Passionate Protection

Constancia returned with her cup of coffee and Jessica took it, grateful for an excuse to turn away from Sebastian de Calvadores' bitter eyes.

What an appalling coincidence! She had never imagined for one moment that Jorge's arrogant brother and the head of Calvortex would be one and the same man.

'… and of course, Jessica is of particular help to me because she speaks several languages fluently,' she suddenly heard Colin saying, and her fingers trembled as they curled round the coffee cup and she realised that the two men were discussing her.

'Most fortuitous,' she heard Sebastian de Calvadores replying, cynicism underlining the words, and bringing a faint flush to her pale skin. 'I believe you told me that she was also fully qualified in textile design and processing?'

'Oh yes,' Colin beamed. 'In fact that's really her first love, but as I'm sure you know, we have nothing in England to rival anything such as Calvortex.'

'I believe you mentioned that you would like to use the telephone,' Jessica heard Sebastian murmuring to Colin. 'If you would care to go with my secretary, she will help you with your calls.'

As Colin followed Constancia into her office, Jessica had a cowardly impulse to beg him not to leave her alone with Sebastian de Calvadores.

'Quite a coincidence,' he observed coldly when they were alone, 'and one that makes me even more suspicious of your motives. You knew, of course, when you first met Jorge of his connection with Calvortex and from that doubtless deduced that he was a comparatively wealthy young man. For all your much vaunted feminism and independence I find you are very little different from our own women in that you are looking for a man who will support you and ease your way through life, although unlike them you do not have the honesty to admit it, nor the accomplishments to make the bait tempting, especially not to a Spaniard, who expects to find his bride pure and innocent. No wonder you went for a boy like Jorge! He is still young enough to find a certain charm in experience—of course it is expected that young men will… experiment, but you are singularly foolish if you honestly believe that Jorge would marry a woman such as yourself.'

Jessica's hand snaked out—she couldn't help it—anything to destroy that cynical, infuriating smile. But the instant her palm made contact with the lean tanned cheek, a sick wave of self-disgust swept over her. What on earth was happening to her? She had never struck anyone in anger before, no matter how much she had been provoked.

And it seemed that Sebastian de Calvadores shared her shock. His fingers touched the faintly reddening flesh, his eyes darkening rapidly to a fury that scorched and terrified her, but Jessica refused to be cowed. No matter how much she was trembling inwardly, he would never be allowed to know of it!

'Dios, vixen!' The words were breathed harshly, fastidious disgust etched in every line of the aristocratic features. 'Nobody strikes a Calvadores and is allowed to escape without retribution!'

He moved, silent and agile as a cougar, grasping her wrists and pinioning them with hard fingers that bit into her tender flesh. She tried to pull away, infuriated by her sudden imprisonment, and with a speed that left her startled and breathless she was jerked forward, the fingers that had held her wrists, biting into her shoulders, the dark grey eyes smouldering with an anger that touched off something elemental deep within her own body, mutual antagonism crackling between them.

'Cristos!'

She heard Sebastian swear and then his mouth was on hers, angry and hatefully contemptuous— the very worst kind of punishment, letting her know that she was less than the dust beneath his feet, her breasts were crushed against the fine wool of his suit and it appalled her that such a bitter and punishing embrace should still have the power to ignite a powerful sexual chemistry so that she was aware of Sebastian de Calvadores as a man in a way that she could never remember being aware of any man before. The expensive suit and silk shirt were simply the trappings of civilisation masking the true nature of a man who was still every bit as much a conqueror as his ancestors had been. He was enjoying using his body to punish her—she could sense it, feel it in the hard arrogance of his flesh against hers, forcing her to submit.

Against her will her lips softened, trembling slightly beneath the determined assault. Almost instantly Sebastian drew away.

'I am not my brother, Senorita James,' he told her sardonically. 'The warmth of your mouth trembling beneath mine leaves me cold—especially when I know that I am far from being the first man to have tasted its sweetness.'

'How hypocritical of you!' Jessica flashed back, walking unsteadily away from him. 'You obviously expect your wife, when you eventually marry, to be as pure as the driven snow, but you, I feel sure, can make no such claims!'

'Would you give a Stradivarius violin or a Bechstein piano to a mere beginner?' he mocked back, astounding her with his cynicism. 'And I think you need not concern yourself with the views of the woman who will be my wife, Senorita James. You and she will be worlds apart in your views on life.'

'Just like me and the girl Jorge is to marry,' Jessica stormed at him, irrationally hurt by his comment. 'How do I know Jorge really wants to marry this girl? How do I know it's not simply your idea?'

'Jesu Maria!' Sebastian breathed, as though imploring the heavens for patience. 'Jorge has told you himself!'

'Perhaps because you insisted,' Jessica told him doggedly, not sure why she was needling him like this, except that it had something to do with the contempt in his eyes when he had released her after kissing her. 'Perhaps I. should get in touch with Jorge myself, talk to him…'

'Never! I will not allow it!'

He looked so grimly implacable that Jessica felt a tiny frisson of fear. Why on earth had she goaded him like that? She knew she had no intention of saying anything to Jorge! And yet something seemed to drive her on, so that she shrugged and said nonchalantly: 'You couldn't stop me.'

She almost flinched when she saw the look of utter fury in his eyes; eyes that had darkened almost to black, only the pale grey rim shimmering with barely suppressed rage as he stared at her.

'You dare to challenge me?' he demanded with awesome control. 'You are not only venal, you are a fool as well!' he told her softly.

* * *

CHAPTER FOUR

'You're quite sure you'll be all right?' Colin asked her fussily for the fourth time.

Jessica sighed. 'You're going out for the evening, not leaving me on the steps of the workhouse,' she reminded him dryly. 'Of course I'll be all right, what on earth could possibly happen to me?'

It was eight-thirty before Colin left for his dinner engagement with Sebastian de Calvadores, and after he had gone Jessica leaned back in her chair in the bar and tried to relax.