Double Fault Read Online Free

was it? I seem to remember we had one or two mutual interests. ” He drained his mug and replaced it on the tray.  Then he walked across the room and pulled her to her feet.  “Remember this?”
    She saw the kiss coming and tried to turn her head, drooping her eyelids against the heady nearness of his body, trying not to drown in the familiar musky scent of his skin.  He laughed aloud, his teeth gleaming white against the golden tan of his face, and then his lips were pinned to hers, his tongue honey-sweet as it probed the moisture of her mouth.
    She resisted, her teeth clenched together, her palms pressing hard against the muscled smoothness of his chest, but he merely shifted position, unbalancing her, so that her fiercely resistant hands clutched instinctively at his shirt.  Then he pulled back slightly and looked deep into her eyes before his lips began to move provocatively across her mouth and undid all her resolve.  And as she began to respond, her arms sliding inexorably upwards towards the curls at the nape of his neck, her back arching as he pulled her closer, his taunting laughter was slowly replaced by something else, something so familiar that their three years apart might never have been.  She felt it in the taut strength of his arms and the racing tattoo of his heart as it pounded against her breast.
    For a moment she was powerless against the force of a treacherous body that was welcoming him back with a need that set each nerve on fire as his caressing fingers pressed long forgotten triggers of desire.  Then, with a cry of horror, she broke free, pulling away from his arms so violently he was taken unaware and let her go.  They faced one another, flushed and frustrated.
    “So you haven’t forgotten. Paper plates and napkins haven’t quite taken over your life then Kerry,” Pierce was almost contemplative as he spoke, holding himself in check as she walked unsteadily towards the door. 
    “No more than tennis took over yours,” she aimed her punches low, wanting to upset him, ready to do and say anything that would help her to forget how she had felt when he kissed her.  She willed herself to remember why she had walked out on him.
    “Tennis is not my life any more,” he spoke slowly and deliberately.  “I’m more than a travelling ball machine now Kerry.  I’ve a home and a business that allows me to work more or less regular hours.  All that’s missing is the girl.”
    She turned to face him then, her eyes huge with pain despite the whiplash of her tongue.  “A commodity that was never in short supply as I remember it, so I won’t wish you luck.”
    “You don’t need to. Your luck always travels with me,” he fingered a chain at his throat, pulling a small medallion up through the open neck of his polo shirt. 
    A small topaz set in gold winked across at her, reminding her of the day she had bought it in a small village high in the mountains of Italy .  She’d noticed it when they were window-shopping because it was engraved with a small scorpion, and Pierce had laughed when she told him it was his birthstone. Then she’d dragged him into the shop and bought it with the last of her money, not knowing that within weeks her father would stop her allowance.
    He had been unaccountably touched when she fastened it around his neck.  He had pulled her close and held her so tightly she had protested. Afterwards he’d always worn it, saying it brought him luck.
    Kerry gave him a bitter look as she remembered the memento he had given her on that same stolen holiday. It had been one of those halcyon times that had occurred far too infrequently in their relationship. With Pierce between tournaments they had managed to leave the tennis world behind them for a few days to grab a short time alone in a tiny secluded bungalow surrounded by olive groves.  It had been a magical time as they lazed by their own private pool and played house for seven glorious days, shutting out the