to deepen the kiss. Sophie had no control whatsoever. Oliver was exploring her mouth...tasting her soul. The intimacy was shocking but Sophie had no desire to even try and pull away. Her hands touched Oliver's chest and were about to slide up across the ridge of hard muscle towards his neck when Oliver finally released his hold on Sophie's mouth.
'Does Greg kiss you like that?' Oliver asked softly.
Sophie gasped. How could Oliver even think about Greg when that kiss had made her feel as if they were the only two humans in existence? Had his only intention been to provoke and unsettle her?
'What are you trying to do?' Sophie whispered in bewilderment. How could Oliver have the power to make her feel the way he just had and then use that power to manipulate her so casually? Had she been entirely wrong in her assessment of Oliver Spencer's integrity?
Oliver seemed taken aback by her reaction. His face creased placatingly. 'Look, it was just a kiss. Nothing to get so worked up about. You're not married yet and I'm not proposing that we ride off into the sunset together or anything.' His lips quirked into a smile. 'I was just supplying a basis for comparison. It seemed like a good way of letting you know I'd be a more than willing candidate. What do you think?'
The wave of disappointment was crushing. So that was all that Oliver was offering. A quick fling with him to see if Greg really made the grade? A legitimate excuse for a happily engaged woman to do a bit of bed-hopping? Oliver Spencer clearly gave no thought to how it might affect anyone else. He was quite prepared to let Sophie hurt her supposed fiancé by being unfaithful so he didn't give a damn about Greg's feelings. If she was happily engaged then he would be hurting Sophie at the same time. Did that mean he had no regard for her feelings as well?
Sophie found her bewilderment fading. She felt the raw endings her nerves had been left crystallising into anger.
'Is that what happened to your marriage, Oliver?' she queried coldly. 'Did your wife not stand up to the comparisons you tried?'
Oliver's face tightened enough for Sophie to see that her accusation had hit home. 'My wife was never honest with me,' he stated deliberately. 'She lied about anything and everything.' He snorted softly. 'I never knew. She was so good at lying I didn't find out until she ran off with the man whose baby she was carrying.'
So it hadn't been Oliver's fault that his marriage had failed. That figured. She shouldn't have suggested it had been, but she still felt far too angry to apologise. She met the direct gaze with more courage than she felt. 'I would think that would give you a very good idea of how important faithfulness is in a relationship. And yet here you are, suggesting that I—'
'What it did,' Oliver cut in quietly, 'was teach me how important honesty is in a relationship.'
'Exactly,' Sophie agreed swiftly. 'But you think I should—'
Oliver interrupted again. His voice was still quiet. Almost menacing. 'I think you might be being a little less than honest, Sophie Bennett.' He took a deep breath as he turned away from her. 'Less than honest to me, less than honest to your fiancé and—perhaps more importantly—less than honest to yourself.' He gave her one last glance. 'Think about it.'
CHAPTER FOUR
Sophie did think about it.
On Thursday morning she was still furious at Oliver's apparent disregard for her feelings. His...arrogance, that was the only word for it. The man calmly assumed that a kiss from him—an uninvited kiss for that matter—would surpass any experience Sophie had ever had. She had no intention of giving him the satisfaction of knowing how correct his assumption had been. Let him make just one flirtatious remark and she was ready to take Oliver Spencer down a peg or two.
The opportunity didn't arise. The day was a busy one and Dr Spencer seemed intent on presenting a purely professional and carefully constrained facade. Not that anybody else
'Does Greg kiss you like that?' Oliver asked softly.
Sophie gasped. How could Oliver even think about Greg when that kiss had made her feel as if they were the only two humans in existence? Had his only intention been to provoke and unsettle her?
'What are you trying to do?' Sophie whispered in bewilderment. How could Oliver have the power to make her feel the way he just had and then use that power to manipulate her so casually? Had she been entirely wrong in her assessment of Oliver Spencer's integrity?
Oliver seemed taken aback by her reaction. His face creased placatingly. 'Look, it was just a kiss. Nothing to get so worked up about. You're not married yet and I'm not proposing that we ride off into the sunset together or anything.' His lips quirked into a smile. 'I was just supplying a basis for comparison. It seemed like a good way of letting you know I'd be a more than willing candidate. What do you think?'
The wave of disappointment was crushing. So that was all that Oliver was offering. A quick fling with him to see if Greg really made the grade? A legitimate excuse for a happily engaged woman to do a bit of bed-hopping? Oliver Spencer clearly gave no thought to how it might affect anyone else. He was quite prepared to let Sophie hurt her supposed fiancé by being unfaithful so he didn't give a damn about Greg's feelings. If she was happily engaged then he would be hurting Sophie at the same time. Did that mean he had no regard for her feelings as well?
Sophie found her bewilderment fading. She felt the raw endings her nerves had been left crystallising into anger.
'Is that what happened to your marriage, Oliver?' she queried coldly. 'Did your wife not stand up to the comparisons you tried?'
Oliver's face tightened enough for Sophie to see that her accusation had hit home. 'My wife was never honest with me,' he stated deliberately. 'She lied about anything and everything.' He snorted softly. 'I never knew. She was so good at lying I didn't find out until she ran off with the man whose baby she was carrying.'
So it hadn't been Oliver's fault that his marriage had failed. That figured. She shouldn't have suggested it had been, but she still felt far too angry to apologise. She met the direct gaze with more courage than she felt. 'I would think that would give you a very good idea of how important faithfulness is in a relationship. And yet here you are, suggesting that I—'
'What it did,' Oliver cut in quietly, 'was teach me how important honesty is in a relationship.'
'Exactly,' Sophie agreed swiftly. 'But you think I should—'
Oliver interrupted again. His voice was still quiet. Almost menacing. 'I think you might be being a little less than honest, Sophie Bennett.' He took a deep breath as he turned away from her. 'Less than honest to me, less than honest to your fiancé and—perhaps more importantly—less than honest to yourself.' He gave her one last glance. 'Think about it.'
CHAPTER FOUR
Sophie did think about it.
On Thursday morning she was still furious at Oliver's apparent disregard for her feelings. His...arrogance, that was the only word for it. The man calmly assumed that a kiss from him—an uninvited kiss for that matter—would surpass any experience Sophie had ever had. She had no intention of giving him the satisfaction of knowing how correct his assumption had been. Let him make just one flirtatious remark and she was ready to take Oliver Spencer down a peg or two.
The opportunity didn't arise. The day was a busy one and Dr Spencer seemed intent on presenting a purely professional and carefully constrained facade. Not that anybody else
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