The Silver Snare by Unknown Read Free Book Online

her to the
    status of a primitive female animal in his arms. Last night, she told herself again and again, should never have
    happened. She would never forgive herself for allowing it to occur. As if she’d had any choice in the matter!
    That last thought brought a wave of color into her cheeks and she sat staring sightlessly out the window at the dry
    landscape. Lucas Kincaid had approached her on the most primitive of levels and she had accepted his right to do so.
    She was furious and disgusted with herself. No, she never wanted to see the man again.

Three
    Three days later, Jessica surged up through the sun-warmed water of the cruise ship’s pool with a feeling of incredible
    exhilaration. A two-week cruise from Los Angeles to Mexico, courtesy of Scanlon Hotels! No one could say her
    company didn’t have a heart, she thought, smiling to herself as she tossed back the wet tendrils of tawny hair and
    braced herself lightly at the edge of the pool.
    It seemed that management couldn’t bring itself to believe that five days spent surviving a plane crash in a desert
    canyon wouldn’t exhaust one of its prized executives. She had been offered the choice of two weeks in one of Scanlon
    ’s luxurious hotels on the coast or the cruise to Mexico. Knowing that she’d only end up working if she went to one of
    the hotels, Jessica had opted for the first available cruise.
    Today was the first day of the voyage. The elegant white ship had set out with a full quota of eager passengers
    and a good number of them, like Jessica, had already made their way to one of the two pools on board.
    Water dripped from the sleek lines of the brilliant persimmon swimsuit with its halter neckline and
    high-on-the-thigh cut as Jessica climbed the ladder at the edge of the pool. At one end of the pool a convenient bar
    was already crowded with a variety of passengers in bare feet and sunclothes. Catching up the full-sized white
    bathsheet which had the words „Scanlon Hotels“ woven into me nap of the fabric, she quickly brushed the water from
    her skin and headed toward the outdoor bar.
    More than one man hovering on a barstool watched her approach. Jessica ignored them, aware that they were
    assessing everything that went by in a swimsuit that afternoon. Sinking into one of the webbed chairs beside a small
    table, Jessie ordered a glass of iced tea from the white-uniformed steward who hurried toward her.
    When it arrived, it was not brought by the steward. Jessica glanced up, one eyebrow arched inquiringly, a cool
    smile on her lips as a man who had been seated at the bar delivered the drink with a flourish.
    „I hope you don’t mind. I took the liberty of having it put on my tab. I’m Kirk Randall.“ The man’s blue eyes, set in
    a handsome, tennis-tanned face beneath stylishly windblown near-blond hair, smiled down at her.
    Jessica hesitated and then shrugged. „Thank you,“ she said demurely, accepting the glass and, in so doing, his
    presence. „Jessica Travers. Call me Jessie.“
    „I was thinking of calling you a fellow hotel towel thief.“ Kirk grinned, sitting down beside her with alacrity. He was
    wearing monogrammed white shorts and a red polo shirt with a horrid little animal embroidered on the left breast.
    Combined with the fashionable deck shoes, his attire and manner spelled politely stated success. He was probably in
    his early thirties, Jessica guessed as he nodded at her white bathsheet.
    „I’m afraid my collection of stolen towels is limited to those with ‘Scanlon’ on them,“ she chuckled.
    „Specializing?“
    „Only the best. I have an inside track, though. I work for the chain.“
    „That definitely gives you an unfair edge,“ Kirk complained good-naturedly. „I have to work much harder to collect
    mine. Are you, uh, traveling alone?“
    No sense wasting time, is there? Jessica asked silently. Then she smiled. „Yes. I’m recuperating,“ she added dryly.
    „Nothing serious, I hope.“
    „An