Trust in Tomorrow

by Carole Mortimer

  He was drying his hair as he came out of the bathroom, the customary towel draped about his hips, coming to an abrupt halt when he saw her, controlling his anger with effort. ‘Wouldn’t you say this was a blatant invasion of my privacy?’ he bit out between taut lips.

  ‘Blatant,’ she acknowledged softly, able to smell the spicy tang of his aftershave, his shampoo smelling of limes. She stood up, holding out the drink to him. ‘I thought you might need this.’

  He shook his head. ‘I don’t.’

  ‘Oh,’ she put it down on the dressing-table, pressing her hands tightly together at his abrupt rebuff.

  His eyes were very dark as he looked at her. ‘I need something else.’

  ‘Oh?’ She hadn’t missed the harsh intensity of his voice, the tension in his body.

  He threw down the towel he had been drying his hair with. ‘Did you style your hair like that on purpose?’

  Her eyes widened. ‘I didn’t think you had noticed,’ she said softly.

  ‘I notice everything about you,’ he told her huskily. ‘From that scrap of provocation you call a gown, to the equally provocative style of your hair.’

  Chelsea frowned, touching the smooth hair at her temple. ‘What’s wrong with it?’ It had taken her over an hour to perfect!

  ‘There’s nothing wrong with it,’ Lucas growled, his expression closed. ‘It makes your neck and throat look so slender I could snap it with one hand, reveals the perfect beauty of your face, makes your eyes look like huge sapphires. You look beautiful, Chelsea, and yet I’m still going to release every silky strand,’ he deftly began to remove each securing pin.

  Chelsea’s eyes were wider than ever as she stared up at him, so close now she could see the smoothness of his jaw where he had just shaved, one of those men that had a ‘five o’clock’ stubble. ‘Why?’ she moistened the sudden dryness of her lips.

  ‘So that I can spread it across the pillow while I make love to you.’ He threaded his fingers into the silkiness so that it cascaded down her back. ‘No woman should be allowed to have such beautiful hair.’ He looked at it in wonder. ‘Are you a siren, come to lure me to my doom?’

  ‘Oh, Lucas.’ She gently smoothed the frown from his brow, angry with the people who had taught him to be wary of love, distrustful of it, as if to give it took something away from him rather than gave something back to him as it was supposed to do. ‘Kiss me, darling,’ she urged. ‘It’s been so long, and I ache for you.’

  ‘Dear God, I can’t fight you when you’re like this,’ he groaned raggedly, cupping her face with his hands.

  ‘Why should you want to?’ she rained fevered kisses along his jaw.

  ‘Because this isn’t real,’ he insisted, shuddering in reaction to her lips at his throat and ears. ‘You’ll wake up one morning and realise you don’t love me at all.’

  She wanted to tell him he was wrong, but she knew he wouldn’t believe her, that she would have to show him how she felt. Her lips travelled slowly down his chest, lingering on the hard nubs nestled among the dark hair, her tongue flicking across the taut flesh as Lucas gasped in reaction. She was kneeling before him as she kissed his navel, her tongue dipping in and out of the warm cavern, protesting at the interruption to her lovemaking as he pulled her back up to her feet.

  His gaze was searching. ‘I might seem as if I’m made of stone,’ he warned hardly, ‘but I’m not. If you kiss me any more I’m going to carry you over to that bed, strip the clothes from your body, and possess you until you can’t think straight. I warned you before that I’m only a man, that I can only take so much provocation.’

  Chelsea’s answer was to gently pull the towel from about his hips, her gaze following the sleek lines of his body as he sucked in his breath. ‘You’re beautiful,’ she breathed softly, a slow smile of wonder on her lips, his naked body magnificent, his arousal already strong and hard. ‘Please take me to bed, Lucas,’ she pleaded achingly.

  His gaze didn’t leave her flushed face as he swung her up in his arms, her own arms clinging around his neck as she snuggled against him. He lay her gently down on the bed, poised above her as he stared down at her with dark eyes. ‘You’re like a beautiful, bright, shining star,’ he muttered gruffly. ‘I don’t want to tarnish that.’

  ‘Making love to me will make me feel beautiful,’ she assured him, pulling him down to her.

  But before their lips could make contact the doorbell rang, Lucas jerking away from her as if someone had slapped him.

  ‘Ignore it,’ Chelsea urged, holding out her arms to him, letting them fall disappointedly to her side as she watched him pull on his towelling robe, tying it tightly at his waist.

  ‘It must be someone I know to have got past security,’ he said grimly.

  ‘You can’t go to the door like that,’ she reminded him, getting to her feet, looking just as lovely as she had earlier, her gown uncreased, her hair looking as if it were supposed to be styled this way.

  Lucas looked down ruefully at his near nakedness. ‘You’re right, I can’t.’

  ‘I’ll go,’ she offered tersely, lingering in the doorway. ‘Lucas, we aren’t just going to pretend tonight didn’t happen too, are we?’ she pleaded.

  He put up a hand to his temple. ‘I don’t know, I have to think. But you’re right, I can’t keep making love to you and then expecting you to forget it happened. We’ll talk as soon as we’ve got rid of our unwanted guest. I’ll join you as soon as I’m dressed.’

  From the way he said the latter Chelsea had the feeling that he too suspected who that guest was; Jennifer Sutton. And that fact alone told her that Jennifer hadn’t given up her chase of Lucas, that as she had suspected the other woman had regretted her impassioned outburst that night.

  She was frowning as she opened the door, wondering what she was going to say to Jennifer Sutton, if there were something she could say to the other woman to get her to leave before Lucas joined them.

  Her mouth fell open in surprise as she opened the door and saw who stood there. ‘Camilla!’

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  THE other woman gave a wan smile of acknowledgment, a tall leggy young woman with a shoulder-length cloud of lustrous black hair, and the most exquisitely beautiful face Chelsea had ever seen.

  But her friend looked tired at this moment, a sad droop to her mouth, her shoulders hunched over dejectedly. She carried a single suitcase, her knuckles showing white as she gripped it.

  ‘Can I come in?’ she prompted huskily as Chelsea continued to stare at her.

  ‘I—Of course.’ She stepped back, her mind racing at Lucas’s sister being here, and obviously intending to stay. Her own talk with Lucas was sure to be put off now, which meant Lucas would have time to build up all the same defences that had previously plagued him. She liked Camilla, was pleased to see her, but she couldn’t help wishing the other woman had chosen any night but this one to arrive.

  The cream coat Camilla wore owed more to fashion than warmth, and she discarded it in the warmth of the apartment, leaving her suitcase in the hallway, on her way through to the lounge, the cream dress that matched the coat styled to her slender body.

  ‘Where’s Lucas?’ she asked as Chelsea remained silent. ‘Has he gone out?’

  ‘He’s dressing,’ she answered abruptly, colour entering her cheeks as she realised how that sounded to her own ears if not to Camilla’s unsuspecting ones. ‘For dinner,’ she added awkwardly.

  Camilla nodded abruptly, obviously seeing nothing unusual in that. ‘Has he been home long?’

  ‘Not long, no,’ she answered jerkily. ‘Er—I don’t think he’s expecting you.’ There hadn’t been a lot of time for conversation this evening, but she felt sure Lucas wouldn’t have started making love to her if he expected his sister to arrive at any moment!

  ‘No, he isn’t,’ Camilla acknowledged curtly. ‘It was a sudden decision.’

  ‘How’s Jace?’

  ‘Jace?’ the other woman frowned at the question, looking more
tired than ever.

  Chelsea nodded. ‘He mentioned that you were still helping him with things out there. I wondered if you had seen him before you left?’

  ‘Your father is staying at a friend’s villa in France,’ came the abrupt reply.

  ‘France?’ she echoed dazedly. ‘But that’s just across the sea.’

  ‘Yes,’ Camilla nodded wearily.

  ‘Then why doesn’t he come to England?’ she frowned.

  ‘He might be recognised here,’ Camilla shrugged. ‘Lucas is a long time dressing,’ she frowned.

  Judging from his state of arousal when she had left him he needed this time to be respectable enough to present himself in front of a third person! ‘I’m sure he’ll join us in a moment,’ she dismissed.

  Camilla prowled restlessly about the room, her movements jerky and uncoordinated, which was very unusual for her.

  ‘Is there anything wrong?’ Chelsea frowned.

  ‘No,’ Camilla answered sharply. ‘I just need to talk to Lucas.’

  She swallowed hard. ‘Jace didn’t send you here, did he?’ It had suddenly occurred to her that perhaps her father had had second thoughts about Lucas and herself and had asked Camilla to intervene. She had certainly arrived at an inconvenient time!

  ‘Jace?’ Camilla echoed abruptly. ‘Why should he send me here?’

  She sighed. ‘To break up Lucas and me.’

  ‘Lucas and you…?’ The other woman’s stunned reaction was enough to convince Chelsea she had been wrong in that respect at least; Camilla had no idea what she was talking about! ‘Have the two of you been arguing?’ Camilla further confirmed her ignorance of knowing anything about a romantic involvement between her brother and Chelsea.

  ‘A little,’ Chelsea replied truthfully.

  ‘Well, Jace isn’t aware of it,’ Camilla dismissed in a preoccupied voice. ‘So the two of you haven’t been getting along, hm?’ she added ruefully.

  ‘We didn’t, at first,’ she acknowledged guardedly. ‘But we’re okay together now.’

  ‘That’s good.’ Camilla lost interest in the subject, glancing impatiently towards the door.

  ‘Are you sure there’s nothing wrong?’ Chelsea frowned at her friend, worried by how pale and drawn she looked, wishing Lucas would hurry up; something was obviously troubling Camilla badly, and she wasn’t inclined to discuss it with Chelsea.

  ‘Nothing,’ the other woman answered in a bitter voice. ‘What on earth can be keeping Lucas?’ she frowned, echoing Chelsea’s thoughts.

  ‘I’ll go and tell him you’re here—’

  ‘That isn’t necessary,’ he cut in icily, looking at his sister with narrowed, disapproving eyes. ‘Camilla, what are you doing here?’ he rasped.

  Chelsea was taken aback by his aggression as much by his appearance, a cream shirt partly unbuttoned down his chest, black trousers moulded to his lean legs and thighs, his damp hair evidence that he had taken a second shower. Colour flooded her cheeks as she guessed the reason for that.

  ‘Is Jace with you?’ he bit out before Camilla had time to answer his first question.

  She shook her head wearily. ‘I’m alone.’

  ‘And Jace?’

  ‘Still in France.’

  ‘Does he know you’ve come here?’ Lucas demanded to know unrelentingly.

  Camilla blushed. ‘Look, Lucas, if I’m not welcome I can always go to—’

  ‘I didn’t say you weren’t welcome,’ he rasped harshly. ‘I just want to know if you told Jace where you were going or if you just left.’

  ‘He knows,’ Camilla said flatly, looking awkwardly at Chelsea. ‘I was in France with your father before coming here,’ she explained uncomfortably.

  That much she had gathered, what she couldn’t understand was why Lucas was so angry at his sister for leaving and coming here. Hadn’t she done enough for them, helped them out enough? She was only a friend, albeit a good one, and they had imposed on her long enough. Lucas was being unreasonable.

  ‘Lucas, I’m sure Jace understood Camilla has her own life to lead,’ she defended the other woman. ‘She’s been such a help to us, you both have.’

  His eyes narrowed, his mouth firming. ‘Why don’t you go and check on dinner,’ he suggested hardly. ‘I’m sure it must be ready by now.’

  She went to the kitchen with an angry set to her mouth, feeling a little like Mrs Harvey must do when dismissed in the same way. She hardly recognised this Lucas as the same one who had been making such tender love to her only minutes ago, his defences back in place much more quickly than she would have liked, knowing that the promised talk was definitely out now that Camilla was here. But that was no reason for him to be so terse with both Camilla and herself, and there was a sparkle of challenge in her eyes as she returned to the lounge.

  ‘I’m not condemning you, Camilla,’ Lucas was almost gentle now. ‘I understand what you’re going through, I just think that coming back here now will solve nothing.’

  ‘But it was so awful, Lucas,’ his sister choked. ‘The things the newspapers are saying about us!’

  ‘I still think you should have stayed and supported Jace,’ he told her sternly. ‘It was the only thing you could do in the circumstances.’

  ‘Maybe the only thing you could have done in the same circumstances,’ Camilla said accusingly. ‘But I don’t happen to be made out of the same strength of character.’

  ‘Camilla—’

  ‘Leave me alone, Lucas,’ she snapped. ‘Just tell me if I can stay here or not, because if not I—’

  ‘Of course you can stay here,’ he interrupted in a steely voice. ‘Stay until you feel ready to go back.’

  ‘I’m not sure that I’m going back.’

  ‘Camilla!’ Lucas strode after his sister as she rushed past Chelsea and into the bedroom the two women would have to share. He stopped outside the room as the door was firmly closed in his face. ‘Camilla, hiding in there isn’t going to change a thing,’ he warned, silence greeting this comment. ‘What do I tell Jace if he telephones?’ he sighed.

  ‘He won’t,’ came Camilla’s muttered response.

  Lucas’s expression was grim as he returned back to the lounge, ignoring Chelsea as she would have spoken, walking straight over to the drinks cabinet and pouring himself some whisky into a glass, not even bothering to add the usual water as he swallowed it all down without pause.

  ‘Lucas—’

  ‘Your damned family has caused nothing but trouble almost from the moment we all met you,’ he cruelly cut in on her tentative query.

  ‘Lucas!’ She was stunned by the vehemence of his attack.

  He poured himself another whisky, drinking it slower this time. ‘First your father and mother,’ he continued grimly. ‘And now you’re trying to tie me up in the same knots. Well I won’t have it, Chelsea,’ he slammed the empty glass down on the table. ‘Stay out of my way for the rest of your time here,’ he grated. ‘Because if you don’t I’m not going to be answerable for the consequences!’

  That he was threatening violence she didn’t doubt, and she didn’t even know what she had done to merit such anger. ‘Has Camilla been caught up in the bad publicity in the States?’ It was the only explanation she could think of in connection with the conversation she had been witness to. And that surely couldn’t be anyone’s fault but the ghoulish public.

  Lucas’s mouth was tight. ‘I suggest you ask Camilla about that,’ he bit out harshly.

  She grimaced. ‘I don’t think she’s in the mood to talk about it.’

  ‘Then you’ll just have to leave it, won’t you,’ he rasped with sarcasm. ‘Is the dinner ready?’

  She flinched at the way he just dismissed her concern over Camilla. ‘Yes, it is,’ she snapped, turning on her heel. ‘And I hope you enjoy eating it!’ She slammed into the bedroom after Camilla.

  The other woman wasn’t in the bedroom now, so she assumed she must be in the adjoining bathroom. What a disaster of an evening, and it had started o
ut so promisingly too! Now all she wanted to do was sit and cry.

  Camilla’s expression became guarded as she came back from the bathroom and saw Chelsea sitting on one of the two single beds, wearing trousers and a thick sweater now, her beautiful face bare of make-up. ‘Aren’t you having dinner?’ she enquired lightly.

  Chelsea shook her head. ‘Suddenly I don’t feel hungry any more.’

  The other woman’s expression became even more wary. ‘Oh?’

  She sighed raggedly. ‘Your brother has to be one of the most difficult men I know.’

  ‘That I know too,’ Camilla agreed, taking some flat shoes out of her partly unpacked suitcase before putting them on.

  ‘You weren’t supposed to say that,’ Chelsea grimaced.

  ‘Why not?’ Camilla shrugged narrow shoulders. ‘It’s the truth, he is a difficult man. He’s also unyielding, unreasonable, bossy, arrogant, and a bit of a tyrant. And I love him,’ she pulled a face.

  ‘So do I,’ she nodded.

  ‘Chelsea…?’ Camilla looked startled.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ she sighed. ‘It isn’t reciprocated. He says I’m too young for him, juvenile, in fact.’

  Camilla’s dark eyes so like her brother’s were wide with surprise. ‘Lucas knows how you feel?’

  ‘I told him,’ she nodded.’

  Camilla began to smile, relaxing. ‘You know, Chelsea, when I arrived I was feeling so miserable I just wanted to crawl into a corner and die. You’ve made me feel better already.’

  She made a rueful face. ‘I suppose my loving Lucas is funny—’

  ‘No, not funny at all,’ Camilla hastily assured her. ‘But I’m sure Lucas’s reaction to it is. I can just see the expression on my stuffy brother’s face when you told him you loved him, a mixture between shock and anger.’

  ‘You forgot the dismay,’ Chelsea told her with a grimace.

  ‘Poor Lucas,’ Camilla smiled again.