Free The Tycoon's Defiant Southern Belle by Elizabeth Lennox Page A

adjusted the coordinating cardigan that was draped over her shoulder.  Hopefully,
     she didn’t look like a woman who had just been kissing a man.  “I’m not afraid to
     love a man,” she said defensively, but was unable to look up at him.  “But I’m not
     afraid to shoot him either.”  She didn’t stop and wait for her angry words to sink
     in with him.  She carefully stepped away, gently stepping through the grass so the
     heels of her classic pumps didn’t get mud or grass stains on them. 
    But she was gritting her teeth as she turned the corner, irritated that Angelo hadn’t
     taken her threat seriously.  As she walked back to the other guests, she could still
     hear his laughter but she simply picked up another wine glass and pretended like she
     didn’t have any knowledge of what could have caused Angelo’s mirth. 
    Looking around, she searched for someone she could talk to before Angelo rounded the
     corner.  The idea was to appear as if she weren’t interested in anything he had to
     say.  Unfortunately, some of the other guests were looking at her strangely. 
    Her friend Deena came up to stand beside her.  “Were you just over there talking to
     Mr. Donati?” she asked, craning her neck to see the man come around the side of the
     house. 
    Jade looked at her, eyes filled with innocence.  “Mr. Donati?  I can’t imagine what’s
     gotten into him,” she said just as he stepped up onto the deck.  Angelo was instantly
     surrounded by people.  The men vied to talk to him but the women were actually the
     ones that really irritated her.  Molly Montgomery sidled up to Angelo, plastering
     her breasts against his arm as she hugged him.  As if Molly and Angelo would ever
     be good friends!  Pah!  Molly was a total fake. 
    “Even her boobs are probably fake,” Deena said, echoing Jade’s thoughts.
    Jade couldn’t help it.  The moment Deena said that, Jade had just taken a sip of her
     wine.  It turned out to be a competition between the unexpected laughter versus the
     sip of wine and she wasn’t sure which won.  By the time she got it pulled together,
     several people were looking at her strangely.  But the only person that caught her
     own eye was Angelo and she mentally cursed him when he stood there, leaning against
     the railing and looking so sexy and all-knowing.  There was no way he could know what
     Deena had just said to her.  Could he? 
    Jade turned around, fanning her face as she apologized to the group standing nearby,
     then glared at her friend.  Deena simply shrugged her shoulders with a secret smile
     on her face as she handed Jade a plate.  “Dinner is ready,” she said more brightly
     than was needed. 
    Jade took the plate, looking around for Dave.  But when she couldn’t find him, Jade
     simply assumed he was inside with the other men.  She heard the television going but
     didn’t recognize which sport was being watched.  She hated television anyway so she
     meandered over to the food table and surveyed the options. 
    “Oh Jade!  I made your favorite,” Patricia said.  “Grits!  Just like you prefer them,
     right?  Butter, no cream or sugar.”
    Jade smiled brightly and took the spoon from the bowl, adding a dab of grits that
     were swimming in butter to her plate.  Keeping her face completely blank, she moved
     on down the table, grabbing a little of this, a bit of that and then moving off. 
     Again, she looked around for Dave, wondering where he might be.  It was odd for him
     to miss food, especially since he’d been talking about how hungry he was.  She took
     a seat on a bench, making sure there would be enough space for Deena and started eating
     until a large, male form sat next to her. 
    Jade had to move over to make room for his large body, but even when she did so, he
     still moved so that he was touching her.  “There are plenty of other chairs around,”
     Jade glared up Angelo as he sat next to her. 
    “I don’t