He frowned abruptly, not wanting the unpleasant memory of his marriage to mar what he was feeling now. Sally was nothing like his ex-wife—she was a completely different type of woman, a far less sexually aggressive and far more feminine woman—his type of woman, even if she was still clinging to her stubborn and misplaced loyalty to her husband.
Sally tensed, sensing Kenneth’s arousal, waiting for him to react as Joel would have done in the same circumstances.
‘This isn’t the way home,’ she told him quickly, her previous pleasure in his company evaporating. No matter how much she might be attracted to Kenneth mentally and emotionally, her body still reacted against the thought of any kind of physical intimacy; sex to her was a chore, something she felt obliged to endure for the sake of peace and quiet.
‘No, it isn’t,’ Kenneth agreed. He turned his head and smiled at her. ‘I’m kidnapping you,’ he told her softly. ‘And there’s nothing you can do about it.’
He saw her face and the expression she was unable to control, and his awareness of how right he had been in his judgement of her made his voice intensely tender as he reached out and touched her hand lightly, telling her, ‘Oh, Sally… no… what’s happening between us goes far, far beyond the narrow confines of sex… How could you think otherwise?
‘It isn’t the mere sexual gratification of possessing your body I want, Sally. It’s you… you… the whole person. I want your smile, your laughter, your conversation, your calm silence. You…’
Sally shook her head. Tears were threatening to blur her vision. A feeling of joy and relief flooded through her, of gratitude and euphoria.
‘What did you think?’ Kenneth teased her. ‘That I was kidnapping you to have my evil way with you?’
When she flushed, he laughed.
‘The last thing I would ever do is force myself on any woman, but most especially not one whom I… love… Is that what he does, Sally?’ he probed, watching her. ‘This husband of yours—does he… ?’
Sally shook her head quickly, not wanting him to continue.
‘Have you told him about me?’ Kenneth asked her.
‘No,’ she told him quickly—quickly and guiltily. ‘I mean…’
‘You mean what?’ Kenneth asked her softly. ‘That I’m not important enough to mention, or that… I’m too important for you to do so?’
His perception took Sally’s breath away. She could feel herself flushing.
‘I—we… We don’t get much chance to talk about anything these days,’ she prevaricated hesitantly. ‘I… Joel doesn’t like me talking about the patients at home. He——’
‘The patients?’ Kenneth interrupted her. ‘Is that all I am to you, Sally, just a patient? I thought we were friends…’
Friends. Her heart bumped uncomfortably.
‘Well, yes…’ she agreed. ‘But Joel…’
‘Joel what? Joel doesn’t like you having your own friends? You shouldn’t let him dictate to you like that, Sally… You’re not his possession, you know. You’re a human being with your own rights and needs. That is the worst mistake a man can make: to deny a woman the right to be an individual, not to recognise her as an individual…’
That was exactly what Joel was doing to her, Sally reflected bitterly. He was treating her like a possession.
‘I nearly rang you last week,’ Kenneth was saying to her.
Her heart thumped crazily again.
‘I’ve missed you, Sally. Have you missed me?’
‘Kenneth… I can’t…’
‘We’re friends, remember?’ he told her soothingly. ‘Friends are allowed to miss one another, to spend time together. I like talking to you… I like the way you listen to me…’
And she liked the way he listened to her, Sally acknowledged. He made her feel valued and appreciated, unlike Joel, who never seemed even to allow her to finish a sentence these days without jumping down her throat.
It was so peaceful here with Kenneth—so peaceful…
‘I want to take you out properly,’ Kenneth told her softly. ‘Take you out somewhere and spoil you a bit… Where would you like to go?’
Sally stared at him. She couldn’t go anywhere with him. He knew that.