The Older Man by Laurey Bright Read Free Book Online

wasn’t sure though, until you began on that harrowing tale of teenage trauma. Hamming it up something awful, Rennie. You couldn’t have expected me to swallow that!”
    “Considering what you’d already swallowed — ” she said heartlessly.
    Grant stepped back from her and held up a hand. “Okay, okay. I admit it. I should have known you weren’t such a wet fish.”
    “Well, thank you!” she said, slightly mollified. “I guess we can call it quits, now. You’ve had your revenge.” She held out her hand.
    Grant took it in his. “Quits it is.” He looked down at her quizzically, still holding her hand. “I must say, I didn’t expect you to be quite so offended by my suggestion. I’ve never seen such a picture of outraged virtue. Most unusual in this day and age.”
    “It was the way you did it,” she said. “Leering at me! You meant me to be offended, didn’t you?”
    “Guilty, I’m afraid.” He smiled ruefully. “I hardly expected to be physically attacked, though.
    “I’m not going to apologise,” Rennie told him roundly.
    “No, I think we’re past that, don’t you? Now that we’ve cleared the air, we’d better be getting back to the car and I’ll drive you home.”
    He took her hand as though it was the most natural thing in the world, and they walked side by side in companionable silence. As they left the waterside, Rennie said, “I’ll pay for my share of the dinner. It was mean of me to make you take me there.”
    “You’re a good sport, Rennie.” He glanced down at her. “But that’s quite unnecessary. Believe me, it was worth it. I haven’t had such an enjoyable evening in years.”
    It was nice of him to say so, even if it wasn’t strictly true. Stopping herself from naively asking if it was, she said truthfully, “Neither have I.” It was astonishing, but she couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so stimulated and alive.
    “That’s very sweet of you, Rennie,” he said. Obviously he didn’t believe a word of it.
    “I mean it!” she protested. And then, sure that he wouldn’t suggest it himself, she added, “Maybe we should do this again. Not so expensively of course, and without the — “
    “Play-acting? Don’t you think the event would lack some of the flavour of tonight? In a metaphorical sense.”
    “For you?” They had reached his car, and she turned to face him, preventing him from unlocking the door for her.
    “For you, I meant,” he answered.
    “I don’t know until we try it out, do I?” she suggested, and gave him her most winning smile.
    He stood swinging the key in his hand, then gently moved her out of the way and unlocked the door. He turned to her and touched her arm. “Come on,” he said. “I’m taking you home.”
    “Well?” she said as he drew the car up outside her door.
    He didn’t pretend to misunderstand. With slow deliberation he switched the engine off and turned to face her. “Rennie,” he said. “It wouldn’t be a good idea to start — seeing each other.”
    “Why not? I know you only kissed me to make me fall for that phoney line of yours, but I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed it.”
    “Most men enjoy kissing. Especially someone as attractive and responsive as you are. As you say, I’m afraid I had an ulterior motive. It doesn’t mean I’m planning to repeat the experience.”
    Rennie flushed at his bluntness. “Are you giving me the brush-off?”
    “You’re a delightful young woman, and I like you a lot. I’m also divorced and about twice your age — “
    “What does that have to do with it?”
    “Some people might say, quite a lot. Your parents, for instance.”
    “My parents have brought me up to make my own decisions, and they’re very broad-minded.”
    “Lots of parents are broad-minded until it comes to their own offspring.”
    Rennie thought that might be true of her father. “Anyway, I’m over eighteen, so they don’t really have any say in the matter.”
    “And you’d be happy