‘Funny, when we first met you never argued with me. In the beginning I used to wonder when the famous red-headed temper would show itself, until I married you and discovered you saved all your fire and passion for making love.’
Suddenly, kaleidoscopic images of herself and Jake in bed together filled her mind with erotic clarity. She briefly closed her eyes to dispel the images, and when she opened them again, Jake was slowly assessing every one of her features, from her red face to the small hand that lay on the table, the fingers clenched in outrage, and, when he returned his gaze to hers, she had to fight to keep herself from trembling. Luckily the wine waiter intervened and the next few moments Jake spent choosing the wine, a rather good Barola, while Lexi fought to regain some self-control, which unfortunately deserted her immediately Jake opened his mouth again.
‘Your present lover—Dante, isn’t it?’ He smiled but the smile never reached his eyes, as the intensity of his gaze nailed her to the spot. ‘It seems he does not take after his namesake. Dante’s Inferno. It is obvious he lights no fire in you, Lexi; if he did, you wouldn’t have the passion to cross swords with me, or melt in my arms as you did earlier in the bedroom.’
‘Will you shut up...? People will hear...’ Lexi cast a frantic glance at the tables around them. Thank God no one seemed to have overheard. ‘This is a very exclusive hotel, and I am responsible for it.’ She took refuge in her professional role, mainly because she had a nasty feeling there might have been some truth in Jake’s jeering remark and she did not want to examine her own emotions too closely.
Jake slanted her a sardonic glance. ‘But of course you’re quite right. I would hate the hotel to lose any custom because the manager went crazy in the dining-room. Terrible for business, especially now.’
Sarcastic pig! She muttered under her breath, but, fighting down the urge to retaliate, Lexi forced herself to remain calm. She heaved a sigh of relief when the wine waiter returned with the requested bottle and after allowing Jake to taste it filled both their wine-glasses.
Jake raised his glass to her. ‘Well, isn’t this nice? Quite like old times, Lexi. You and I sharing an expensive, intimate meal together.’ And, lifting the glass to his firm mouth, he swallowed the rich red liquid. But the mocking light in his dark eyes belied his innocent comment.
For a moment Lexi had felt a brief regret for the past. When they were first married, and lived in London, they had used to eat out a lot, sampling the meals on offer in some of the best restaurants in the capital. She had been so in love, filled with such hope for the future... Hastily, she picked up her glass and took a gulp of the wine in an attempt to steady her nerves and dismiss the painful memories. She ignored Jake as another waiter placed a plate of pasta in front of him. That will shut him up, she thought thankfully. But what did he mean, ‘especially now’? She banished the irritating thought, and began to get her mind in gear. How did Jake know about Dante? She hadn’t told her solicitor why she wanted the divorce. In fact, she had given her solicitor strict instructions not to tell anyone, especially not Jake, where she was living.
‘How did you know where to find me?’ The question slipped out involuntarily. Her mind was spinning like a windmill and it was all Jake’s fault. She cast him a baleful glance across the table. His dark head was bent and there was no doubt he was enjoying his food; he made love with the same wholehearted enjoyment as he relished fine food, enjoying every taste and... Annoyed, she clamped down on the wayward thought.
‘I asked...’ she began.
‘I heard you.’ His dark head lifted, his blue eyes clashed with hers. ‘I have known for years where you were.’
‘But how?’ she asked, taken back by his revelation.
‘We have a mutual acquaintance. Mr Carl Bradshaw.’
Her brow furrowed in a frown as she searched her memory; the name rang a bell.
‘He was a regular customer at this hotel, before he married. Apparently he was staying here the spring after you arrived. By sheer coincidence I had business dealings with the man. We were sharing lunch when he showed me a photograph of you taken by the swimming-pool here. He was bemoaning the fact he had met a gorgeous girl who had actually said no to him. I recognised you immediately, but I didn’t bother telling him you were my runaway wife,’ he offered cynically. ‘You slipped up there, Lexi; Carl Bradshaw is one of the wealthiest men in Europe.’
Lexi remembered the man, and he had asked her out, but at the time she had been still raw and bleeding from Jake’s betrayal. But what did Jake mean, she had slipped up? She heard the words and assimilated them but it made no sense. All this time Jake had known where to find her and yet only now had he bothered. And what did he mean, she had run away? He had freely admitted he wanted out of the marriage, she had heard him with her own ears declare to his mistress, Lorraine, his intention of breaking their marriage vows. Her nerves stretched to breaking point, she lowered her head to escape his gimlet-like gaze, and, picking up her glass, took a sip of the soothing wine.
Carefully, she placed the glass back down on the table, and, regaining her self-control, she glanced up. ‘So why turn up now?’ she demanded coldly.
For a long moment he just looked at her. A muscle tautened along the edge of his jaw, and his eyes darkened with icy bleakness. ‘I do not appreciate my wife acquiring a permanent boyfriend and suing me for divorce. I decided to put a stop to it,’ he declared arrogantly.
‘Some hope; we’re engaged.’
‘Not any more, you’re not.’ His dark eyes narrowed on her mutinous face. ‘Tell me, Lexi, why do you think your so-called fiancé was called away this evening?’ he questioned with thinly veiled mockery.
‘You—you arranged it.’ She looked at him in horrified amazement. ‘But how? In fact, how did you know about Dante?’
‘I had you investigated, months ago.’
Months ago, but he couldn’t have known then that she was suing for divorce, she hadn’t known herself.
‘As for your friend, as you know better than most—’ contempt lurked in his eyes ‘—people will do anything for the right price. Hence your friend’s manager took conveniently ill, and I did not have to waste time waiting around for you.’
‘Bu...bu...but...’ As she spluttered with rage, Lexi’s violet eyes flashed fire. ‘How dare you?’ she finally cried, rather inanely.
‘I dare anything to get what I want, Lexi, and make no mistake, I want you.’ His steely gaze seemed to sear through to her soul. ‘And now I can afford you.’
‘Afford me...’ she burst out. Of all the hypocritical swine, he took the biscuit. It wasn’t enough that he had married her in the first place simply to take over her family home; he had the audacity to insinuate that she was mercenary. She picked up her knife, longing to stick it in his hateful, mocking face.
His dark head angled towards her. ‘Don’t even think it, Lexi,’ he hissed with sibilant softness. ‘And I suggest, unless you want the whole of the restaurant to know your business, that you shut up and eat up.’
How did he walk into her mind like that? Lexi thought, but before she could form a reply the waiter placed the main course in front of her. She had been so caught up in her own emotional turmoil that she had not noticed the man’s arrival...
Oh, what was the use? she thought wretchedly, her shoulders slumping dejectedly as she picked up her fork and began to push the food around her plate. Jake was a master at getting his own way. If she had any sense at all, it would pay her to spend the rest of the meal ignoring the man and marshalling her thoughts into some kind of order.
Lexi picked at the superb food; it could have been ashes for all she cared. She drank the wine and that helped to restore her confidence a little, but it was false courage and she knew it. She glanced across at Jake, who was eating his steak with every sign of enjoyment. He caught her look and his firm mouth curved in the briefest of smiles.
‘The food is exquisite; I must compliment the chef,’ he offered smoothly.
�
‘Shall we adjourn to the lounge for coffee?’ his deep voice queried, meticulously polite.
Not deigning to look at him Lexi shoved back her chair and stood up, determination in every line of her small frame. ‘No, we can have it in my suite. We’ve spent long enough this evening avoiding the real issue. Shall we go?’ And, not waiting for his response, she picked up her bag and walked through the dining-room, a stiff smile plastered on her face for the benefit of the few guests who bade her goodnight, and headed for the lift.
‘Right, say what you have to say and leave,’ Lexi demanded, standing rigidly in the middle of the room. Nervously she rubbed her damp palms over her hips. She was no way as in control as she sounded, but Jake couldn’t possibly know that, she reassured herself. He was standing with his back to the door, his dark eyes slow and analytical as he swept her stiff body and back to her face.
‘Sit down, Lexi.’
‘That won’t be necessary; I don’t intend you will be here that long. I am a working girl; I have a busy day tomorrow, and I want to get to bed.’
‘By all means, Lexi; we can talk in bed if that’s what you prefer.’
He sounded amused, damn him. ‘In your dreams, buster,’ she burst out, her temper bubbling over. ‘You have no right to come barging back into my life, telling everyone you’re my husband, completely destroying my credibility with my staff. Just where the hell do you think you get off? I have had just about as much of you as I can stand, and if you don’t leave in the next minute I will call the porter to throw you out. In fact, I can’t understand why I didn’t do it in the first place.’
In two strides Jake was beside her, his large hands closed over her slender shoulders, his fingers biting into the soft flesh. ‘Enough, Lexi, screaming like a fishwife will get us nowhere.’ He was right and, taking a deep breath, she fought down the frisson of awareness his touch aroused, and stepped back. He let her go...
‘Have you finished shouting?’ Jake asked quietly, subjecting her to a slow and intent appraisal that left her feeling wanting.
She had gone over the top a bit, and raising a hand to her brow she smoothed back the tangled strands of her long hair, and swallowed on her anger. ‘Yes,’ she said curtly. She had been finished with Jake long ago and yelling at the man wasn’t going to solve anything. ‘Please tell me what you came for, and go.’
‘Sit down, Lexi.’
She subsided into the nearest chair and watched warily as Jake sat down on the sofa, his long legs stretched out in front of him in negligent ease.
‘Now, isn’t this more civilised, darling?’ he drawled mockingly, while never taking his dark gaze from her flushed face.
‘Get on with it, Jake.’ She was in no mood for polite chit-chat.
‘It’s perfectly simple, Lexi, I told you earlier. I want you back as my wife, reinstated in my bed.’
It took a tremendous strength of will to retain a degree of civility, but somehow she managed it. ‘Is that all?’ she quipped lightly while her mind spun on oiled wheels. He was up to something, but what? He had said earlier that he wanted her back, and now he had reiterated the request, yet she knew it wasn’t true. He didn’t love her, never had, and why the thought should bring a flash of pain, she did not question. So what other reason could he possibly have...?
‘I get it!’ Lexi exclaimed. Of course, why hadn’t she thought of it before? She sat back in the chair, a sigh of relief escaping her. It was so obvious; in a flash of blinding clarity she saw it all. Jake was a very wealthy man, and she knew to her cost that he would do anything for money. Divorce must have terrified him, because according to the law his wife could take half of his money half his business. No wonder the swine came hot-foot to Italy.
‘Good, I am pleased. Then let’s get to bed, it’s been a long day,’ Jake drawled facetiously.
‘No, I understand, Jake.’ She bent forward, her elbows on her knees, her serious gaze fixed on his face. ‘You have nothing to worry about; I’ve instructed my lawyer. I don’t want any alimony, not a penny. Your business, your investments, everything is safe. I don’t want it. I’ll sign a contract now, tonight, if you like.’ And for the first time since meeting Jake again his lips parted in a genuine smile, even if it was a little self-satisfied.
There was no returning smile on Jake’s handsome face. Instead his gaze became hooded and he rose to his feet to tower over her. ‘Nice try, Lexi, but it won’t work.’
‘But—’ she flashed him a puzzled look ‘—surely...’ Perhaps he hadn’t understood.
‘You took me for a fool once, but never again. ‘He reached down his strong hands, and grasping her upper arms, he hauled her to her feet, and, tilting her head back with one large hand, his chillingly bleak eyes locked on hers, trapping her in his gaze. ‘You would no more give up a fortune than pigs would fly, and as for signing it away, forget it.’
‘Why, you arrogant...’ Before she could complete the sentence his dark head bent, his mouth covering hers in a harsh, bruising kiss. She twisted her head in a frantic effort to get away, her hand clawed at his shoulder while she kicked out at him with her feet, but with insulting ease Jake ground his mouth down on hers, the relentless pressure forcing her lips apart.
There was nothing she could do to prevent his plundering invasion, and to her horror she felt the betraying curl of desire ignite in her stomach. In a desperate effort to get him to desist she lifted her hand to his face and scratched the hard jawline.
Jake jerked his head back, and his dark eyes flared with inimical rage. ‘You shouldn’t have done that, Lexi,’ he said with icy menace. He shifted his weight, trapping her helplessly against him; she tried to strike out at him, but with consummate ease he trapped both her hands in one of his between their two bodies.
Lexi’s eyes widened to their fullest extent as she recognised the intention in Jake’s black gaze. ‘No, Jake.’ She was powerless, held hard against him; she could feel the heat of his body through the fine fabric of her clothes, and to her horror she could feel his masculine arousal. Then she had no more chance to think, as his mouth once more took hers in a kiss that went on and on, becoming a ravaging, passionate possession that violated all her senses but paradoxically set her body on fire. She wanted to cry, ‘Stop!’ in shame and disgust, but instead her body softened, moving of its own volition to accommodate Jake’s hard length.
She trembled uncontrollably as she felt his strong hand slide insolently over her shoulder and down into the open neck of her shirt. With a savage wrench, her blouse was open to her waist and his hand cupped the fullness of her breast. In seconds the bra was pushed from her breasts and his long fingers dragged tantalisingly over one rigid nipple; catching the aching peak, he nipped it between his finger and thumb as his mouth slid down to her throat, closing over the madly beating pulse in a wild lover’s bite that took her breath away. She whimpered, a fierce pleasure, almost pain, burning through every nerve in her body, her stomach clenched in heated excitement. She was lost, a fierce primeval need sending the blood surging through her veins like molten fire.
Incredibly, it was over. Jake, with a muffled curse, shoved her away from him, and she fell in a crumpled heap on to the sofa behind her. For a moment she did not know what had happened; one second they had been clawing at each other in desperate sexual need and now she was collapsed on the sofa, his tall dark form towering over her. Lexi did not dare look at him. The traitorous response of her body filled her with bitter humiliation. She hated him, even as she still ached for his touch. But even worse was the knowledge that Jake must know her body had betrayed her.
‘Cover yourself, woman,’ Jake snarled contemptuously. ‘You disgust me, and, God knows, I disgust myself.’
His words killed all trace of desire in her trembling body in an instant. An icy chill shivered along her skin and, struggling, she adjusted her tattered clothes. So, she disgusted him... Why did the words hurt? she wondered bleakly.
‘I won’t take you tonight.’ Her head shot up at his words; he was standing about a foot away, his dark eyes glittering with an unholy light, his face flushed with the force of his rage, and the marks of her nails carved his jaw. Her gaze dropped to his strong hands curled into fists at his thighs, as if it was the only way he could stop himself lashing out at her.
‘Chance would be a fine thing.’ She tried to sneer. He hated her...it was there in every taut line of his large body, in the black depths of his eyes, and the cruel twist of his hard mouth. She could almost taste the hatred, an evil aura in the air.
‘Chance has nothing to do with it. The way I feel right now it would be more an assault than making love.’ The harsh, guttural comment froze her blood. ‘That’s what you drive me to, you little witch.’
Lexi gasped, and clenched her hands together at her breast in a futile gesture of self defence. Jake’s glance dropped to her hands, and his mouth twisted in a bitter cynical curve.
‘Don’t worry, Lexi, you have nothing to fear. I will not sully the anniversary of our son’s death by taking you in anger.’
‘You remembered...’ she whispered, stunned to realise that Jake had actually known this was the anniversary of her miscarriage, and, even more surprisingly, he had known the lost child was a boy. Her gaze flew to his dark, forbidding face, and she realised he had controlled his earlier rage.
Hooded lids dropped over his deep blue eyes, masking his expression as, with a negligent shrug of his broad shoulders, he said ‘Of course, that’s the main reason I’m here.’
Lexi didn’t understand any of this. She supposed she should be thankful he was not going to share her bed. ‘But...’ she began, only to have the question stop in her throat as Jake went on.
‘I want the child you owe me, but I also intend to make sure it’s mine.’
He could not have hurt her more if he had tried. Once she would have given anything to have his child, but now... ‘No...never...’ She murmured the words more to herself than to him. She found it incredible that he could be so arrogant, so lacking in any moral conscience.
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