“Oh, shut up, John,” Skye stormed, and shut her door in his surprised face.Feeling chilled, she started a bath.
No more than two minutes later her doorbell rang impatiently.
Stamping her foot irritably, she turned off the water.Luckily she hadn’t gotten around to undressing.
“Don’t hassle me, John, I’m in no mood to—” She stopped dead in midsentence.It was Jordan.What was he doing here?Oh, no, not him.Why hadn’t he returned to LA?Why didn’t he just get out of her life?
“Do I detect a note of anger?”he asked, amused, letting himself in.
Skye gave a short sarcastic laugh.“Angry?Me?That’s my problem: I don’t have the common sense to get good and mad every now and then.People think they can take advantage of me, that I won’t fight back.They think of me as Holly Holiness.”
Irrationally she paced the floor, waving her hands.
“A Pollyanna?”Jordan inserted.
“Exactly!”She stopped and looked at him momentarily.“I’m as even-tempered and coolheaded as the next person.But I’ll only be driven so far.”
The amusement left Jordan’s eyes.“What’s wrong?”
“You know what my problem is?”She didn’t wait for his answer.“I never let loose.I let people walk all over me.Well, I’m good and loose now,” she said as she continued pacing.“I don’t smoke.I don’t swear.I’ve never marched in a protest rally.I didn’t even burn my bra when it was the popular thing to do.”She stopped to take a quick breath.“Well, I’ve had just about as much as I’m going to take.”
“Skye?”
She ignored him.
“Skye?”He spoke louder.
“I’m taking the mechanic to court.I’ll sue him for every penny.He’ll...”
She didn’t get the opportunity to finish.Jordan swiftly caught her arm and pulled her flush against him.Before she could protest, his mouth captured hers.
Taken completely by surprise, Skye felt the anger drain away, replaced by a budding awareness.She was frightened that she should respond to him like this, all consideration of her anger and her plight erased by a single action.
She broke the contact, raising her questioning eyes to his.His look trapped her, warm and sensual.Slowly his hand slid over her back, drawing her closer to him.
Taking an uneven breath in confusion, Skye made a feeble attempt to break away.Undaunted, he continued the gentle caress, slowly drawing her into his protective embrace.When he lowered his mouth to hers, her lips parted in anticipation.
Why does it have to be him?her mind questioned unreasonably.His very touch seemed to bring her suddenly back to life.She was caught in the sensual awareness and yet felt frightened and unsure.If this continued, Jordan Kiley could easily become a weakness she might not be able to overcome.Forcefully she tore her lips from his and, taking a deep breath, struggled to regain her bearings.
“Jordan, please, this is important,” she insisted.
“I know,” he said, his voice thick and husky as he explored the side of her neck.
“Please, stop.”She was breathless yet fervent.“Kissing me isn’t going to fix my car.”
He straightened, his mouth curving into smiling grooves.“Ah, but my arm aches considerably less.”
She broke contact, moving purposefully away from him.“I...I think aspirin would work far more effectively.”
He shrugged, his glance focusing on her lips as if to say it wasn’t aspirin he was interested in.
Her pique rose.“Darn it, Jordan Kiley, don’t look at me like that.I’m stuck with a useless piece of junk, and you want to play spin the bottle.”
Promptly he pulled her back into his arms and placed a quick kiss upon her unsuspecting lips.“Settle down, or I’ll be forced to take drastic measures.”
She stared up at him wordlessly, swallowing tightly.
“Now, what’s wrong with your car?”
