Free A Girl Called Tegi by Katrina Britt Page B

across the room, spraying golden lights into her hair.
    Colin sat back in his chair and regarded her thoughtfully.
    ‘The sun has sprinkled fairy gold dust into your hair and your eyes are very dark. At the moment they’re wide with surprise at my eloquence. I’m surprised myself.’
    Tegi swallowed the rest of her biscuit and nearly choked.
    ‘You are coming on,’ she croaked, and sipped her coffee. ‘Thank you very much.’
    ‘I could come on more,’ he said.
    She gazed at him steadily over the rim of her cup. ‘And what am I supposed to say to that?’
    He said mysteriously, ‘I’ll tell you later.’
    After they had finished their coffee they went into the lounge where Colin switched on the record player. Tegi sat down on the comfortable settee and he dropped down beside her. The music was not too loud and wonderfully soothing and she lay back to the feel of his arm behind her as she closed her eyes.
    The racing practice had finished. The reverberating throb of powerful machines echoing in the surrounding hills was no more and the night air was once more filled with sweet sounds.
    ‘I wonder why motorbikes have to make so much noise?’ she murmured, and suddenly found Colin’s mouth in the way.
    Her eyes flew open as he lifted his head. The kiss had not been much as kisses go. Tegi knew it had not done anything for her at all. In fact she was rather surprised at the negative result, so much so that she did not repulse him but let him kiss her again.
    The second kiss was no better than the first, but this time he was drawing her closer and his hand was moving slowly over her back . Gradually his breathing quickened and she felt his hand under her cotton top seeking her bra.
    She began to resist him by evading his lips and pushing him away, but this only seemed to spur him on.
    At last she grew angry. ‘Stop it, Colin !’ she snapped. ‘What’s got into you ? Let me go, you idiot !’
    The look on Colin’s face of bewildered surprise was almost comical. The Adam’s apple in his throat was plainly discernible as his jaw dropped open and his hold on her slackened.
    ‘Don’t you want me to kiss you?’ he asked in hurt tones.
    Tegi looked at his boyish face and knew she had to let him down lightly. It was easy to see that he lacked the experience of someone like Tony—but why did she have to think of Tony now?
    Colin had been coddled by an adoring mother and at the age of twenty-six was sadly lacking in knowledge of girls. So she must not take away his self-confidence in case one day he would bungle an affair with some girl who would make him an ideal partner.
    Tegi knew sadly that the girl could never be herself. There was no rapport between them. There had to be something on which to build a life-long partnership, and whatever it was did not exist between her and Colin.
    Coolly she said, ‘This is hardly the place, is it, unless you brought me here this evening in order to make love to me? Did you, Colin?’
    He let her go as a deep blush covered his freckled face.
    He muttered. ‘Either you like me or you don’t. After all, we’ve been going together for a long time now. Even the chaps at the office are asking when we’re going to fix a date to get married.’
    Tegi’s eyes glinted with anger. ‘So you’ve been discussing me with your friends?’ she cried. ‘How dare you? You haven’t any reason to regard me as your property. We aren’t actually engaged or even going together in that capacity. I have my lunch with you and we see each other occasionally, but that’s hardly a reason for marrying.’
    ‘But...’ he spluttered.
    ‘But nothing! You take your mother out more than you do me. How m any times a week do we meet other than having lunch together, once or twice?’
    ‘We could have gone out more, but you have other commitments at home.’
    Like a flash, she retorted, ‘Doesn’t that tell you that our friendship is only half-hearted on both sides? No, Colin, you and I are just