'Yes.'
'When it isn't true?'
His mouth tightened. 'It was either that or he take the twins from you,' he bit out grimly.
'And what do you suppose will happen when the wedding doesn't take place?'
'It will.'
'I beg your pardon?' she gasped.
'We will be getting married, Robyn,' he looked at her with steady blue eyes.
'You—I—I can't let you do that, Sin,' she shook her head, tears glistening in her eyes.
His eyes were narrowed now. 'Do what?'
'Marry me for Kim and Andy's sake. I know how much you care for them, but I couldn't let any man marry me for that reason.' And she had thought she was unmarriageable because she had the twins!
Sin's mouth was a thin straight line. "Then think of it as marrying me because we're good in bed together,' he rasped. 'Although with your limited experience you probably don't even realise that we are!'
He was being deliberately hurtful now, was taking pleasure in whiplashing her with his tongue—and she had no idea why. She was giving him a way out of an impulsive gesture, why didn't he just take it gracefully and leave?
'I realise, Sin,' she told him huskily.
'Do you?' he bit out harshly. 'Maybe I should just refresh your memory!'
'No——-' her cry went unheeded as he stood up to pull her roughly into his arms, brutalising her mouth with a ruthlessness that brooked no denial. Robyn felt as if his tongue raped her as it marauded into her mouth, her, slender frame crushed against him. 'Sin, no!' she finally managed to pull away from him enough to look up at him with pained eyes. 'This isn't the way. Sin,' she choked, 'If we married we would only end up hating each other.'
He looked down at her for a moment with glazed eyes, almost as if he was just realizing what he had done. He thrust her away from him as if she burnt him, pushing his hands into his pockets. 'You would rather risk losing Kim and Andy than marry me?' he rasped harshly.
No, she would rather risk losing her beloved children than having Sin come to hate her! She nodded woodenly, not altogether surprised when he turned on his heel and left, the door closing forcefully behind him.
She was hollow-eyed and pale the next morning, hardly in the right frame of mind to spar with Caroline, the other woman having arrived back from London the evening before.
'I'm sure you all managed without me' was the nearest she came to apologising for the way she had just gone off and left them to cope.
'Yes,' Robyn was too numb this morning to even be polite, having spent yet another almost sleepless night.
Caroline gave a disdainful sniff: 'Although if I had known Sin had gone I wouldn't have bothered to come back quite this soon.'
'Gone?' her voice was sharp. 'Sin's gone?'
The younger woman nodded. 'He left early this morning. Apparently he has all the information he needs and he's gone back to London.' The blue eyes filled with malice. 'Don't tell me he didn't let you know he was going?'
She shook her head, her spirits down to rock-bottom. She had taken the absence of the Porsche to simply mean Sin had gone out, she hadn't given a thought to the fact that he may have left altogether. She had intended going over to see him when he got back, had wanted them to be friends again at least.
'How naughty of him,' Caroline said with relish. 'And after the two of you—spent so much time together too,' she added with pointed accusation.
'He has come over several times to see the twins, 'Robyn told her dully.
Caroline gave her a pitying glance. 'If you think anyone is going to believe that excuse you can forget it!'
She blushed. 'It's the truth.'
'Maybe it is,' Caroline conceded haughtily. 'But he certainly can't be visiting them at ten o'clock at night. The neighbours have been talking, Robyn,' she added at her questioning look. 'You've .made an absolute fool of yourself over him, and the whole village knows it,'
'Caroline——'
'Oh don't worry, I'm not going to come out with a lot of recriminations——'
She glared at the younger girl. 'You don't know how happy that makes me!'
'There's no need to get annoyed,' Caroline disdained. 'Although I can understand your being a little upset; you obviously had no idea he was going to walk out on you.'
She held herself stiffly as she stood up. 'Sin did not walk out on me,' she said in a controlled voice. 'There was no relationship to walk out on. He was a guest of your uncle's, and now he's gone.'
'If that's what you choose to believe,' Caroline snorted. 'But if you ask me you just don't know how to hold on to a man.'
'No one asked you, Caroline.' The day of reckoning had arrived between them, finally, as Robyn felt her temper tip over beyond the realms of control. 'And quite frankly I'm sick of your damned patronising,' she snapped. 'I work here, Caroline, I do not accept charily, which is more than can be said for you.'
'How dare you!' the younger woman gasped.
'Quite easily.' Her eyes flashed. 'I've put up with your rudeness and insinuations because of your father———'
'And because you would be out of a job otherwise!' Caroline scoffed.
'That's true,' Robyn acknowledged coldly. 'Why on earth your lather loves a selfish little bitch like you is beyond me. But he does. So I'll save us all a lot of time and trouble and just resign.'
Caroline looked startled, her make-up livid against her sudden pallor. "There's no need to do that———'
'It will save your father the embarrassment of asking me to leave.'
'He wouldn't do that,' Caroline flushed. 'He's more likely to ask me to leave.'
Her eyes widened. 'Don't be ridiculous—'
'It's true,' the younger woman flared. 'He admires you tremendously for the way you've coped with the twins since you've been on your own. He's always singing your praises,' she added resentfully.
And with surprised hindsight Robyn could see that a lot of Caroline's attitude towards her stemmed from the Colonel's admiration of her; she had the elderly man's respect in a way that
Caroline never could, and the younger woman was jealous of her. Amazing as that seemed, it was true!
'Caroline,' she began, thinking better of her gesture of friendship as she saw the other woman's expression tighten rebelliously. 'Would you mind taking over for me today?' she asked instead. 'I have some things I need to do.'
'I suppose I could,' Caroline said reluctantly. "Does that mean you aren't leaving?'
She shook her head. 'I just need this time off to sort a few things out.'
'What things?' Caroline asked with avid interest.
'Personal things.'
The younger woman looked disappointed she wasn't to hear all the 'sordid details'. 'All right,' she agreed in a disgruntled voice. 'But only for this one day. I'm not paid to be the secretary around here,' she added with bitchy normality.
One day was all she needed. With Sin gone it was imperative that she talk to Brad and try to sort out what plans he had concerning the children. Once she knew that she could^ resign herself to whatever came next, either to fight him or continue her life quietly with the twins.
And once she had seen Brad she had to talk to Sin, had to make her peace with him.
'What are you doing?' Caroline watched with frowning eyes as Robyn leafed quickly through the Colonel's files. 'I thought you were leaving 'for the day?'
'I am.' She had finally found what she was looking for, making a mental note of Sin's London address. 'Right now,' she gave Caroline a bright, meaningless smile.
a no risk affair
Her usual frugality when it came to petrol was forgotten as she drove herself up to London, too agitated by Sin's abrupt departure and her uncertainty about Brad's plans concerning the children to care about such things at the moment.
CHAPTER TEN
It was too much to hope that Brad would be at home, although the call to his office she had forgotten to make before leaving home had him promising to be at his flat within th
e next half an hour.
'An emergency,' he said as he let them into his flat. 'What sort of emergency? Is it the twins? Come on, Robyn,' he encouraged impatiently. 'What's happened?'
She moistened dry lips. 'Are you going to marry Tina?'
'That's the emergency you dragged me away from a front-page story for?' he predictably exploded.
'Did you finish the story?'
'Yes,' he muttered grudgingly.
'I thought so,' she nodded.
'That's beside the point,' he flared. 'You deliberately made me think something had happened to Kim and Andy!'
'I didn't so much as mention their name,' she shook her head. 'And even if I had made the implication, it didn't exactly make you rush home,' she derided the time lapse between her call and his arrival here. 'Did it?'
He flushed at the taunt. 'I have a job to do.'
'So do I,' she said slowly. 'Are you going to let me continue to do it?'
Brad frowned at the question. 'How could I stop you working for Henry?'
She shook her head. 'That isn't the job I'm talking about.’
'Then what—'
'Brad, I won't let you take the twins from me,' she told him firmly. 'I'm their mother, they've lived with me all their lives, and what you're proposing is just cruelty.'
'What am I proposing?'
She flashed him a look of irritation. 'This isn't a game, Brad, this is something that could affect Kim and Andy for the rest of their lives.'
'What the hell are you talking-about?' he made no effort to disguise his own irritation. 'I only had them to stay for the weekend, not did them some irreparable moral damage!'
'I'm not talking about the weekend——-'
'Then what is it?' he demanded impatiently. 'You come up here in a panic, gibbering something about my ruining the twins' lives, and I have no idea what you mean. It's a little late to start issuing accusations for my feelings about your pregnancy five years ago, especially when I've tried to be the best father I know how to be. I should never have had children, we both know that,' he ground out.
'Then don't take them now!' she pleaded. 'Not just to impress your girlfriend.'
'Tina?' he frowned. 'What does she have to do with this?'
'You're going to marry her.'
He stiffened. 'Yes.'
'And so she'll become Kim and Andy's stepmother.'
'You needn't worry,' his mouth twisted. 'She won't try and interfere.'
'How can you say that?' Robyn gasped. 'Unless you intend getting a nanny for them?'
'For the twins?' he gave a bewildered frown. 'But I thought you liked looking after them yourself? You've certainly rammed your independence down my throat enough the last four years,' he grimaced.
'Brad, are you or are you not going to try for custody of the children when you marry Tina Fowler?' She was very tense as she waited for his answer.
'I'm not,’ he spluttered disbelievingly. 'Most definitely not,' he repeated grimly.
Confusion darkened her eyes. 'Then why did you tell Sin that you were?'
Brad shook his head. 'I didn't.'
'But he said——'
'Yes?' Brad prompted interestedly, eyeing her speculatively as confusion washed over her.
What had Sin said exactly? Not that Brad had told him he wanted the children, only that he had told Brad they were getting married, to stop the other man making the claim. Now it seemed Brad hadn't been going to make it after all. How ironic that she and Sin should have argued about something that hadn't even been a possibility, if Brad's attitude were anything to go by.
'We both thought you wanted the twins,' she amended firmly. 'You've never had them for a weekend before.'
His gaze was suddenly evasive. 'No.'
'Brad?' she prompted softly.
He gave her a resentful glare, turning away abruptly. 'I'd been caught in a trap once before, I didn't intend for it to happen a second time,' he muttered in a barely audible voice.
Robyn tensed expectantly. 'Yes?'
He turned on her angrily. 'We can't all have
this paternal streak you revel in,' he bit out accusingly. 'Children just don't, and never have, entered into my plans. And so when Tina told me she didn't want children either I———' He broke off with a rueful sigh.
'Yes?' she prompted again, more warily this time, not liking where this was leading at all.
'Some women will tell you anything they think you want to hear,' he muttered. 'And then when you're well and truly trapped they do an about face.'
'I hope you aren't implying I did that?' she stiffened indignantly.
'No,' he sighed. 'We just didn't get around to discussing the fundamental requirements of our marriage until it was too late. With Tina I was taking no chances. I already have two children, I don't want any more,' he shook his head. 'This weekend was a test for Tina, to see if she really meant what she said,' he admitted reluctantly.
Robyn could hardly believe what she was hearing. 'You're saying you used the twins as guinea pigs'?' she said with slow incredulity.
'It wasn't like that———'
'That's exactly how it was,' she stormed, her eyes blazing. 'Did your girlfriend pass the test?' she scorned with disgust.
'Robyn———'
'Did she?' she repeated with furious control.
'Yes,' he muttered.
'How?' she asked through gritted teeth.
'Robyn———'
'Will you just answer my question!'
He shrugged at her aggression. 'She was polite to them, even friendly, but it was obvious she wasn't comfortable with them. I asked her to marry me last night, and she agreed on condition I never ask her to cope with the twins like that again.'
'And you agreed to that?' she prompted in a hushed and disbelieving voice.
His expression was even more resentful. 'Yes.'
'You actually agreed not to have them stay with you ever again?'
'Yes!'
'You unfeeling bastard!'
'Now, Robyn——'
'The twins worship the ground you walk on,' she advanced on him angrily. 'And you used them in that cruel way, making them thoroughly miserable in the process. Oh yes,' she scorned at his surprised expression, 'they aren't just wooden objects to be pushed and shoved about, they were both very upset Sunday evening. That's how I found out about Tina Fowler; they didn't want to come and live with you either!'
'Then that's just as well, isn't it,' he bit out without regret. 'Because Tina and I will be moving to New York after the wedding; her father has offered me a top job on one of his newspapers over there.'
'You didn't waste any time,' Robyn said with distaste.
'Why should I?' he said resentfully. 'What's the point of marrying the boss's daughter if you can't take advantage of a little nepotism? And don't worry that my remarriage will affect you at all, the old boy would never see you homeless or jobless,' his mouth twisted.
'The Colonel?' she frowned.
'Mm,' Brad grimaced. 'At least my marriage to Tina means I don't have to try and keep in his good books any longer; Tina's father could buy him out several times over!'
Robyn was learning several unpleasant facts about her ex-husband this morning that she would rather have remained in ignorance of, being shown irrefutably that he was a self-centred bastard of a man. To use the twins in that despicable way——! And after the comments he had made lately about being the Colonel's, only male heir she should have realised his feelings towards his uncle were purely mercenary.
'You sicken me, do you know that,' she grimaced her distaste, feeling as if she had a nasty taste in her mouth.
He gave her a pitying glance. 'And do you realise I don't give a damn what you think or feel,' he scorned. 'I've only kept up appearances with you and the twins for Henry's sake, once I'm in New York I can forget you even exist!'
'And the twins too?' she asked through stiff lips.
'I'll remember them at Christmas and birthdays, like other div
orced fathers do. At least I'll only have to remember one birthday date,' he derided harshly.
She could accept everything but his deliberate disregard for two children who loved him very much, her hand coming up to catch him forcefully on the side of his face.
'You little bitch!' he sprang back, a hand up to his face. 'You caught my eye, damn you,' his expression was belligerent. 'It will probably be black and blue tomorrow,' he accused.
'Good,' she said with satisfaction, looking at him with dislike. 'Try explaining that to Tina!' She didn't wait for his reply but turned and walked out of the fiat, moving with dignified calm.
She rested her head on the steering-wheel of her car once she got downstairs, waiting for the nausea to pass. Brad had to be the most despicable man alive, using everyone, even his children, as only a means to an end.
The way she felt right now the best thing she could do was go home and lick her wounds, feeling as if she had indeed been in a battle. But she owed it to Sin to let him know that everything was all right, that she was grateful for what he had tried to do for her, but it was unnecessary,
The address she had for him showed a block of flats very much like the one Brad's was in, although Sin had the penthouse apartment, the man behind the desk in the lobby asking for her name before calling up to Sin's apartment, allowing her to go up in the lift after a brief conversation with him. At least Sin hadn't refused to see her!
As she stepped out of the lift into the thickly carpeted hallway a woman was coming out of the door opposite, a tall glamorous blonde; her eyes wide as she spied Robyn, filled with a warmth that was intensified as she smiled.
'I'm Kay Thornton, Robyn,' she put out her delicate hand in a friendly gesture. 'As soon as you and Sin have sorted out this ridiculous mess you've made of everything perhaps you would like to come to dinner with Adair and me?' she invited brightly. 'And the children too, of course. My two will love meeting them.'
Robyn had eyes only for the man who had appeared in the doorway behind this beautiful butterfly of a woman, barely registering what was being said to her as she took in Sin's strained appearance, the tousled blond hair, the dullness of deep blue eyes, his clothes once again looking as if he had slept in them.
'Robyn?' Kay Thornton prompted softly.
Carole Mortimer - A No Risk Affair Page 14