Lucas’s idea of playing chef was to put together plates of cold, herb-stuffed chicken and Bayonne ham, served with salad greens and several kinds of cheese. The sole function of the oven, Emily discovered, laughing, was to heat a baton of French bread to accompany the meal.
‘This is lovely,’ she said indistinctly, when they were back on the sofa together.
‘The food, or being with me?’ asked Lucas, buttering bread for her.
‘Both. I spent last weekend almost entirely alone, with my own home-made vegetable soup for every meal.’ She made a face. ‘I shan’t want any more of that for a while.’
‘I told my mother about you,’ he said casually, startling her. ‘Described how you came to nurse me in my hour of need.’
Emily put her fork down, her eyes wide. ‘She must have been taken aback—that your cleaner came to the rescue, I mean?’
Lucas wagged an admonishing knife. ‘I told her that your cleaning jobs finance you while you’re writing a novel. She was impressed, and wants to meet you. When you’re mobile again I’ll drive you down for Sunday lunch.’
Emily gazed at him in silence.
‘As I keep saying, it won’t commit you to anything,’ he assured her.
‘You take a lot of women to meet your mother?’
‘No. You’ll be the first.’
The information gave Emily a rosy glow which lasted right through supper, though she firmly resisted when Lucas coaxed her to talk about her novel.
‘You can read it when I’ve finished it,’ she conceded eventually. ‘But only when I’m satisfied with it myself. If I ever am.’
‘If you’re not, will you give up cleaning and go back to the work you were doing before?’
Emily shook her head. ‘I don’t want to do that any more. It pays well, and I’m pretty good at it. But I’ve been far happier with the way my life is now than I ever was at nine-to-fiving in an office. So, if the first novel doesn’t turn out well, I’ll just try again. I’m sure I can find an extra cleaning job to pay my way.’
‘I’ve thought of something else you can do,’ said Lucas casually.
‘Really? What, exactly?’
‘I’ll get rid of this stuff, make some coffee, then I’ll explain.’ He smiled at her as he hefted the loaded tray. ‘Be good while I’m gone.’
CHAPTER TWELVE
WHEN Lucas got back with the coffee, he found Emily with the laptop on her knees. ‘I told you to be good,’ he said, exasperated. ‘Which didn’t mean starting work the minute I turned my back.’
She smiled guiltily. ‘After I rang my mother I just had to make sure the machine still worked, Lucas. And, as far as I can tell, it does. But I can’t help wondering why Miles was so desperate to get it back. I checked when I first took it, of course, but his files were all empty.’
‘There must be something lurking on it somewhere.’ Lucas sat down beside her. ‘Hand it over. I’ll do a search.’
‘But surely he’d have saved anything important on a disk?’
‘I would. But he wasn’t expecting you to steal it that night, so there must be something he didn’t have time to transfer.’
But other than Emily’s novel there was nothing until at last Lucas found a file hidden inside another.
‘Bullseye! Our lad has a digital camera.’
Emily, sitting close to look, stiffened in horror when a photograph appeared, filling the entire screen.
Lucas swore volubly and lowered the lid. ‘Don’t look any more. I’ll switch the bloody thing off—’
‘No,’ said Emily decisively. ‘I might as well know the worst. Keep going.’
Three photographs filled the big screen one by one. The studies were of three muscular, nude young men, their smiles provocative as they postured for the photographer. Two of them were strangers to Emily, but the other one delivered sandwiches to the firm she’d once worked for. Where Miles was still employed.
‘Get rid of them, please,’ she begged.
‘Done.’ Lucas wiped the laptop clean of everything other than the embryo novel, took it up to his desk on the gallery, then returned to the sofa. He filled cups with strong black coffee and gave one to Emily. ‘You need this, darling. You’re white as a sheet.’
She drank the hot, fragrant liquid down, reviving as the warmth spread through her. ‘How could I have been such a fool?’ she said at last. ‘Though I wasn’t the only one. I was warned about Miles by more than one friend at the firm. His reputation as a womaniser was well-publicised.’
Lucas took her empty cup and put hard, protective arms round her. ‘A deliberate smokescreen to keep his proclivities in the closet? Though he isn’t the first to feel attracted to both sexes.’
Emily leaned against him gratefully. ‘No wonder he would never let me use the laptop. He always kept it in work. But he had it with him when he got in that night, and after the row, when I got violent, he was in such a hurry to take off he left it behind. Poor Tamara,’ she added ruefully. ‘Miles deliberately let me think he’d been with her that evening.’
‘Preferable to the truth.’
‘But I could have confronted the girl.’
‘He banked on your not believing her if she denied it.’
‘You’re right.’ She leaned her head back to look at Lucas. ‘The firm we both worked for is a tad on the conventional side, so he wouldn’t want anything getting out to affect his career prospects. It seems my money wasn’t my only attraction for Miles. I was his cover, too.’
‘And if he’s in his right mind again by this time he’s probably sweating blood because you still have the blasted laptop,’ said Lucas, rubbing his cheek over her hair.
‘Actually, he’s not,’ said Emily with regret. ‘In the ambulance Bryony was so angry he hadn’t asked about me she told him it was smashed. The smile he gave me must have been relief, not remorse.’
‘I could pay him a visit to put him in the picture,’ Lucas said grimly.
‘Ugh! Don’t talk about pictures.’
‘If you feel like that, get rid of the blasted machine.’
‘Certainly not. I paid good money for it.’
‘I’ll buy you another one.’
Emily shook her head decisively. ‘I can’t let you do that.’
‘Yes, you can.’ He smiled down at her. ‘Where’s the harm in a present?’
‘If you give me cheques and buy me presents I’ll feel like a kept woman!’
‘Hold the thought. Because I am going to keep you.’ Lucas stroked her cheek. ‘You look tired. You should be in bed.’
‘Cuddle me a bit first?’
He drew in a deep breath, his hands sliding beneath the clinging wool tunic as he kissed her. ‘Is this what you mean by cuddling?’ he demanded against her mouth.
‘Whatever it is, I like it,’ she whispered, kissing him with such fervour they were soon lying full length together on the sofa, caressing each other into a state of arousal which forced Lucas to pull away at last.
‘I’d better take you to bed,’ he panted.
She nodded with enthusiasm, licking the tip of her tongue round her swollen lips as she put herself back together.
Lucas clenched his jaw. ‘I meant the spare bed!’
‘Of course.’ She gave him a wicked little smile. ‘But I’m afraid you may have to help me undress later, if I get stuck.’
He growled something under his breath. ‘Right. Up you come, then.’
‘No,’ she said firmly. ‘I must start fending for myself. I’ll call if I need you.’
Lucas jumped up, pushing the hair back from his damp forehead. ‘Then for God’s sake be careful.’
‘Just give me ten minutes. Have a drink, or something.’
‘Good idea,’ he agreed, his face tense as Emily disdained his aid as she reached for the crutch and got to her feet.
‘I’ll leave my shoe,’ she said, and began a careful progress to the bathroom, leaving Lucas to pour himself a finger of Scotch instead of chasing after
her, as he so very obviously wanted to.
Emily hurried through her preparations for the night, removed her clothes, laid them neatly on the chest, slid into bed, and waited.
It seemed a long time before she heard Lucas open the door of the guest room.
‘Emily!’ he roared. ‘Where are you?’
‘In here.’
He strode into the master bedroom, then stopped dead when he found her in his bed with the covers drawn up to her chin.
‘Ah,’ he said, swallowing. ‘Of course. I’ll take the other room. Better for you here, with a bathroom close to hand.’
‘For heaven’s sake, man,’ said Emily impatiently. ‘Get your kit off and come to bed.’
‘Darling,’ he said in desperation. ‘I can’t do this. I’m not superhuman—’
‘Lucas.’ She smiled slowly, bringing her dimple into play. ‘In case you’re missing the point, I’m doing my darnedest to seduce you!’
He started throwing off his clothes before the words were out of her mouth. He dived into bed and took her into his arms, his breath leaving him in a rush when he found she was naked.
‘You undressed yourself,’ he accused, sliding a hand over her breasts. ‘I was looking forward to giving you a helping hand.’
‘I like the one you’re giving me now,’ she gasped. He laughed deep in his throat and kissed her fiercely, his hands on her bottom to pull her hard against him as her lips opened in welcome and her tongue answered his with caresses of its own.
‘I don’t want to hurt you—your ankle,’ he said hoarsely.
‘You won’t,’ Emily assured him, and felt the muscles of his back tense as her fingers caressed them, digging a little in demand, desire bright and hot inside her as their kisses grew wilder.
‘Slowly,’ panted Lucas, putting her away a little. ‘I was in too much of a rush before. This time I want you to experience every nuance of pleasure possible.’
‘You were half-asleep last time,’ she said, shivering as his mouth closed over a hard, expectant nipple.
‘Not for long.’ Lucas raised his head to gaze down into her glittering eyes. ‘And this time I’m very much awake, so pay attention.’
‘If you keep the light on,’ she said breathlessly, ‘you’ll see my bruises.’
‘And kiss them better.’ Lucas drew the covers down until he could see all of her, bruises and all. ‘This is part of the deal, darling. I want to see you. I want you to see me. To use all the senses. To touch.’ He kissed her mouth as he caressed her breasts. ‘Taste.’ He took a nipple into his mouth and she moaned, trying to pull him close, but he shook his head, gazing down at her from the tumbled black curls over every part of her body, which grew taut and flushed, her nipples standing proud, as though he were caressing her with his hands, instead of just his glittering, possessive eyes.
‘To hear?’ she demanded at last, shifting restlessly beneath the tactile gaze.
‘God, yes! The sound of that husky little moan sends me crazy,’ he said roughly, and kissed her, his lips and tongue taking full possession of hers before his mouth moved down her throat to descend slowly and tantalisingly over her breasts and stomach until he reached the delta between her thighs, and she arched like a strung bow as his tongue played havoc with a part of her unused to such ravishing attention.
Emily lay limp in his arms afterwards, and Lucas held her close, moving a gentling hand down her spine.
‘Not a fluke, then,’ she said gruffly. ‘Or doesn’t it count that way?’
‘All ways count if they give you pleasure.’ He moved over her until he lay propped with his thighs between hers. ‘Just to be in total contact like this is a pleasure in itself.’
Her breathing quickened as her eyes locked with his. ‘But that,’ she whispered, ‘is because we know it’s just the overture to what comes next.’
She felt him tense in response, his body poised over hers, and slid her hand down between them to caress the part of him which rose, hard and ready in her grasp. ‘Now,’ she said fiercely, and Lucas obeyed, entering her with a long, slow thrust that pierced her entire body with sensation so intense she gave a sobbing moan. He began to make love to her with a slow-burning control that she responded to with such passionate fervour his control gave way at last to breathless, thrusting frenzy, which brought them to almost simultaneous release and left them gasping in each other’s arms as the aftershocks died away.
‘I’m getting good at this,’ panted Emily, once she regained the power of speech.
Lucas grinned and eased himself on to his back, taking her with him to lie in the crook of his arm. ‘It won’t work with anyone else,’ he warned.
‘I know.’ Emily heaved a deep, relishing sigh. ‘I really thought it was my fault, Lucas.’
He smoothed her damp curls back from her forehead. ‘With Miles?’
‘Yes. Because it was so—so sort of perfunctory and disappointing.’ She looked up at him, smiling ruefully. ‘And all the time it was just because I was the wrong gender.’
‘Whereas you suit me in every way there is,’ said Lucas with emphasis.
‘Then that’s all that matters.’
‘You mean that?’
‘Yes.’
‘In that case, could we rewind to the point, earlier today, when I mentioned that I was in love with you, Miss Warner?’
She nodded, flushing. ‘I’m in love with you, too, Mr Tennent. Which is a bit frightening.’
‘Why?’
‘Because we’ve known each other such a short time.’
‘There are no hard and fast rules in relationships, darling.’ Lucas bent his head to kiss her. ‘Say it again.’
‘I love you,’ she muttered, ducking her head, but he brought her face up to his.
‘I love you, too. So what shall we do about it?’
‘I thought we’d just done something quite earth-shattering about it! At least, it was for me.’
Lucas’s arm tightened round her. ‘For me, too. So much so that I’d hoped to repeat the experience as soon as is humanly possible. But it isn’t yet.’
‘Isn’t what?’
‘Possible. You’re dynamite, Miss Warner. And, as I said before, I’m not super-human.’
Emily smiled at him. ‘You are to me, Mr Tennent.’
‘In that case, you’re one of a kind, so I’d better hang on to you—’ He stopped abruptly. ‘Darling, in the heat of the moment I forgot to ask. How’s your ankle?’
‘Throbbing a bit,’ she said, surprised, then grinned. ‘But every other part of me was throbbing so much just now I didn’t notice.’
Lucas gave a shout of laughter and hugged her close. ‘I’d expected to toss and turn all night, thinking of you on the other side of the wall. Instead—’ He paused.
‘Instead?’ Emily prompted.
‘We made magic together,’ he said softly, a note in his voice which brought her arms round his neck in passionate agreement.
After a while Emily pulled away, a resigned expression on her face. ‘And now, alas, I must interrupt this magic moment to request my crutch. Plus my dressing-gown from my bag.’
‘Borrow mine,’ said Lucas, and slid out of bed to pull on his jeans.
Emily got out of bed, flushing with embarrassment as she tried to balance naked on one foot. Lucas laughed, kissed her, wrapped her in his robe, then scooped her up to deposit her in his bathroom.
‘I’ll fetch your bags. Shout when you want me.’
Emily put her weight on her good foot to wash her hands afterwards, and eyed her flushed face in the mirror, surprised to find she looked much the same as usual. Her mouth was red, and obviously much kissed, and her eyes were a bit heavy, but they gleamed like the amber earrings she kept for special occasions. Otherwise, the most ravishing experience of her entire life had left no visible mark.
She told Lucas so as he carried her back to bed.
‘Did you expect to see a scarlet “A” branded on your forehead?’ he said, amused.
‘No. We were making love,’ he agreed as he slid into bed. ‘And I do mean love, Miss Warner, not lust. There’s a difference.’
‘I know.’ Emily sighed with pleasure as her body fitted to his as though custom-made for the purpose. They lay together, completely at peace for a comfortable interval, then something occurred to her. ‘In all the excitement, I forgot. Earlier you mentioned some other kind of job for me.’
Lucas nodded. ‘I did.’
Emily pulled away a little so she could see his face. ‘What kind of job? Cleaning at your bank?’
‘Hell, no,’ he said, appalled.
‘What, then?’
Lucas eyed her warily. ‘It’s not a job exactly.’
‘What, then?’
‘First,’ he said tantalisingly, ‘a question or two. When you found you weren’t expecting my baby you said you were relieved. Why, exactly?’
She stared at him. ‘I would have thought it was obvious.’
‘Tell me just the same.’
‘For one thing, I really didn’t fancy the role of single mother. I couldn’t have stayed at Nat’s place, and I wouldn’t have wanted to go home to my parents. And, quite apart from that, all this would never have been possible.’
‘All this?’
‘Being here with you, making love with you, having you in my life in any way at all, other than financial support I couldn’t have refused. Of course I was relieved. But at the same time, Lucas,’ she added, smiling, ‘utterly astonished that an experience like that didn’t result in a baby.’
He let out a deep unsteady breath. ‘You certainly know the right things to say to a man, Miss Warner.’
‘Actually, I don’t. I’m not into flattery.’
‘I was disappointed,’ he said abruptly.
Emily drew away in dismay. ‘When we first made love?’
‘No! This morning, when you told me you weren’t expecting my baby.’
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