Follow a Stranger

thought I’d come to drag you into bed with me?” He

grinned at her. “Was it a struggle, my sweet? Or did you

righteously lock your door without a second thought?”

“Don’t laugh,” she pleaded. “I was desperately

unhappy.”

He wound his fingers in the silky blonde hair and

pulled her close to him, kissing her ear. “I felt pretty fed

up myself. I came to ask you to marry me. When you

wouldn’t even talk to me I felt like smashing the door

down. You don’t know how close you came to being pretty

savagely kissed that night. I lay awake thinking of what I

would like to do to you. I couldn’t understand your

sudden changes of mood.”

“I didn’t want to love you,” she said, sighing.

“That was obvious. I thought, though, that once I had got

Peter Hardy out of your life it would be plain sailing. It

was a big shock to find I was still not home and dry.”

Kate sat up indignantly. “How conceited! You thought

that as soon as I was free I’d fall into your arms, I

suppose?”

“Something like that,” he grinned unrepentantly. “You

see, my dear girl, I fell in love with you on our second

meeting, when you threw home truths at me like

poisoned arrows. Your eyes fascinated me. They were so

blue and so cross!”

“You deserved every word!” she said.

“So I did,” he agreed lazily, with disgusting com-

placency. “I knew then that I had to marry you. I had

been in love before, but never like that—it was like a

thunderbolt. When you told me you were engaged I felt