Engaged to Jarrod Stone

by Carole Mortimer

  ‘Why, you—’

  He threw the cloth down. ‘You can’t deny the evidence, Brooke. I saw you in my brother’s arms, saw the possessive hold he had on you, as if you’d been together like that a lot.’

  Her hand moved up as if in slow motion to slap him hard across the face. She was surprised at her action but not repentant. ‘Don’t judge everyone by your own rules,’ she told him tautly.

  Dave removed his hand from his stinging cheek, revealing the bright red weals on his face. His expression couldn’t be called pleasant. ‘There was no need for you to do that,’ he said grimly. ‘But I’ll give you reason now,’ and he took a threatening step towards her.

  Brooke was becoming frightened now. This wasn’t the Dave who had entered her flat, but a man with grim determination on his face. She backed away from him as far as she was able in the small confines of her kitchen. ‘Don’t be silly, Dave,’ she trembled. ‘You’ll regret this.’

  ‘I might do. But on the other hand it might be worth it. You have to possess something more than beauty to hold on to Jarrod.’

  ‘I don’t think your opinion of Jarrod is any more complimentary than the one you have of me!’

  By this time he had her firmly pinned against the wall. ‘I respect and love Jarrod more than anyone else I’ve ever known,’ he contradicted. ‘He’s everything I ever want to be.’ One of his hands moved to caress her suddenly pale cheeks.

  ‘I see. I suppose it’s all this love and respect you have for him that’s making you make a pass at his fiancée,’ she scorned, more frightened than she cared to admit. Dave was almost as well built and muscular as Jarrod, and he had an equal amount of determination.

  ‘No,’ he disagreed mildly. ‘It’s you that’s making me do that, you with your coolness that makes me want to melt you until you’re on fire for me.’ His mouth tightened. ‘As Jarrod has no doubt seen you any amount of times.’

  She blushed. It was true, Jarrod had seen her like that, aroused and aflame with wanting him. ‘You—you’re mad! Jarrod will kill you for this.’

  Dave shook his head, a slight smile on his lips. ‘Jarrod will never know.’

  ‘Oh yes, he will! I—’

  ‘Won’t tell him,’ he finished for her. ‘Because if you did I would have to tell him that you invited me over here this evening, encouraging me until it became impossible for me to refuse you.’

  ‘He wouldn’t believe you.’ But there was a ring of uncertainty in her voice, a fact Dave was quick to notice.

  ‘Would you like to risk it?’ he murmured, lowering his head to caress her throat with his mouth.

  She squirmed away from him. ‘Please don’t do this, Dave. Please,’ she pleaded.

  He didn’t answer her, but pulled her fully into his arms and claimed possession of her lips. Brooke could have found the locality of this attack amusing if she wasn’t quite so annoyed. Dave certainly hadn’t chosen the most romantic of places to try and seduce her, surrounded by washing-up as they were.

  As if sensing this, with a dexterity that surprised her, he had led her into the lounge, lying beside her on the sofa. Their closeness reminded her poignantly of Jarrod and other evenings when he had strained her to him with equal passion.

  Dave was very like Jarrod to look at and it was easy to imagine that the lips demanding a response from her own were his, that he was right here with her and not out with a business colleague, if indeed that was who it was.

  She was no longer fighting Dave, but she wasn’t responding either, lying quietly in his arms as he further explored her creamy throat. That he was fully aroused she knew by the hardness of his thighs, and yet the knowledge didn’t repulse her. It would be so easy to imagine him as Jarrod and give in to the longing that always enveloped her whenever she was in his arms.

  ‘I want you, Brooke,’ Dave murmured throatily.

  ‘Unfortunately, so do I,’ remarked a quietly controlled voice from above them. ‘And I believe I have first claim to her.’

  Dave shot up off the sofa at the first sound of his brother’s voice. ‘Jarrod! What are you doing here?’

  Brooke could have asked him the same question, but on seeing the dangerous glitter in his eyes she was glad she hadn’t. He hadn’t looked at her yet, his anger was all centred on Dave at the moment. She sat up dazedly on the sofa, watching the two of them as if they were strangers to her.

  Jarrod came further into the room, removing the black bow-tie he had been wearing, unbuttoning the top two buttons of his shirt before removing his jacket, a cold hard look on his face.

  He looked at his younger brother. ‘The same thing as you, I should imagine,’ he answered curtly. ‘But Brooke should remember when she has invited one lover to spend the night with her before inviting another. It could prove embarrassing—for her,’ he added harshly.

  She gasped at his words. ‘But, Jarrod, I—’

  ‘Weren’t expecting me back just yet?’ he finished for her, sitting down in one of the armchairs to look at the two of them interestedly, only the slate grey of his eyes showing just how furious he really was. ‘I know that. I would say it was pretty obvious,’ he added grimly.

  Dave looked at Brooke, disgust written all over his face. ‘Did you know Jarrod was coming back here tonight?’ he demanded of her.

  ‘Well, I—’

  ‘Of course she did,’ interrupted Jarrod. ‘I stay here most nights now.’ He smiled, but it couldn’t be called a pleasant smile. ‘I’m trying to pursuade Brooke that she would be a fool not to marry me.’

  ‘If you ask me, you’d be the fool.’ Dave turned on his heel and walked towards’ the door. ‘She didn’t put up much of a fight when I kissed her.’

  ‘That isn’t—’

  Suddenly Jarrod was standing up, a menacing figure glowering down at them. ‘You kissed her, did you?’ he asked, dangerously, soft.

  Dave realised his mistake too late, paling at the unhidden danger in his brother’s eyes. ‘Well, I—I—’ he blustered, reaching hurriedly for the door-handle. ‘I may have done,’ he continued defiantly. ‘But she didn’t fight me,’ he repeated.

  Brooke had heard enough. They were like two animals fighting over a mate. But she had to admit that the cool intensity of Jarrod’s anger was quite frightening. And she would have to bear the brunt of it when Dave had left.

  ‘Don’t lie on top of everything else, Dave,’ she said sharply. ‘You threatened me.’

  ‘With what?’ Jarrod queried softly of his brother.

  Dave looked even more unsure of himself and Brooke began to feel sorry for him. If they hadn’t been interrupted the incident between them might have passed off quite easily, but Jarrod turning up in this way had made a big issue out of it.

  ‘With what, Dave?’ he repeated harshly.

  Dave gave a nervous laugh. ‘I didn’t threaten her with anything,’ he lied. ‘Look, Brooke gave me dinner, does that sound as if I threatened her?’

  Jarrod shrugged. ‘You tell me.’

  ‘Well, I didn’t,’ Dave maintained firmly. ‘Now if you’ll excuse me I have to be back on duty at seven in the morning. Thanks for the meal, Brooke.’

  Brooke looked at Jarrod with pleading eyes once Dave had left. ‘It wasn’t like he made it sound,’ she said desperately. ‘I did give him a meal, yes, but I didn’t encourage him to kiss me.’

  He looked at her coldly. ‘When you invite a man round for a meal you must expect to invite him round for something else too.’

  ‘I didn’t invite him here at all,’ she declared vehemently. ‘He just turned up.’

  ‘Oh, really?’

  ‘Yes, really.’ His sarcasm hadn’t gone unnoticed. ‘Don’t you believe me?’

  ‘Why shouldn’t I?’ He flexed his shoulder muscles. ‘The one night I have to leave you in two weeks and Dave just turned up here unexpectedly. I quite understand that it was on the off chance that he turned up here.’

  ‘But it was! Please believe me, Jarrod. We even laughed at the fac
t that Dave had just missed you. He said how lucky—’ She broke off as she realised her frantic pleadings were just making things worse.

  ‘How lucky that I’d already left,’ he murmured softly. ‘But I came back and ruined it all for you.’

  ‘Why did you come back?’

  He threw back his head and gave a harsh laugh. ‘I’m not sure now.’

  Brookes eyes were violet in her distress. She was going to lose Jarrod on the evening she had decided to marry him! She had decided that if he wanted her enough to marry her she wanted him enough to agree. ‘But there must have been a reason for it. You said when you left earlier that you would see me tomorrow.’

  He gave a deep sigh, impatiently watching the nervous movements of her hands. ‘Oh, there was a reason for my coming back,’ he agreed coldly. ‘I came back for you.’

  She looked at him sharply. ‘For—for me?’

  ‘Yes,’ again that harsh laugh. ‘How did you expect me to concentrate on talking business after the stormy scene we’d just shared? I made my excuses as soon as it was polite to do so and came straight back here,’ his mouth hardened. ‘Only to find you in my brother’s arms.’

  ‘It wasn’t like it seemed. He—’

  ‘If I’d realised my constantly arousing you but not giving you the satisfaction you craved would lead to you seeking that satisfaction with another man I would have taken you long ago. As it is,’ he took a threatening step towards her, ‘I don’t think it’s too late for that—yet.’

  Brooke shrunk away from the desire now flaming in his eyes. ‘You don’t realise what you’re doing, Jarrod. You’re annoyed, I can understand that, but you’re wrong about Dave and myself.’

  ‘Forget about Dave!’ he ordered fiercely. ‘As long as you haven’t gone any further with him than what I just witnessed I couldn’t give a damn about him. Although it had better never be repeated.’ He swung her effortlessly into his arms, throwing her roughly down on to the bed once he reached her bedroom. ‘I told you I would have you begging for marriage, now I realise just how lenient I’ve been with you during the last few weeks, waiting for you to come to me willingly. Well, I’m not going to wait any more. I want you, you want me, and by God I’m going to take you!’

  His hands on her body were not gentle and the wildness in his eyes told her that the tight control he always had over his desire for her had finally snapped. She had pushed him too far and would now have to pay the penalty.

  He wasted no time in unbuttoning her shirt, ripping the material as he ruthlessly pulled it apart. Several of the buttons came off altogether, but Jarrod ignored them, once again devouring her flesh devoid of underwear.

  She struggled against him. ‘Please, Jarrod!’ she cried. ‘I know you’re angry with me, but not like this. Please!’

  ‘I’m not angry with you, Brooke. I’m bloody furious!’ He continued to kiss and caress her.

  She pushed at his body on her own, knowing only pain and humiliation in his arms this time. ‘You have a right to be, I admit that. But I can’t let you make love to me. When you wanted to marry me it was different, but now that’s over I—’

  That made him lift his head. ‘Who said it was over? Oh no, Brooke, you aren’t getting away that easily. For weeks now people have been asking me when our wedding is to be, mainly due to your bitchiness in broadcasting it at that party simply because you felt I was making a fool of you. Well, now I can tell them exactly when we’re getting married. Three weeks tomorrow you’re going to become my wife.’

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  ‘I—I am?’ Brooke faltered.

  ‘Yes, you damn well are!’

  ‘But you—you can’t still want me to marry you, not after—’

  He gave a tight smile, some of the tense anger seeming to leave his body. ‘I still want you, and I still have to convince Charles Howard that I’m much too interested in my own woman to want his. They were the reasons for the marriage in the first place and they haven’t changed.’ His grip tightened painfully on her arms. ‘But if I ever find you in another man’s arms once we’re married I’ll kill you—after I’ve dealt with him, of course.’

  There was a dangerous edge to his voice that told Brooke he meant exactly what he said. ‘Of course,’ she said dryly.

  Jarrod got up off the bed, turning to look at her with narrowed eyes. ‘As long as you realise that.’ He ran a hand through his already tousled black hair. ‘Get something on, for God’s sake!’ he snapped abruptly, marching back out into the lounge.

  She did so with jerky movements, removing the ruined shirt altogether and putting on a yellow tee-shirt. She came out of the bedroom smoothing the top down over her narrow hips. ‘Might I remind you that it was you who ripped at my clothing like—like a—’

  ‘An animal?’ Jarrod queried softly, a stiff measure of whisky in his hand. Not normally a drinker herself, she had bought the bottle especially for Jarrod when she realised how much he appreciated it when he came here in the evenings.

  ‘Yes!’ Her eyes flashed. ‘And then you have the nerve to talk to me as if I’m—’

  ‘A wanton?’ he finished for her again.

  ‘Yes!’ she said vehemently.

  ‘Then that makes us well matched. I see you’ve kept Angie’s present to you,’ he remarked suddenly.

  ‘I’m sorry?’ she evaded.

  ‘The portrait in your bedroom.’

  ‘Oh, that,’ she dismissed casually. ‘I had to keep it really, it would have been rude not to.’

  ‘But did you have to put it in your bedroom?’

  She gave a short laugh. ‘The lounge didn’t seem the ideal place. I didn’t particularly want you looming down at all my guests.’

  Jarrod threw the remainder of the whisky in his glass to the back of his throat, swallowing it without a wince. ‘Then I’m surprised you chose your bedroom,’ he said nastily.

  ‘Why, you—’

  ‘Yes?’ he asked softly. ‘Can’t you stand to hear the truth?’

  ‘The truth as you see it?’ She shook her head. ‘No, I can’t stand to listen to your biased opinion of me. Just because you’ve forced yourself into my bedroom a couple of times it doesn’t mean other men have been in there.’ She ripped off the ring that seemed to be more like a chain with every passing second. ‘Take your ring and get out of here!’

  ‘We’re getting married,’ he stated adamantly.

  ‘I wouldn’t marry you under any circumstances!’ she lied. If he loved her she would marry him tomorrow, but his contempt she wouldn’t put up with.

  He moved towards her. ‘Are you sure about that?’ he asked, seductively soft.

  ‘Very sure,’ she answered firmly. ‘And making love to me won’t work this time,’ she denied, forcing herself not to move as he stood a few inches away from her. ‘You aren’t that good a lover, Jarrod. Dave’s just as good as you are, with much less practice, I would say.’

  ‘You think so?’ He jerked her chin up roughly. ‘So things had gone further between you than I thought they had. How often does Dave come here?’

  ‘Whenever he can.’ Which was true; according to Dave this had been the first opportunity he had had to call on her.

  Jarrod picked up his discarded jacket. ‘You little bitch!’ he stated calmly. ‘Keep the ring, Dave will never be able to afford one like it.’

  ‘Oh, we don’t intend getting married.’

  ‘You have discussed it, then?’

  ‘We’ve talked of marriage, yes. But it isn’t for us, not to each other anyway.’ How could she talk so calmly when what she really wanted to do was launch herself into Jarrod’s arms?

  ‘So you would have married me while having an affair with my own brother?’

  ‘Must I remind you that I have never at any time said I would marry you? But even if I had you have every intention of carrying on your affair with Mrs Howard.’

  ‘That’s—’

  ‘Different?’ she cut in. ‘It may seem that way to you, but I wouldn’
t have liked it.’

  ‘So you had an affair with my brother,’ he repeated.

  ‘Yes,’ she answered because it seemed to be what he expected of her.

  ‘I once said you were full of surprises,’ he said bitterly. ‘I just didn’t realise how much.’

  ‘Goodbye, Jarrod,’ she said dully.

  ‘Goodbye.’ The door closed with a slam.

  Well, she had done it now, alienated Jarrod beyond repair. But it had been the only course open to her when he could think such things of her. She couldn’t marry a man who had such a contemptuous opinion of her. It would have been hell on earth, with her having to pay for every past indiscretion he believed her guilty of. No matter what Jarrod did himself he wouldn’t want a wife who had had affairs with other men; his wife would have to be beyond reproach. And in his eyes she certainly wasn’t that now!

  The weekend now loomed before her like a black empty void. Jarrod might only have been in her life a matter of weeks, but during that time he had effectively cut off any of her other social life, making it impossible for her to meet any of her other friends.

  She woke up Saturday morning with a feeling of dread for the weekend, especially tonight. No one stayed in on a Saturday night, and most of her friends would already have made plans for the evening.

  But by mid-afternoon she had had enough of her tiny flat, and felt as if the walls were closing in around her. She had to get out, go somewhere this evening. She just had to!

  A call to a couple of her friends confirmed that a crowd of them were going to a nightclub that evening and they were only too happy to invite her along. She had missed going out with the crowd, missed their camaraderie and good humour. She and four other girls had become good friends during the time she had stayed at a hostel and although they had all left to make their own homes they still kept in touch with each other.

  Debbie and Lynette called for her in their taxi, none of them wanting to risk driving after an evening spent drinking. Both of her friends were agog with curiosity about what had happened to that ‘tall hunk of a fiance of hers’. Neither girl had ever met Jarrod Stone, but like most people they had seen photographs of him in the society columns.