satisfaction.
This unexpected inclusion of Justin in the conversation
made Jo blink. Her expression grew belligerent as she watched Liam’s lip curl with distaste. ‘None of your damn business,’ she said stonily.
‘He being such a conventional sort of guy.’
‘And wanting to marry me isn’t conventional?’
‘No,’ he flung back, ‘it’s an uphill battle!’
Jo regarded his expression of frustrated irritation with sympathy. Guilt combined with some outmoded sense of honour were the only things that had inspired Liam to consider matrimony. ‘Some men aren’t meant to marry.’
‘And you think I’m one of that number?’ he asked. Why should he resent her comment? Jo continued to puzzle over the curious expression on his face as he came to sit companionably on the arm of her chair. At least, it might have felt companionable once—now the proximity made her pulse behave in an irregular fashion and her throat grow painfully dry.
‘Could be. If you do ever marry I think it will be to someone more decorative and amenable than me.’
‘That doesn’t restrict the field too much,’ he murmured drily as she inclined her head to look up at him.
‘I’d never suggest you’re too selfish and feckless to marry.’ No girl liked to be told she wasn’t decorative. Just because she had weakly fallen in with his plans it was no reason to let him get too smug.
‘Perish the thought.’
‘This is a purely business arrangement.’
‘No kissing?’
‘Absolutely not,’ she agreed without a flicker to show how much havoc the sly question had wrought. It was about time she started showing a bit of self-restraint. She could only blame her hormones just so much! It definitely wasn’t the right time to dwell on how good Liam’s kissing technique was.
‘There’s something very challenging about rules.’
Jo gave a faint grimace. It was a bit late to remember that as a boy Liam never had been able to resist walking on the forbidden stretch of grass. Even now he had a confrontational attitude to authority if he thought it misplaced.
He moved his hand to the back of her chair and several strands of her hair snagged in the heavy metal strap of his wrist-watch.
Jo cried out sharply as her head was yanked backwards.
Liam instinctively dropped to his knees beside her. ‘Keep still!’ he ordered tersely, bending forward. His fingers brushed her cheek as he carefully released her. ‘Better?’ he asked as the pressure on her scalp desisted.
‘Uh-huh,’ she murmured, running her fingers through her unruly curls. To her dismay Liam didn’t straighten up and move away. His body stayed curved over her, one hand steadying himself on the back of the chair, the other a whisper away from her face. The flickering sensation in the pit of her belly became a warm thrumming as the scent of his body made her nostrils flare.
The side of his nose rubbed gently down the side of hers and the barely visible fresh crop of stubble on his jaw grazed against her cheek. His breath came warm against her skin. The intimacy was devastating.
‘This isn’t actually kissing, is it?’ he asked softly.
‘Not strictly speaking,’ she agreed hoarsely. His eyes were half closed as his fingers moved whisper-like over the firm, rounded contour of her jaw. She suddenly fiercely wanted to press her lips against the lazy droop of his eyelids. Her own fingers still pressed to the side of her head collided with his and, even whilst the tiny gasp was emerging from her lips, his fingers were interlocking firmly with her own.
‘This isn’t fair!’ she groaned as he pulled her hand against his own face.
‘What’s not fair?’
‘I know what you’re doing,’ she told him hoarsely.
‘I always said you weren’t as stupid as you look,’ he said throatily.
‘You think if you get me into bed I’ll agree to anything you say.’ Jo banged her head against a mental brick wall as these incautious words escaped. She could only hope and
This unexpected inclusion of Justin in the conversation
made Jo blink. Her expression grew belligerent as she watched Liam’s lip curl with distaste. ‘None of your damn business,’ she said stonily.
‘He being such a conventional sort of guy.’
‘And wanting to marry me isn’t conventional?’
‘No,’ he flung back, ‘it’s an uphill battle!’
Jo regarded his expression of frustrated irritation with sympathy. Guilt combined with some outmoded sense of honour were the only things that had inspired Liam to consider matrimony. ‘Some men aren’t meant to marry.’
‘And you think I’m one of that number?’ he asked. Why should he resent her comment? Jo continued to puzzle over the curious expression on his face as he came to sit companionably on the arm of her chair. At least, it might have felt companionable once—now the proximity made her pulse behave in an irregular fashion and her throat grow painfully dry.
‘Could be. If you do ever marry I think it will be to someone more decorative and amenable than me.’
‘That doesn’t restrict the field too much,’ he murmured drily as she inclined her head to look up at him.
‘I’d never suggest you’re too selfish and feckless to marry.’ No girl liked to be told she wasn’t decorative. Just because she had weakly fallen in with his plans it was no reason to let him get too smug.
‘Perish the thought.’
‘This is a purely business arrangement.’
‘No kissing?’
‘Absolutely not,’ she agreed without a flicker to show how much havoc the sly question had wrought. It was about time she started showing a bit of self-restraint. She could only blame her hormones just so much! It definitely wasn’t the right time to dwell on how good Liam’s kissing technique was.
‘There’s something very challenging about rules.’
Jo gave a faint grimace. It was a bit late to remember that as a boy Liam never had been able to resist walking on the forbidden stretch of grass. Even now he had a confrontational attitude to authority if he thought it misplaced.
He moved his hand to the back of her chair and several strands of her hair snagged in the heavy metal strap of his wrist-watch.
Jo cried out sharply as her head was yanked backwards.
Liam instinctively dropped to his knees beside her. ‘Keep still!’ he ordered tersely, bending forward. His fingers brushed her cheek as he carefully released her. ‘Better?’ he asked as the pressure on her scalp desisted.
‘Uh-huh,’ she murmured, running her fingers through her unruly curls. To her dismay Liam didn’t straighten up and move away. His body stayed curved over her, one hand steadying himself on the back of the chair, the other a whisper away from her face. The flickering sensation in the pit of her belly became a warm thrumming as the scent of his body made her nostrils flare.
The side of his nose rubbed gently down the side of hers and the barely visible fresh crop of stubble on his jaw grazed against her cheek. His breath came warm against her skin. The intimacy was devastating.
‘This isn’t actually kissing, is it?’ he asked softly.
‘Not strictly speaking,’ she agreed hoarsely. His eyes were half closed as his fingers moved whisper-like over the firm, rounded contour of her jaw. She suddenly fiercely wanted to press her lips against the lazy droop of his eyelids. Her own fingers still pressed to the side of her head collided with his and, even whilst the tiny gasp was emerging from her lips, his fingers were interlocking firmly with her own.
‘This isn’t fair!’ she groaned as he pulled her hand against his own face.
‘What’s not fair?’
‘I know what you’re doing,’ she told him hoarsely.
‘I always said you weren’t as stupid as you look,’ he said throatily.
‘You think if you get me into bed I’ll agree to anything you say.’ Jo banged her head against a mental brick wall as these incautious words escaped. She could only hope and
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