‘No, thank God!’ Jordan said with feeling.
‘You look very familiar …’
Jordan’s mouth quirked. ‘I get that all the time.’
The woman blinked dazedly. ‘Are the two of you. involved?’
Jordan didn’t even hesitate. ‘Yes.’
‘I—I don’t understand.’ She looked far less sure of herself now. ‘What about Richard?’ She looked frowningly at Stephanie.
‘Stephanie has already told you that she isn’t and never has been involved with your husband,’ Jordan reiterated.
‘I—But I’m divorcing him because of her!’
‘I’m sorry about that.’ Jordan frowned. ‘But you’ve made a mistake concerning her involvement. Now, if you wouldn’t mind …?’ He carefully eased the woman back with his cane until she was once again fully outside in the hallway. ‘I advise you not to come here and bother Stephanie again,’ he said.
Anger seemed to have given way to confusion, as if the woman wasn’t even sure how she came to be here now.
‘I think you need to get some professional help before you end up actually hurting someone other than yourself,’ Jordan added gently.
‘I … Yes.’ The woman turned away.
‘Rosalind—’
‘Let her go, Stephanie!’ Jordan instructed swiftly as she made a move as if to follow the other woman. ‘Leave her with some pride, damn it!’
Stephanie came to an abrupt halt, her breath catching in her throat as she looked up at Jordan and saw the expression in those beautiful gold-coloured eyes.
Despite his defence of her just now, both verbally and physically, Jordan was obviously still far from convinced of her innocence in the breakdown of Rosalind Newman’s marriage.
CHAPTER TWELVE
‘IS SHE also the one making the telephone calls?’
Stephanie had staggered back into her flat to walk through to the kitchen and automatically go through the motions of making a pot of coffee. Certain, as she heard her flat door being closed seconds later, that Jordan had taken the opportunity to leave. Obviously she had been wrong.
She turned to face him across her red and white kitchen as he stood in the doorway, leaning heavily on his cane, the expression in those gold-coloured eyes hidden by narrowed lids. ‘Yes,’ she admitted wearily.
Jordan nodded. ‘And having a man answer the last call was reason enough for her to decide to pay you a personal visit?’
‘Probably—as the Newmans’ house is only half a mile or so away.’ Stephanie sighed. ‘At least Rosalind lives only half a mile or so away,’ she added. ‘I believe Richard moved into an apartment of his own several weeks ago.’
‘But you’re not sure?’
Stephanie gritted her teeth in frustration with a situation that had already been complicated enough before Rosalind Newman’s intervention! ‘Look, Jordan, I know how bad this all looks and sounds—especially after what’s happened between us the last few days—but—’
‘I don’t consider the problem you’re currently experiencing with Rosalind Newman to have anything to do with what took place between us,’ Jordan said.
Stephanie eyed him warily. ‘You don’t?’
He shrugged. ‘You’ve already assured me that our own relationship only went as far as it did because of your long-held infatuation with Jordan Simpson,’ he reminded her coldly. ‘Which would seem to indicate that the two incidents have little to do with each other.’
‘You were my patient too—’
‘I think we can both agree that you never actually got as far as a working relationship with me,’ Jordan drawled.
‘I didn’t have an affair with Richard Newman, either.’
He arched dark brows. ‘Did I say that you did?’
‘No, but Rosalind did!’ Stephanie’s cheeks felt warm as she thought of the accusations the other woman had made in front of Jordan.
He gave a shrug as he walked further into the kitchen to perch on the side of one of the stools at the breakfast-bar. ‘I think we can safely assume the poor woman has been knocked slightly emotionally off-balance by the breakdown of her marriage.’ His mouth tightened. ‘So much so that she’s looking for someone else to blame.’
Stephanie looked at him uncertainly. ‘You really believe me when I say I didn’t have an affair with Richard Newman?’
‘Shouldn’t I?’
Well, of course Jordan should believe her, when it was nothing less than the truth! Stephanie just hadn’t expected that he would …’I do think Rosalind is right about Richard having an affair with someone, though.’
‘Just not you?’
She grimaced. ‘No.’
Jordan’s earlier anger had dissipated in the face of this more pressing problem for Stephanie. Much as he felt sorry for Rosalind Newman’s dilemma, her behaviour earlier indicated that she was close to breaking emotionally. Dangerously close.
‘Pour us both some coffee, hmm?’ Jordan encouraged softly. ‘And then you can tell me exactly why you think Newman is having an affair, but has no problem with letting an innocent bystander bear the brunt of his wife’s anger.’
‘I’m sure you don’t need to be bothered with my problems—’
‘Having enough of my own, presumably?’ Jordan said dryly.
‘I didn’t mean that!’
‘Just pour the coffee, Stephanie, and let me worry about what I do or don’t want to be bothered with,’ he rasped, and he made himself more comfortable on the bar stool.
Stephanie still looked less than certain, but she poured coffee into two mugs anyway, placing them and milk and sugar on the breakfast bar before sitting on the stool opposite Jordan’s.
‘What do you want to know?’
‘Everything.’
It had all started out innocently enough, as far as Jordan could see. Richard Newman had been involved in a car accident which had resulted in his needing physiotherapy on a daily basis at his home, once he’d been discharged from hospital. Those treatments had lessened to three times a week and begun taking place at Stephanie’s small private treatment room once he had regained most of his mobility and returned to work in the City.
‘Let me guess,’ Jordan commented. ‘This is where the trouble started?’
Stephanie gave a heavy sigh. ‘It seems that Rosalind and Richard’s boss were both still under the impression he was having treatment five afternoons a week.’
‘So on those other two afternoons he was meeting someone else?’
‘I can only assume he must have been.’ Stephanie nodded uncomfortably. ‘He certainly wasn’t spending them with me.’
‘I’ve already said I believe you, Stephanie,’ Jordan said.
She frowned. ‘But why do you?’
Interesting question, Jordan acknowledged ruefully. Interesting, but totally redundant, since Stephanie had assured him that her only interest in him had been as his actor persona!
‘You may have your faults, Stephanie, but I don’t believe that dishonesty is one of them,’ he said, and he picked up his cane to stand up suddenly. ‘I hope this situation works out for you.’
She looked startled. ‘You’re leaving?’
Jordan gave a hard smile. ‘Unless you think we have anything left to say to each other?’
No, Stephanie was pretty sure they didn’t have anything left to say that would be in the least conducive to closing the ever-widening gulf that now existed between them. Certainly nothing she could say that would induce Jordan to stay. To be as in love her as she was with him.
‘No,’ she said baldly.
‘That’s what I thought.’
It was better this way, Stephanie assured herself as she accompanied Jordan to the door. No less painful, of course, but at least she had been able to see Jordan again—however briefly. ‘Thank you for listening to me,’ she said ruefully as she held the door open for him. ‘It helped.’
He turned to face her. ‘I’ve made arrangements to fly back to the States tomorrow.’
<
br /> Stephanie’s eyes widened even as she acknowledged the sinking feeling in her chest. ‘You have?’
Jordan gave a wry smile. ‘I’ve decided to take your advice and go back to see my original specialist in LA.’
‘That’s wonderful news!’ She smiled warmly.
Jordan’s smile was humourless. ‘You could try looking a little less pleased to see me go.’
As the woman who was madly in love with him, of course Stephanie wasn’t pleased to know that Jordan would be leaving England tomorrow. Going back to his life in LA, to once again be with women like the beautiful Crista Moore.
But as a physiotherapist she couldn’t have been more pleased by Jordan’s decision to go back to America and seek the professional help she was sure he needed, and which he had totally refused to accept from her or anyone else.
‘I’m only pleased because I know you’re doing the right thing,’ she answered evasively.
‘I hope you’re right,’ he said enigmatically, giving her one last searching glance before he turned and walked away.
From a professional point of view Stephanie knew she was right.
From a personal one she could feel her heart slowly breaking as she watched Jordan walk away from her for ever.
‘Wine! I’m desperately in need of wine!’ Joey gasped weakly as she collapsed wearily down onto Stephanie’s sofa and put her booted feet up on top of the coffee table.
Stephanie eyed her twin teasingly, before going through to the kitchen to collect up the bottle of red wine and two glasses she had waiting. The two sisters usually spent one evening a week together, catching up on each other’s lives. Not that Stephanie had much to tell Joey. The last two weeks had consisted of work, work, and more work. All in a futile effort to block Jordan out of her thoughts by keeping herself busy.
‘Tough day?’ she wanted to know as she sat down in the chair opposite Joey.
Her sister drank down half the glass of wine before answering her. She was still wearing one of the business suits she always wore to the office, brown today, with a cream silk blouse beneath, her face perfectly made up, her short red hair sleekly styled. ‘Just the afternoon. Bloody man!’ Joey muttered with feeling.
‘Which man?’ Stephanie couldn’t help laughing at her sister’s disgruntled expression.
‘Gideon St Claire.’ Joey glared. ‘He has got to be the most pompous, arrogant—’
‘My Gideon St Claire?’ Stephanie echoed sharply as she sat forward tensely.
Joey snorted. ‘Well, I wouldn’t go that far, sis.’ ‘You know exactly what I mean!’ Stephanie was almost beside herself with impatience. ‘I didn’t think Gideon ever went into a courtroom nowadays?’
‘He doesn’t—thank God.’ Joey gave a shudder at the mere thought of that ever happening. ‘He made an appointment and came to see me at my office. I have to say, Stephs, that you have some very powerful friends.’ She took another obviously much-needed swig of her wine. ‘Gideon St Claire is a seriously scary man. And so damned cold that I’m surprised he doesn’t have icicles dripping off him! Still, he did succeed where I failed,’ she added grudgingly. ‘So he can’t be all bad, I suppose.’
‘Joey, could you possibly go back a couple of sentences?’ Stephanie had finally got over the shock of Joey having met Gideon. ‘For one thing, I would hardly call Gideon St Claire a friend of mine—’
‘Then maybe he just lusts after you?’ her sister dismissed airily. ‘Whatever. He got the job done, and that’s all that really—’
‘Joey, stop!’ Stephanie silenced her sister sharply, knowing that if Joey was left to her own devices she could go on like this for hours—based purely on her assumption that the person she was talking to should know exactly what she was talking about. Which Stephanie certainly didn’t. ‘Start from the beginning and tell me exactly why Gideon made an appointment and came to see you today.’
Joey took her booted feet off the table to lean forward and refill her glass with red wine. ‘It’s amazing—the man was only on the case a few days, and he managed to get the whole thing settled without us having to go to court. It was pretty neat, actually,’ she added with grudging admiration.
‘Joey, I still don’t understand a word of what you’re saying!’ Stephanie wailed frustratedly.
‘It’s all over, Stephs,’ her sister explained patiently. ‘With the help of a private investigator, Gideon St Claire has managed to establish that Richard Newman was actually having an affair with his boss’s wife. Obviously it’s not good news for Rosalind—or Richard Newman, for that matter, considering that he’s apparently now lost his job as well as his marriage—but it does mean that you’re completely out of the picture,’ Joey said warmly. ‘All thanks to the arrogant Gideon St Claire.’
Stephanie was reeling with shock. Disbelief. ‘But why would he do such a thing?’ she finally managed to gasp.
‘Because his gorgeous and sexy brother asked him to, of course,’ Joey said happily.
‘Jordan did?’
‘Does he have more than one gorgeous and sexy brother?’
‘He does, actually,’ Stephanie acknowledged faintly, as she thought of the chillingly handsome Lucan St Claire.
‘Oh.’ Her sister looked nonplussed for a few seconds. But, being the irrepressible Joey, she recovered just as quickly. ‘Well, this time it was Jordan Simpson who did the asking.’
Stephanie was still totally stunned. ‘Did Gideon tell you that?’
‘That and a lot more.’ Joey nodded eagerly. ‘Apparently Jordan was admitted to a private clinic in LA two weeks ago for yet another operation.’
‘Was it successful?’ Stephanie was unable to keep the anxiety out of her voice.
‘Completely.’ Joey took another swig of her wine. ‘According to Gideon, the hip joint had become slightly misaligned—I’m sure you understand what that means better than I do,’ she added. ‘Anyway, the end result is that Jordan Simpson is back up on his two perfectly gorgeous legs. So much so that he has already got backing and is due to play the lead role in the movie of the script he’s been writing the last six months.’
It was the best news Stephanie could ever have wished or hoped for. It also explained what Jordan had been doing during those hours when he had disappeared into his study while at Mulberry Hall.
What it didn’t explain was why Jordan had asked his twin to intercede and help Stephanie in her unwilling involvement with the Newmans’ messy divorce—or Gideon St Claire’s uncharacteristic gregariousness in discussing his brother so candidly with Joey!
She stood up. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘No?’ Joey eyed her knowingly. ‘Stephs, exactly how close did you and Jordan get during those few days together in Gloucestershire?’
Stephanie had been fighting against even allowing herself to think about Jordan these last couple of weeks, let alone put herself through the torture of remembering the intimacy of their lovemaking. How much she loved him. But this—Jordan asking Gideon to intercede on her behalf in the Newmans’ divorce—was so totally unexpected that she no longer knew what to think.
Or to feel.
She needed to talk to Jordan. Needed to know why he had gone to the trouble of asking his brother to help her when there had been so much going on in his own life. Needed to know if Jordan had just been being kind, or if it had been something else that had prompted his actions. What if—?
Stephanie frowned as the doorbell rang.
‘Expecting more company?’ Joey asked interestedly.
‘No,’ Stephanie said. ‘But at least I know it won’t be Rosalind Newman, come to insult me again.’
‘Maybe she’s come to apologise instead?’ Joey suggested ruefully.
‘Poor woman.’ Stephanie gave a regretful shake of her head before going to answer the door.
Only to be rendered totally speechless when she opened the door and found Jordan standing outside in the hallway. It was too much after what Joey had just told her—a complete overload to
Stephanie’s already raw emotions. So much so that she instantly burst into loud and choking sobs!
Not quite the reaction he had been hoping for, Jordan acknowledged with a frown as he stepped forward to take the sobbing Stephanie in his arms.
He wasn’t really sure what sort of welcome he had been expecting after not seeing or speaking to her for over two weeks, but it certainly hadn’t been this!
‘Who is it, Stephs? What did you do to her?’ An accusing redhead had appeared in the sitting room doorway, frowning darkly as she saw the sobbing Stephanie in Jordan’s arms. ‘Is it bad news?’ She hurried to Stephanie’s side. ‘What’s happened?’ she demanded sharply, looking up at Jordan. ‘Oh, my God!’ Green eyes had gone wide in recognition.
Jordan gave a rueful grin. ‘You must be Joey.’ Her facial similarity to Stephanie was obvious, despite the close-cropped hair and formal clothes.
She gave a slightly dazed nod of her head as she continued to stare at him. ‘Would you two like to be alone?’
‘No!’
‘Yes! Yes, Stephanie,’ Jordan repeated firmly, his arms tightening around her as she would have pulled away. ‘It was nice meeting you,’ he told Joey warmly over the top of Stephanie’s head.
‘The pleasure was all mine,’ she murmured softly. ‘Call me, Stephs.’
She couldn’t seem to stop staring at Jordan, even as she gave her sister a perfunctory kiss on the cheek before quietly leaving.
Stephanie felt more than a little foolish over her reaction to seeing him again now that she was alone with him. What on earth must he think of her? Bursting into tears like that just because she had found him standing on her doorstep?
She hastily wiped the evidence of those tears from her cheeks as she straightened. ‘What are you doing here, Jordan?’ she asked as she pulled away from him. ‘I’m not sure you should have flown to England at all when you’ve only recently undergone surgery,’ she added worriedly.
Her breath caught in her throat as she looked at Jordan properly for the first time. His hair was shorter than she remembered, and had been cut in that casually rakish style that only an expensive professional could have achieved. And his face no longer had that grim and strained expression. The lines beside his eyes and mouth seemed to have eased, and his jaw was freshly shaven to reveal that gorgeous cleft in his chin. His eyes were a clear and searching gold as he quizzically returned her gaze. He looked fit and healthy, in a tailored charcoal-coloured jacket over a black shirt and black trousers. And he no longer carried the cane.
Jordan St Claire: Dark and Dangerous Page 14