Flirting With the Forbidden by Joss Wood Read Free Book Online

partner? Who was she? How long had they been together? Did they have children?
    Noah laughed softly. ‘You have the most expressive face in the world. Why don’t you just ask?’
    ‘Ask you what?’ Morgan feigned supreme indifference. ‘I have no idea what you mean.’
    ‘Again... liar . When I say partner I mean Chris—my business partner.’
    Single! Yay! Her girl-parts did a stupid happy dance and she mentally slapped them into submission because he hadn’t really answered the question.
    ‘And you?’
    Morgan lifted her perfectly arched dark brown eyebrows at him. She knew that they were the perfect contrast to her blonde hair. And they made her eyes look greener than they actually were. ‘That has nothing to do with you.’
    Noah grinned and disturbed the million bats squatting in her stomach.
    ‘You are such a duchess.’
    Morgan bared her teeth at him. ‘And don’t you forget it. And, just to make it clear, I do not— ever !—want to discuss Cape Town.’
    ‘It’s a nice city.’
    Morgan growled. ‘What we did in Cape Town.’ She pushed out the clarification between clenched teeth.
    ‘ We did? All I did was kiss you—you were the one who was naked and hoping to get lucky.’
    She was going to kill him...slowly, with much pleasure.
    Morgan ground her teeth together. How was this not discussing the issue? Did he not understand the concept of letting sleeping dogs lie? Obviously not.
    Noah pushed his hair away from his face and rubbed his hand across his jaw. ‘As much fun as it is, exchanging barbs with you, I do need to say something about Cape Town.’
    Please don’t. I’ve been humiliated enough.
    Noah looked at her with serious eyes. ‘I should’ve handled it—you—the situation—better, Morgan.’ He held up a hand as her mouth opened and she abruptly shut it again. ‘It took guts to do what you did and I was cruel. I’m sorry.’
    Morgan realised that she was wearing her fish-face and snapped her teeth together. He was apologising? Seriously?
    ‘So, that’s all I have to say.’
    Ah... It was more than enough and, quite frankly, she’d still prefer to pretend it had never happened. But she had to respect him for apologising, although she had played her own part in the train wreck that had been that night.
    She rubbed her suddenly sweaty palms against her thighs. ‘Okay, then. Wow. Um...thanks. I suppose I should apologise for hitting on you naked. I was rather...in your face.’
    ‘A woman who looks like you should never apologise for being naked,’ Noah said, humour sparking in his eyes.
    It made her want to smile at him and she wasn’t quite ready to do that. Nearly, but not quite yet.
    ‘Can we... ahem ...put it to bed?’ he asked.
    Morgan rolled her eyes at the very unsubtle pun.
    Way past time to change the subject, Morgan thought. ‘Mum said something about you being on your own? That you’re not with CFT any more?’
    Noah nodded. ‘I have my own company doing pretty much the same thing CFT are doing. Except that we’re branching out into security analysis; this is our first job for MI. I’m here to make recommendations about what systems should be put in place to secure the collection. That’s the first step. Hopefully it’ll lead to us installing those systems.’
    ‘Are you good at it?’
    ‘Very.’
    ‘Okay, then.’ Morgan twisted her ring around her finger and half shrugged. ‘Today aside, I don’t have much to do with the ball, but I would hate to see anything happen to the collection. It’s fabulous; the gems are magnificent and the craftsmanship is superb.’
    ‘Nothing to do with the ball? I think your mum has other ideas.’ Noah finished his bottle of water, carefully replaced the cap and placed it on the table. ‘If we get the job to install the systems then I will make damn sure that nothing happens to the collection. My business would be ruined if a diamond chip went missing, and that’s not a risk I’m prepared to take.’
    Morgan went