Burning with Passion

He rounded the bubble car and climbed into the passenger-seat with some difficulty. It was a little car. He was a big man. He settled himself without complaint, proving he was a very big man.

Caitlin smiled to herself as she set off on the road to Wyong.

Not everything his way, she thought with satisfaction.

CHAPTER SEVEN

FOR the first time, Caitlin found a problem with her darling little feminine car. She felt crowded in it with David sitting beside her. His presence was highly distracting. It generated a sense of intimacy, or memories of intimacy that she could well do without at the moment. It was paramount that she keep her head, protect her heart, and glue her eyes to the road. She was quite certain of the order of priorities, so she attempted all three at once.

‘You’d better fill me in on what the situation is with your family,’ David suggested reasonably. It was somewhat goading that he could appear to be reasonable when he obviously wasn’t.

‘You made an impact on my father without knowing anything,’ she said drily. ‘Maybe we should keep it that way.’

‘I’m much better with a brief,’ he argued.

‘Spontaneity has a lot going for it.’

He sighed.

Caitlin considered the task ahead of her. Her mother had to be pacified. If David didn’t know what was happening beyond the general scheme of things, he could hardly put a foot wrong. He would be obliged to speak in soothing generalisations.

She gave him a brief synopsis.

‘This morning my father walked out on my mother. Their marriage is at crisis point. Today is their wedding anniversary. Tonight my sister and I are supposed to be giving them a party to celebrate their thirty years together.’ She gave him a derisive look. ‘The problem is to get them back together again. For at least one more night.’

A dark blue blaze of purpose hit her eyes and held them captive before she hastily remembered they were supposed to be riveted on the road. ‘Only for tonight,’ he mocked.

Caitlin wrenched her gaze away and concentrated fiercely on the road in a desperate effort to block out all the nights she’d shared with David...the passion, the pleasure, the intense possession of each other.

‘It’s a start,’ she said tightly. ‘What we really need is a solution, David.’

‘Why did your father walk out?’

‘You’d better ask him.’

David sighed again.

Caitlin felt compelled to give a tiny bit more explanation. ‘I’m sure they love each other. It’s a matter of dealing with each other’s needs in a way that will keep them both satisfied,’ she concluded.

‘Absolutely,’ David agreed. ‘Satisfy each other’s needs. It’s the first step!’ He appeared to be contented with this general proposition.

‘There are a lot of needs after the first step,’ Caitlin reminded him.

‘I’m sure there are,’ he said blithely.

‘David, there is more to life than sex,’ Caitlin grated.

‘I wasn’t talking sex. I was talking loneliness.’

‘You’ve never been lonely in your life,’ she scoffed.

‘How can you be so sure?’

‘I know how your mind works.’

‘I doubt that you do.’ His face was unusually serious.

‘When was the last time you were lonely?’ Caitlin asked in disbelief.