'You're right, I do feel better.' Then her brows drew together in a worried frown. 'I hope Harry's OK.'
'Harry's pretty resilient,' Rafe reassured her. 'He'll come through this all right. Kids are good at surviving the kind of emotional traumas that would knock most adults right off their feet.'
Kate just hoped he was right. She couldn't help remembering Harry's unhappy little face, though, as he had reluctantly gone up those stairs to his room.
Dusk closed in outside, and then passed with its usual swiftness. There was a velvet darkness outside the windows, and a huge moon shimmered on the horizon, spreading its pale silvery light over the sea. Scented air drifted in through the window, which was still open because of the warmth of the night, and lights from other villas twinkled softly in the distance. Kate sat and looked at the scene, but it seemed faintly unreal. Perhaps it was because she was suddenly very tired, she told herself, stifling a huge yawn.
'Sleepy?' asked Rafe. 'Why don't you turn in for the night?' Then, seeing the faintly troubled look on her face, he gave her a gently mocking smile. 'You can have the bed. I'll take the chair.'
'You won't be very comfortable,' she warned.
'No, I won't,' he agreed, his eyes briefly glittering. 'But it doesn't matter. I don't feel much like sleeping.'
Kate trailed into the bathroom, had a quick wash, and then wrinkled her nose as she tried to rub her teeth clean with a corner of the flannel. Then she stared at her reflection in the mirror.
She was slightly disturbed to find that she didn't look quite herself. Her eyes seemed much bigger than usual, there was a faint flush to her skin, and her mouth was set into a troubled line.
'Just try to relax and get a good night's sleep,' she advised herself. 'You're going to need it if you're going to get through tomorrow!'
She returned to the bedroom and switched off the light. Then, still fully dressed, she stretched out on the bed, keeping her back to Rafe, who was sitting quietly in the chair by the window. With some determination, she closed her eyes; then, against all expectations, she fell asleep.
When she opened her eyes again, the room was still dark. She had no idea what time it was, but when she turned her head towards the window she could see that the moon was much higher in the sky, and she guessed that a couple of hours had passed. Rafe was still sitting in exactly the same position, though. He didn't look as if he had moved a single inch.
Kate felt a little odd—sort of half asleep and rather disorientated. She sat up, and Rafe immediately turned to look at her.
'I think you'd better stay where you are, Kate,' he said softly.
But Kate was already on her feet, and walking towards him. Rafe shifted slightly restlessly, and Kate had the impression that he was unexpectedly tense. She didn't really care, though. She felt very much on her own right now, and she didn't like it. She needed human company.
As she reached his side, the moonlight fell full on to Rafe's face, illuminating it quite clearly. Not that it made very much difference, though, because his expression was quite unreadable. Kate gave a silent sigh. Why was Rafe being so unapproachable just when she needed him?
Needed him? she repeated to herself, in faint surprise. Then she slowly relaxed again. Somehow, the idea didn't seem in the least strange. Perhaps it was just the darkness, the huge moon, the velvet silence of the night—or perhaps it was something else. Kate didn't know, and she found that she didn't particularly care.
Rafe stood up. 'I think you should have stayed where you were,' he told her, and she gave a faint inner shiver as she heard the husky tone of his voice.
'I didn't want to,' she answered quietly.
Rafe let out a slightly unsteady breath. 'It's very late. And I'm not in the mood for talking.'
'I don't want to talk,' Kate said simply. 'I just want company.'
'And I want—' His voice broke off, and he gave a dry smile. 'You know perfectly well what I want. That's why it's not a very good idea for you to come too close.'
Kate didn't move, though.
'You're still too near,' he warned her.
'I know.' But her feet stayed exactly where they were. 'I wish I could work out how I feel about you,' Kate went on, in a low tone. 'A lot of the time you really confuse me. Did you know that?'
'Is that why you keep running away from me?'
'I suppose so,' she admitted. 'It was safer than…'
'Than what, Kate?' he prompted gently.
But she decided that she had already said far more than she had ever meant to. 'I don't know,' she muttered. 'I'm probably just talking nonsense.'
'Then keep on doing it,' Rafe encouraged. 'I like listening to that sort of nonsense.'
He moved, and his shadow blocked out the moon. Without that pale light, she couldn't see his face, couldn't tell what he was thinking—or intended doing.
'Rafe—' she began uncertainly.
'And I like it when you say my name,' he interrupted her. 'Especially when you say it in that particular way.'
Kate knew that it was definitely time to back off, but her feet still wouldn't move. Rafe shifted position, and the moonlight was back on his face again now, clearly illuminating his features. Kate softly caught her breath. His eyes glinted brightly in the silvery light, and it was all too easy to read the message written in them. It was very late at night, they were in dangerous circumstances, which always heightened the senses, and she had pushed him just a little too far. Unless she put an end to this right now, she was going to end up in serious trouble.
And yet, still she didn't move.
Kate couldn't understand it. Here she was, with Rafe advancing on her with increasingly single-minded intent, and she wasn't doing a single thing to stop him. With a fierce sense of shock, she realised that she didn't actually want to stop him.
Which was crazy, of course. When he bent his head and kissed her—which he was going to do any moment now—she would realise just how crazy it was. Then she would be sorry that she hadn't backed out while she'd still had the chance.
His kiss came just an instant later—and she wasn't sorry at all. She revelled in the hard, warm touch of his mouth, and wanted it to go on forever.
It didn't, though. Rafe was already moving on to other things. His hands shifted over her with a sureness which she loved, and her skin seemed to melt at the intimate contact.
He moved up closer, leaning slightly against her now, so that she could feel the full, aroused length of him. 'We really do seem very—compatible, Kate,' he murmured in her ear.
Although she hadn't meant to, Kate found herself smiling. Rafe saw the smile, and seemed pleased. Then he began to ease away her clothes. Kate meant to make one last feeble protest, but somehow it never came out. And then it was too late because Rafe's mouth had closed over hers again, cutting off all hope of being able to say a single word.
She was nervous and yet, at the same time, felt extraordinarily safe. She told herself that that was mad, because she was certain that no female could ever be completely safe around Rafe Clarendon. But he was so sure of himself that he gave her confidence, and he was gentle enough to ease all of her deeply buried fears.
His breathing was heavier now, and she knew that he was having to work hard to control it. His shirt was open and she thought that she must have undone it, although she couldn't remember actually touching the buttons. She could smell the warm, musky scent of him, and she liked it; she bent her head and rubbed her cheek against his chest, like a healthy young animal greeting its mate.
Rafe's fingers instantly responded, tracing their way down the line of her spine and then locking together, imprisoning her against him. Kate caught her breath. She was beginning to ache as much as he did. She hadn't expected it to happen like this, so quickly, so urgently, so very fiercely.
He paused for an instant, and caught his breath. 'If you still want to run away, you'd better do it right now,' he warned a little roughly.
'I don't want to run,' she said softly.
'Mmm,' he murmured appreciatively. 'You taste much nicer without all that salt on your skin.'
'I don't—don't think you should be doing that,' Kate got out feebly as he continued to take the most outrageous liberties with her compliant body.
'Why not?' He raised his head and grinned wickedly at her. 'Want to do it to me?' he invited softly.
'No!' Kate was shocked to her very soul. And then she was even more shocked by the realisation that she hadn't actually meant 'no' at all.
His hands flickered over her breasts, skimming the soft underswell, dancing over the achingly hard tips, and teasing to the point of torment.
She gave a faint groan of frustration, and he seemed pleased by that. The teasing stopped immediately, though, to be replaced by the firm clasp of his palm, just holding her.
Kate looked up at him, and in the darkness she could just make out the shape of his face, and the dark glitter of his eyes. He seemed incredibly familiar, as if she had known him all her life.
Well, you have known him on and off for years, she reminded herself. But this was a very different kind of knowing—and yet it felt completely right, perfectly normal. As if they had always been meant to end up like this.
Rafe eased up against her, and she wasn't in the least nervous of the evidence of his quite fierce arousal.
'Not scared, Kate?' he challenged softly, almost as if he could read her thoughts.
She gave a brief shake of her head.
'I won't hurt you,' he assured her.
'I know you won't,' she said, amazed at her own confidence.
Then a look of unexpected uncertainty came over his face. 'Perhaps I should never have started this,' he muttered. His face cleared again in an instant, though. 'Too late now,' he said with renewed fierceness. 'Much too late…'
Kate already knew that. And she didn't care. This was Rafe, and somehow that made it all right. She didn't know how or why—it was just a fact of life, like the sun coming up in the morning, or the birds singing at dawn.
As he moved his weight over her, she slid her arms around him easily and naturally. His skin was hot and smooth against her fingertips. It felt good, and she told him so, although not with words.
He eased closer, and her body was all vivid sensation now. She knew that it was the same for him— she could feel his muscles tense, his nerve-ends leap, his skin begin to burn.
Her hands moved of their own accord; it was incredible, almost magic. They touched him, held him, imprisoned and released again. Rafe groaned out loud, and she liked that. She wanted to make him do it again. But he was past the stage where he could endure more teasing. With a fierce growl, he caught hold of her wrists. Then he shifted over her and into her in one fluid movement.
The ease of it astonished her. No pain, no awkwardness; only a purely natural joining of two bodies that seemed to fit together with astounding perfection. Then Rafe began to move again, and Kate was caught up in an entirely new whirl of surprise. She was enchanted by the care he took, dazzled by the extraordinary sensations that swept over her, and then she trembled as the rhythm gathered speed, spinning her on to another plane.
But Rafe was shaking, too, and somehow that made it all right. Whatever was happening between them was shared, and if she was helpless, then so was he. And he was out of control now, but it didn't matter, it wasn't important, because the final shudder that ran through him echoed right through her as well, and it was glorious to share so much pleasure. Glorious, and mystifying, and just a little frightening. But as Kate slowly floated back to reality, she knew that she didn't want to change one single second of it. And she wouldn't have wanted this to have happened with anyone except Rafe.
His full weight slumped against her for a while longer. Then he raised his head and looked down at her.
'All right?' he murmured in a tired but totally relaxed voice.
Kate simply nodded her head. She couldn't possibly have found enough words to tell him just how all right everything was. She didn't care that they were still locked in this room. She didn't even care about what tomorrow might bring. At this precise moment, everything was incredibly perfect.
And that included Rafe, she told herself as she curled against him and closed her eyes. Then she smiled at the thought of Rafe Clarendon being perfect.
Rafe—just the sound of his name pleased her. She was still thinking about how much she liked, loved, adored this man, when she fell asleep.
CHAPTER NINE
Kate woke up in the morning with an extraordinary sense of well-being that didn't seem to make any sense to her for a while. Then the events of last night began to trickle back into her mind, and she almost stopped breathing.
She kept her eyes very tightly closed while she thought about it. With luck, Rafe would think she was still asleep. She didn't want any eye-to-eye contact with him until she had got used to the idea of what had happened between them.
'Going to fake sleep all morning, Kate?' enquired a familiar voice.
Very reluctantly, Kate opened her eyes. Rafe was sitting on the edge of the bed, fully dressed, and looking down at her with some interest. Automatically, she grabbed the sheet and hauled it right up to her chin.
'It's a little late for that,' he reminded her with a huge grin. 'Anyway, you're not the modest type.'
'You don't know that—' she began defensively.
Then her face went a glowing scarlet. He certainly did know it.
Oh, Kate, what have you done? she asked herself slightly desperately. And with Rafe, out of all the men you could have chosen.
But you didn't want any of the others, a small voice inside her head reminded her. You wanted Rafe Clarendon. And it's too late now to change your mind. When love hits you, it's never just a gentle tap on the shoulder. It always wallops you right off your feet.
Her eyebrows shot up. Love? When had love come into it? Some time during the night? Or had it been hovering in the background for a long time now, just waiting for a chance to catch her off guard?
Kate groaned out loud, suddenly feeling absolutely weighed down with the enormity of what had happened.
Rafe's eyes narrowed. 'Regretting it already?' he asked, his tone a shade cooler.
'No,' she admitted. 'It's just that—well, it's come as a bit of a shock.'
His features relaxed again. 'If the circumstances were different, I'd like to give you a few more shocks,' he murmured. Then his voice became brisker. 'But right now, you'd better get into some clothes. That bodyguard could come barging in at any moment, and I don't want him to see you like that.'
Kate had almost forgotten that they were locked in the bedroom of Martin Foster's villa. Rafe's words made her grab her clothes, though, and scuttle into the bathroom.
She had a quick wash, and hurriedly dressed. Then she glanced at herself in the mirror. She didn't look all that different. She certainly felt different, though. And all because of Rafe…
She went back into the bedroom feeling oddly shy. Rafe looked up and smiled at her as she came in, and almost immediately she began to feel better. Then she took a closer look at him, and saw that the marks on his face were already beginning to turn a rather angry purple.
'I forgot about your bruises last night,' she said rather anxiously. 'I didn't hurt you, did I?'
'I don't know,' he said simply. 'I don't remember.'
Kate looked at him severely. 'Are you telling me you've forgotten the whole thing already?'
'No. Just that I only remember the good parts.' He got up and moved closer. 'And they were very good, K
ate,' he said softly.
Her heart thumped, and her knees gently began to knock. Rafe took another step towards her, and her head was just beginning to go dizzy with anticipation when they both heard the door being unlocked. Rafe quickly moved back again, and there was a couple of feet of space between them by the time the bodyguard opened the door and walked into the room.
He studied Rafe's marked face with some satisfaction. 'Not so good-looking as you were yesterday, are you?' he taunted him.
Rafe didn't rise to the bait. 'You do know that it's illegal to hold us like this?' he enquired evenly.
The bodyguard seemed unconcerned. 'Mr Foster returned early this morning,' he informed them. 'He's waiting to see you.'
Kate felt her skin grow cold. As she and Rafe moved towards the door, Rafe briefly laid his hand on her shoulder. 'Everything will be fine,' he said in a low undertone.
The sound of his voice gave her courage. 'Of course it will be,' she said, with a fairly successful attempt at a smile. Then they followed the bodyguard down the stairs, and into a large drawing-room at the front of the villa.
Martin Foster was standing by the window. As they came in he turned to face them, and Kate could see his eyes were ice-cold.
With one brief gesture, he dismissed the bodyguard. Then he stared at the two of them with pure contempt.
'I knew it had to be you who had taken away my son,' he said in clipped tones. 'What sort of people are you, who can take a child away from his father?'
Kate could hardly believe that she was hearing this. 'But that's exactly what you did,' she said indignantly, taking a step forward. 'You snatched Harry away from his mother! That was a terrible thing to do.'
Martin Foster looked rather taken aback, as if he hadn't expected to be challenged in this way. He quickly recovered himself, though.
'That's absolutely no excuse for your own outrageous behaviour. It was illegal and immoral.'
'I believe it was also illegal for you to take Harry in the first place,' Rafe pointed out evenly. 'Especially as the court had awarded custody to his mother.'
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