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Authors: Sharon Archer
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tradition, and besides, I’m here with Liz and Jack.’
‘They’ll be there. All comers are welcome. There’s nothing exclusive about a Jamieson get-together. You’d have ended up coming across with them anyway.’
‘Oh.’
He walked across and put his empty mug into the wash bucket. ‘This just means you’ll be there with me.’
‘Then I suppose it would be okay. Where is it?’
His mouth twitched. ‘Over the other side of the arena.’
‘Okay.’ She lifted the lid on the teabag container and got one out. ‘Liz and Jack will know.’
‘They do.’ He looked down at her and said softly, ‘But make no mistake here, Kayla. I’m asking you to come with me , so I’ll come and pick you up.’
‘But it’d be just as easy for me to walk over with them, wouldn’t it?’
‘A gentleman always picks up his date from her front door,’ he said lightly.
She scowled. ‘It’s a tent.’
‘From her tent flap, then.’ He grinned. ‘I want you to walk over with me, Kayla.’
‘Oh, very well.’ With fumbling fingers, she fitted the lid onto the canister. Picking the container up, she clutched it to her chest like a shield and turned to face him. ‘ But since you’re so insistent on that, I have some demands of my own.’
His eyelids drooped slightly, giving him a deceptive, sleepy look that was belied by the slow, sexy smile that touched his lips. ‘Tell me your demands and I’ll do my best to satisfy them.’
Her heart kicked hard and scalding heat crawled up her neck, cell by cell, into her face. God, what did he think she’d meant? She longed to bring her hands up, press them to her cheeks, hide them from his gaze. Her fingers tightened on the canister, the plastic lip digging into her palm.
‘Ground rules,’ she blurted. ‘I mean I want to set ground rules.’
His smile faded. ‘Ground rules?’
‘No…funny business. Strictly friends.’ Marvellous. She sounded as gauche as a teen going on her first date.
‘Of course.’ He nodded gravely, his eyes guileless as they held hers. ‘Best behaviour. Nothing you don’t approve of.’
‘Just as long as we’re clear.’ She tried hard to concentrate on his words, feeling there was a trap there but not able to concentrate her mind to identify it.
‘Crystal clear. Don’t look so worried. It’ll all work out, you’ll see.’ He grinned, a natural friendly expression not loaded with innuendo this time. She wondered if she’d misjudged him earlier. ‘I’d better get back to the arena to help out.’ He lifted his hand and stroked her cheek. ‘I’ll see you later.’
‘Okay. Yes. Good. See you.’ The skin on her cheek tingled from his tiny caress.
She watched him walk away, her eyes straying over the broad shoulders and straight back, the long legs. Her physical and emotional reactions mocked her. Clammy hands, racing pulse, abdominal gymnastics. How could she ever think she could desensitise herself against someone like him?
He was a sexy man with a brand of masculinity her feminine weakness yearned towards.
Blast him.
She had to shore up her defences, try to contain her vulnerability. She was only here for another four months. Too short to explore anything even if she wanted to. Not that he’d asked her to… She had to remember, she had plans. Places to go, things to do. A rebellion and a search for herself as much as anything.
Nothing that involved Tom Jamieson.
Nothing that involved any man.
Tom wanted to gentle her as he would one of his young foals, imprint her with the idea that he was someone she could trust, that he was someone she could let close, someone who wouldn’t betray her. Or ask more than she could give.
But maybe he was lying to himself…wasn’t he already asking more than she wanted to give? She wanted to deny the chemistry between them and her defences were well honed.
He’d made steps this morning, dispelled much of the chill between them but none of the sexual tension. Her astringent
‘They’ll be there. All comers are welcome. There’s nothing exclusive about a Jamieson get-together. You’d have ended up coming across with them anyway.’
‘Oh.’
He walked across and put his empty mug into the wash bucket. ‘This just means you’ll be there with me.’
‘Then I suppose it would be okay. Where is it?’
His mouth twitched. ‘Over the other side of the arena.’
‘Okay.’ She lifted the lid on the teabag container and got one out. ‘Liz and Jack will know.’
‘They do.’ He looked down at her and said softly, ‘But make no mistake here, Kayla. I’m asking you to come with me , so I’ll come and pick you up.’
‘But it’d be just as easy for me to walk over with them, wouldn’t it?’
‘A gentleman always picks up his date from her front door,’ he said lightly.
She scowled. ‘It’s a tent.’
‘From her tent flap, then.’ He grinned. ‘I want you to walk over with me, Kayla.’
‘Oh, very well.’ With fumbling fingers, she fitted the lid onto the canister. Picking the container up, she clutched it to her chest like a shield and turned to face him. ‘ But since you’re so insistent on that, I have some demands of my own.’
His eyelids drooped slightly, giving him a deceptive, sleepy look that was belied by the slow, sexy smile that touched his lips. ‘Tell me your demands and I’ll do my best to satisfy them.’
Her heart kicked hard and scalding heat crawled up her neck, cell by cell, into her face. God, what did he think she’d meant? She longed to bring her hands up, press them to her cheeks, hide them from his gaze. Her fingers tightened on the canister, the plastic lip digging into her palm.
‘Ground rules,’ she blurted. ‘I mean I want to set ground rules.’
His smile faded. ‘Ground rules?’
‘No…funny business. Strictly friends.’ Marvellous. She sounded as gauche as a teen going on her first date.
‘Of course.’ He nodded gravely, his eyes guileless as they held hers. ‘Best behaviour. Nothing you don’t approve of.’
‘Just as long as we’re clear.’ She tried hard to concentrate on his words, feeling there was a trap there but not able to concentrate her mind to identify it.
‘Crystal clear. Don’t look so worried. It’ll all work out, you’ll see.’ He grinned, a natural friendly expression not loaded with innuendo this time. She wondered if she’d misjudged him earlier. ‘I’d better get back to the arena to help out.’ He lifted his hand and stroked her cheek. ‘I’ll see you later.’
‘Okay. Yes. Good. See you.’ The skin on her cheek tingled from his tiny caress.
She watched him walk away, her eyes straying over the broad shoulders and straight back, the long legs. Her physical and emotional reactions mocked her. Clammy hands, racing pulse, abdominal gymnastics. How could she ever think she could desensitise herself against someone like him?
He was a sexy man with a brand of masculinity her feminine weakness yearned towards.
Blast him.
She had to shore up her defences, try to contain her vulnerability. She was only here for another four months. Too short to explore anything even if she wanted to. Not that he’d asked her to… She had to remember, she had plans. Places to go, things to do. A rebellion and a search for herself as much as anything.
Nothing that involved Tom Jamieson.
Nothing that involved any man.
Tom wanted to gentle her as he would one of his young foals, imprint her with the idea that he was someone she could trust, that he was someone she could let close, someone who wouldn’t betray her. Or ask more than she could give.
But maybe he was lying to himself…wasn’t he already asking more than she wanted to give? She wanted to deny the chemistry between them and her defences were well honed.
He’d made steps this morning, dispelled much of the chill between them but none of the sexual tension. Her astringent
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