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In spite of her best efforts to distance herself from Ryan’s constant smiling glances and give the impression that the casual ‘darlings’ with which he peppered her during conversation were merely an arty affectation, by the time George left she knew that she wouldn’t be getting any more tentative invitations to picnics in the reserve.
Sure enough, there was no friendly buss on the cheek at the door, just a rueful wave. Then Ryan insisted on helping him carry the paintings out to his muddy station wagon so he would only have to make one trip, leaving Nina quietly fretting in the kitchen, gnawing her lip when she peeped out the window and saw Ryan talking expressively before offering a few comradely pats on the shoulder in farewell.
‘How dare you take over like that!’ Nina said to him when he came back inside. ‘I told you to stay out of the way.’
‘I was only trying to give both your careers a boost,’ he said piously. ‘What’s wrong with that? I thought you’d be pleased I was so friendly to your friend.’
‘Friendly!’ Nina had another word for it. ‘What were you saying to him out there at the end?’ she demanded.
‘I was telling him to look for another woman as you’re already taken. By me.’
‘You didn’t tell him like that?’ she screeched.
‘Well, I put it a bit more tactfully, of course,’ he lied. ‘Don’t look so horrified. He wouldn’t have been any good for you as a lover anyway. You need someone earthy, someone who has sensual appetites to match your own. And he knows nothing about art, for goodness’ sake—and you’re an artist! What would you talk about out of bed? You need someone who understands your moods, your passions, your frustrations.
‘Face it, Nina, you need me. You’ll never find a lover more perfectly attuned to your desires, and the bonus is—I’m right here for the taking!’
CHAPTER EIGHT
NINA plunged full tilt down the steep, uneven dirt track, clutching at the slender, peeling trunks of the kanuka trees on either side of the narrow trail in an attempt slow her reckless momentum as she approached the bottom of the hill and finally shot out into the open grove to be brought up short by Ryan’s open arms.
He staggered as she hit his chest, and they almost fell onto the carpet of leaf mould in a wild tangle of limbs.
‘Dammit, Nina, you should be more careful. You could have broken your neck,’ he said as he steadied her briefly before firmly putting her away from him.
‘Sorry, I started off a little fast and once I got going I just couldn’t seem to stop myself,’ she said, panting, her body still thrilling from the forceful impact with his.
‘Believe me, I’m familiar with the feeling,’ he said with involuntary roughness.
Nina glided him a look from under her lashes. ‘Then why fight it?’ She had been trying for three days to needle him into action, and to her frustration all he seemed to want to do was talk. She began brushing imaginary dust from the open neck of her blouse with fluttering little strokes of her fingers, even flicking open another button to reveal more of her cleavage.
His hand snapped around her wrist. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’
‘Making myself more comfortable.’ She gave him a look of wide-eyed innocence.
‘You can take it off altogether if you like,’ he clipped. ‘It’s not going to make any difference.’
‘Why, because you’ve seen it all before?’ she taunted him.
‘No, because you can trust me not to take advantage of your more foolish impulses.’
‘What if I want you to take advantage of them?’ she declared recklessly.
‘You want me to grab you and throw you to the ground and have sex with you right here in the dirt in the middle of a public reserve?’
She flushed.
‘Because I am physically capable of it, Nina,’ he said, gesturing angrily down at himself. ‘But I’m not capable of pretending afterwards that it hasn’t happened. When and if you want us to be lovers again, then you have to be prepared to face the consequences.’ He turned and continued along the track that would bring them out at the eastern edge of the scenic reserve.
