The Greek's Virgin Temptation. Susan Stephens
Чтение книги онлайн.
Читать онлайн книгу The Greek's Virgin Temptation - Susan Stephens страница 5
Название: The Greek's Virgin Temptation
Автор: Susan Stephens
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Современная зарубежная литература
isbn: 9781474088183
isbn:
‘And you agreed to marry him there and then?’
‘Yes. It does sound stupid now,’ she agreed wearily, ‘but sometimes life pushes you down a path you don’t expect, because the past is steering you.’
‘Is that what happened in your case?’
She looked at him for a few long moments and then said, ‘I’m done. I’m not going to tell you anything else.’
‘Quite right,’ he agreed reluctantly.
Life choices. And where had they got her? Kimmie huffed inwardly as she realised that in the personal sense her choices had been disastrous. She’d jumped at the chance to marry Mike, thinking she would be laughing in the face of the past. She could see now he’d caught her at the very best...no, the very worst possible moment.
‘So your fiancé cheated on you?’ Kris guessed shrewdly.
‘What brilliant powers of deduction.’
‘A bride without a groom,’ he added, unfazed by her sarcasm. ‘How unfortunate.’
‘Some would call it lucky.’
‘Do you?’ he asked with a keen stare.
‘I call it a life lesson,’ she admitted.
‘Will it make you bitter?’
‘No,’ she said without hesitation. ‘It will make me cautious, and determined never to make the same mistake again.’
‘Easy to say, harder to do,’ Kris observed.
‘You don’t know me,’ she assured him.
‘That sounds like a challenge,’ he said lazily.
An idea had begun to brew in Kris’s mind. He’d have to explore the possibility a lot more before deciding to progress things further, but this unexpected encounter, coming hot on the heels of a conversation he’d had with his uncle, made him feel as if fate was lending a hand.
‘Well, if you’re not going to join us, I guess I’ll see you around,’ she said pointedly.
‘It will be hard to avoid you on such a small island.’
‘I’ll do my best to stay out of your way.’
‘Starting now?’ he suggested, shooting a meaningful glance at her friends.
She sighed. ‘Not that again. I promise we’ll be ultra-careful. I’ll be personally responsible for making sure that every grain of sand is returned to its rightful place before we leave.’
He huffed a laugh. She’d won. Whether that was because she was so unusual, or because she’d stood up to him, he didn’t know and didn’t care.
‘Make sure you do that,’ he warned lightly. ‘Or you’ll answer to me.’
The blush on her face suggested that wasn’t an entirely unwelcome proposition. She was extremely attractive, like no one he’d ever met before. He liked a challenge and he admired her grit. With their stares locked in mutual interest, he wondered if her body ached like his. Animals would have cut to the chase by now, but humans were bound by rules of convention. Getting to know her would take time.
‘Why don’t you introduce me around?’ he suggested.
WHAT WAS SHE getting herself into now? Kimmie wondered as she introduced Kris to her friends. Was her brain so fried after finding two people she had trusted in bed together that she was more than capable of acting out of character to the point of being reckless? There was a sense of unreality about things, of not quite touching base with events that seemed to be floating over her head. Frying pan and fire came to mind. She stared at Kris, who was behaving quite differently to the autocratic tyrant he’d initially seemed on the beach. What had changed him? Why was he being so charming? Did Kris have an angle too?
‘He’s really nice,’ one of her friends said.
‘Look what I found on the beach is a great opener when the flotsam looks like Kris,’ Kimmie admitted.
She’d tried the conventional kind of relationship and look how that had turned out, Kimmie mused as Kris continued to talk easily to her friends. Perhaps it was time to try something different.
What? Now? Get real! And as if she’d get the chance!
But for someone who had spent most of her life dreaming, and putting those dreams down on paper and canvas, there was no harm in looking, as she watched Kris mingle and charm. He wasn’t predatory, and some of her single female friends were very pretty, nor was he condescending with the men. He was just a great guy...or he appeared to be. Perhaps he didn’t have an agenda and she was just being neurotic, but appearances could be deceptive, Kimmie thought as she remembered Mike.
Around half an hour in, Kris was ready to leave. ‘Do we have to go when you go?’ Kimmie asked, concern building as she noticed how much her friends had relaxed since he’d arrived. They’d been distracted from her troubles by something new, and she was grateful for that because now they could really enjoy themselves without forcing the fun for her sake.
‘Your friends don’t have to go,’ he said, ‘but you do.’
‘Me? I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying with my friends.’
‘Then you can all leave,’ Kris said flatly.
His tone was light and conversational, but the expression in his eyes said something different. ‘Come on,’ he prompted with a gesture.
Was she a puppy to be led away? She might be suffering the aftershock of betrayal, but she hadn’t lost her mind completely.
‘I’m not going anywhere,’ she assured him, digging her feet into the sand.
Of all the reactions she might have expected, an easy smile was not on the list. ‘Don’t you want to come with me?’
A host of forbidden pleasures flew into her mind, but she had the sense to discard all of them. She’d thought Mike was safe, and look what had happened. Kris didn’t even pretend to be the safe option, with that gladiator’s body, tattoos and a single small gold hoop in his ear. He was danger personified.
Wasn’t he exactly the type of distraction she needed right now? It seemed to work for her friends.
СКАЧАТЬ