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'Let me take your glass and the rest of the wine at least.' He had moved into the kitchen before she could stop him, reaching across her for the bottle. The movement brought his shoulder brushing against her arm and suddenly the faint in¬toxicating smell of his aftershave was there on her senses, along with a quivering awareness of the height and breadth of the powerful male body.
Beth froze. She couldn't breathe. It was a huge relief when he strolled into the sitting room.
Idiot! She made herself continue to dish up the meal even as the little shivers radiating from every nerve and sinew made themselves felt. She was a twenty-four carat idiot. He wasn't going to pounce on her, for goodness' sake, or turn into a demented rapist or depraved pervert.
But then it wasn't any of those possibilities that was both¬ering her, a little voice in her head said nastily. It was more how she would react if he did try to kiss her that had got her all of a twitter.
She stared at the two full plates and then breathed out slowly. Calm, girl, calm. You give him dinner—you owe him that at least—but then your debt is paid. Keep it nice and friendly but cool, a definite one-off. He'll get the message.
She picked up the plates and placed them on the trays, taking one and preparing to carry it through to Travis. An hour, two at the most, and then she could call a halt to the evening. After that she needn't see him again, apart from perhaps the odd glance and wave if he happened to pass the gate when she was in the garden.
She mentally nodded at the thought. Travis was the sort of man who would never be short of female companionship, that was for sure. Why, next week or the next or some time very soon she most likely would see a blonde, brunette or redhead sitting next to him as the car drove past. Perhaps even a succession as the months passed. And that was fine, just fine.
Her chin rose, her soft full mouth pulled itself tighter and her back straightened. And it was like that, with her head held high, that she took the tray through to him.
CHAPTER FOUR
'That was wonderful.' Travis put down his knife and fork with the appearance of a man who was replete.
'I'm glad you enjoyed it,' Beth said primly. Actually she had been surprised by how good the food had tasted. For someone who normally managed to make boiling an egg a disaster, the meal had turned out very well. 'I haven't got anything like hazelnut pie or apple crumble, I'm afraid,' she added with a brief smile, 'but there's cheese and biscuits for dessert if you'd like some.' She might as well finish the meal properly.
'My favourite.' He grinned at her. 'And the hazelnut pie and apple crumble were both shop bought, by the way.'
Too cosy. Too intimate. Beth rose swiftly from the chair she had purposely made sure she sat in when Travis had taken the sofa, but as she reached for his plate he too stood up. 'Allow me,' he said firmly, taking her plate from her and walking through to the kitchen, where he dunked the plates in the washing-up bowl before she could protest.
She stood hovering in the doorway. The kitchen was too small for the two of them but she couldn't very well order him out. 'Please leave the washing-up; I'll do it later,' she said at last. 'Come and have another glass of wine.'
'Nearly finished.' It was a minute or two before he turned and then he didn't move away from the sink, leaning against it, arms folded, legs crossed as he surveyed her from intense grey eyes. 'Have you been abused? Sexually, I mean,' he asked with shocking matter-of-factness.
'What?' She couldnit believe her ears, her face flooding with hot colour. 'Of course not'
'There's no "of course" about it. It happens.'
'Well, it hasn't to me.' She couldn't believe he had asked her such a thing. She wanted to die with embarrassment.
'Then why are you as jumpy as a cat on a hot tin roof if I'm anywhere within three feet of you?' he said coolly.
'I'm not.' She glared at him. 'Don't be silly.'
'I think you are.' He levered himself upright and took the couple of steps to reach her.
Beth brought every muscle into play and remained quite still and unflinching as she looked at him. 'Just because I came here for peace and quiet it doesn't mean I've got some huge problem,' she said with steely control, 'merely that I don't want to socialise with folk. That's not a crime, is it?'
'Not at all,' he said softly.
He wasn't touching her but he was so close she could almost feel the thud of his heartbeat and it took all of her will not to retreat. 'So, if you just move out of the way, I'll get the cheese and biscuits,' she finished icily.
'If you haven't been hurt sexually, then what is it?' he asked very quietly. 'Because there's something, isn't there? Something that's made you retreat from the human race. Or the male part of it. It isn't just work that's sent you here.'
