LITMIR.BIZ

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he didn’t, not really—no way would he want to start something this weekend that could only cause him trouble in the future. Laura was a valued work colleague. She was also of a much more vulnerable nature than Ryan had realised.

      To contemplate seducing her, even out of a perverse sort of compassion, went totally against his rules. Not that Laura would let him seduce her, he conceded ruefully. She would have to be attracted to him a little to do that, which she obviously wasn’t, so why was he even having this stupid conversation with himself?

      The bathroom door opened and she came out, looking a little less harried. Which was just as well, since he was beginning to run out of patience with her.

      ‘Don’t forget what I said about smiling,’ Ryan advised brusquely as they made their way down the curving staircase ten minutes later. When she didn’t say anything in reply, he stopped at the foot of the stairs to throw her a firm look.

      ‘Come on, show me some of those nice white teeth you have.’

      When Laura attempted a smile, Ryan scowled. ‘Good God, is that the best you can do, woman?’

      Laura winced. ‘Sorry. I guess I’m nervous.’

      ‘Lord knows why, with me by your side.’

      ‘Are you always this incorrigibly egotistical?’ she demanded to know.

      Ryan shrugged. ‘I suppose so. It comes with the territory of having been a successful goalkeeper. You have to have total confidence in your abilities or you’re dead in the water, because you’re alone out there. You can’t let a single negative thought creep in or you’re done and dusted. But you’re not alone today, Laura. You have me to help you. Though you still do need to help yourself. So, smile and make it convincing.’

      She smiled, but she still didn’t look like a woman in love.

      ‘Only marginally better,’ he said, feeling totally exasperated with her and with himself for being so affected by her. ‘Here, give me your hand.’

      When she hesitated, he suddenly grabbed both her hands then yanked her hard against him.

      ‘The trouble with you, madam,’ he ground out as he glared down into her shocked eyes, ‘Is that you’ve been way too long between men. And kisses.’

      He didn’t mean to do it. Hell, he didn’t mean to manhandle her in any way, shape or form. But all of a sudden his much-valued control slipped and his mouth came crashing down on hers.

      For a split second, Laura froze. This was what she’d feared after all, Ryan making a pass at her at some stage. Not that you could call what he was doing a pass. It was more of an onslaught. He even dragged her hands behind her back and pressed them into the small of her back, forcing her breasts against the hard wall of his chest.

      Laura knew at the back of her whirling mind that she could still escape his captive embrace if she chose to. All she had to do was lift her knee into his groin and he’d let her go, quick smart. But she didn’t lift her knee or do anything else. Instead, she just stood there and let him do what he was doing. She didn’t fight him. She didn’t even make a sound.

      But the moment he pried her lips apart and sent his tongue deep into her mouth she definitely did make a sound.

      It was a moan, soft and throaty and full of sensual surrender.

      Ryan moaned too, though not quite so softly. For a few more mad moments, the impassioned ravaging of her mouth continued before he abruptly wrenched his lips off hers, stepping back to stare down at her with shocked eyes. His prominent cheekbones had spots of red slashed across them, and his chest was rising and falling in a ragged rhythm.

      Laura hated to think what she looked like, standing there with eyes wide and the back of a trembling hand lifting to hide her still-burning lips. ‘Stunned’ did not begin to describe her own feelings. How could she possibly have liked what he had done? Yet she had—more than liked, actually. She’d thrilled to his forcefulness. Even now the heat he’d evoked was still charging through her veins. She tried to feel ashamed of what she’d just allowed and enjoyed. Tried to feel angry with him. But she couldn’t, and didn’t. How utterly and perversely amazing!

      Suddenly he smiled, a warm, tender smile which confused her even more.

      ‘I don’t think you dislike me as much as you think you do,’ he said as he stepped forward to take her still-flushed face within the cradle of his large palms.

      Before Laura could say a single word in her own defence, he was kissing her again, a much gentler kiss this time but still deep, his soft lips and less-savage tongue seducing her just as easily as the first time. Somehow her arms found themselves clamped around his waist as she rose up onto her toes, pressing herself harder against him.

      ‘Oh!’ a female voice exclaimed from somewhere near them.

      ‘Don’t move,’ Ryan muttered into her startled mouth before she could spring back from him.

      With considerable savoir faire he casually dropped his hands to her hips and turned her round. Laura tried to match his nonchalant attitude at being caught kissing, but she could still feel her face flaming. Fortunately, however, Aunt Cynthia seemed to be worrying about her own embarrassment, not her niece’s.

      ‘I’m so sorry,’ she blurted out. ‘I just came to see what was keeping you. I didn’t mean to, er, um …’

      ‘It’s perfectly all right, Cynthia,’ Ryan said smoothly. ‘We’re the ones who should be saying sorry for keeping you waiting.’ And he gave Laura’s right hip an affectionate little squeeze.

      Laura didn’t say a word; her throat was as dry as parchment and her thoughts in total disarray.

      ‘I fully understand,’ Cynthia said, gushing at him again. ‘But Jane is very anxious to meet you, as you can imagine.’

      ‘And I to meet her,’ Ryan returned. ‘Do please lead the way, and we’ll be hot on your heels.’

      During the short walk from the front entrance hall to the back verandah of the house—during which Ryan took her hand firmly in his—Laura struggled to get her composure back.

      It was difficult; her head was all over the shop.

      Seeing her gran, however, sitting there on the back verandah in a wheelchair, was enough to push aside any worry over what had just happened. Laura’s heart contracted at how fragile she looked. Fragile and old.

      ‘Hello, Gran,’ she said softly, extracting her hand from Ryan’s as she bent to kiss her grandmother on the cheek. ‘How are you feeling?’

      ‘Fine, love, just fine. Now that you’re both safely here,’ she added, glancing up at Ryan. ‘So this is the young man you’ve been telling me about.’

      Laura could not help feeling proud of Ryan as her grandmother’s still-sharp grey eyes raked over him, no doubt taking in everything from his face, to his clothes, to his impressively built body.

      ‘You’ve done well this time, granddaughter,’ she said, smiling with obvious approval. ‘How do you do, Mr Armstrong?’ she added, and held out one very thin, wrinkly hand towards him.

      He cupped it gently within both of his. ‘I will do very well, ma’am, provided you call me Ryan and not Mr Armstrong.’

      ‘Of course … Ryan,’ she agreed, her smile turning a little coy. ‘But only if you promise to call me Jane. Now, sit down here next to me and tell me all about yourself.’

      Ryan laughed, but he sat as ordered. ‘You must be planning on a long afternoon tea, Jane.’

      ‘I’m planning on finding out if your character matches your good looks,’ she shot back without missing a beat.

      ‘Gran!’ Laura exclaimed, slightly horrified at her grandmother’s directness.

      ‘It’s all right, darling,’ Ryan reassured her with

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