Kiss and Tell by Cherry Adair Page A

Closed it. Combed back his hair with ten stiff fingers and glared at her. "You're probably a screamer."
    "Hmmm." She planned on doing plenty more than a little yelling – as soon as she figured out just what his problem was. She knew she had a tendency to take bigger bites than she could chew. It came from having missed out on so much as a kid.
    She was greedy. She wanted to experience everything. Now. But this time she'd shocked herself.
    Casually she rolled up her sleeves and tested the temperature of the water in the sink with one finger.
    Duchess moved out of Jake's way as he backed up.
    Hmmm, backing away some more . She'd once tamed a horse the same way. A little advance. A little retreat.
    From the corner of her eye she observed his boots shift again slightly. "Man, you have big feet," she said without thinking.
    She met his glare and blushed, them closed her eyes briefly before plunging her hands into the water in the sink and swishing a cloth inside the carafe.
    "The rain's let up some. I'll take you farther upriver. You might still be able to cross there."
    Marnie glanced out the window. If anything, it was raining harder than it had earlier. The air looked wet enough to swim through. She emptied the water from the coffeepot and set it carefully on the counter beside the sink, then dried her hands on her pants for lack of a towel and faced him.
    "Look, I'm a great believer in discussing things to clear the air. As kids, we weren't allowed to go to bed on an argument. Not that you and I argued, but – never mind. Okay, I'll go first. I wanted you to—"
    "I've got some rain gear somewhere. I'd better—"
    "—make love to me."
    "—find it. It'll take a couple of hours to climb up there and I want to get start—"
    "You wanted me, too," Marnie interrupted again, militant now. "So what happened?"
    He turned to face her fully. Eyes cold, mouth grim. "Nothing happened . Haven't you ever met a man who wasn't turned on by you?"
    Marnie fisted her hands on her hips, eyes narrowed. "Yes, of course. There have been a zillion men not turned on by me. You, however, were not one of them."
    "For all your experience, you have a thing or two to learn about men."
    "Teach me, then."
    He paled. "Not in this lifetime." His flinty gaze locked on her mouth.
    "Chicken," she taunted softly.
    His lips thinned. "The last time someone like you tried to seduce me I was in a hospital bed. She wore something soft and seductive and smelled like sin. The difference was, she was sophisticated and experienced and knew the score." He gave her a hard look. "She learned, to her regret, that I'm not a man to play games with."
    "So what are you saying?" Marnie asked, resisting telling him she wasn't playing games at all. "You won't seduce me unless I wear something slinky and pour on the French perfume and you're in a hospital bed? It can be arranged."
    "Men don't get turned on by aggressive women."
    "Hmmm." Marnie bit the inside of her lip. "Is that so?"
    "Yes."
    "Okay. I'll try to remember not to be so aggressive next time. Is that it?"
    He came up to the other side of the counter, a large, threatening, intimidating male. He rested enormous hands on the Formica and leaned forward to glare at her.
    "No. That's not it. I hardly see the point in enlightening you, but here it is. First, there won't be a next time. Second, we don't know each other. Third, you'll be gone soon. Get it? Good."
    "Ah."
    "What does that mean?"
    She looked at him innocently, eyes wide, and shrugged.
    He closed his eyes as if in pain. Her dad and brothers frequently wore the same expression. She kept her features guileless.
    "Do you think I could have some coffee before you throw me out into the cold, rainy night?"
    "It's morning."
    Grouch . She started to fill the basket with stale grounds and glanced at him over her shoulder. "And you don't need to go with me. I've been roaming this side of the mountain for years. I know the way to the other bridge perfectly well. There's no