A Savage Adoration

'You do have a way of bringing a man down to earth, don't you?' David commented wryly, and she could tell that even though he was amused he was also a little shocked by her outspokenness.

'Oh, come on. What do you expect, David? I've worked for you for too long to have any illusions. A new face comes along, you convince yourself that you've fallen in love, but once the excitement of the chase is over, it's back to reality and Meryl. Have you ever thought what would happen if she wasn't there to go back to?'

It was plain to Christy that he hadn't. He stood there frowning down at her, looking as hurt and puzzled as a small child.

'But she'll always be there. She's… she's part of me.'

'Will she?' Christy asked him wryly, and watched the doubts shimmer in his dark eyes.

'She loves you, David,' she told him softly, 'but love doesn't always last for ever.'

He swallowed and looked at her with shocked eyes.

'Are you trying to tell me that Meryl's found someone else?' He seemed to look past her and stare into space. 'She has been different lately. That would explain…' He gave her a brooding look and Christy said hastily,

'She hasn't said that to me, but I do know that she's unhappy.'

'Meryl, unhappy?'

He looked so affronted that if it hadn't been so serious Christy could almost have laughed.

She had interfered enough—perhaps even too much, she told herself as David turned away to glare through the window with brooding intensity. For herself, she didn't doubt that he loved his wife—she had never doubted it—but Meryl needed and deserved more than David was giving her, and it would do him no harm to think that he might lose her.

Whatever the outcome of her interference, at least she knew one thing, and that was that David's feelings for her were once again simply those of a friend. She hadn't ever really feared that he would pursue

her to the Borders; there were too many more easily accessible distractions in his life for that, but it was still a relief to know that his pursuit of her was over.

Later in the evening, she was a little surprised by the firmness with which Meryl refused to accompany David to the theatre.

'It will do him good to be turned down once in a while. His lady love isn't on stage tonight. Her understudy is taking the part, so he won't have the consolation of watching her. I suspect that's why he wanted me to go, but for once I decided I wasn't prepared to play second fiddle.' Her face changed all of a sudden, crumbling. 'Oh God, Christy, I'm such a fool. Why on earth don't I simply give up? I can't go on competing…'

'You don't need to. He does love you, Meryl. I just think he needs to be reminded how much occasionally. He'll never change. He'll always be a terrible flirt, but if you could have seen his face this afternoon when I suggested to him that you might be tired of him.'

Meryl stared at her. 'You said that…'

'Umm… and David looked as shocked as a child being told that there isn't any Father Christmas. '

'Mmm. I never thought of trying to make him jealous.'

Christy grinned. 'Well, I shouldn't throw yourself too energetically into the part.' She looked meaningfully at Meryl's stomach. 'With David's vivid imagination…'

'Oh God, yes. Well, maybe I'll save that for next time. After junior has safely arrived. After all, we can't give David too many shocks all at once!'

They both laughed, and Christy was pleased to see how much more cheerful Meryl looked. Both of them were surprised when David came home early, but Christy tactfully took herself off to bed, claiming that the unaccustomed pace of London life had exhausted her.

CHAPTER SIX

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'Well, there you are, safely delivered, and on time.' With cheerful disregard for the fact that he was occupying a space reserved for taxis, David slid his Ferrari into the kerb. Ahead of them a taxi was disgorging its passenger, and Christy felt her stomach jerk as though she had suddenly ascended ten floors in a high-speed lift, as she recognised Dominic's dark head and lean body emerging from its interior.

As though by some alchemy that was beyond rational analysis, he turned his head and looked straight at her. She had no need to possess any mind-reading gift to interpret the hard contempt in his eyes as his glance raked from her to David.

While she was staring back at him in hypnotised agony David leaned across her, oblivious to what was happening, and kissed her full on the mouth. It wasn't a lover's kiss, merely the exuberant embrace of a man who enjoyed kissing women and who knew without conceit that they enjoyed it too, and Christy detached herself from it with ease, but when she looked towards the taxi, Dominic had gone.

Of course David insisted on going with her to the barrier, carrying the box with her dress in it, and kissing her again. This time on the cheek.

'Have a safe journey back. You'll have to fly out and see us when we're in the States.'