Free The Thorn in His Side by Kim Lawrence Page A

roots or form close friendships, and domesticity held verylittle charm for him.
    He was always upfront with women, never pretended he wanted more than a physical relationship. Rafael had become an expert at reading the signs, knowing when a woman felt she was
the one.
    Her reaction appeared to amuse him. ‘I don’t bite,
querida.’
His sensuous lips tugged upwards into a lazy smile that sent Libby’s stomach into a lurching dive. ‘Unless of course requested.’
    Libby shivered even though the purring addition had sent her core temperature up several degrees. She wanted to respond to the voice in her head that was shrieking, ‘Run,’ but pride wouldn’t allow her to.
    Libby, eyes narrowed, took a step forward to regain the ground lost by her retreat both literally and figuratively, determined to show that she wasn’t intimidated by him in any way.
    A gleam flashed amusement and his grin deepened as he murmured approvingly, ‘Good girl.’ She might be a spoilt little rich girl, but if Marchant had as muchguts and loyalty as his daughter the situation might have turned out very differently.
    ‘Your
approval
—my life is complete,’ she said sarcastically.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    ‘T HAT’S going a bit far, but I do think you have … potential. And I really don’t think you want to get into the game of assigning guilt because if you did the subject of your father’s loose grasp of the most basic rules of business arise.’
    Rafael’s scorn stung Libby. ‘My father is twice the man you will ever be!’
    He appeared unperturbed by the charge. ‘Possibly,’ he conceded.
    ‘And it’s not Dad’s fault, a lot of businesses are suffering, it’s the economic downturn, he just needed time—’
    ‘To do what? Play another round of golf?’
    Libby reacted angrily to the scorn in his voice. ‘My father blames himself for what has happened. He feels responsible for the people who are losing their jobs.’
    ‘He is right to blame himself,’ Rafael, who had studied the numbers, retorted.
    Libby responded with protective anger. ‘If my father is such a loser why did your grandfather have faith in him?’
    ‘I am sure he had his reasons.’
    The contempt etched into his face made her see red. ‘None that you’d understand,’ she flung back. ‘Yourgrandfather was a decent man. It’s a pity you didn’t inherit some of his integrity.’
    During the short static silence that followed her outburst Libby watched the muscle in his lean cheek clenching. She could actually not take her eyes off it—or him.
    His expression was like stone as he turned and began to walk over to the big antique desk that dominated the room.
    Libby watched him warily, mystified as much about the suppressed emotions he was emanating as his actions. Her bewilderment deepened as he took a key from his pocket and, without a word, fitted it to a drawer in the desk.
    His dark lashes lay across the sharp angle of his jutting cheekbones, effectively screening his expression from her curious gaze. Frustrated, Libby watched as he appeared to scan the top sheet of the sheaf of papers he extracted from the drawer. She started slightly as he turned on his heel and began to walk back across the room towards her with them in his hand.
    There was a pronounced sneer of distaste stamped on his lean patrician features as Rafael dropped the papers in her lap. ‘This is my grandfather’s integrity,’ he drawled. ‘Go on, take a look,’ he urged. ‘I think you will find it educational.’
    Libby stared at the papers. ‘I don’t understand.’ Her face lifted to his. ‘What are they?’
    ‘It is a contract between my grandfather and a development company.’
    She gave a bewildered shrug. ‘What has that got to do with me?’
    Rafael leaned across and, turning to the second typed page, he stabbed his forefinger on the relevantword. ‘Does that look familiar?’ he asked, lifting his hand away.
    Pushing the damp curls from her face with one hand, she looked