Snowbound Seduction Read Free Page B

to the sitting room. ‘I’ll come and join you in a minute,’ she added pointedly, turning to the dirty breakfast dishes in the sink and filling the washing-up bowl with hot, soapy water. ‘The others should be back soon.’
    To her horror he had joined her in the next moment, tea towel in hand. The kitchen wasn’t large as it was, but with his height and breadth dwarfing her it had suddenly got a whole lot smaller. ‘No.’ It came out too sharply, and she modified her tone when she said, ‘You’re a guest. I wouldn’t dream of letting you dry up,’ hoping she didn’tsound as flustered as she felt, although she knew it was a vain hope.
    Looking relaxed and slightly amused, he murmured, ‘I’ve no problem with working for my supper.’
    â€˜No, really, I mean it.’ She stood guard over the dishes.
    â€˜So do I.’ He smiled easily but his tone was cooler.
    Rachel jutted out her chin like a teenager. This was ridiculous. It was her kitchen. ‘This is too small a room, only one person at a time works in here. We’ve got a rota…’ That sounded silly. ‘And,’ she said truculently, ‘I’ve got my own way of doing things.’
    â€˜How difficult is it to get it wrong when you dry dishes?’
    â€˜I’ll bring you a glass of wine through in a minute,’ she said, purposely not answering him, ‘and Jennie will be home any moment. She’ll expect you to be sitting watching TV.’
    â€˜I think she’d survive the shock nonetheless.’
    It was useless arguing with him but neither was she going to give in. She was blowed if she was going to let another Giles tell her what to do. She stood, straight and stiff and without glancing at him until she heard him leave the kitchen. Then she let her body sag. Damn, damn, damn. Now she felt awful. She was never intentionally rude and he was Jennie’s cousin after all, but why couldn’t he take a hint? Irritating, awkward man.
    Without considering what she was going to say, she marched through to the sitting room. He was standing with his back to the room looking out of the window into the dark, stormy night.
    â€˜I’m sorry,’ she said without any preamble. ‘I sounded rude and I didn’t mean to be. It’s just that—’
    â€˜You don’t like me for some reason,’ he finished forher, turning round and pinning her with the golden gaze. ‘Right?’
    Lost for words, Rachel shook her head helplessly. ‘I don’t know you,’ she prevaricated at last.
    â€˜No, you’re right, you don’t,’ he said softly, but with an iron edge to his voice that hadn’t been there before. ‘If you did know me and you’d still come to that conclusion, it wouldn’t matter.’ He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. ‘As it is, I guess it still doesn’t matter, but I’d appreciate you trying to be civil this evening for Jennie’s sake, if nothing else.’
    Her temper rising, she stared at him. ‘Of course I’ll be civil. I told you, I didn’t mean to be rude.’ Her words were clipped, frosty. How dared he tell her what to do in her own home?
    She thought she saw the hard mouth twitch for a moment. ‘That’s very reassuring.’
    He was laughing at her again. How dared he? But the hot words quivering on her tongue fortunately never got said. Jennie chose that moment to open the front door of the flat, calling out, ‘Zac? Are you here?’ as she entered the hall.
    Rachel saw her friend’s eyes widen when they took in the tall handsome man her cousin had become, and then, in true Jennie style, she’d flung herself into Zac’s arms and planted a smacking kiss on his mouth before he had a chance to object.
    Not that he would have objected, Rachel told herself as she left them to it, murmuring something about opening a bottle of wine.