knew there wouldn’t be, did you?’
His anger seemed inexplicable to Miranda, but there was no doubt that it was genuine. ‘No, but—’
‘And of course you knew for sure that there were no gangs of drunk, drug-crazed thugs who would have been only too happy to while away the odd hour with a lone female who looks like you! And we won’t even bring homicidal maniacs into this discussion …’
Miranda blinked. He made it sound as though she’d strolled home through some inner-city red-light district in a miniskirt. ‘The only thing I saw was a cat. I was perfectly safe. This is the country.’
‘And only nice things happen in the country?’
‘No, but—’
‘Grow up, Miranda. He shouldn’t have let you walk home alone.’ His anger slipped away as his glance moved over the graceful curves of her body. The lust that replaced it was equally hard to control.
‘I’m not afraid of the dark and you’re scaring me more than anything I saw during my walk back.’
‘I?’ Gianni studied her face and looked quite shaken as he husked, ‘I had no intention of scaring you.’
‘No, just making me see bogey men in every shadow. Ican see now that I should at least have worn something light, but I wasn’t planning on walking back until Joe—’
‘Got drunk?’ Gianni shook his head, his hands hanging loosely at his sides balling into fists. ‘What a loser!’ he exclaimed in disgust.
Miranda felt impelled to defend the absent Joe. ‘He’s a perfectly nice man.’
‘Who can’t hold his booze and doesn’t know what to do with a woman.’ Gianni fought to contain the explosive anger building up inside him, not sure whom he was angrier with: himself for feeling jealous of such a man, or Miranda, who was responsible for making him feel this way …
Dio
, what was this woman doing to him?
She lifted her chin. ‘And you do, I suppose?’ The scorn died from her eyes the moment they made direct contact with his.
The tension in the room suddenly went through the roof, along with Miranda’s pulse rate.
‘Try me,
cara
,’ he drawled. ‘I’ve not had any complaints yet.’
Miranda aimed for a cool cutting tone but missed by a mile. ‘I’ll pass, I don’t do casual sex with narcissistic men who spend their lives admiring themselves in the mirror.’
‘I’m not the one looking, Miranda, you are, and I’m getting the impression you like what you see.’
‘You’re disgusting!’ she choked.
‘I can be,’ he agreed with a wicked grin. ‘If that’s what you like?’
The soft insidious addendum sent a flash of heat sizzling along her nerve endings. ‘I like … I like … not you!’ she finished childishly. ‘What are you doing?’ she asked, her voice sinking to a fearful husky whisper as he began to stalk towards her looking like the predator he undoubtedly was. The knowledge should have disgusted her but instead of revulsionit was excitement that unfurled deep in her belly as she watched him move closer, his casual attitude not hiding his determination.
He was a couple of feet away from her when the fridge door swung closed of its own momentum, plunging the room into darkness, the gloom alleviated only by the moonlight shining through the chinks under the blinds.
She was struggling to adjust to the dim light when she heard his voice, deep and rich as dark chocolate, sinfully suggestive, come out of the darkness. ‘Just as well you’re not afraid of the dark,
cara
. You can look after me.’
‘I’d prefer to look after a snake,’ she countered with shaky defiance.
His laughter was closer than it had been, then as her eyes grew accustomed to the gloom she saw the outline of his body. He was so close, all she had to do was reach out and she could have touched him.
Shocked by how badly she wanted to do just that, Miranda tucked her hands behind her back and shook her head in bewilderment. She had never felt more scared or more excited in her life. The sexual awareness that she had
His anger seemed inexplicable to Miranda, but there was no doubt that it was genuine. ‘No, but—’
‘And of course you knew for sure that there were no gangs of drunk, drug-crazed thugs who would have been only too happy to while away the odd hour with a lone female who looks like you! And we won’t even bring homicidal maniacs into this discussion …’
Miranda blinked. He made it sound as though she’d strolled home through some inner-city red-light district in a miniskirt. ‘The only thing I saw was a cat. I was perfectly safe. This is the country.’
‘And only nice things happen in the country?’
‘No, but—’
‘Grow up, Miranda. He shouldn’t have let you walk home alone.’ His anger slipped away as his glance moved over the graceful curves of her body. The lust that replaced it was equally hard to control.
‘I’m not afraid of the dark and you’re scaring me more than anything I saw during my walk back.’
‘I?’ Gianni studied her face and looked quite shaken as he husked, ‘I had no intention of scaring you.’
‘No, just making me see bogey men in every shadow. Ican see now that I should at least have worn something light, but I wasn’t planning on walking back until Joe—’
‘Got drunk?’ Gianni shook his head, his hands hanging loosely at his sides balling into fists. ‘What a loser!’ he exclaimed in disgust.
Miranda felt impelled to defend the absent Joe. ‘He’s a perfectly nice man.’
‘Who can’t hold his booze and doesn’t know what to do with a woman.’ Gianni fought to contain the explosive anger building up inside him, not sure whom he was angrier with: himself for feeling jealous of such a man, or Miranda, who was responsible for making him feel this way …
Dio
, what was this woman doing to him?
She lifted her chin. ‘And you do, I suppose?’ The scorn died from her eyes the moment they made direct contact with his.
The tension in the room suddenly went through the roof, along with Miranda’s pulse rate.
‘Try me,
cara
,’ he drawled. ‘I’ve not had any complaints yet.’
Miranda aimed for a cool cutting tone but missed by a mile. ‘I’ll pass, I don’t do casual sex with narcissistic men who spend their lives admiring themselves in the mirror.’
‘I’m not the one looking, Miranda, you are, and I’m getting the impression you like what you see.’
‘You’re disgusting!’ she choked.
‘I can be,’ he agreed with a wicked grin. ‘If that’s what you like?’
The soft insidious addendum sent a flash of heat sizzling along her nerve endings. ‘I like … I like … not you!’ she finished childishly. ‘What are you doing?’ she asked, her voice sinking to a fearful husky whisper as he began to stalk towards her looking like the predator he undoubtedly was. The knowledge should have disgusted her but instead of revulsionit was excitement that unfurled deep in her belly as she watched him move closer, his casual attitude not hiding his determination.
He was a couple of feet away from her when the fridge door swung closed of its own momentum, plunging the room into darkness, the gloom alleviated only by the moonlight shining through the chinks under the blinds.
She was struggling to adjust to the dim light when she heard his voice, deep and rich as dark chocolate, sinfully suggestive, come out of the darkness. ‘Just as well you’re not afraid of the dark,
cara
. You can look after me.’
‘I’d prefer to look after a snake,’ she countered with shaky defiance.
His laughter was closer than it had been, then as her eyes grew accustomed to the gloom she saw the outline of his body. He was so close, all she had to do was reach out and she could have touched him.
Shocked by how badly she wanted to do just that, Miranda tucked her hands behind her back and shook her head in bewilderment. She had never felt more scared or more excited in her life. The sexual awareness that she had
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