Read Online Taming the Last St Claire by Carole Mortimer - Free Book Online
Authors: Carole Mortimer
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experiencing an uncharacteristic reluctance to engage in another bout of verbal sparring with him.
Now this…
‘What do you mean?’ she asked incredulously.
‘Stop playing the innocent, Joey.’ Gideon began to pace the office restlessly. ‘I should have guessed this past two days of relative peace and quiet were just the calm before the storm. You’ve just been biding your time, haven’t you?’ He gave Joey no opportunity to reply before continuing. ‘Lulling me into a false sense of security before hitting out!’
‘I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about, Gideon,’ Joey informed him stiltedly as she stood up slowly. So much for the peace and quiet! ‘Why on earth would you assume that
I
had let down the tyres on your car? ‘
‘Who the hell knows how your mind works?’ he asked, throwing his hands up into the air. ‘Maybe because I openly showed my aversion to allowing you to work here in the first place—’
‘Let’s get one thing clear, Gideon—
you
didn’t
allow
me to do anything,’ Joey cut in forcefully, her eyes flashing a warning. ‘As I’ve already told you, my arrangement is with Lucan—and has absolutely nothing to do with you. Your own feelings in the matter are of absolutely no interest to me,’ she added scathingly.
‘I advise you
make
them of interest,’ he advised coldly.
‘I don’t care to,’ Joey snapped.
‘Oh, but you
do
care,’ Gideon said silkily. ‘You obviously care very much.’
Joey blinked, a shutter coming down over her emotions as she wondered if she could in some way have revealed her growing physical attraction to this man. Although howand when she could have done that, considering she hadn’t even seen Gideon for the past two days, she had no idea!
‘Care about
you?
I don’t think so!’ she scorned.
‘Of course not about me personally.’ Gideon dismissed the idea impatiently, making her breathe an inward sigh of relief. ‘But no matter how you may have dismissed the idea on Monday I believe you care very much about the fact that I should have consulted with you over the Newman case. And you also feel that once I became aware of what Newman was up to I should have informed you and left you to handle the problem, rather than stepping in and dealing with it myself.’
Joey gave a terse inclination of her head. ‘Of course I care about that. If for no other reason than that you should have done both those things out of professional courtesy, if nothing else!’
‘I tried to explain and apologise on Monday—’
‘Two months later!’ Her voice rose. She was very aware that it was the sexual tension that had been slowly building inside her over the past two days that was responsible for her shrewishness now, as much as anything else. ‘The fact that you didn’t so much as consider my feelings at the time is indicative of how your own inability to feel emotion makes you blind to how another person is feeling.’
‘What exactly do you mean by that?’ he asked, dangerously calm.
‘Oh, come on, Gideon,’ Joey said with a short laugh. ‘We both know that if your ability to show emotion was compared to that of an iceberg, the iceberg would win every time!’
Gideon looked at Joey from between lowered lids, noting the softness of her red hair. The blouse she was wearing today was of a shimmering red that brought out the blonde and cinnamon highlights in those short tresses andher breasts were a full and tantalising swell beneath that silky material. As for the way her black knee-length skirt moulded to the curve of her hips and perfect bottom…Well, what would she have to say about his lack of emotion if she were to realise how many times just thinking about her these past few days had caused his body to harden and throb?
Just as he was hard and throbbing now…
His eyes narrowed to golden slits as he slowly walked towards her. ‘That’s really what you think of me? That I’m incapable of feeling emotion? ‘
Joey took
Now this…
‘What do you mean?’ she asked incredulously.
‘Stop playing the innocent, Joey.’ Gideon began to pace the office restlessly. ‘I should have guessed this past two days of relative peace and quiet were just the calm before the storm. You’ve just been biding your time, haven’t you?’ He gave Joey no opportunity to reply before continuing. ‘Lulling me into a false sense of security before hitting out!’
‘I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about, Gideon,’ Joey informed him stiltedly as she stood up slowly. So much for the peace and quiet! ‘Why on earth would you assume that
I
had let down the tyres on your car? ‘
‘Who the hell knows how your mind works?’ he asked, throwing his hands up into the air. ‘Maybe because I openly showed my aversion to allowing you to work here in the first place—’
‘Let’s get one thing clear, Gideon—
you
didn’t
allow
me to do anything,’ Joey cut in forcefully, her eyes flashing a warning. ‘As I’ve already told you, my arrangement is with Lucan—and has absolutely nothing to do with you. Your own feelings in the matter are of absolutely no interest to me,’ she added scathingly.
‘I advise you
make
them of interest,’ he advised coldly.
‘I don’t care to,’ Joey snapped.
‘Oh, but you
do
care,’ Gideon said silkily. ‘You obviously care very much.’
Joey blinked, a shutter coming down over her emotions as she wondered if she could in some way have revealed her growing physical attraction to this man. Although howand when she could have done that, considering she hadn’t even seen Gideon for the past two days, she had no idea!
‘Care about
you?
I don’t think so!’ she scorned.
‘Of course not about me personally.’ Gideon dismissed the idea impatiently, making her breathe an inward sigh of relief. ‘But no matter how you may have dismissed the idea on Monday I believe you care very much about the fact that I should have consulted with you over the Newman case. And you also feel that once I became aware of what Newman was up to I should have informed you and left you to handle the problem, rather than stepping in and dealing with it myself.’
Joey gave a terse inclination of her head. ‘Of course I care about that. If for no other reason than that you should have done both those things out of professional courtesy, if nothing else!’
‘I tried to explain and apologise on Monday—’
‘Two months later!’ Her voice rose. She was very aware that it was the sexual tension that had been slowly building inside her over the past two days that was responsible for her shrewishness now, as much as anything else. ‘The fact that you didn’t so much as consider my feelings at the time is indicative of how your own inability to feel emotion makes you blind to how another person is feeling.’
‘What exactly do you mean by that?’ he asked, dangerously calm.
‘Oh, come on, Gideon,’ Joey said with a short laugh. ‘We both know that if your ability to show emotion was compared to that of an iceberg, the iceberg would win every time!’
Gideon looked at Joey from between lowered lids, noting the softness of her red hair. The blouse she was wearing today was of a shimmering red that brought out the blonde and cinnamon highlights in those short tresses andher breasts were a full and tantalising swell beneath that silky material. As for the way her black knee-length skirt moulded to the curve of her hips and perfect bottom…Well, what would she have to say about his lack of emotion if she were to realise how many times just thinking about her these past few days had caused his body to harden and throb?
Just as he was hard and throbbing now…
His eyes narrowed to golden slits as he slowly walked towards her. ‘That’s really what you think of me? That I’m incapable of feeling emotion? ‘
Joey took
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