Read Online The Last Groom on Earth by Kristin James - Free Book Online

palm.” She drew a finger along the middle line of his hand, and the movement sent a shock of pleasure running through Bryce, startling in its intensity.
    He looked up at Angela’s face, searching for some indication that she had felt the same electric sensation. But Angela was going calmly on. “This indicates clear, logical thought, but also a lack of imagination.” She held up her own hand, pointing to the middle line of the three major ones. “See howmine curves downward…that indicates imagination.”
    “That’s something even I knew about you,” he said pointedly.
    “Well, here’s something that surprises me, at least,” she told him. “You have a well-developed mound of Venus.” She stroked her thumb across the fleshy pad at the base of his thumb. “That’s indicative of a passionate nature.”
    She looked up at him, and their gazes clung for a moment. Unconsciously she rubbed her thumb across the mound, and fire shot through Bryce at her touch. His mind went to the other night in his hotel room and the way she had melted at his kiss, suddenly hot and pliable in his arms. His breath grew a trifle uneven at the memory. He could see in Angela’s eyes that she was remembering the moment, too. An impulse to kiss her seized him. He wondered what she would do. His hand turned, taking hers. He leaned forward across the table.

Five
    U nconsciously Angela started to lean toward Bryce. Then she realized what she was doing, and she jerked her hand away, blushing. She could not imagine why she had acted the way she did. She was too honest to pretend to herself that there had been nothing sexually teasing in her touch. She didn’t know why heat had risen in her when she took Bryce’s hand or why she had felt impelled to stroke his palm. But she had seen the reaction in his eyes, had felt it in herself, and she knew that she was playing with fire. The other night should have taught her something, she knew; she was not naive or stupid. She had invited Bryce to dinner because of the upwelling of guilt and embarrassment in her for the way she had treated him when she was younger, not for any ulterior sexual motive. Surely not. Her motives had been perfectly innocent, even when she picked up his hand to read. Hadn’t they?
    She wondered what Bryce thought of her. She had sensed that he had been about to kiss her. She supposed she could not blame him if he had thought that she wanted him to. Perhaps he had even assumed that that had been the reason for her invitation. She sneaked a look at him.
    He didn’t appear angry. He had drawn back and was watching her without expression. Perhaps she was wrong and he had not meant to kiss her at all.
    “I’m sorry,” she said awkwardly. “I’m sure you must think it’s foolish. It’s just something fun to do at parties and things, anyway.”
    “Of course.”
    Angela felt terribly self-conscious. She looked down at her hands and searched her mind for something to talk about, something that had absolutely nothing to do with sex.
    Finally Bryce spoke, and she sagged a little with relief. “Tell me something.”
    “All right.”
    “Precisely why did you see fit to play those jokes on me fifteen years ago?”
    “Oh.” Angela could feel the heat of embarrassment rising in her face again. This was not a subject she relished talking about, either. “Well…” She drew a deep breath and let it out. “Frankly, I resented you.”
    Bryce’s eyebrows shot up. “What? Are you joking?”
    “No. Why would I?”
    “But why would you have resented me? You had everything. A beautiful home, great parents, money, looks.”
    “Looks!” Angela chuckled. “I wore braces and had wild red hair that stuck out in all directions and I was chubby.”
    “The potential was there—the smile, the eyes.”
    “Perhaps. But I definitely felt like a perfect mess.” She shrugged. “I resented you because my parents liked you. You were like them. You understood them, and they understood