Forbidden Surrender

She frowned. ‘Not today?’

‘Not usually.’ He looked thoughtful. ‘I think she was supposed to be acting as Dominic’s hostess this evening too.’

‘Surely he can put it off?’

Her father shook his head. ‘These clients are only in town for this evening. Oh well, I’m sure Dominic will think of something.’

He did; he asked Sara to take Marie’s place. He arrived shortly before lunch to visit his fiancée, spending some time alone with Marie in her bedroom.

Sara began to tremble as he joined her in the lounge, and put down the book she had been pretending to read since he had arrived, pretending because she certainly couldn’t concentrate knowing Dominic was in the house.

‘How is she?’ she asked for something to say, knowing how Marie was, because she had been in to see her herself only half an hour earlier.

‘Fine,’ Dominic confirmed her earlier findings. ‘How have you been?’ he asked huskily.

‘Me?’ she said brightly. ‘Oh, I’m very well. It’s Marie I’m worried about. My father doesn’t seem all that concerned—–’

‘Then I’m sure he knows best,’ Dominic interrupted.

‘Are you?’ she derided. ‘Aren’t you in the least concerned about her either?’

Dominic’s mouth tightened, his eyes narrowing. ‘What are you implying?’ he demanded tautly.

Sara moved impatiently, standing up to pace the room. ‘It seems to me that no one takes these attacks of Marie’s seriously. It isn’t natural—–’

His hand came out to grab her arm, his fingers biting painfully into her wrist. ‘Don’t interfere in things you don’t understand. You haven’t been here long enough to realise—–’

She pulled out of his grasp. ‘To realise what?’ she asked furiously, her eyes sparkling dangerously. ‘That neither my father or you seem to give a damn about Marie, that you even make passes at me behind her back?’

‘Passes!’ Dominic ground out fiercely, his handsome face alight with anger. ‘You think they’re passes?’ he asked incredulously.

Her stance was challenging. ‘What else could they be?’

He sighed, his anger fading. ‘If you only knew …’

‘Something else I shouldn’t know?’ Sara snapped tautly. ‘Something else I haven’t been in this family long enough to be privileged to hear? Your own words, Dominic,’ she scorned at his darkening expression. ‘I haven’t been here long enough to understand!’ she repeated in a choked voice, turning to run out of the room and up the stairs.

She knew that Dominic followed her, could hear the pounding of his feet on the stairs, could hear him panting not far behind her. But she hoped to reach her bedroom and lock the door before Dominic caught up with her, knowing he would never dare cause a scene outside her bedroom door, not with Marie so close.

What she hadn’t taken into account was the fact that there was no lock on her door. Dominic crashed into the room after her, closing the door behind him, moving towards her with determined strides.

‘No, Dominic!’ She cowered back against the far wall.

There was a strange expression in his eyes, a glazed look that showed her he hadn’t really heard her protest. ‘You made me come up here,’ he muttered, ‘made me follow you to your bedroom. Sara…!’

He loomed over her like a dark shadow, and Sara knew he was right. She had made him follow her, whether intentionally or subconsciously she didn’t know. But he was here now, and the outcome of this was as inevitable as the setting of the sun.

She moved forward to meet him, their bodies moulding together like two parts of a broken sculpture. Sara felt truly at home for the first time in days, knew this was where she belonged, where she wanted to be. But with her sister in the next room—–!’

Dominic seemed to sense her withdrawal and let her go with great reluctance, a rueful expression on his face as he looked down at her. ‘I just can’t keep my hands off you,’ he groaned, running his hands through the thickness of his hair. ‘But this isn’t the place, hmm?’