, “how could I forget?”
    Ouch. Thrice wounded.
    “Say what you like, James. But I
know
that kiss meantsomething to you. I felt it in the way you held me—like you wanted me all to yourself.” She might have added that he looked at her like she was the last marshmallow on the dessert tray, but she saw no need to belabor the point.
    He sprang up and grasped her shoulders. “Listen to me. That kiss was a mistake. I will not deny that I got carried away, but I did not expect you to be so…” He shrugged helplessly.
    “So
what
?” She had to know.
    “So… passionate,” he said grudgingly. “Or so skilled at kissing.”
    Olivia’s cheeks heated. The compliment—reluctant though it may have been—more than made up for the barbs he’d delivered earlier. “Thank you. I thought you were quite a good kisser, too.”
    James’s eyes narrowed. “Compared to whom?”
    “It’s not important. Do go on.”
    A frown crossed James’s handsome face before he continued. “You must realize that we are not at all suited. You are the sister of a duke. I am a solicitor who is leaving for Egypt at summer’s end. I do not want or need a wife. The sooner you accept that, the better off we both shall be.” With that, he released her arms, strode to the opposite side of the room, and stared out the small window that overlooked the inn’s courtyard.
    “I would wait for you.” Olivia’s voice trembled. “Till you returned from Egypt.”
    “This isn’t just about Egypt,” James said coolly. “You are my best friend’s younger sister. I’ve never been more cognizant of that fact than I am tonight.”
    “Why does that sound like a criticism?”
    “In coming here, you deceived your family and putyourself in jeopardy. It was a stupid, selfish, and incredibly immature thing to do.”
    Until now, Olivia had tried valiantly to imagine she was on a daring and romantic adventure. But James’s words rang true. She hated the thought of worrying her family and would never have resorted to this scheme if it wasn’t her last chance for happiness. For love. “You may be right—”
    “No. I
am
right. From the time you could bat your eyes—which I’d wager was approximately the age of three—you’ve received everything your heart desired. Ponies, fancy frocks, even jewels. Which explains why it’s so difficult for you to accept what I’m saying. And it also explains why we would never suit. I could never make you happy, and you… well, you could never understand me.”
    His harsh assertion echoed in the ensuing silence.
    Olivia’s eyes welled and her nose stung, but crying would only confirm his low opinion of her. “I don’t think you give me enough credit,” she managed. Yes, she’d been blessed with a loving brother and sister. Yes, she’d been born into a life of wealth and privilege. But she knew heartache. She knew the horror and sorrow of finding her father with a bullet hole in his head. She knew the agony of being deserted by her own mother. People she’d thought were her friends had shunned her in her most vulnerable moment.
    But not James. He had been the rare friend who stood by Owen—by all of them.
    Yes, Olivia understood far more than he knew.
    And now, for the first time in—oh,
ever
—she needed to put distance between James and her. “You’ve givenme much to consider,” she choked out. “I think I should return to my room.”
    James’s brows rose a fraction of an inch. “Where you will remain all night?”
    “Yes.” She had neither the energy nor inclination to run off again. Whatever the consequences of her actions, she would face them.
    He felt the back of his