Free The Pleasures of Autumn by Evie Hunter

half smile pulling at her lips told another story.
    ‘I’m on to you.’
    Her expression changed for a moment.
    ‘You know that if you went to work with eyes like that,and your hair loose, no one would believe you had a brain in your head,’ he continued. ‘You deliberately dress down so that you can be taken seriously.’
    ‘I dress appropriately for my job,’ she protested, but he could see she was pleased.
    ‘And the glasses? Your eyes aren’t that bad. You could probably manage without them.’
    She shrugged. ‘I’m safe to cross the road without them, if that’s what you mean, but I can’t read road signs at a distance. And I don’t find contacts comfortable to wear for long periods. Glasses are not a big deal.’
    ‘They hide your eyes, and that’s a crime.’
    He took her arm and they walked together back along the path. Now, in spite of the sexual tension simmering between them, they were more relaxed. They stopped at a lakeside restaurant for an early lunch.
     

     
    Sinead busied herself mixing vinegar and lemon juice and a sinful drop of oil on her salad, before she looked over at Niall’s plate. After the workout at the gym, the steak looked large and appetizing.
    ‘That’s a big steak.’
    Niall cut into it. ‘Hey, I’m a big man!’
    Oh, he was. He made her feel small and delicate.
    ‘There’s a lot of me to keep up.’
    That phrase called to mind an image from her bedroom earlier that day that heated her cheeks. Not one she wanted to think about when he was sitting across the table from her. ‘Haven’t you heard that too much protein is bad for you?’ she asked instead.
    He put down his knife and fork. ‘You don’t buy all that crap, do you? It’s cheap processed low-fat food that will kill you.’ He looked at her plate in disgust. ‘How small a portion of chicken can you eat? It’s not big enough for a cat.’
    It did look small beside his lavish meal, but she wouldn’t admit it. ‘There’s nothing wrong with my chicken. At least it’s healthy.’
    ‘It wouldn’t keep an ant alive. You need feeding up.’
    To her mortification, he looked her up and down, bending over and pushing the tablecloth aside so he could examine her jean-clad thighs.
    ‘You have great legs.’
    She jerked the tablecloth down. ‘Keep your hands above the table where I can see them.’
    ‘Spoilsport.’ But he didn’t look upset.
    ‘It’s the red meat talking. You have testosterone overload.’
    ‘Come on, you’d be upset if I didn’t have enough testosterone to appreciate a woman with sexy thighs. Have you ever considered wearing stockings and a suspender belt?’
    She froze. That was a staple part of Lottie’s costume. ‘Is that all you think about? Sex?’ she demanded. She took a gulp of wine, and Niall re-filled her glass.
    ‘No, I also think about guns and blowing stuff up. Particularly those hideous clothes you wear.’
    ‘What’s wrong with my clothes?’ she asked, offended. Her clothes might not be fashionable, but they were good quality and comfortable.
    He pointed at her with his fork. ‘That baggy thingdrowns you. You might have no breasts at all. And the stuff you wear to work makes you look fifty. You’re allowed to wear sexy stuff when you’re off-duty.’
    ‘I have to dress seriously, if I want to be taken seriously.’ He had no idea what it was like being a woman in a male-dominated world.
    ‘You take it too far.’ Maybe he realized he was pissing her off. He cut a piece of his steak. ‘Here, try a bite.’
    ‘Are you kidding? There’s blood on it.’ She hated blood. The sight of it made her feel queasy.
    ‘It’s rare, the way it should be.’
    ‘What did you tell the waiter – shave its ass and take its horns off?’ She looked into her glass in surprise. How much had she drunk? Maybe she should have eaten more breakfast. ‘Sorry, this has gone straight to my head. I haven’t eaten much all day …’
    ‘So you’re a cheap date? I must remember