Raul's Revenge

Then he pushed her towards the bed; she felt the edge of the mattress at the back of her knees just before he thrust her down, knocking the suitcase to the floor as he did so.

He hovered over her, his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to sit on the bed. She bent her head, unable to face the fury in his eyes. 'I did not want to speak to you,' she said, gulping down her fear.

'I gathered that from Ava. Why else would I break the law and drive after sinking three brandies?' he snarled. 'Only you could make me so careless.'

'You had no need to drive back tonight on my ac­count,' she shot back, and looked defiantly up into his hard face. She glimpsed the brief flare of terrible rage as his eyes burned into hers, threatening her very soul. She licked her tongue over parched lips and forced herself to continue. 'It changes nothing. James and I are leaving in the morning.' And, drawing on every ounce of courage she possessed, she added, 'There will be no wedding.'

For a long moment Raul looked capable of murder, his face rigid with fury. The taut silence was deafening as his fingers dug into her shoulders like the claws of some wild cat. Penny drew in a sharp breath, fighting down pain and panic. Then his eyes hardened until they resembled black jet, his mouth curved in a chilling smile.

'Oh, yes, there will,' he drawled implacably. 'I refuse to be deserted twice in one lifetime.'

He pushed her, and she fell backwards on the bed. Raul followed her down, his lips capturing hers in a cruel, punishing kiss. His mouth forced hers apart, plundering and possessing in savage domination. She struggled, trying to get away, her clenched fists pounding his broad back in bitter rage and frustration at her own inability to escape. But, bent over the edge of the bed, with his powerfully muscled thighs straddling hers, it was no contest.

Altering her tactics, with one almighty effort she punched him in the chest and tore her mouth away from his.

'That is all you think about,' she screamed up into his face. 'Your stupid pride. Well, you have nothing to worry about,' she told him furiously. 'Dulcie will quite happily oblige tomorrow; she told me so herself, and she was wearing your ring to prove it. You don't need me. You never did, you lying, cheating two-timing bastard.'

Her chest heaved; she was panting for breath, but she was glad that she had finally told Raul exactly what she thought of him.

Her blue eyes spitting fire, she watched him, ex­pecting a violent explosion any second. To her amazement it never happened. Bracing himself on his hands either side of her body, he glanced down at her flushed, furious face then closed his eyes. The silence stretched until it was an almost tangible thing. She was damned if she was going to be the first to break it; even so she regarded him with a certain wariness, conscious of the hard weight of his thighs holding her hostage.

Raul opened his eyes, and there was no mistaking the sorrow and regret in their black depths. 'But I do need you, Penny,' he said in a raw voice. 'Dulcie could never in a million years be a substitute for you.'

He might look contrite, but Penny did not believe it for a minute. 'Only because she can't have children,' she snapped back.

Raul's broad forehead creased in a frown, and she glimpsed a curiously speculative gleam in his dark eyes. Then she saw a muscle jerk wildly under the dark skin of his jaw and his face go rigid. 'That bloody woman,' he burst out. 'I might have guessed.' And he cursed long and fluently in Spanish before saying grittily, 'She was here today, wasn't she?'

'Y-e-s,' Penny answered slowly, not sure why he was asking.

'What did she say?' he demanded, and when she did not answer immediately Raul lowered his dark head to within inches of her face. 'Tell me, Penny,' he drawled, 'or I'll have to make you.'

With Raul still straddling her, she was suddenly not so much angry as very aware of the danger of the situation.

'Oh, I was treated to her usual vilification. I was the lowest of the low, and by marrying me you were dis­honouring your name, welching on your obligations. I can't say I blame the woman. It must be hard to find your fiancé is marrying someone else. But then you would know all about that,' she drawled sarcastically. 'You and her seem to be about even on that score.'

She saw his dark eyes widen in shock, and then he rolled off her to sit up on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands. Penny dragged herself up to a sitting po­sition and, shooting him a sidelong glance, added jeeringly, 'Truth hurt, does it?'

Raul lifted his head, his dark eyes seeking hers. 'You have it all wrong, Penny, and it is all my fault,' he de­clared harshly, and, reaching across her body, he brushed the hair back from her face with an unsteady hand, the better to see her expression. 'First, I am not engaged to Dulcie.' His hand stopped at the side of her neck, forcing her to face him. 'I have no interest in the woman what­soever,' he declared adamantly. 'It was all over sev­enteen years ago. She was a boyish mistake, and I was eternally grateful when she married someone else.'

'Hah!' Penny snorted. 'You've got a funny way of showing "no interest"—giving the woman a ring, posing for a photograph in a glossy magazine. You're too damn right, it's all your fault.'

All her resentment and bitterness spilled out; she knew she was being unfair but once she had started she could not stop. 'I saw the picture of the pair of you while James and I waited for the doctor. If I hadn't got such a shock maybe I would have had the sense not to hand over my child to the bogus nurse.' She was unaware of what she was revealing by her outburst.

'Oh, my God!'

She did not see the horror in his gaze, and even if she had she was too mad to care. 'You and that woman cost me a day of my child's life and you expect me to believe she is nothing to you? Don't make me laugh,' she mocked. 'I seem to remember, the l

ast time I was here, that you were adamant I had to apologise to the woman. And we were supposed to be partners at the time... such loyalty I can do without.' Penny was not listening to his excuses; she had had enough to last a lifetime.

‘I had no idea you felt like that! Believed that!' Raul said fiercely. 'You're wrong, so wrong.' And his free hand caught her shoulders, curving her into his side. She stiffened and tried to pull away, but he was bigger and much stronger and easily crushed her against him. 'Dios, I have a lot to apologise for, Penny,' be groaned. 'But I can't let you go.'

She tipped back her chin and glanced defiantly up at him, about to argue. But she was struck dumb as, for a second, she saw his heart in his eyes, the rigid mask of self-control vanquished by a naked vulnerability she had never seen before.

'Because I love you,' he rasped.

Her blue eyes were like saucers. Her heart jumped vi­olently and her mouth fell open in shock.

‘I know I can't expect you to love me after the way I have behaved, but I still want you to marry me to­morrow as we planned.' He stared fixedly at her. 'But you don't have to. I realise now I can't force you. But please let me explain before you decide. Surely you can give me that much?'