to her feet and stood in front of him. Still clutching the shirt, she looked up at him with an expression he couldn't quite determine and his inner voice warned him he wasn't going to like what she had to say. He had already learned to his cost how ruthless her tongue could be when she had a mind to use it.
She drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes. 'Let me get the story straight in my head,' she said. 'You picked up a strange woman in a bar and she persuaded you to drive her here, in the middle of the coldest night of the year, on a pitch black icy road, whilst you were off your head with drink. '
A statement of the facts or a question? He wasn't sure. He pursed his lips. 'Aye, I suppose I did.'
' Did you have any idea of the risks you were taking? That road is lethal at the best of times. You could have been killed! Worse than that, you could have killed some other poor innocent bugger!'
'But I didn't.'
'Only because you must have some kind of guardian angel who does night duty. And what about the other danger? '
'What other?'
'With her! The woman! Jesus Christ, Nat, she might have cut your throat in your sleep. She could have stolen your wallet and ransacked the place.'
'Now you're being ridiculous!'
'Am I? These things happen. Read the papers!'
'Not in a backwoods place like this they don't.'
' And you were lucky you weren ' t caught by the cops. If you had, you would have lost your licence for sure. You might even have gone to prison…and then where would you be?'
'In prison.'
His flippancy only served to inflame her further. 'Don't get smart with me, matey! This has to be, by far, the most incredibly idiotic thing you've done…as far as I know, although I have no doubt you can put me right on that score?'
' No…no, you might well be right. I'm sor…'
She jabbed the air in front of his face with her forefinger. 'Don't even say it, Nat. Do not! You're not sorry, not at all! You didn't consider the consequences for a second, did you? You'd have no licence, no job, no money, no house - you could have lost everything all for the sake of a quick drunken grope!'
He shook his now throbbing head and scowled at her. 'I should have known better than to say anything to you. I should have known you would react like this; blowing it up out of all proportion.'
'Well, excuse me, but I told you not to say anything. You insisted on confessing it all to me because you thought it would make it go away and you could forget about it...'
'I did not...'
'And don't forget, you are the one who put yourself and others in danger. How else do you expect me to react? Do you want me to just ignore it and pretend it never happened?
'Maybe I do .'
' Well, I won't.'
' That much is for damned sure.'
She cocked her head to one side, ignoring his acrimony. 'Was it worth it?' she asked.
'Was what worth what?'
' The sex? Was she any good? More to the point, were you?'
Nat felt himself redden at her brazen audacity. 'Um...I don't really know, I can't really remember. It's all a bit of a haze.'
'And I don't suppose you used anything,' she said, knowing full well he hadn't. He gave her a blank look. 'Did you use protection? A condom?'
H e flustered like an embarrassed teenager. 'Er...no…no, I didn't.' He took a long drink from the glass.
'Let's hope you didn't get her pregnant then.' Her tone softened and she looked at him with earnest concern. 'It's not worth the risk, Nat. There's a better way to go about it.'
' About what?'
' Finding a decent woman to have a relationship with, to settle down with and have a family with. Picking them up in bars and having casual sex is not the way.'
His face clouded with irritation at her presumption. 'That's not what I was doing,' he said with a scowl. 'I didn't set out to end up with her, but I did. I'm sorry she wasn't up to your impeccably high standards. It was a mistake, okay? I won't be seeing her again, but it wouldn't be any of your business whether I did or not. Would it?' He
She drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes. 'Let me get the story straight in my head,' she said. 'You picked up a strange woman in a bar and she persuaded you to drive her here, in the middle of the coldest night of the year, on a pitch black icy road, whilst you were off your head with drink. '
A statement of the facts or a question? He wasn't sure. He pursed his lips. 'Aye, I suppose I did.'
' Did you have any idea of the risks you were taking? That road is lethal at the best of times. You could have been killed! Worse than that, you could have killed some other poor innocent bugger!'
'But I didn't.'
'Only because you must have some kind of guardian angel who does night duty. And what about the other danger? '
'What other?'
'With her! The woman! Jesus Christ, Nat, she might have cut your throat in your sleep. She could have stolen your wallet and ransacked the place.'
'Now you're being ridiculous!'
'Am I? These things happen. Read the papers!'
'Not in a backwoods place like this they don't.'
' And you were lucky you weren ' t caught by the cops. If you had, you would have lost your licence for sure. You might even have gone to prison…and then where would you be?'
'In prison.'
His flippancy only served to inflame her further. 'Don't get smart with me, matey! This has to be, by far, the most incredibly idiotic thing you've done…as far as I know, although I have no doubt you can put me right on that score?'
' No…no, you might well be right. I'm sor…'
She jabbed the air in front of his face with her forefinger. 'Don't even say it, Nat. Do not! You're not sorry, not at all! You didn't consider the consequences for a second, did you? You'd have no licence, no job, no money, no house - you could have lost everything all for the sake of a quick drunken grope!'
He shook his now throbbing head and scowled at her. 'I should have known better than to say anything to you. I should have known you would react like this; blowing it up out of all proportion.'
'Well, excuse me, but I told you not to say anything. You insisted on confessing it all to me because you thought it would make it go away and you could forget about it...'
'I did not...'
'And don't forget, you are the one who put yourself and others in danger. How else do you expect me to react? Do you want me to just ignore it and pretend it never happened?
'Maybe I do .'
' Well, I won't.'
' That much is for damned sure.'
She cocked her head to one side, ignoring his acrimony. 'Was it worth it?' she asked.
'Was what worth what?'
' The sex? Was she any good? More to the point, were you?'
Nat felt himself redden at her brazen audacity. 'Um...I don't really know, I can't really remember. It's all a bit of a haze.'
'And I don't suppose you used anything,' she said, knowing full well he hadn't. He gave her a blank look. 'Did you use protection? A condom?'
H e flustered like an embarrassed teenager. 'Er...no…no, I didn't.' He took a long drink from the glass.
'Let's hope you didn't get her pregnant then.' Her tone softened and she looked at him with earnest concern. 'It's not worth the risk, Nat. There's a better way to go about it.'
' About what?'
' Finding a decent woman to have a relationship with, to settle down with and have a family with. Picking them up in bars and having casual sex is not the way.'
His face clouded with irritation at her presumption. 'That's not what I was doing,' he said with a scowl. 'I didn't set out to end up with her, but I did. I'm sorry she wasn't up to your impeccably high standards. It was a mistake, okay? I won't be seeing her again, but it wouldn't be any of your business whether I did or not. Would it?' He
Similar Books
