‘I’m sure Daddy meant it as one,’ Kelly put in abruptly. ‘He’s always had admiration for people who see what they want, and take it.’ There was a double edge to her words, and by Jordan’s expression he hadn’t missed it.
‘Except once,’ her father said cheerfully, the underlying tension missed by him. ‘I didn’t appreciate him taking you away from me,’ he explained at their querying looks. ‘And with such haste too. It was almost indecent.’
‘You’re wrong about that, David,’ Jordan contradicted slowly, his eyes promising Kelly retribution for her dig at him just now. ‘It would only have been indecent if I hadn’t married Kelly,’ he mocked.
‘What the—? Oh—oh yes,’ her father laughed. ‘I see what you mean.’
‘Well, I don’t!’ Kelly snapped. ‘I don’t like your implication, Jordan.’ She wouldn’t let his insult pass uncontested.
‘He’s only teasing, love,’ her father scolded gently.
‘Well, I didn’t like it!’ Two bright spots of angry colour heightened her cheeks.
‘Kelly doesn’t like to be teased,’ Jordan taunted.
‘No, I don’t,’ her eyes flashed. ‘Not about something like that.’
He held up his hands in mock defeat. ‘Subject closed.’
Her father yawned tiredly. ‘I’m off to bed. I’ll see you two tomorrow.’
Jordan stood up once they were alone, moving to pour himself a whisky. ‘I hope you’re happy now that you’ve frightened—no, frightened is the wrong word, embarrassed is more appropriate. I hope you’re happy now that you’ve embarrassed your father into going to bed.’
‘I didn’t do that,’ she gasped. ‘You did. You implied that you did me a favour by marrying me.’
‘Did I?’ Jordan’s mouth quirked in a mocking smile. ‘I think you must have misunderstood me.’
‘I didn’t misunderstand anything,’ Kelly scorned. ‘You more or less told my father that if we hadn’t got married you would still have got to sleep with me.’
‘Did I?’ he repeated infuriatingly.
‘You know damn well you did!’ she snapped, standing angrily to her feet. ‘You conceited swine! I wouldn’t have slept with you. I wouldn’t have—’
‘Wouldn’t you?’ he cut in coldly. ‘I seem to remember a few occasions when you pleaded differently.’
‘You bastard!’ she stormed. ‘You don’t forget a damn thing, do you? You weren’t so unmoved yourself!’
‘I’ve never denied it,’ he acknowledged abruptly. ‘Whereas you do it all the time.’
‘I hate you!’ she glared at him fiercely. ‘I hate you!’
Jordan shrugged. ‘That’s nothing new.’
Her bottom lip tremb
led at his completely emotionless tone. ‘I always did bore you,’ she choked.
‘You never bored me,’ he denied grimly.
‘Got on your nerves, then. It amounts to the same thing.’
His mouth twisted. ‘You said I never took the time to know you, it seems you never bothered to get to know me either. Maybe we were just too busy protecting the inner us, too frightened to let our barriers down.’
‘Frightened?’ Kelly scoffed. ‘You’ve never been frightened of anything in your life!’
He shook his head. ‘You really don’t know me.’
‘I know the you you let me know,’ she cried. ‘You’re the one with barriers, Jordan. I’ve always been easy to read.’