There's Something About a Rebel- by Anne Oliver Read Free Book Online Page A

belly.
    Lissa Sanderson’s vision promised all those things. He wanted to help her, not only because she was Jared’s sister, but because she was young and vivacious and fuelled with the same energy he’d had at her age. At a fit and healthy thirty-two he was hardly an old man but he wanted that energy that had been lacking lately, that zest, back in his own life.
    ‘Oh, and it must be eco-friendly,’ she went on, ‘working with rather than against the environment. And colour. Lots of colour. Bold …’ She trailed off as she caught his eye and her cheeks grew rosy. ‘I’m getting carried away.’
    So was he. With her ideas, the way her voice and its passion for her work flowed over him. But more so with the woman. Her eyes. Her emotions clearly visible with that hint of the sea in their colour. Her hair, its vibrant auburn tint catching the morning sun, her creamy skin. He fisted his hands and rubbed his knuckles to try and curb the impulse to reach out.
    He mentally shook his head, assured himself it was
purely sexual.
It was the perfectly naturalresponse of a horny man to feminine sexuality. And far more comfortable than the alternative.
    But she drew him in ways he couldn’t explain. And he’d not felt that intriguing pull of desire for a woman in a long while.
    He didn’t
want
the alternative. Didn’t want the complications that came with it. He didn’t want to hurt her because of it. So. he’d need to make sure this … sexual tug … didn’t clash with a possible temporary working relationship.
    ‘I’m looking for somewhere to invest some money,’ he said carefully. ‘A business, perhaps.’
    She went very still. He saw a tiny crease in her brow appear as she absorbed his suggestion. Her eyes took on a different shade. The way light changed when one moved from sandy shallows on some tropical shore to the deepest ocean dive.
    ‘If you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking, forget it.’ Her tone was cool. Very cool. Then she rose, took a few steps away. Distancing herself. ‘I don’t want or need your charity.’
    ‘I’m not suggesting a handout,’ he said, mildly. ‘Charity was my mother’s forte. I’m suggesting a partnership. I’ll provide the start-up capital but you’ll be the one slaving your guts out and responsible for the day-to-day running of the business.’
    She turned. Her shoulders square, looking taller than her small stature, she hesitated beforesaying slowly, ‘You mean you’d be … like a silent partner?’
    ‘Exactly.’
    ‘Why?’
    ‘Because everyone deserves a chance and I like what I’ve seen so far.’
    With a scowl, she crossed her arms, drawing his attention to the deep cleavage at the top of her emerald T-shirt. ‘What do you mean—what you’ve seen?’
    Uh-oh.
Right word choice, wrong place to look while saying it. He lifted his eyes. ‘I have to admit I flipped through some of your work last night before I brought the rest of your gear over.’
    Lissa watched him from across the room, her sudden exuberance quickly dissipating. What would he know about interior design? He’d just eyed off her cleavage, what did that tell her? That he’d finance her business in return for sex?
    No. She’d never stoop to that. Not to get herself out of difficulties, not for a chance at success. Not even for the chance of sleeping with Blake Everett. Rubbing her upper arms, she looked away. ‘I’ll find my own business partner, thanks.’
    ‘It could take a while to find the right person and you don’t have the luxury of time. Meanwhile you’re not bringing in a reliable income and you’re living on that pathetic excuse for a boat.’
    He made sense. Damn it, why did he have to make so much sense?
    ‘So how about taking me on until you find someone else?’ he suggested. ‘That special someone with financial backing
and
a flair for interior design who wants to take a more active role. When you find that suitable person we’ll renegotiate.’
    Little