Read Online Wronged (The Cuvier Widows Book 1) by Sylvia McDaniel - Free Book Online Page B

suffered.
    “I was bit by a malt-bug last night,” he
replied.
    “Never heard of the little beast. Must be
pretty bad,” she said, not feeling any sympathy for the handsome
man.
    He shook his head at her and tried to smile.
“I can tell you don’t go out very much. It’s not a real bug. It
means I had too much to drink.”
    “From the looks of you, that wasn’t hard to
discern. I just don’t have any sympathy for you.”
    Furtively she glanced at his mouth, trying
not to stare, wondering again why his kiss had aroused her long-
denied body. The memory of those luscious lips covering hers and
the feel of his tongue running along her outer lips caused her to
jump up and walk to the coffee pot. With shaking hands she poured
the hot brew into a cup.
    He acted as if nothing had transpired between
them yesterday, like it was just another day at Cuvier Shipping.
She had wanted to be the one who acted so nonchalant about their
kiss. But somehow she felt like he was doing a better job and that
left her frustrated. He had started this, not she.
    “I usually don’t do this,” he said.
    “Do what?” she asked, returning to her seat
behind the desk. “Have coffee and croissants?”
    “No. Drink to excess,” he grumbled.
    “What changed?” she asked bluntly. “Did you
have a case of bad conscience that you were trying to rid yourself
of? Or did you need a dose of courage to come back and face me this
morning? “
    He stared at her, his eyes growing wide with
surprise at her less than subtle attack. He opened his mouth to
speak, but before he could reply, they both heard a female voice
calling, “Mr. Fournet, where are you?”
    “Damn!” he said, spilling hot coffee over his
trousers as he jumped up at the sound of his name.
    He glanced around the room, and then slipped
behind her office door, just as the woman came into view.
    “What are you doing?” Marian softly hissed at
Louis, stunned by his behavior. “Are you insane?”
    “What does it look like? I’m hiding,” he
whispered. She shook her head. “Aren’t you a little old to be
playing hide-and-seek from women?”
    “That’s easy for you to say. You don’t know
Jane,” he said motioning her to lower her voice.
    Marian leaned forward across her desk, so he
could hear her better. “If you don’t want to go out and see the
woman, then why don’t you tell her, instead of acting like a child
and disappearing?”
    “Jane can be ... clinging.”
    “Please! Mr. Fournet, a man with your
experience with women should know how to handle this type of
situation by now.”
    “My experience?” he questioned. “I’m no
Lothario. I admit I like women, but no more than any other normal
man.”
    “Normal men don’t hide behind office doors
when they have a visitor,” she admonished, resisting the urge to
laugh at him.
    He shook his head. “Just do me a small favor.
Go out there and tell her I had to leave for a while and that I
won’t be back until the year 1900.”
    She stared at him from her desk, the cup of
coffee in her hand. He wanted her to lie for him after he had
refused to help her learn the shipping business. After he’d made it
very clear she was not wanted in this office. After he’d kissed
her, clearly trying to scare her away and then acted as if nothing
had happened?
    “Why should I?” she asked.
    He paused and smiled at her, turning on the
charm that came so naturally to him. “Just do this as a favor to
me.”
    Charm had little effect on Marian. Jean’s
charm had left Marian immune to the effects, but Louis hadn’t
recognized that fact yet.
    She gazed at him over the rim of her cup,
wanting to refuse but realizing there were other ways to handle his
request. Standing, she pushed her chair away from the desk and
walked around it
    “All right I’ll help you. After all, you’ve
been so welcoming and helpful to me since I came here,” she said,
hurrying out the door trying to hide her smile.
    Louis frowned suspiciously,