Fear Of Love. Кэрол Мортимер

a laugh. ‘I feel almost sorry for him. This time yesterday he was basking in the loving attention of his mistress, and now he has me foisted on him.’ She began to laugh in earnest now. ‘And I’m not exactly the easiest of people to suddenly have in your life.’

      Roger came to sit next to her. ‘I like having you in my life,’ he said throatily.

      She smiled at him. ‘It isn’t exactly the same thing. To Dominic I’m just a nuisance, he said so this afternoon.’

      He put his arm about her shoulders, kissing her softly on the lips. ‘I don’t give a damn what he says, I think you’re lovely.’ He pulled her closer, the pressure of his lips increasing.

      ‘Oh, Roger,’ she breathed against his mouth.

      ‘Mm,’ he kissed her again. ‘I love you.’

      ‘I love you too.’

      He pushed her back against the pillows, his lips travelling slowly over her throat and back to her mouth. They were slow drugging kisses and she felt herself responding to them without reserve.

      She began to feel her first feelings of restraint when his hands began to roam beneath her tee-shirt, and she pulled back from him. ‘What are you doing?’ Her panic was obvious.

      He was trembling against her. ‘I love you, Alexandra. And I—I want you.’

      ‘Roger!’ She was shocked now. ‘You can’t—we can’t.’

      ‘Of course we can,’ he kissed her again. ‘We’re going to be married soon.’

      Alexandra pushed against him. ‘That isn’t the point Roger. We aren’t married now.’

      ‘Don’t be such a prude!’ He held her roughly. ‘We’re all alone here, we may not get an opportunity like this again. Don’t fight me, darling. I want to make love to you.’

      ‘No, Roger!’ She moved her head from side to side to evade his searching mouth. ‘No, I won’t let you.’

      His mouth claimed hers with a savagery he had never used before, forcing her lips apart to deepen the kiss. His legs across her knees pinioned her to the bed and her protests went unheard by him, his hands running freely over her body.

      ‘I love you, Alexandra,’ he groaned raggedly, his face buried in her hair.

      ‘I’m sure she’s glad to hear it,’ said a chillingly angry voice. ‘But if you don’t take your hands off her immediately I may be forced to ram those words down your throat.’

      Roger was off the bed in two seconds flat, glaring with resentful anger at Dominic Tempest. ‘You have a way of turning up when you’re not wanted,’ he said nastily, his face flushed.

      Dominic looked at him scornfully. ‘By the look of it I turned up at exactly the right time. Gail’s condition isn’t a good excuse for using this house for your assignations.’ He looked at Alexandra as she sat pale-faced on the bed. ‘I told you about that earlier. I thought you’d taken notice of what I said.’

      ‘I—I did.’ Roger’s unusual behaviour and the humiliation of being found in such a compromising situation by Dominic Tempest had made her feel ill. ‘I did,’ she repeated in anguish, unable to look at either of them.

      ‘It damn well looks like it,’ Dominic rasped. ‘Go on, Alexandra, get back to the house. I’ll talk to you later. And I’ll thank you for your key to this house.’ He held out his hand.

      She stood up, reaching with shaking fingers into her denims pocket. ‘I—It isn’t what you think, Dominic. This has never happened before,’ she added pleadingly.

      He took the key from her hand. ‘I don’t suppose it has, not in this house anyway. Gail and Trevor would hardly go out and leave you to it. Now go on home, I want to have a word with your boy-friend.’

      Roger put a hand on her arm as she walked past him, her head downbent. ‘Alexandra, I—–’

      She flinched away from him. ‘Leave me alone!’ She glared at him, huge tears like lakes in her blue eyes. ‘Just don’t touch me!’

      ‘Alexandra, I didn’t mean—–’

      ‘I know exactly what you meant to do,’ she cried. ‘And you won’t get a second chance. Goodbye!’