Read Online The Rebound Guy by Fiona Harper - Free Book Online Page B

into surprise. ‘Really?’
    Kelly let out a dry laugh. ‘When have you ever known me to lie?’
    For once, Jason didn’t have a smart remark or a joke to fend off the silence. He looked like a little boy who’d been punished for something he hadn’t done and then finally told he was off the hook. It made Kelly’s heart contract in a way she didn’t welcome. She didn’t want him to remind her of her boys. It was bad enough to be attracted to this man; she didn’t want to feel protective of him too.
    â€˜For what it’s worth, I really am sorry,’ she said, putting the picture back on the shelf and walking towards him. She glanced back at the frame. ‘If it bothers you so much, why do you keep it there, staring you in the face all day long?’
    Jason’s mouth flattened into a grim line. ‘To remind me.’
    â€˜Of what?’ she asked softly.
    He looked into her eyes. It was a shock. For the first time she felt she was seeing the real him—no gloss, no game playing. It made her feel a little bit wobbly. ‘To keep me jealous. To make me want to drive forwards and prove myself.’
    And to punish yourself, she thought. But she didn’t say it.
    And she got it now. Why the shoes were so important. Why he hadn’t been able to bear admitting failure. Why he’d distracted himself with a good night out, shaking it off and pretending that nothing was wrong. And then she’d gone and shattered the insulated bubble he’d created for himself—and if anyone knew how important that bubble could be when tough times came, it was Kelly.
    â€˜I’ll clean out my desk as soon as I get a box,’ she told him. ‘I just need to go and find one.’
    Jason sat up in his chair. ‘Don’t.’
    Kelly’s mouth dropped open. ‘But I... But you...’
    He shrugged. ‘I don’t think my behaviour on Friday was saintly, either. I don’t usually force myself on women.’
    Kelly’s shoulders sagged. ‘You didn’t. Not really.’ She hated the next words that came out of her mouth. ‘I mean, I was in it as much as you were.’
    There was a flicker of amusement behind Jason’s eyes.
    â€˜Doesn’t mean I think it’s a good idea to repeat the experience,’ she added quickly. ‘Far too complicated.’
    He gave her a rueful look. ‘I hate to admit it, but I think you’re right.’
    Kelly exhaled. That was good, wasn’t it? That he agreed with her. She should be feeling pleased. And she was. It was just that the morning had been a bit of an emotional roller coaster and the notion still hadn’t caught up with her.
    â€˜We’re agreed, then,’ she said, and watched carefully for his reaction.
    â€˜I guess we are.’
    She hadn’t realised she’d been holding her breath until she released it in unison with him. ‘What now?’
    Jason looked up at her. ‘We start again. There are plenty of other sports figures out there who’d love to endorse Mercury. We just have to find ourselves one and convince them of that.’
    Kelly smiled at him. The old Jason wasn’t back, but the snapping, snarling one had retreated into his cave. And she kind of liked this new one, the one who looked at her as an ally rather than something to be conquered.
    He stood up and reached across the desk, offering her his hand. It was exactly the same gesture he’d made the first time they’d met, and she understood its significance. New beginnings, fresh starts...
    Swallowing slightly, she reached over and slid her hand in his, and he gripped her fingers lightly. They stayed like that for a few seconds, not moving, not shaking, but still cementing what they’d just verbally agreed. However, underneath that feeling of everything settling back into its proper order, her blood started to pulse harder, her nerve endings quivered and she