Forbidden Surrender

‘Simon.’

She frowned. ‘I know that, I heard you call him it. But Simon What?’

‘Forrester,’ he revealed in a stilted voice.

‘Should I know him?’ The name did sound vaguely familiar.

‘No,’ Dominic denied abruptly.

‘Then why do I feel as if I should?’

‘I have no idea.’

‘Dominic?’ she gave him a searching look. ‘Dominic, what are you hiding from me?’

His expression lightened. ‘I’m not hiding anything,’ he smiled. ‘Simon is a friend of your father’s, there’s nothing to add to that.’

‘Isn’t there?’ she persisted.

‘Not a thing.’

Sara didn’t know why, but she didn’t believe him. He was being deliberately casual, and in the light of their meeting this morning she knew he had to be acting. Simon Forrester was a friend of her father; could that possibly make him a doctor, was that the reason Dominic was being so close-mouthed about him? It seemed to be the logical explanation, so she knew it was no good pursuing the subject of Simon Forrester; everyone, including Dominic, clammed up whenever she tried to approach the subject of her father’s illness.

Dominic’s apartment covered the whole of the top floor of a huge block of flats, the luxurious fittings of the reception area alone showing her that his apartment was going to be quite something.

When they stepped out of the lift it was to be confronted by the man Sara knew to be Danny, the man who had been kissing Marie the last time she saw him.

He pushed away from his leaning position against the wall, his expression one of aggression as he approached Dominic. ‘How dare you keep something like that from me?’ he attacked. ‘You had no right, Nick. No right—–’

‘Danny!’ The use of the other man’s name was a warning. ‘I’m not alone,’ Dominic reminded him.

‘I know that.’ The other man’s mouth twisted as he looked at Sara. ‘You’re Marie’s sister Sara, aren’t you?’

‘Yes,’ she acknowledged quietly.

Dominic unlocked his apartment door. ‘Wait for me inside, Sara,’ he instructed abruptly. ‘I won’t be long,’ he added as she hesitated.

‘I wouldn’t count on that,’ Danny snarled.

‘You have five minutes, Danny,’ Dominic told him firmly. ‘After that I’ll have you thrown out.’

‘Typical! What I have to say could take longer than five minutes,’ the other man snapped. ‘Telling you what I think of you could take all damned night.’

‘All night you don’t have, five minutes you do,’ Dominic told him grimly.

‘I—–’

‘Sara.’ Dominic pointedly held the door open for her.

She took his hint, and heard the door firmly close behind her. She could hear their raised voices outside, Dominic’s controlled, Danny’s very heated, and she wondered what on earth Dominic could have done to have so angered the younger man.

Not that she was particularly worried about Dominic’s welfare; he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, both verbally and physically. But Danny had been angry, extremely so. Dominic might have been just as angry if he had known the other man was in the habit of kissing his fiancée.

The apartment was as she had imagined it to be, luxurious, expensive and totally male. It was a typical bachelor home, clean, uncluttered, and obviously kept that way by a daily woman or housekeeper. It turned out to be the latter, a small bustly woman setting the table in the dining-room.

Sara ducked back into the lounge before the woman saw her. Marie would obviously have visited Dominic here, and she didn’t feel up to explaining to the housekeeper that she wasn’t Marie.

She was sitting in one of the armchairs when Dominic entered the apartment, and instantly stood to her feet to look him over for damage. He didn’t appear to be hurt, as he moved to the array of drinks displayed on the side-table and poured himself out a large shot of brandy.

He turned to her after swallowing most of the fiery liquid. ‘Would you like anything to drink?’ he asked grimly.

‘No, thanks. Has he gone?’