Read Online The Morning After The Wedding Before by Anne Oliver - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Anne Oliver
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glass columns illuminated from within threw up a clear white light. He stopped by a little coffee table with two cosy leather armchairs. ‘Sit.’
She did, gratefully, sinking into the soft black leather.
He pulled two scraps of paper from his jeans pocket, checked them both, then placed one on her lap.
‘This isn’t a fortune cookie.’
‘I have to admit Ry and I ate them. But we saved you girls the messages.’
She unrolled the little square. ‘“A caress is better than a career.”‘ Where the heck had he found
that
little gem? ‘Says who?
And
it would depend on who’s doing the caressing.’
But her traitorous thoughts could imagine Jake’s warm, wicked hands wandering over her bare skin … Lost in thefantasy for a pulse-pounding moment, she stared unseeingly at the paper in front of her.
For heaven’s sake
.
She forced her head up, regarded him with serene indifference. ‘This isn’t from a fortune cookie. You made these yourselves.’
He spread his hands on his thighs, all innocence. ‘Why would I do that?’
‘To get me downstairs, perhaps?’
His smile came out like sunshine on a cold day. ‘You have to admit it’s inventive.’
‘Deceptive, more like.’
‘Hey, Ry has to take some of the credit.’
She felt the smile twitch at the corner of her mouth. ‘What does Stella’s say?’
‘“Two souls, one heart.” Appropriately romantic, Ry thought.’
And Cool Hand Jake didn’t, obviously. ‘She’ll probably sleep with it under her pillow tonight.’ Desperate to distance herself from his enticing woodsy scent and the thought of those coolly efficient hands on her heated body, she pulled her earphones out of her tracksuit pocket. ‘Okay, now that’s out of the way I’m off for a run.’
‘Not so fast.’ He reached over, circling her forearm in a loose grip. ‘You’re going to say you’ve got soap orders to type up or some such rubbish when you get back. Right?’
Right. If she could only remember what … The heat of his hand seemed to be blocking her ability to process simple thought. ‘I—’
‘To avoid me.’
She swallowed down a gasp. He was flying too close to the truth, and it threw her for a loop. ‘Why would you matter th—?’
‘You know it. I know it.’ Cutting her off, he leaned forward,his hold tightening a fraction, his eyes boring into hers. ‘Admit it.’
‘Why?’ Little spots of heat were breaking out all over her body.
‘I matter to you.’ He smiled—grinned, actually—teeth gleaming white in the light. ‘How much do I matter, Emma?’
She pushed a hand over the crown of her head, her mind a jumble. ‘Stop it. You’re confusing me. This is the last evening I’ll see my sister before she gets married. I … I’m going to spend the evening with her—a maid of honour thing.’
‘Of course. And you can. In a little while.’ His thumb abraded the inside of her wrist, sending tiny tingles scuttling up her arm. ‘She won’t mind,’ he continued in that same liquid caramel tone. ‘In fact I’m betting she’s enjoying her soak in the spa right now.’
‘It
was
you on the phone.’
‘Guilty.’ He grinned again, totally unrepentant. As if he pulled that kind of stunt all the time to bend women to his will. ‘She’s confiscated your laptop, by the way.’
‘What?’
‘Your sister agrees with me that you need time out from work.’
She gaped at him, incredulous. ‘You two discussed my
needs?
’ The image popped into her mind before she could call it back, along with the overly explicit, overly stressed word, and the whole calamity hung thick in the air like a sultry evening.
His eyes turned a warmer shade of dark. ‘Not all of them. But we’ll get to that. Stella wants you to enjoy her wedding, not be distracted by orders and schedules. She’s concerned about you. And frankly—’
‘What do you mean, “we’ll get to that”? Get to what?’Her voice rose on a crescendo. A couple of heads turned their
She did, gratefully, sinking into the soft black leather.
He pulled two scraps of paper from his jeans pocket, checked them both, then placed one on her lap.
‘This isn’t a fortune cookie.’
‘I have to admit Ry and I ate them. But we saved you girls the messages.’
She unrolled the little square. ‘“A caress is better than a career.”‘ Where the heck had he found
that
little gem? ‘Says who?
And
it would depend on who’s doing the caressing.’
But her traitorous thoughts could imagine Jake’s warm, wicked hands wandering over her bare skin … Lost in thefantasy for a pulse-pounding moment, she stared unseeingly at the paper in front of her.
For heaven’s sake
.
She forced her head up, regarded him with serene indifference. ‘This isn’t from a fortune cookie. You made these yourselves.’
He spread his hands on his thighs, all innocence. ‘Why would I do that?’
‘To get me downstairs, perhaps?’
His smile came out like sunshine on a cold day. ‘You have to admit it’s inventive.’
‘Deceptive, more like.’
‘Hey, Ry has to take some of the credit.’
She felt the smile twitch at the corner of her mouth. ‘What does Stella’s say?’
‘“Two souls, one heart.” Appropriately romantic, Ry thought.’
And Cool Hand Jake didn’t, obviously. ‘She’ll probably sleep with it under her pillow tonight.’ Desperate to distance herself from his enticing woodsy scent and the thought of those coolly efficient hands on her heated body, she pulled her earphones out of her tracksuit pocket. ‘Okay, now that’s out of the way I’m off for a run.’
‘Not so fast.’ He reached over, circling her forearm in a loose grip. ‘You’re going to say you’ve got soap orders to type up or some such rubbish when you get back. Right?’
Right. If she could only remember what … The heat of his hand seemed to be blocking her ability to process simple thought. ‘I—’
‘To avoid me.’
She swallowed down a gasp. He was flying too close to the truth, and it threw her for a loop. ‘Why would you matter th—?’
‘You know it. I know it.’ Cutting her off, he leaned forward,his hold tightening a fraction, his eyes boring into hers. ‘Admit it.’
‘Why?’ Little spots of heat were breaking out all over her body.
‘I matter to you.’ He smiled—grinned, actually—teeth gleaming white in the light. ‘How much do I matter, Emma?’
She pushed a hand over the crown of her head, her mind a jumble. ‘Stop it. You’re confusing me. This is the last evening I’ll see my sister before she gets married. I … I’m going to spend the evening with her—a maid of honour thing.’
‘Of course. And you can. In a little while.’ His thumb abraded the inside of her wrist, sending tiny tingles scuttling up her arm. ‘She won’t mind,’ he continued in that same liquid caramel tone. ‘In fact I’m betting she’s enjoying her soak in the spa right now.’
‘It
was
you on the phone.’
‘Guilty.’ He grinned again, totally unrepentant. As if he pulled that kind of stunt all the time to bend women to his will. ‘She’s confiscated your laptop, by the way.’
‘What?’
‘Your sister agrees with me that you need time out from work.’
She gaped at him, incredulous. ‘You two discussed my
needs?
’ The image popped into her mind before she could call it back, along with the overly explicit, overly stressed word, and the whole calamity hung thick in the air like a sultry evening.
His eyes turned a warmer shade of dark. ‘Not all of them. But we’ll get to that. Stella wants you to enjoy her wedding, not be distracted by orders and schedules. She’s concerned about you. And frankly—’
‘What do you mean, “we’ll get to that”? Get to what?’Her voice rose on a crescendo. A couple of heads turned their
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