The Inconvenient Laws of Attraction. Trish Wylie

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СКАЧАТЬ silent agreement had nothing to do with her pool skills. Setting his bottle down, he stepped towards her. ‘Hustling me, Liv?’

      ‘It’s Olivia,’ she informed him, twisting on her heel and backing away with a sweet smile. ‘And if I wanted to hustle you, wouldn’t it make more sense to play badly before making a wager?’

      ‘You just popped over here to play a friendly little game of pool with the boys?’

      Standing still long enough to efficiently chalk the tip of her cue with short, sharp movements, she continued walking around the table. ‘Is that illegal?’

      ‘You’re the lawyer. You tell me.’

      ‘I know it’s not in the state of New York.’ She bent down. ‘But I’d have to check the rules for Canada.’

      When another ball disappeared off the table, she smiled a small, satisfied smile as she stood up.

      ‘I’m not talking to you about the will.’

      ‘I didn’t ask you to.’

      ‘You’re going to.’

      ‘You can see into the future?’ A flicker of amusement sparkled in her eyes. ‘Wouldn’t happen to know next week’s lottery numbers, would you?’ She shrugged a shoulder as she walked around the table.

      ‘Not that you need them.’

      ‘You know I can take out a restraining order against everyone at your firm if I have to …’

      ‘Be a pretty long list of names.’

      ‘I’d know who to put at the top.’

      When he set his palm on the wooden edge of the table as she bent over her cue again, a brief upward flicker of her lashes revealed what might almost have been taken for hesitation. Did she realise she was playing in the big leagues? Good. Considering her options? More likely. Looking back down the cue, she swayed her hips again, a move that could have been misconstrued as preparation for her next shot to the untrained eye. Blake recognised it for what it was.

      What bugged him was how well it was working.

      ‘I didn’t know you’d be here, if that’s what you’re suggesting,’ she said in a matter-of-fact tone.

      That he was more likely to believe. How could she when he hadn’t known himself until a little under an hour ago? He never did from one Friday to the next. It was the nature of the job, the story of his life.

      There was a sharp click and another ball disappeared off the table. ‘But, since we are here, maybe if you told me what the problem is, we could talk about it.’

      ‘We could—’ he rocked forward as she stood up ‘—if I hadn’t already said I wasn’t talking about it.’

      ‘You brought it up.’

      ‘Pity you’re off the clock then, isn’t it?’

      She sighed. ‘It’s a lot of money to ignore.’

      If money meant as much to him as she seemed to think it should, she might have a point. Rocking back on his heels, Blake stilled, his gaze scanning the crowd. He wondered what she’d think if she knew, given the option, he’d prefer every cent to disappear. He didn’t want to be responsible for thousands of people’s lives. A rolling stone could end up looking like the Rockies if it gathered that much moss.

      ‘I know it’s an intimidating prospect, running a company that large—’ her voice softened to a hum that washed across his senses with the same burn as the first sip of a smooth Scotch ‘—but there are people who have been with the company for decades …’

      She was playing the guilt card again? When he looked down at her from the corner of his eye, she tacked on a soft smile and added, ‘They could run it for you.’

      ‘That’s exactly what I—’

      Blake set an arm across Marty’s chest when he stepped forward to add his two cents.

      ‘You think I’m avoiding this because the leap from carpenter to CEO is beyond me?’

      ‘I didn’t say that.’

      Not in so many words. But she was smarter than that.

      Tucking the cue into the crook of his arm, he folded his arms across his chest. ‘So you’re gonna do what? Talk me through a pie chart? Help me pick out a suit for the office? Hold my hand while I go play with the big boys?’ He narrowed his eyes and smiled tightly. ‘Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing, sweetheart.’

      ‘It’s called trying to help.’

      ‘That’s going well.’ He nodded. ‘For future reference—insulting my intelligence? Not a good place to start.’

      Stepping around her to get to the bar, he lifted his bottle and tilted it to his mouth. His gaze followed her in the mirror as she followed him.

      ‘I wasn’t trying to insult you,’ she said in the sultry tone that travelled directly from ear to groin.

      Blake gritted his teeth. Sure she wasn’t.

      ‘Would hardly be the best way to start a working relationship, would it?’

      What working relationship?

      ‘It’s really none of my business why you want to turn your back on billions of dollars. But, like I said, the responsibility isn’t going anywhere. The board’s hands are tied. You have controlling interest in the company—they can’t do anything without your say-so. It’s how your father wanted it.’

      The woman didn’t know when to quit.

      Her voice lowered. ‘I know you’re still grieving. The last thing you want right now is—’

      ‘Grieving?’ A burst of sarcastic laughter split the air as he set his bottle down with a slam and turned on her, frustration mixing with anger. ‘Lady, you don’t know anything about—’

      ‘Blake …’ Marty used a hand on his upper arm to hold him still and allow him time to take a breath; his voice was filled with the same rock-steady calmness he’d used in the old days when Blake had been prone to standing up to guys twice his size. It had been the curse of the new kid and since Blake had always been the new kid …

      With a nod from Blake to indicate he was good, Marty stepped away. Blake looked at Olivia and saw she was staring at him with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. Not fear, he noted. Part of him respected the hell out of her for that when guys much bigger than her had been known to baulk. It was enough to make him step towards her again; the fact she stood her ground increased his perception of her as a woman who could hold her own.

      He shook his head when his libido buzzed with the numerous possibilities that came with the thought. Strong women who could take him on both in and out of the bedroom—preferably without needing emotional entanglement—did it for him. Always had, always would.

      He СКАЧАТЬ