First Impressions by Nora Roberts Read Free Book Online Page A

watching her quick, jerky movements.
    “He never, never,
never
makes a mistake. He’s always reasonable,” she added witheringly as she slammed two cups down on the counter. “Did he shout at me just now?” she demanded as she whirled on Vance. “Did he swear or lose his temper? He doesn’t
have
a temper!” she shouted in frustration. “I swear, the man doesn’t even sweat.”
    “Did you love him?”
    For a moment, Shane merely stared; then she let out a small broken sigh. “Yes. Yes, I really did. I was sixteen when we started dating.” As she went to the refrigerator, Vance turned the gas on under the kettle, which she had forgotten to do. “He was so perfect, so smart and, oh . . . so articulate.” Pulling out the milk, Shane smiled a little. “Cy’s a born salesman. He can talk about anything.”
    Vance felt a quick, unreasonable dislike for him. As Shane set a large ceramic sugar bowl on the table, sunlight shot into her hair. The curls and waves of her hair shimmered briefly in the brilliance before she moved away. With an odd tingling at the base of his spine, Vance found himself staring after her.
    “I was crazy about him,” Shane continued, and Vance had to shake himself mentally to concentrate on her words. The subtle movements of her body beneath the snug T-shirt had begun to distract him. “When I turned eighteen, he asked me to marry him. We were both going to college, and Cy thought a year’s engagement was proper. He’s very proper,” she added ruefully.
    Or a cold-blooded fool, Vance thought, glancing at the faint outline of her nipples against the thin cotton. Annoyed, he brought his eyes back to her face. But the warmth in his own blood remained.
    “I wanted to get married right away, but he told me, as always, that I was too impulsive. Marriage was a big step. Things had to be planned out. When I suggested we live together for a while, he was shocked.” Shane set the milk on the table with a little bang. “I was young and in love, and I wanted him. He felt it his duty to control my more . . . primitive urges.”
    “He’s a damn fool,” Vance muttered under the hissing of the kettle.
    “Through that last year, he molded me, and I tried to be what he wanted: dignified, sensible. I was a complete failure.” Shane shook her head at the memory of that long, frustrating year. “If I wanted to go out for pizza with a bunch of other students, he’d remind me we had to watch our pennies. He already had his eye on this little house outside of Boonsboro. His father said it was a good investment.”
    “And you hated it,” Vance commented.
    Surprised, Shane looked back at him. “I despised it. It was the perfect little rancher with white aluminum siding and a hedge. When I told Cy I’d smother there, he laughed and patted my head.”
    “Why didn’t you tell him to get lost?” he demanded.
    Shane shot him a brief look. “Haven’t you ever been in love?” she murmured. It was her answer, not a question, and Vance remained silent. “We were constantly at odds that year,” she went on. “I kept thinking it was just the jitters of a long engagement, but more and more, the basic personality conflicts came up. He’d always say I’d feel differently once we were settled. Usually, I’d believe him.”
    “He sounds like a boring jackass.”
    Though the icy contempt in Vance’s voice surprised her, Shane smiled. “Maybe, but he could be gentle and sweet.” When Vance gave a derisive snort, she only shrugged. “I’d forget how rigid he was. Then he’d get more critical. I’d get angry, but I could never win a fight because he never lost control. The final break came over the plans for the honeymoon. I wanted to go to Fiji.”
    “Fiji?” Vance repeated.
    “Yes,” she said defiantly. “It’s different, exotic, romantic. I was barely nineteen.” On a fresh wave of fury, Shane slammed down her spoon. “He had plans for this—this plastic little resort hotel in