Read Online The Good, the Bad and the Wild by Heidi Rice - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Heidi Rice
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I mean,’ he said sharply, irritated by the flicker of vulnerability and confusion in her eyes. ‘Why do you keep apologising?’
‘I’ve outstayed my welcome,’ she said at last,which was hardly an answer. She lifted the duvet and he got a good look at her slim calves as she put her bare feet on the floor, reminding him how naked she was under his robe. ‘I’ll get my clothes, then get out of your way.’
‘They’re over there.’ He nodded towards the window seat in the bay.
He’d headed straight to the kitchen after waking up, to gulp down a gallon of water—but his throat had dried right up again when he’d spotted her clothing, draped across the living area. It had been hard as hell not to fantasise about taking the skimpy bit of lace and the heavy velvet gown off her as he’d gathered them off the floor and dumped them in the bedroom.
Hence the freezing shower.
‘Thank you.’ She crossed the room to the bay. ‘Do you mind if I use your bathroom? I promise not to hog it this time.’
As she bent to pick up the clothes the robe gaped, and he spotted her nipple, before she covered it hastily.
‘Sure,’ he murmured, determined not to ask the question making his head hurt or give in to the desire to tug the robe off, and make the ripe peak harden against his tongue.
But then she walked past him and his hand shot out to grasp her forearm as the fresh sultry scent of her filled his nostrils. ‘Why me?’ he demanded.
She jerked to a halt, her violet eyes huge. ‘Sorry?’
‘Stop apolo—’ He cut off the surly command, seeing her flinch. ‘What made you pick me?’
Her long lashes hit her cheeks as her gaze dropped away, but she didn’t answer.
‘To be your first?’ he prompted, although he was pretty sure from the nuclear blush fanning out across her chest and spreading up her throat she had understood the question.
‘I don’t…’ She hesitated, her chin still tucked against her chest. ‘When you looked at me that first time, it made me feel…’ She addressed her toes, the words trailing into silence.
It made her feel what? But then he recalled how she had writhed in his arms when he’d undressed her, and figured he knew.
Her chin lifted. ‘I think, possibly, on an entirely subconscious level, when I researched you, I must have decided you would be a good choice. Because you’re so assured, sexually. And I’m not.’
When I researched you .
He released her. Okay, that was intrusive.
‘Right.’ He dug his fists back into his pockets, trying to muster the required anger at what she’d revealed. Because if he’d understood her right—and, given his sleep deprivation and the fact that all of his blood had drained out of his head, that was debatable—she’d just told him she’d dug into his private life so she could engineer a meeting with him. But she sounded so earnestand sincere, those Bambi eyes were doing funny things to his equilibrium.
‘I need coffee.’ He scrubbed his hands down his face. ‘I’ll call you a cab while you’re in the shower,’ he grunted, not as enthusiastic as he should have been at the thought of getting rid of her.
‘A cab would be great, thank you,’ she said, before she hurried away with her clothes.
He frowned as he headed for the kitchen. He rarely did sleepovers, because he preferred not to deal with the morning after. And the demands on his time that inevitably followed.
The fact that Eva Redmond hadn’t made a single demand—hadn’t even seemed surprised when he’d offered to call a cab—should have pleased him. It didn’t.
He’d made a rash decision, and led with his lust instead of his common sense last night. So why was he so tempted to make another one this morning?
He emptied the coffee pot, started going through the ritual of brewing a fresh pot. Time to mainline caffeine, before he lost his mind completely and invited her to stay for breakfast… So he could bombard her with all the questions that had kept him awake most of the
‘I’ve outstayed my welcome,’ she said at last,which was hardly an answer. She lifted the duvet and he got a good look at her slim calves as she put her bare feet on the floor, reminding him how naked she was under his robe. ‘I’ll get my clothes, then get out of your way.’
‘They’re over there.’ He nodded towards the window seat in the bay.
He’d headed straight to the kitchen after waking up, to gulp down a gallon of water—but his throat had dried right up again when he’d spotted her clothing, draped across the living area. It had been hard as hell not to fantasise about taking the skimpy bit of lace and the heavy velvet gown off her as he’d gathered them off the floor and dumped them in the bedroom.
Hence the freezing shower.
‘Thank you.’ She crossed the room to the bay. ‘Do you mind if I use your bathroom? I promise not to hog it this time.’
As she bent to pick up the clothes the robe gaped, and he spotted her nipple, before she covered it hastily.
‘Sure,’ he murmured, determined not to ask the question making his head hurt or give in to the desire to tug the robe off, and make the ripe peak harden against his tongue.
But then she walked past him and his hand shot out to grasp her forearm as the fresh sultry scent of her filled his nostrils. ‘Why me?’ he demanded.
She jerked to a halt, her violet eyes huge. ‘Sorry?’
‘Stop apolo—’ He cut off the surly command, seeing her flinch. ‘What made you pick me?’
Her long lashes hit her cheeks as her gaze dropped away, but she didn’t answer.
‘To be your first?’ he prompted, although he was pretty sure from the nuclear blush fanning out across her chest and spreading up her throat she had understood the question.
‘I don’t…’ She hesitated, her chin still tucked against her chest. ‘When you looked at me that first time, it made me feel…’ She addressed her toes, the words trailing into silence.
It made her feel what? But then he recalled how she had writhed in his arms when he’d undressed her, and figured he knew.
Her chin lifted. ‘I think, possibly, on an entirely subconscious level, when I researched you, I must have decided you would be a good choice. Because you’re so assured, sexually. And I’m not.’
When I researched you .
He released her. Okay, that was intrusive.
‘Right.’ He dug his fists back into his pockets, trying to muster the required anger at what she’d revealed. Because if he’d understood her right—and, given his sleep deprivation and the fact that all of his blood had drained out of his head, that was debatable—she’d just told him she’d dug into his private life so she could engineer a meeting with him. But she sounded so earnestand sincere, those Bambi eyes were doing funny things to his equilibrium.
‘I need coffee.’ He scrubbed his hands down his face. ‘I’ll call you a cab while you’re in the shower,’ he grunted, not as enthusiastic as he should have been at the thought of getting rid of her.
‘A cab would be great, thank you,’ she said, before she hurried away with her clothes.
He frowned as he headed for the kitchen. He rarely did sleepovers, because he preferred not to deal with the morning after. And the demands on his time that inevitably followed.
The fact that Eva Redmond hadn’t made a single demand—hadn’t even seemed surprised when he’d offered to call a cab—should have pleased him. It didn’t.
He’d made a rash decision, and led with his lust instead of his common sense last night. So why was he so tempted to make another one this morning?
He emptied the coffee pot, started going through the ritual of brewing a fresh pot. Time to mainline caffeine, before he lost his mind completely and invited her to stay for breakfast… So he could bombard her with all the questions that had kept him awake most of the
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