Lovers Not Friends

The silence was very complete and then, through the pounding in her ears, she heard him breathe out slowly.

‘Is that the best you can do?’

It wasn’t the response she had expected, and as her vision cleared she saw his face was carefully blank, his eyes hooded and empty. As she stood in front of him, swaying slightly, she felt for a moment he was looking into her soul. ‘I don’t understand?’

‘You and me both.’ There was a twist to his mouth that made her want to reach out a hand and smooth the firm lips into a smile.

‘I told you.’ She lowered her head to stare at a tiny white-petalled daisy lying crushed at her feet. ‘You said you would leave if I told you, and I did.’

‘You didn’t convince me.’ She brought her head up sharply to stare into the handsome cold face.

‘That wasn’t the bargain,’ she said hotly, ‘whether you believed me or not. You said you would go—’

‘So I lied.’ His voice was cool and assured and quite unrepentant.

‘This isn’t fair, Blade—’

‘Life’s not fair, sweetheart.’ Suddenly the chameleon-like skill she had seen him use in difficult situations in the past was very much in evidence, his whole manner changing to one of relaxed lazy assurance as he smiled at her crookedly, his face guileless. ‘Now, as I can see that we aren’t going to get any further this afternoon, I suggest we take a nice leisurely walk in this beautiful countryside, unless you have a better suggestion?’ The drawling voice and raised eyebrow was intended to provoke and it did.

‘You can go to—’

‘Don’t tell me where I can go, Amy.’ The easy manner was dropped in an instant, his voice icy. ‘You are treading on a very thin line, my girl, and don’t you forget it. My gut instinct is to take you now and we both know it wouldn’t be rape. However, that might not be such a good idea as certain parts of my anatomy are suggesting. It would relieve my frustration which is considerable—’ the black eyes stroked over her hot face ‘—but I’m not sure at this moment in time if it would do more. What do you think?’

‘I’ll never forgive you if you tried—’ She stopped abruptly as he lifted a hand to her mouth, tracing the outline of her lips with a thoughtful finger.

‘But then as things stand I haven’t got anything to lose, have I?’ he asked slowly as though she hadn’t spoken. ‘Have I, Amy?’ His hand had tangled itself in the soft silk of her hair at the base of her neck and as he drew her head back and his own lowered she felt breathless panic and something else—something else she dared not dwell on. A fierce hunger and desire that made her legs fluid.

His mouth was warm and firm and tantalisingly familiar, and the kiss was long and tender with no violence or anger in its depths. Part of her knew this was subtle persuasion, she could almost feel the way his mind was working. He intended to prove, to her and to himself, that she was still his. And in spite of everything, in spite of the utter foolishness of responding to him, she was drinking from his lips as though she were dying of thirst. His hands were sensual, intimate—she had no defence against him, no defence at all …

‘I was mistaken.’ As he raised his head and stood back a pace, his voice was dry. ‘Five minutes was an exaggeration after all.’

He anticipated her reaction, catching her hand as it moved to strike him, his face sardonic and his eyes watchful. ‘Not again,’ he said coldly, ‘and behave yourself or I’ll have to give you another lesson in obedience.’

‘Is that what it was?’ she asked with painful anger. ‘A lesson in obedience?’

‘Partly.’ He smiled slowly with dark humour. ‘But only partly.’

‘Then why did you stop?’ she asked tensely, as she forced herself to stand straight and still in front of him, drawing her chin up to stare at him proudly with crushed violet eyes.

‘Because I don’t want mere obedience,’ he said softly, ‘and you damn well know it. I don’t know what you’re playing at but you’d better take this on board now and learn it well. I won’t be made a fool of, Amy. When we make love again, and we will, believe me, it will be because you want it as badly as me but with your head as well as your body. Anything less is second best and I have never accepted that in my life.’

His words hit her like a sword through her heart. Second best? She was that all right. Oh, if only he knew … Her head swam with the intensity of emotion that had drained all colour from her face, and brought the image of the flowers, replaced daily, starkly in front of her. ‘No, you never have,’ she agreed dully as she brushed a strand of hair absently from her face. ‘Why should you? Why should anyone?’