AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Careful. If you go much farther, you’re going to end up in the deep blue sea,’ he said, revealing a frightening affinity with her own thoughts that made her wonder what other diabolical talents he possessed.
‘I’d better go and see what there is for breakfast,’ she mumbled, and fled, deciding that if they were going to eat together, she would make sure that she used a very long spoon!
CHAPTER FOUR
NINA stood behind the wooden-slab breakfast bar overlooking the dining nook and frowned out through the rain-streaked window at the bleak, storm-grey bay. The weather had only marginally improved overnight and high winds still capped the dangerous seas. She didn’t need to listen to the marine forecast to know that there would be no ferries running today.
‘I guess it would be a misnomer for me to say good morning. It’s warm enough in here, but it looks pretty miserable out there, doesn’t it?’
The rich, deep voice sent a jolt up her spine and Nina whirled around, her eyes flying wide.
‘I’m sorry. Did I startle you?’ Ryan said, prowling silently into the kitchen on bare feet, the insincerity of his smile suggesting that he enjoyed catching her off guard.
His all-encompassing look took in her faded stretch jeans and the crisp, white cotton shirt buttoned right up to the collar, a blatant attempt to be prim, which resulted in a tempting provocation. Her hair, tortured into a fat braid, curled over one shoulder, drawing the eye to the soft rise of her breast.
‘I hope you don’t mind that I grabbed a quick shower and borrowed a razor from your cabinet.’
He passed his hand over his smooth chin, making her remember how his incipient beard had abraded her sensitive skin. She was sullenly resentful of the fact that she hadn’t yet had a chance to shower herself; to wash the scent of him from her body. Underneath her fresh clothes she still harboured his lingering touch.
‘I see you have my clothes hanging in front of the fire. Do you think they’re dry yet?’
‘I…’ Her voice briefly faltered as she met his challenging gaze, but she managed to suppress the fiery blush that threatened to betray her false composure. She had had plenty of time to pull herself together while the shower was going and she was not about to be flustered into apologising for what had just happened or—more importantly—what had not happened in the bedroom. She would just have to pray he was gentleman enough to gloss over the whole embarrassing incident. She busied herself with the coffeepot to give her an excuse for her restless hands. ‘I don’t think you’ll be able to put them on for at least an hour. I haven’t long taken them out of the washing machine and wool takes a while to dry.’
‘That was very thoughtful of you. Thank you.’
She could detect no irony in his tone and risked a cautious look under her lashes. He was leaning back against the counter, his sleek head turned towards her, his arms braced against the edge of the rich-grained wood. His expression was relaxed, but the tension in the arc of his back suggested a tightly coiled spring and his eyes were sharply appraising as they darted about the room, barely pausing on Zorro chomping noisily at his bowl. He had pushed the cuffs of the sweatshirt up to his elbows and she could see the deep bruising Dave had mentioned across the back of his forearms.
‘I’ve put out some cereal for you,’ she said, indicating the box on the table, ‘and there’s toast and coffee. You must be hungry—’
‘Toast and coffee will do,’ he said, making no move to sit down. ‘I hope your brother will forgive me wearing his things a little longer,’ he continued mildly. ‘When is he likely to come back for them?’
‘He’s not.’ Her clipped answer sounded like a snub, so she softened it with an explanation. ‘I mean, Karl doesn’t visit very often—only every couple of months or so. The company he works for has started selling a line of surf wear he helped design and it’s really taking off, so he’s pretty busy right now. He also gets plenty of free samples to wear. I don’t think he’s likely to miss his old gear so much that he’ll make a special trip back for it.’
