Read Online The Man at Key West by Katrina Britt - Free Book Online

and tasting his drink. ‘You’re young and enthusiastic like I was once.’
    ‘You aren’t exactly in a bathchair yourself,’ she retorted, ‘I’m twenty-five.’
    ‘I’m thirty-two—not all that much older in years, but I feel a million years old when I look at you.’ Sue laughed and ignored the dark eyes roving over her shapely limbs.
    ‘Why?’
    ‘Because you look and act so darned young.’ Sue swallowed on her drink. ‘Excuse me while I get more experience, sir. What would you have me do? Sleep around? Smoke pot or something?’
    He laughed, and his teeth were white against the deep tan of his face.
    ‘How do I know that you haven’t?’ he mocked, and she could have hit him.
    ‘Just because you’ve done things I haven’t done you set yourself up as something great! I suppose you regard women as mindless imbeciles. Real chauvinist, aren’t you? I could do most of the things you’ve done, but it wouldn’t make me any better than anyone else.’ Sue stopped for breath as he regarded her lazily with raised eyebrows. ‘You want to try wearing a hat before your head gets too big for comfort!’
    He laughed again as he put down his glass on the ground beside him.
    ‘That should have got the adrenalin going,’ he murmured as his hand shot out to grip her wrist. The next moment he had hauled her on his knee. Sue was aware of the strength of his thighs through her thin covering and she struggled violently.
    ‘Let me go!’ she cried. ‘You aren’t in lumberjack country now. We’re civilised here.’
    ‘Are we?’ he murmured, subduing her with little effort by his superior strength. ‘Tell me more.’
    He had her helpless across his knees and Sue looked daggers at him. There were devilish depths in his dark eyes which made her shudder inwardly. Her heart was beating heavily and she was sure he could hear it. By an enormous effort she kept her voice steady.
    ‘Will you please let me go and stop playing the fool? I don’t know why you’re behaving like this with me.’
    ‘Don’t you?’
    He was kissing her neck and moving his lips up to her mouth. Sue closed her eyes, holding out on him as long as she could. When she stopped resisting, his lips became urgent yet gentle, a deadlier ploy on his part, and she knew it. Slowly his hands moved over her pliant form in caressing movements, and she was lost.
    When he released her she was trembling and bemused, with no breath left for speaking the bitter protest in her mind.
    Jay said softly, ‘I don’t know which image of you I prefer—the one I’m looking at now, all dewy -eyed and subdued, or the angry one of sparkling tawny eyes and glowing cheeks.’
    She said viciously, ‘Let me know when you’ve made up your mind. In the meantime do me a favour and get lost!’
    ‘That’s an idea. I could take you with me.’
    He was grinning at her, and suddenly Sue had to laugh.
    ‘Being provocative will get you nowhere,’ she said, ‘and I don’t care for caveman tactics either.’ ‘Take care—you’re putting ideas into my head. Do you know of a nice cave anywhere?’
    Sue could not be serious after that. He allowed her to wriggle free of him, and she stood up breathlessly, wanting to run away.
    ‘I’d like to go home, if it’s all the same with you,’ she said with as much dignity as the situation would allow.
    ‘Come and finish your drink first. So you’re not moving in with me?’ he said, bending down to take up his drink where he had put it on the ground.
    ‘So you keep asking, and I’ll keep saying no, thanks.’
    Sue dropped down again beside him and finished her drink. Her emotions were all mixed up and she could not think clearly. For one thing, Jay was much too near for her comfort. Once she was in his arms all her good intentions would vanish in the bliss of the moment.
    She had to hand it to him, he certainly knew how to charm. With Jay Sue knew that his charm was congenital and as natural as his easy grace of movement. He had