Storm Cycle

by Margaret Pargeter

  'I wasn't complaining. It's not unpleasant,' she said softly.

  Tilting her head a little, she saw he was watching her coldly, although he made no attempt this time to push her away. He was impervious, she realised hollowly. He might have kissed her before and enjoyed it, but she suspected his greatest pleasure had lain in the alleviation of his feelings. Previously when he had kissed her it had been his frustrated way of settling an argument or his anger. Being a particularly dominant male he had no compunction about using his superior strength to help him win a verbal battle. Hadn't he always used brute force against her when all else failed? Suddenly she wondered curiously if he would ever be tempted to kiss her for any other reason. Proximity, perhaps, or just plain provocation? Aware that he had enough control to ignore either, Zoe sighed restlessly. Under all her speculation was the uneasy feeling that she was playing with fire, yet she felt she must do something to take her mind off the predicament she was in. That they were comparatively safe after being shipwrecked did nothing to lessen the remorse whichconsumed her when she thought of the anguish she must be causing back home. Or her dread of her grandfather's fury when she returned. Half desperately, unconsciously seeking escape from such thoughts, she moved her hands blindly over Reece's broad chest. The fine hairs were rough against her palms and she was startled at the way her skin tingled.

  'You know what you're inviting?'

  His cool, hard voice made her flinch. There wasn't a hint of tenderness in it anywhere. Resentment welled, butshe managed to subdue it, sticking to her resolve not to arouse his anger. Stifling a sigh, she concluded that it was the only thing about him she could arouseeasily.

  'I've never been in bed with a man before,' she said mutinously. 'You have to make allowances.'

  'You aren't exactly in bed with me,' he retorted dryly, 'not in the sense you mean.'

  'I suppose not,' she agreed, trying to lighten the situation with a touch of impulsive, if misplaced humour. 'But I might be one day, if I ever get married.'

  'You silly child!' he exclaimed roughly. 'Do you imagine Ian Graham or Freddy Vintis, or whoever's bride you intend to be, would care to be presented with a certificate of bedworthiness signed by me?'

  He sounded not just angry but furious, something Zoe had wanted to prevent at all cost. 'I wasn't suggest­ing anything like that!' she cried indignantly.

  'And I'm suggesting you don't know what you're talking about, darling. There are certain situations where the lines are so finely drawn it's difficult to remember they even exist.'

  He was being nasty again. He only called her darling when she irritated him beyond endurance. Her pulses fluttered as she wondered how she might coax himback to a better mood. His face was close to hers and she gazed at him anxiously. Then, because she couldn't think of anything else, she leaned forward a little and gently kissed him.

  It was awkward, because he didn't move his head and her lips merely grazed the corner of his mouth. She was conscious of a sense of frustration when he tensed at her touch, while his eyes mocked her failure to convey anything but her own total lack of expertise. There was no mistaking his awareness of her innocence in the derisive glance he swept over her, and her face burned with humiliation. Anger joined the other turbulent emotions inside her. While men might scorn experience in a girl, they appeared to dislike inexperience even more!

  'I hate you!' she cried, her eyes blurred with angry tears.

  'Is this something new?' he asked in bored tones. 'You've hated me on and off for years.'

  'I've never realised how stuffy you were before!' she muttered recklessly. 'What women see in you I just don't know!'

  'Perhaps I should show you?' Reece taunted grimly.

  Absorbed in her muddled thoughts, Zoe had tem­porarily forgotten he could be goaded too far. Used to a lashing from his tongue or occasionally a good shake, she was unprepared for a different kind of reaction. When he grabbed hold of her chin and his mouth de­scended in a kiss of extreme violence, she was nearly shocked out of her mind.

  'No!' she exclaimed, thinking wildly that the impact of his mouth must have marked her for ever.

  'You had sufficient warning,' he snapped, carrying on as if she had never spoken.

  Zoe's head whirled as his arms tightened, restraining her struggles. She would have welcomed his kisses, along with a few soothing words to supply comfort ina warm, sexless way. The kind of cherishing which might have helped her to relax and drift off to sleep, Reece supplied neither. Whatever he meant to provide it was certainly none of these things. Always before his caresses had been brief, with-drawn before she had had any real chance to respond, or make sense of her wavering emotions. His approach now was different, utterly sensual. He was sweeping her ruthlessly into realms which she vaguely realised could be dark and dangerous. Because he was furious there was more than a hint of brutality in the way he parted her lips, taking his fill of the soft, innocent sweetness of her mouth. 'Please!' she protested again, gasping. 'No,' he retorted thickly.

  She had tried to escape but failed. Now it alarmed her more that she was rapidly losing all desire to do so. Today she had almost drowned in raging seas, now she felt she was drowning in delight. Her blood raced, her heart pounded so she was conscious of little else. Passing through her was a quivering sensation of excitement which left her breathless and bewildered.

  When Reece lifted his head and began seeking out the pulsing hollows in her cheeks and throat, she didn't make a sound or movement to resist him. Instead her arms went around his neck, her trembling fingers tan­gling in the thick darkness of his hair to bring his mouth back to hers again.

  Yielding to an overwhelming rapture, she murmured his name, suddenly utterly absorbed yet consumed by an irrational sense of mixed-up urgency. She found herself accepting what was happening as though it was meant to be. She was in Reece's arms, but strangely this wasn't enough. Suddenly she wanted a lot more, and quickly, yet, at the same time, she wanted to savour each moment slowly, to stretch it out so it would last for ever.

  He crushed the mouth she offered fiercely, his exploration of it deeper, even more passionate than before. And while he kissed her his hands moved over her restlessly, making no secret of his mounting desire, lifting himself slightly away from her, he unbuttoned the front of her shirt, then removed it completely to gaze hungrily on her small, high breasts. The pale light from the fire flickering over them appeared to intrigue him. Deliberately his mouth and lean brown fingers touched her white skin, teasing rosy peaks until shattering spears of flame seared right through her and she was tormented by the unsatisfied emotions he aroused.

  As her breath came raggedly, he commanded tersely, 'Look at me.'

  When she did her eyes were heavy with languor, her mouth bruised and soft, swollen from his passionate kisses. As if satisfied with what he found, he asked huskily, 'Are you still willing to tangle with the un­known?'

  Without waiting for an answer, he bent to her again and she watched his face approaching with a kind of dazed wonder, the question he asked barely penetrating the clouded recesses of her mind, or making any sense against the treacherous weakness sweeping her body, As his tongue touched her lips, then parted them, the roughness of his broad chest against the bareness of her own gave the most exquisite pleasure. She was helpless against his strength, or to deny the sweet flood of response his kiss was arousing.

  When she whimpered, as the forces within her built up unbearably, his grip merely tightened cruelly until she became utterly pliant in his arms. Then, slowly his hands slid under her hips, lifting her to him. She - was so slender he hurt her, but her body only quivered with a kind of anticipatory fear. She was frightened, but so completely at the mercy of her own passionatenature, and her love for him, that she only wanted to belong to him.

  Then, with a startling suddenness, everything changed. 'Zoe?' Reece's voice hit her harshly. 'You're sure you know what you're doing?'

  Bewildered, she wondered why he talked as if he wasn't part of
it. 'Yes,' she whispered blindly, as yetwithout shame.

  'I'm glad you can be honest about something,' he snapped.

  Zoe was stunned at how quickly he removed him-self.

  'Did you really think I would fall for it?' he ex-claimed.

  'Fall for what?' She sat up, feeling giddy. What washe talking about?

  'A pleasant trap,' he grated, standing contemptuously by the side of the bed. 'You'd like to catch yourself a husband and think I would do!'

  Zoe's face went white as for a moment she couldscarcely take in what he was saying. When she did,heat coloured her cheeks to a humiliating scarlet. 'You—you believe I was acting deliberately, with thatin mind?'

  His eyes were fixed on her, as if against his will they refused to leave her. 'The setting was there,' he allowed finally. 'It was probably responsible for giving you the idea. Just be grateful I came to my senses in time, because in another minute it would have been too late.

  Was he trying to tell her something? Angry tears in her eyes, Zoe dismissed it as irrelevant. 'I wouldn't marry you if you were the last person on earth!' she sobbed. 'You've known me all my life and I work for you. I work all hours and would do almost anything for the boatyard and—and the men. And you believe,' she glared at him, trying to hide her despair, 'you believe I've done all this with the sole purpose of trapping you?'

  'Would you be content to have an affair with me?' he asked tightly, a white ring round his mouth.

  'No!' She was shaking so badly she had difficulty in pulling the blanket over her forgotten nakedness, especially under the insolent surveillance of his narrowed eyes. 'You know I wouldn't,' she cried, yet her voice faltered hoarsely as she wondered if she was speaking the whole truth. Her heart assured her bleakly that one day she might be willing to settle for anything so far as Reece was concerned.

  He laughed sardonically, without amusement, 'So­rt's neither a husband or an affair? I think you'd better decide what it is you do want before we proceed any further. No one respects a tease.'

  Turning from her then, he resumed his former seat by the fire, after picking up her discarded shirt and putting it around his broad shoulders.

  Angrily Zoe reflected that it fitted him better than it had done her. He didn't say anything more, nor did she. His actions seemed to speak louder than words, He wanted nothing more to do with her and would spend the rest of the night by the fire, while she had the blanket and the bed. Bitterly she hoped he would enjoy the long, lonely hours as much as she did. Then, wounded beyond belief, she turned her face into the pillow and cried herself silently to sleep.

  Her eyes were consequently red and swollen next morning and she guessed she looked a sight. It was barely daylight when she woke with a painful groan to find Reece standing over her.

  Staring at her gravely, he handed her a cup of tea. 'How are you feeling, Zoe?' he asked. 'How's the head?'

  'I'm fine . . .' Since she couldn't do much about her face she decided to ignore it. As he had already seen itthere wasn't much point in doing anything else.Mutinously, as she drank her tea and stretchedcramped legs, she wondered how long he had beensurveying her before she woke up. She didn't reremember mentioning a headache, and if he was offeringthis a means of saving her pride then he could save hisbreath! 'There's nothing wrong with my head,' shetilted her softly rounded chin deliberately although shecouldn't quite meet his eyes. 'Like the weather, thismorning, it seems much clearer.'

  'The gale's blown itself out and the clouds are dispersing,' he agreed dryly, turning back to the hearth and his own tea. 'As soon as I've had this I'm going down to the bay to see if the boat is still there.'

  'Shall I come with you?' She began scrambling out of bed, then suddenly realised she had nothing on. Flushing with mortification, she was forced to remain where she was.

  Reece didn't appear to want more than a brief glimpse of her. Even before she was back under the blanket he had turned away, his face hardening, making her wonder if he imagined she was flaunting herself deliberately again.

  When he spoke, however, his voice was grimly ex­pressionless. 'You'd better get dressed while I'm gone. Your clothes are dry.'

  'When's breakfast?' she asked, her own voice, by contrast, annoyingly unsteady.

  His attention returned to her closely, taking in her pallor, the vulnerable tremor of her defiantly raised chin. His mouth tightened. 'If the yacht's there and I can reach her, there's supplies on board. I'll bring something back.'

  'Reece?' she cried urgently, watching him leaving.

  'Yes?' He paused enquiringly by the door.

  'You will be careful?' she faltered.

  'Naturally,' his thick brows lifted as she hesitated, 'And ...?'

  'If she is there, and you do get on board, you won't forget to send a message back home?'

  'If the radio's working it's the first thing I'll do,' he promised coldly. 'I suppose that's why you're begging me to be careful?'

  After he had gone it took her only a few short minutes to get into her jeans and sweater. She didn't stop to comb her hair or wash her face. She had to go after him. Did he really think it was possible for her to wait here patiently while he might easily be in danger again? When she had mentioned breakfast it had merely been to cover up a sudden dizziness that had assailed her, she had scarcely realised what she was saying. She felt empty, in a strange way, but not hungry.

  As she pulled on canvas shoes which were still damp, she wondered if Reece would have left her so easily this morning if his passion had progressed to a natural conclusion during the night. Recalling the strength of his arms, the hard, sensuous warmth of his mouth, she didn't think so. With a painful tremor she realised she might not have been so innocent this morning if—to use his own words—he had not come to his senses in time.

  Bitterly she reflected that but for his well developed sense of self-preservation she might still have been in his arms. Perhaps she should be grateful that single men rarely reached his age without becoming extremely wary—of traps! Mirthlessly, Zoe giggled, brushing a few stray tears impatiently from her cheeks. Just who did he think he was? she asked herself angrily.

  She knew, of course, as did everyone. Reece came from an illustrious Edinburgh family and would never think seriously about a girl like herself. She could imagine the faces of his relatives if he were to present Zoe Kerr as his future wife. His—future wife . . . Shealmost laughed aloud. It had never once occurred to her to covet such a position. If it did now, she recog­nised it as being wholly foolish.

  It could only be a matter of time before she was back to normal again. While she might feel very different from the girl she had been yesterday, there was nothing like a glimpse of harsh reality for removing rosy dreams from a girl's eyes. Yesterday she had beenconvinced she had fallen in love with Reece Macadam.She could only hope desperately he hadn't been awareof that. She must make sure he understood that theshock of being shipwrecked must have been responsible for the way she had behaved.

  When she went outside the air smelled fresh and clean and only a very few clouds disturbed the pale blueness of the skies. The wind had dropped to the light breeze which always seemed to blow over the islands. It was all so quiet and peaceful, it was difficult to believe storms ever happened.

  Zoe didn't stop to survey the wild grandeur of her surroundings, as she made her way anxiously across the rough ground to the cliff edge. To her amazement the yacht was still there, looking not much the worse for the battering she had taken, apart from a broken mast. Zoe stared incredulously, for she had secretly feared the boat would be smashed to pieces on the rocks. When Reece had talked of bringing something for their breakfast and she had asked him not to forget to send a message, it had been more, she suspected, of an attempt to keep their spirits up than because of any great belief that it would be possible to do either.

  Now, as she saw they might, with luck, be able to leave the island sooner than they had expected, her spirits rose. She didn't care how hard she worked, nothing could be wo
rse than having to stay here with Macadam. As she stayed motionless, for a moment, gazing out over the empty stretch of endless seas, shewas grateful that she might be spared the risk of making a fool of herself again.

  Macadam wasn't on the shore when she reached it, but when she hailed the boat he appeared on deck. While she waited impatiently, he came to her in the dinghy.

  'We're in luck,' he confirmed her hopes with a grin of satisfaction. 'The dinghy was washed up, miracul­ously, and the old boat's not in bad shape at all. We'll have to work on her, of course, but first, I think, breakfast. Then we needn't stop again until we're ready to go.'

  He was talking briskly, obviously intent, Zoe thought, on returning their relationship to its old foot­ing. Feeling it was up to her to at least try to meet him halfway, she swallowed quickly, saying briefly,

  'I'm sorry, Macadam, about last night.'

  'So,' he stared at her averted face coldly, 'we're back to that, are we?'