TouchofTopaz Read Online Free PDF Page B

the stark space. No pillows on the sofa and only a few
tattered paperbacks on the shelf. It was spartan and obviously male.
    Topaz’s patience had run out. She crossed her arms over her
chest, drew herself up to her full height, using every inch of the three-inch
pumps she was wearing to make herself even more authoritative. “I want to know
what’s going on, and I want to know now.”
    John stood before her in a pair of jeans that he’d obviously
had for a while. They fit him like a second skin and were slightly faded in the
knees and crotch area. Not that she was looking there. Of course, she wasn’t.
    She pulled her gaze up toward his face. His leather jacket
creaked slightly when he moved, revealing a tight black T-shirt beneath. His
face was half in shadow and half in light, giving him a menacing look. She
swallowed and took a half step back before she stopped herself.
    She was being silly now. This was John, the man she trusted
with her life.
    Tension permeated the room until her nerves were stretched
to the max. They stared at one another, neither of them blinking. Topaz was
beginning to feel as though they were in a standoff of some kind, and she was
determined not to give an inch.
    John was the kind of man who could overwhelm a woman if she
wasn’t careful. He wasn’t a bully, quite the opposite in fact. He’d be very
protective of a woman if he cared for her, but his dominant personality would
be hard for any woman to stand up to and he would gently but inexorably
steamroll her into doing whatever he wanted.
    “Well?” She couldn’t stand the silence any longer. She
tapped the toe of her Christian Louboutin pumps against the wood floor and
glared at him.
    He took another step toward her and this time she held her
ground. A smile played at the corners of his mouth. Topaz was suddenly
overheated as memories of his mouth sliding over her neck, teasing her breasts
and tasting between her thighs swamped her. This was no time for her to allow
those erotic memories to come to the fore.
    He raised one hand and slid his fingers over her cheek and
she had to struggle not to close her eyes and simply sink into the gentle
caress. “It’s simple, really.” He dropped his hand back to his side and she
immediately missed his warmth.
    Her hands tightened into fists to keep from smacking him.
The man was making her crazy with his cryptic answers. “What’s simple?”
    “I’ve kidnapped you.”
    At first she didn’t think she’d heard him properly. She
shook her head at him, certain she was mistaken. “You what?”
    He put his hands on his hips and widened his stance, which
made him appear even larger. “You heard me. I kidnapped you.”
    “You can’t do that.” It was ludicrous. Absurd. He was a
professional bodyguard for heaven’s sake.
    “I already have.” He raked his fingers through his short
hair and let out a large sigh. “Look, you’re tired and you need a few days
rest.”
    “I can do that at home.” She glanced around the cabin.
“Probably better there than here.”
    His eyes narrowed, and if his jaw clenched any tighter she
was afraid he might damage his teeth. “I know it’s not what you’re used to.”
    It struck her that she’d hurt his feelings. That he thought
she was rejecting the cabin because it was rustic.
    “Don’t be an idiot, John. It’s got nothing to do with the
cabin. It’s lovely and has a rustic charm. But I have to get home.” It was
sweet of him to want to give her a few days away. Really it was. But she didn’t
have the time for it.
    She ignored the pang of regret that gripped her and carried
on. “We need to get back on the road.” She glanced at her watch. It would be
late by the time they reached the city so she would cut herself some slack in
the morning and go into work late.
    “No.” His one-word reply brought her internal plans to a
screeching halt.
    “What do you mean, no? If you don’t want to drive, just give
me the keys and I will.” She held