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Sam had asked for it; he was definitely being deliberately antagonistic.
'My, my all that as well as television and book fame,' Sam drawled.
She drew in a deeply controlling breath; she wouldnot argue with him, no
matter how much he tried to goad her into it, and that was that!
'I'm only the flavour of the month for the moment excuse the pun! When I
opened my restaurant the rest of it just seemed to follow. A case of just
happening to be in the right place at the right time, I suppose.'
She was still slightly dazed herself at the speed with which she had shot to
television stardom was sure that she would never feel comfortable with
the recognition that came her way even when she was doing something so
mundane as her weekly shopping.
One minute she had been quietly but successfully running her restaurant
in London; the next moment a producer, who happened to consider her
restaurant his favourite, was offering her the chance to do a television
series.
She had refused at first, had told him he had chosen the wrong person, that
she was quite happy with her life the way that it was, thank you very much.
But he refused to give up, and after months of badgering she had agreed to
do one programme for him. The rest, as they say, had been history!
'Indeed,' Sam replied. 'I don't suppose your looks did you any harm, either.'
'I beg your pardon?' she gasped.
'I doubt any television producer would have been quite so interested in
putting you on the small screen if you had been fat and forty!' he scorned.
He wasn't making this easy for her, she would give him that, Crys conceded
as she bit the inside of her bottom lip to stop her sharp comeback. Fat and
forty, indeed!
'I've never considered that the way I look has anything to do with my
television success '
'Then you're a fool!' Sam laughed mirthlessly. 'Because from where I'm
standing it has everything to do with it!'
From where he ! He wouldn't be standing at all if he carried on the way he
was going Crys was going to very forcefully punch him on the nose! She
might only be short, her build slight, but she was sure she could pack
enough of a punch to rock this man back on his heels.
In fact, it would probably give her great satisfaction to do just that!
'I wouldn't advise it, if I were you,' Sam said.
'Sorry?'
'You will be if you even attempt to carry out the threat to hit me that I can
see blazing in those candid grey eyes. You're quite a little virago when
roused, aren't you?' he told her admiringly.
Add condescending to his list of faults, Crys thought furiously. 'Quite the
little virago', huh!
'I would much rather see you aroused in another way,' he began huskily,
suddenly much closer than Crys would have wished.
'Sam,' she said mildly, causing him to pause long enough to look at her
enquiringly. 'Go to hell!' she told him forcefully, once she was sure she had
his full attention.
To her surprise or was it chagrin? he began to laugh, a low husky laugh
that completely transformed his austere expression into one of boyish
charm. The last thing she wanted!
A remote, cynical Sam she could just about cope with; a Sam who had
laughing green eyes and a boyish grin was a little harder to withstand. In
fact she found she couldn't move as Sam lightly grasped the tops of her arms
before planting a firm kiss onto her startled lips.
'What did you do that for?' she demanded indignantly as he straightened and
released her.
He still grinned. 'For being you, I suppose: slightly naive, extremely
vulnerable but very kissable!'
And she, it seemed, had no say in the matter! Damn cheek of the man. Just
who did he think he was?
Molly's brother was who he was the brother she so obviously adored. And
Crys was a guest in his house. But that still didn't give him the right to kiss
her whenever he felt like it!
'Don't do that again,' she bit out tautly.
'Or?' Sam prompted, that sculptured mouth still curved into a smile.
A smile she hardened herself to resist. 'Or,' she continued, 'I'd have no wish
to upset Molly by explaining to her that I have to cut my visit short because
her brother chooses to take advantage of the situation, but '
'But you'll do so if you have to,' he finished scathingly. '"Take advantage of
the situation"!' he repeated. 'What an old-fashioned expression!'
Crys met his gaze unflinchingly. 'I'm an old-fashioned type of woman.'
'Meaning?' His eyes narrowed speculatively.
'I'm sure you can work that out for yourself,' she retorted.
He gave a mocking inclination of his head, his gaze challenging. 'I'm sure I
can.'
She was sure he could too. No matter what he might think, no matter what
sort of women he usually associated with, she wanted him to know she was
not a candidate for his next affair!
'Now, if you wouldn't mind, I would like to clear away and go to bed,' she
told him pointedly.
'Alone?' he taunted softly.
'Definitely!' she snapped, the colour in her cheeks caused by anger rather
than embarrassment at the subject of their conversation. 'Look, Sam, I don't
think I can put this any more clearly than I already have '
'No, you've been pretty succinct so far,' he allowed.
'Then why do we still seem to have a problem?' she said exasperatedly.
'We don't,' he replied. 'If you can manage to keep your hands off me, I'm
sure I can endeavour to do the same.'
'Of all the '
'Yes?' Sam urged as she broke off incredulously.
'Never mind,' she muttered, turning away. 'For Molly's sake, I suggest we
try to at least be polite to each other.'
'I think we've gone way past the polite stage, Crystal.' He refused her
request. 'In fact, I'm not sure we ever reached it!'
She didn't think they had either. She felt as if she and Sam had jumped from
being complete strangers to people who were far too intimate with each
other, both conversationally and physically. Which, to Crys, in itself, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]