Wild and Wonderful by Janet Dailey Read Free Book Online

Jett responded to it. The vaguely possessive ring that had been in his voice seemed to confirm that she was being singled out for his attention by this forthright and virile man. And that bothered Glenna, creating fluttering butterflies in her stomach, because she was beginning to regard him as a man rather than just as someone her father wished to do business with.
    This change in attitude prompted her to notice more details about him. She studied his hard angular features, taking note of the straight bridge of his nose, the flat planes of his cheeks, his strong chin and clean jawline. On either side of his mouth arcing indentations were grooved to soften the harshness of its thin line. Sun creases fanned out from the corners of his eyes, tilting upward to emphasize the enigmatic and smiling gleam that was always in his dark eyes.
    His hands and fingers were long and strong boned, but there was nothing slender or delicate about them. As Glenna watched their deft and competent movements, her imagination began weaving fantasies about their skill in a lover's caress and the sensations they might arouse on her sensitive skin. That thought was one step away from imagining the persuasive force of his mouth on hers. At that point Glenna brought her wayward thoughts to a screeching halt. No purpose would be served except to heighten her already overstimulated libido.
    Distraction was provided when the dinner plates were removed and coffee was served. Jett took out a pack of cigarettes and offered one to her. She shook her head in silent refusal.
    "Do you mind if I smoke?" An eyebrow was quirked in accompaniment to his question.
    "I don't mind." Glenna shook her head again.
    Jett started to light it, then paused to glance at her father. "Would you care for a cigarette, Orin?"
    "No." His was a reluctant refusal. "The doctor made me quit smoking three years ago when I had my heart attack." But he made no mention of his recent one.
    "You seem to have enjoyed a full recovery." Jett exhaled a trail of smoke, studying her father through its grayness.
    Glenna was surprised to hear her father admit, "But I'm not the man I once was."
    When the waiter returned a few minutes later to refill their coffee cups, a debate began among the guests whether to have more coffee or to visit the lounge for after-dinner drinks. The majority decided on the lounge, which started a general exodus from the table.
    "Will you be joining us in the lounge?" Jett asked as her father courteously pulled back her chair for Glenna to stand.
    The glance she exchanged with her father indicated they were both of the same mind, but he was the one who spoke. "No, thank you. It's been a long day and I need my rest."
    "Thank you for dinner, Mr. Coulson," Glenna added.
    "It was my pleasure."
    "We enjoyed the meal…and the company." Her father inserted his expression of gratitude. "Good night."
    "Good night." His gaze touched each of them, lingering for a pulsing second on Glenna.
    Outside the dining room Glenna and her father separated themselves from the others to walk toward the elevators. Glenna was fully aware that she possessed too much nervous energy to go to sleep yet. She would simply toss and turn if she went to bed now.
    "If you don't mind, dad, I'm not coming up with you. I think I'll take a walk outside and enjoy a little of the night air before turning in," she explained.
    "I certainly don't mind," he assured her. "I'll see you at breakfast in the morning."
    "Good night." She brushed a kiss across his cheek, then left him to walk to a door exiting the inn.
    She was nearly to the door when she saw Jett Coulson approaching. She felt the excited fluttering of her nerve ends, her pulse altering its rhythm to an uneven patter.
    "Going for a stroll, Miss Reynolds?" The mildness of his tone made it less of a question and more of a complacent guess.
    Glenna stopped to respond just the same. "I thought I'd walk off some of the dinner before turning in."
    He paused beside