Then he cupped her face and looked deep into her eyes, and there was a sudden wretchedness in him that she could not understand. ‘Damn you, Julie,’ he grated. ‘You’re a siren and a temptress. The ring you wore temporarily protected you, but now—’ he suddenly wrenched the slim gold band from her finger and threw it far out into the ocean ‘—there is nothing to save you from me.’
‘There is Alex,’ she reminded him huskily, feeling suddenly fearful.
‘Alex?’ He looked surprised and then amused. ‘Yes, of course. Alex—beautiful, sexy Alex.’ And then his face hardened. ‘There is also Roger,’ he slammed. ‘But they’re not here, are they? There is just you and me and these feelings that neither of us can do anything about.’
Did that mean—? No, it couldn’t—could it? Julie looked at him with wide, troubled eyes. ‘What are you—saying?’
‘That I’m going to make love to you, woman,’ he grated. ‘Right here and now, and don’t try to fight me because it’s as clear as the nose on your beautiful face that you want this as much as me.’
Julie closed her eyes, needing to shut out his savage mastery. She could not bear to look at him, could not bear to give way to the agony of knowing he was right, so very, very right.
‘Look at me, damn you,’ he muttered, his fingers hard on her chin.
She swallowed hard and reluctantly dragged open heavy lids. They looked at each other for many long, testing moments, hearts throbbing in unison, bodies trembling. Julie knew she had only to make one move for him to carry out his threat, one tiny sound of acquiescence. She could not do it; she could not shoulder the responsibility for such a momentous decision.
All of a sudden he gave a heavy, pained growl. ‘Your ribs, dammit; I’d forgotten your ribs.’ But he did not move away, he continued to touch and stroke and incite, though his actions were gentler now.
It was a most incredibly erotic experience, and it took all of Julie’s willpower not to touch him as he was touching her. It was temptation beyond compare and how she managed to control herself she did not know.
‘Because of your damned pretence,’ he muttered, stroking the tip of her nose, ‘I’ve been forced to keep my desires in check. I didn’t want to give the impression that I was lusting over a married woman, but believe me—’
Lusting! The word repeated itself over and over in Julie’s mind, and she heard no more of what he said. Lusting, lust, fleshly desire, lasciviousness. That was all it was. The words torched her brain.
He was using her. He had no morals, he was merely satisfying his own carnal cravings. She had chosen to ignore it because of her own selfish needs, and now it was destroying her.
The more Julie thought about it, the more angry she got. ‘Stop that, Cameron. Get away. You have no right doing this to me.’ Her hazel eyes, more green than brown at this moment, sparked her hostility.
Surprised by her sudden attack, Cameron frowned. ‘Aren’t you a bit late in protesting?’
‘How could I fight you with this?’ she snapped, putting her hand to her ribs. ‘You certainly pick your moments.’
She scrambled to her feet and he gave her a hand, but he let her go once they were standing. ‘You’re suggesting I took advantage because you could put up no resistence?’ There was the darkness of thunderclouds on his brow.
‘Didn’t you?’
‘No, I damn well did not,’ he grated, ‘and you know it. Neither of us were able to help ourselves. It was inevitable.’
Julie frowned faintly. ‘Inevitable? I don’t really think that—’
‘Dammit,’ he cut in angrily, ‘can you deny that the day I picked you up there was a spark of something between us?’
Julie felt a quiver run through the very core of her, but her eyes flashed. ‘Oh, yes, there was a spark all right. A spark of anger, a spark of hostility. You were annoyed because you’d had to come and fetch me, and I was furious because I’d been kept waiting in the atrocious heat without so much as a hat to protect my head.’
His narrowed eyes rested on her face for several long seconds. ‘Maybe I was a litle annoyed at having to take time out of my busy schedule, but, hell, Julie, you more than made up for it. Not quite dressed for the situation,’ he added with a wry smile, ‘but that was part of your charm. You were beautifully indignant.’
‘And you were hateful,’ she protested.
‘You didn’t like me just a teeny little bit?’
‘No.’
‘I think you’re lying. I think you felt the same. I think you were totally frustrated because of your pretence.’ He spat the word, angry for a moment.
Julie shook her head in disbelief. ‘How could I have been attracted when I was just getting over my affair with Roger? I didn’t want another man in my life.’
‘How about the poor guy you saw behind Roger’s back?’ he sneered. ‘Why don’t you admit it, Julie? You’re a very sensual woman. You’re no actress—you could never put on such pleasure, such aching need; it has to be a part of you. You are as guilty as I am, and I can assure you that there will come a time when neither of us will be able to stop ourselves.’
Julie stared at him speechlessly, seeing the glitter of blue through narrowed lids. How dared he say such things? How dared he assume she was like this with every man she met? He clearly thought he only had to touch her, to look at her in a certain way, to have her melt in his arms, to give in to his every whim, to give her body willingly to his.
It was true, but she would never let him see it. Fierce determination took the place of surprise. ‘You’re mistaken. I’m not like that at all. And don’t think I’ll ever let you touch me again. I find your behaviour totally inexcusable, especially considering your relationship with Alex.’
‘My—relationship with Alex?’ Again he looked amused. ‘And, pray, what is that supposed to be?’
‘As if you didn’t know,’ she snapped. ‘You’re a bastard, Cameron Storm, and I hate you.’
‘You know what they say hate’s akin to?’ Still his mouth twitched.
‘I wouldn’t fall in love with you if were the last man on earth,’ she cried in panic. ‘You’re a lecherous beast without any thought at all for people’s feelings.’
‘Is that what you think?’ A frown carved his brow, drew black brows together, darkened his eyes. Even a muscle jerked in his jaw; she had clearly hit a raw spot.
And she was glad. Glad, glad, glad. She wanted to hurt him. He was hurting her, so why shouldn’t she turn the tables? ‘It’s the picture I’m getting. Is it me or Alex you’re really interested in? Or neither of us? You’re just playing with us because we happen to be available. You’re never going to get married but you’re going to have fun along the way, and you don’t care if you break any hearts.’
At last he thrust her from him, his eyes hard and judgemental. ‘If that is your opinion then maybe we’re two of a kind. Maybe we suit each other much better than you think.’
‘You swine! You started all of this,’ she declared in outrage as she headed back towards their camp.
‘But you made no attempt to stop me.’ He fell in beside her.
‘I couldn’t.’
‘Or didn’t want to,’ he responded, with a mocking curl to his lips.
‘I hate you.’ She snatched up a baggy T-shirt from the chair where she had left it and pulled it over her head. It came halfway down her thighs and she felt safe at last—except from her own thoughts.
‘You have a beautiful body, Julie.’
She felt her cheeks flame.
‘Roger’s a lucky guy.’
She could have told him then that she had turned Roger down, but she didn’t. She needed a buffer, someone to keep Cameron at arm’s length. She wasn’t strong enough to do it herself.
‘Tell me, are you as inhibited with Roger as you were with me? Has he sampled the delights of your delectable body? Has he inhaled the sweet, heady scent of you until it drives him crazy?’
Horrified by what he was saying, Julie lo
oked into the intent blueness of his eyes and saw the dangerous gleam. ‘You have no right speaking to me like that.’
Dark brows rose. ‘Has no man ever said such things to you before? Hasn’t Roger told you what a sensation you are?’
‘You’re disgusting!’ she cried.
‘And you’re beautiful. Shall I fix us some lunch?’
Julie was glad he had changed the subject, but she would really have liked to spend some time on her own; she needed to regain the equilibrium he had shot to pieces.
‘Where are your sandwiches?’ she asked ungraciously.
‘I left them behind.’
‘Then oughtn’t you to be getting back? Won’t Ian wonder where you are?’
His lips curved. ‘Are you trying to get rid of me, Julie?’
She saw no point in lying. ‘As a matter of fact, yes.’
‘Then I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed. I’ve decided to stay here for the rest of the day. Why don’t you sit in the shade while I make us a meal?’
Julie was not in the least hungry. She was far too confused and disturbed by the morning’s events to entertain the idea of food, but at least with him in the kitchen it would give’her a few minutes’ respite.
She deliberately sat where she could not see Cameron, otherwise she knew her eyes would constantly stray in his direction. They would be drawn to him like a magnet, giving away her inner torment, telling him all too clearly that she had been lying when she’d said there was no attraction.
Her body actually still tingled in the aftermath of his lovemaking, and the hunger in her had increased a thousandfold. She knew without a doubt that when she finally returned to England she would be as unhappy as Ian had been when his wife left him. ‘Unhappy’ wasn’t even a strong enough word; she would be desolate, totally destroyed.
It suddenly occurred to her, thinking about her twin, that she was being entirely selfish for the first time in her life. She ought to be thinking more about Ian, not herself. His was a double calamity—first the loss of Julie, now the loss of the job that had been helping to restore his peace of mind.
She would get over Cameron eventually, far more quickly than Ian would get over this second set-back. It was a fact of life that time healed all wounds. Ian had been married to his Julie for eighteen months; they had bonded together, had shared their love, and it was obvious that he had been hurt far more than she was now.
Her love was new—a few days old—and very private. It belonged to herself alone. There were few memories to dwell over. She and Cameron had had nothing-nothing except a few kisses. She would be a fool to grieve over something she had never had.
‘Lunch is ready.’ Cameron’s cheerful voice broke into her thoughts. ‘Come and get it.’
Julie pushed herself painfully up out of her chair and crossed to the fold-up table they always used at mealtimes, feeling her heart lurch all over again as she caught sight of him.
He had pulled on a shirt, but it hid none of his ravaging power. His eyes were brooding, despite his light-hearted tone, and she wondered whether he was as disturbed as she by the morning’s events, or whether he was planning his next invasion of her privacy. It was a daunting thought.
They had used up all their fresh supplies and were living out of tins and packets now, supplemented occasionally by lobster or langostas caught by Cameron. There were fish in abundance outside the bay, but the currents were too dangerous for any of them to venture that far, and there were no fruit trees of any kind on the island, so their diet was becoming a bit monotonous.
For the first time in her life Julie had made bread, and although it never seemed to turn out the same twice neither of the men ever complained. She had been expecting a sandwich now, either ham or corned beef on the stodgy bread, but instead Cameron had opened tins of salmon, potatoes and peas.
He had also opened a bottle of wine that had been sitting in the refrigerator since they arrived, pouring her a glass now with great ceremony. It was almost as though he was turning today into a celebration, thought Julie worriedly.
He held up his glass. ‘To us.’
Us? she questioned silently. She could not join him in such a toast, not in the present circumstances. ‘I think to your book, instead,’ she said. ‘I wish you every success with it.’
His lips quirked his disapproval as he followed her lead. ‘To my book, then—if it is ever typed out in time.’ And some of the bonhomie had gone out of his voice.
‘Of course it will be,’ she said. ‘I won’t be this way forever.’
‘It’s taking you long enough,’ he growled. ‘And Alex is pitifully slow. Would there, by any chance, still be some thoughts going through your beautiful head that I might, given time, change my mind about letting you and Ian stay? Is that what the procrastination is all about?’
Julie closed her eyes, devastated that he was speaking like this after all that had happened earlier. Did he, despite everything, really think she was capable of such devious behaviour?
‘What’s wrong?’ he jeered. ‘Have I touched a nerve? Have I hit on the truth?’
His harsh tone grated over raw nerve-endings and Julie shot him a look of pure hatred. ‘I doubt you’d believe me if I denied it.’
‘I think I have just cause to be suspicious.’
‘Really?’ she flashed.
‘Really. I come back unexpectedly and what do I see? Not you nursing your wounds, but you taking a swim in the sea, enjoying your new-found leisure.’
‘You swine!’ Julie flared. ‘I was not swimming, as you well know, I was merely paddling, I was trying to wash myself.’
‘So you say.’
‘It is the truth,’ she gritted.
‘We’ll never prove otherwise, will we?’ he taunted. ‘Eat your food before the mocking-birds get it.’ Already the fearless birds were stalking the edge of the table, eyes cocked on the food on their plates.
‘They can have it; I don’t want it,’ cried Julie with unusual rancour, and with one swift, furious movement of her arm she swept the whole lot on to the floor.
She regretted it a second later, felt appalled by her childish behaviour. It had been a silly thing to do and totally unlike her, and the circumstances certainly had not warranted such a deed. But she could not step down; it would be too degrading by far. He shouldn’t have taunted her. He shouldn’t have made offensive accusations that hadn’t an ounce of truth in them.
Expecting Cameron to be angry at her action, Julie was astonished when he roared with hearty laughter. ‘What a refreshing change you are, Julie Drummond. My time spent here is usually with equally serious scientists. No one ever does anything outrageous.’
Unable to stop herself, Julie joined in his laughter, feeling once again the spark igniting between them, feeling a resurgence of her senses, feeling herself gravitating towards him. Until suddenly Alex came running across the beach towards them.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
ALEX looked from Cameron to Julie and back again to Cameron, and then down to the remnants of the meal on the floor, and there was something in her eyes that Julie could not quite fathom. ‘So here you are, Cameron,’ she said, keeping her tone light, though Julie could see the effort it cost her. ‘I’ve been looking for you.’
‘And I came back to look for you.’ He made it sound very special, as though he had been seeking her out for reasons other than to do with his book.
Jealousy stirred viciously within Julie’s stomach and she wished herself a thousand miles away. It was unreal that he could speak to Alex like this when minutes earlier he had been making love to her.
Obviously Cameron thought, through whatever garbled version of the story Roger had told him, that she, Julie, was easy prey for any man, that she welcomed their advances, even. And by not fighting him off she had confirmed it. He would use her, but he would never get serious about her. And, if the truth were known, it was probably still retribution he sought. Alex was a different kettle of fish altogether.
/> ‘Will you excuse us, Julie?’ he said, taking Alex’s elbow as he led her towards the ‘office’.
Violent emotion twisted Julie’s nerves and she got to her feet, wishing there was somewhere she could escape to. The beach suddenly felt like a prison. The only way out was up the cliffs, but as that was an impossibility she walked to the lagoon instead. It wasn’t far enough to put any real distance between them; Alex’s peals of laughter reached her and she felt as though a lead weight had settled in the bottom of her stomach.
Eventually, her thoughts still too turbulent for comfort, she made her way back. Cameron was nowhere in sight and Alex, surprisingly, was at the desk typing. He had obviously persuaded her—no doubt with an excess of tender kisses, thought Julie bitterly—to carry on with his book.
As Julie approached the girl looked up, and her face was astonishingly contorted with fury; indeed, she looked quite ugly, an amazing transformation from her normal stunning good looks. ‘What’s going on between you and Cameron?’
Julie lifted her brows in surprise. ‘What makes you think there is anything going on?’
Alex pushed herself to her feet and came to stand only inches from her. ‘Don’t come the innocent. I saw you in the water from the cliff-top. I saw him kissing you—I saw you kissing him.’
Julie felt mortified, more so because she had been wearing nothing but her birthday suit! But she showed none of her distress, instead her chin lifted and she smiled. ‘I guess all’s fair in love and war.’
‘You bitch!’ snapped Alex. ‘I’m going to tell Ian what you’re up to, and he won’t be very happy when he finds out that his wife is two-timing him.’
‘Ian’s not my husband.’ Julie told her calmly.
‘What?’ screeched the blonde, frowning ferociously.
‘I said, Ian is not my husband.’ Julie quite enjoyed the other girl’s distress.
‘Then what—?’
‘He’s my brother—my twin brother. We were—playing a game.’
‘Cameron knows?’
Stolen Feelings (Island Romances) Page 14