And the Bride Wore Black

‘A delightful name.’ The icy eyes narrowed. ‘And now, Miss Fabia Grant, you will explain exactly what the hell you have been playing at.’ He turned to Joanie abruptly. ‘My car will take you home, Miss Fletcher. Kindly tell my chauffeur to return here for me.’

‘Please, Mr Cade.’ Joanie spoke faintly into the heavy atmosphere. ‘It was just a joke, a silly joke. Fabia didn’t mean—’

‘A joke?’ The dark voice expressed exaggerated disappointment. ‘And here was I thinking my fatal charm had won out after all in view of your farewell.’

‘What?’ Fabia stared at him for a moment in bewilderment.

‘Bye for now, sweet thing—catch you later.’ As he repeated the words she had found so amusing at the time a slow shiver ran down Fabia’s spine and she heard Joanie groan softly. ‘Well, you wanted to catch me, Miss Grant, and now you have.’ The tawny eyes held her fast. ‘And what are you going to do with me?’ As she stared at him, temporarily dumbstruck, he inclined his head towards Joanie. ‘And please tell your friend to avail herself of my offer. The car is waiting for her.’

‘It’s all right, Joanie, you go,’ Fabia muttered slowly as Joanie shook her head at Alexander Cade’s words.

‘No, I can’t leave you, I—’

‘You will leave now.’ He turned the full force of his piercingly cold eyes on Joanie—she shrank back slightly and the numbness that had taken hold of Fabia melted as a tide of furious rage washed over her, bringing her snapping upright on her heels.

‘Don’t you dare talk to her like that. You have no right—’

‘Don’t talk to me of rights, Miss Grant,’ he snarled softly. ‘You lost me a very important business deal with that little act you put on at my reception, so don’t talk of rights.’ He turned to Joanie, his manner milder. ‘You can go, Miss Fletcher. I have no intention of harming your friend in any way but I am determined to speak to her, and in private.’

‘Fabia?’

‘Go on, Joanie.’ She pushed her gently towards the waiting lift. ‘I’ll be all right.’

As the doors closed on Joanie’s white, troubled face Fabia looked up at Alexander Cade, her eyes huge in her pale face, and in the same instant he moved forward, taking her in his arms before she had time to protest.

‘Well, sweet thing,’ he drawled mockingly, his eyes fiery, ‘as I said, you’ve caught me. Let’s see if the promise in that delectable body holds true.’

When his mouth fastened on hers she was too surprised at first to feel anything but furious outrage, and as she struggled helplessly in his iron grip she was aware of the wicked chuckle deep in his throat as he moulded her softness into his body. She wasn’t quite sure when a subtle awareness of him as a man—and what a man!—crept into her consciousness, but when it did she renewed her efforts, struggling violently as a warm sweet languor threatened to take over her limbs.

‘Stop it.’ He raised his mouth a fraction to admonish her. ‘You asked for this—enjoy it.’

Her words of protest were lost as the firm hard lips took her mouth again and she suddenly realised he wouldn’t let her go till she submitted. As she forced herself to become still in his arms the dark head raised again, and this time there was a glow of satisfaction in the tawny eyes.

‘Good girl.’ His voice was bitingly mocking. ‘I can see you’re catching on already.’

‘You’re a brute.’ Her voice was annoyingly breathless but she couldn’t help it. She couldn’t remember when a kiss had affected her like that.

‘Now, now, no insults please.’ He took a step backwards and smiled tauntingly. ‘You had a head start on me, after all. I seem to remember you’ve kissed me twice already?’

‘That was different.’ She glared at him angrily as her shoulders squared for battle. ‘And you know it.’

‘The hell I do!’ There was only anger in his voice now.

She glared at him helplessly. ‘I suppose you’d better come in.’

‘How kind.’ He followed her into the small lounge, his eyes shooting to the window and then back to her angry face. ‘And just remember we’re three floors up now. The windows are hardly conducive to flight, unless you’re a bird, that is, of the feathered kind.’ There was a hard thread of steel in the contemptuous drawl but nothing could have stopped Fabia’s rage from spilling over as she looked into the handsome cruel face.

‘I suppose you think you’ve been very clever!’ She took a step forward as she spoke, her voice a low hiss and her eyes glittering blue fire, but he merely smiled slowly, totally unperturbed.

‘No more than usual.’ He let his eyes wander down her body in taunting contempt. ‘But it’s you who should be getting the Oscar, isn’t it? Such a riveting performance and so well executed. You had us all on the edge of our seats.’

She glared at him furiously. ‘Did I, indeed?’

‘You sure did.’ The slanted eyes fixed firmly on to hers. ‘And none more so than Mr Hymes.’

‘Mr Hymes?’ She stared at him blankly. ‘I don’t remember anyone called Mr Hymes.’

‘No?’ He smiled thinly. ‘Well, Mr and Mrs Hymes certainly will remember you for a long, long time. Your little charade cost me a vital business contract and irreplaceable good will. I’d been setting that deal up for six months and you blew it in as many minutes. They are as strait-laced as they come and didn’t appreciate your particular brand of...entertainment.’