Read Online Tainted by Brooke Morgan - Free Book Online Page A

you.”
    She took the lobster, used the shears to cut it down the middle of the tail, pulled the chunky white meat out. “This is the best part, in my opinion. I’ll show you how to do the claws later.”
    â€œGuess I’m not a real Alpha Male.” Cutting off a piece, he dipped it in the butter and ate it. “Mmmmm, delicious. Thank you.”
    â€œYou’re welcome.” She did the same with her own lobster and had a huge, buttery mouthful. “Are your parents upset that you moved over here?”
    â€œMy parents are dead.”
    She was wiping the butter off her mouth with a napkin when he said it.
    â€œI’m so sorry. Oh, God.” She put the napkin down, her stomach turning. “That’s terrible. I’m so sorry, Jack.”
    â€œThey died in a car crash when I was eighteen. It’s a conversation stopper, I know.” He pulled off one of the little side legs, stared at it. “I’ve never worked out whether you eat these things or not. What’s the idea? Are you supposed to suck them?”
    â€œMy parents both died too—when I was twenty.”
    He looked up at her then, held her brown eyes with his blue ones, his gaze so compassionate she felt they were trading worlds of unspoken emotion.
    â€œI’m sorry too,” he said softly.
    â€œThanks. You must miss them horribly.”
    â€œThere’s something you should learn about Englishmen, Holly Barrett. We don’t talk if talking involves any emotion. We change the subject or we make a joke or we order another drink.”
    â€œReally?”
    â€œAbsolutely. But we can talk about books or movies or sports. Who’s your team in the Premier League?”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œA bad joke. OK, what’s your favorite movie?”
    â€œ Notorious —it’s an old Hitchcock movie with Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman.”
    â€œI know it. Great choice. Mine’s A Beautiful Mind . Have you seen it?”
    â€œNo, I always wanted to, though.”
    â€œRussell Crowe’s brilliant. He was once on an Australian soap that has a kind of cult following in England—called Neighbors . Anyway, what about books? I know it’s an obvious topic of conversation, but films and books are a shortcut to getting to know someone, aren’t they?”
    Bryan Adams was belting out “Summer of ’69” in the background, numbers kept being shouted out, but Holly and Jack managed to have an intense conversation about books and movies. She was surprised by how much he’d read, embarrassed that she hadn’t heard of some of the authors he mentioned.
    â€œDid you major in English at college?”
    â€œDidn’t go to college—university. I had to work. But listen, you know what I’d like to do?” He was leaning back against the booth. One hand was resting on the top edge of the seat. “Do you know somewhere we could take a walk by the water? I’d really like to get out by the sea. Oh, I’m sorry—that’s rude—I haven’t asked you if you’d like dessert.”
    â€œNo, I don’t want dessert, thanks. And yes, I know a place we could walk by the water. There’s a beach right next to my house.”
    â€œExcellent. Can you drive me? I caught a lift here.”
    â€œAbsolutely—we can go together in my car. I’ve only had one glass of wine, so I’m fine to drive.”
    â€œWe’ve already paid so we can go now, can’t we? That’s one of the advantages of a place like this—you don’t have to wait around for some recalcitrant waiter like me to bring you the bill.”
    â€œRecalcitrant?” Holly slid across the booth and got out. “I guess with all the reading you do, it’s natural to use a word like recalcitrant.”
    â€œI’m just trying to impress you.” He grabbed her hand and held it as they walked out.
    â€œHang on a second, will