Carling laughed huskily, slipping her hand playfully through Wyatt’s arm. ‘Never mind talking business again. You and Daddy have done enough of that tonight. You promised you’d come for a walk with me along the beach-that’s as long as Louise doesn’t mind.’ She glanced at Louise, triumph glittering in her eyes, before she lowered her lids with girlish coyness.
‘Now Carling, honey, don’t you think it—?’
Louise spoke up quickly, cutting off Lawrence’s mild rebuke. ‘Of course I don’t mind!’ She laughed softly as she skimmed an intimate little glance over Wyatt’s set face, deliberately ignoring the warning glitter in his eyes. ‘Wyatt is very fond of you, Carling. He told me that himself on the flight over here. Why, I believe he considers you to be almost a younger sister, in fact. So go along, enjoy your walk, and I’ll see you all in the morning.’
She left the room, walking calmly up the curving staircase and along the wide balcony that ran the length of the hallway to her room before sagging back against the closed door with a heartfelt sigh of relief. She might have evened the score in that round, but she doubted if it was going to be so easy in the future. First there had been Wyatt and all his horrible comments to contend with, and now it seemed she’d have to spend the next few days with Carling adding her ten cents’ worth! How had she ever got herself into this in the first place? Because pride had dictated that she shouldn’t let Wyatt Lord get away with all those miserable accusations? She’d meant to teach him a lesson, but really and truly was it worth it?
She looked round the elegant room, her eyes skimming over the expensive antiques without really seeing any of them, as one thought surfaced through all the confusion in her brain: she had to leave. It was the only sensible course of action to take. There was no way she wanted to remain in this house, especially not after what had happened between her and Wyatt tonight, although she shied away from examining why that should be so important.
She ran to the cupboard and dragged out her case, cramming her belongings haphazardly inside with scant regard for any order. She felt as nervous as a cat now that she’d made her decision, but was it any wonder? She could only guess what Wyatt would do if he found out what she was planning. If she was going to carry this through, then she would have to do it tonight, not risk waiting until the morning and have him discover what she was up to. Wyatt Lord had some particularly effective ways of making his displeasure felt!
She was just snapping the locks shut when a knock came at the door. Biting back a tiny moan, she dragged the case off the bed and pushed it out of sight behind the bathroom door, grimacing as a second knock echoed sharply round the room.
‘Just a minute,’ she called breathlessly as she unzipped her dress and dragged on the pale blue robe. She knotted the belt at her waist, then went and opened the door, staring coldly at Wyatt, who was standing outside, one arm raised above his head as he leant casually against the frame. ‘Yes?’
His brows twitched at the less than friendly greeting, but he made no comment. ‘I just thought I’d check that you have everything you need.’
‘Yes. Thank you. I’m fine. Goodnight.’ She started to close the door, but he put his hand out to stop her, studying her face with narrowed eyes in a way that brought guilty colour into her cheeks.
‘Why do I have the strangest feeling that you are up to something, my sweet?’
‘I have no idea. It’s your problem if you have an overactive imagination. And don’t “my sweet” me. I’m not your anything!’
‘Oh, I beg to disagree. While we’re in this house you, Louise, are my fiancée, and don’t you forget it.’
‘How can I when you keep going to such lengths to remind me all the time?’ She looked pointedly over his shoulder, a frosty smile on her lips. ‘Where have you left Carling? You don’t want to keep her waiting, do you? Not when she’s looking forward to that walk you promised her.’
He laughed softly, moving a step closer so that he could stare intently down into her face. ‘Not jealous, are you, honey?’ He tilted her chin, studying her widened eyes. ‘Mmm, I’d say they were grey, but for a minute there I wondered if they’d turned to green.’
Louise snatched her head away, glaring back at him. ‘Don’t flatter yourself, Lord! Carling can have you any time she chooses and any way, lock, stock and barrel—’
‘Gift-wrapped...or naked?’ He pushed the door, using his superior strength to open it wide enough to walk into the room. ‘I think I get the message, Louise. You don’t need to labour the point, otherwise I’ll imagine it’s more a case of “the lady doth protest too much”, if you understand what I mean.’
Oh, she did; she understood quite clearly and cursed herself for not playing things a bit cooler. The last thing she wanted was for him to start imagining she really was interested in him! That was far too dangerous.
She took a quick little breath, her hand tightening around the edge of the door. ‘I won’t bother dignifying that with a reply. I assume you did have a reason for coming here—other than a desire to annoy me, that is.’
‘Do I, Louise?’
‘Do you what?’ She closed her eyes, then opened them again and stared angrily back at him. ‘Look, Wyatt, you might not be tired, but I am. I didn’t get much sleep last night and all I want to do now is climb into bed, not stand here talking in riddles!’
He walked over to the window, staring down the sweeping lawns to where the beach made a pale halfmoon of light against the dark shadows of trees and shrubs. ‘You didn’t get much sleep because you were looking after me, isn’t that right?’
She shrugged but didn’t answer, watching warily. What was he up to now? What new game had he devised to torture her with? Yet when he glanced back across the room there was no harshness about his expression, just a faint curiosity in the pale aqua depths of his eyes.
‘Why, Louise?’ His voice was deep, smoky, stirring her senses by its very richness and beauty. A shiver rippled down her spine and she drew the robe tighter around her throat, startled to feel her pulse beating heavily as her fingers brushed the base of her neck.
‘Wh-why what? Is this another of your riddles, Wyatt?’ She’d wanted to sound firm and confident; it frightened her to hear herself sounding just the opposite—hesitant, disturbed.
He smiled slowly, moving away from the window to come back across the room and stop in front of her, so close that she could smell the faint tang of cologne and soap that clung to his skin, see the tiny pale lines that fanned out from the corners of those startlingly pale eyes. He looked big and indomitably male with that thick black moustache and the faint shadow of body hair she could see through the silk of his shirt. It made her feel strangely defenceless, incredibly feminine, her own smooth skin and soft curves a startling contrast to his hard body. Never had she been so achingly aware of the differences between a man and a woman as she was then.
‘Why what?’ She repeated the question, forcing the disquieting thoughts from her mind while she dealt with what was happening now.
“Why did you spend the night in my room, Louise? Why did you even bother to check to see how I was, quite apart from spending all that time making me comfortable?‘ His eyes gleamed as he saw the faint flush that ran up her cheeks. ’You did make me feel a lot better, honey. All that effort spent sponging me down was well worth it.‘
Then you’ve answered your own question.‘ She shrugged lightly, avoiding his gaze, all too aware of his nearness and the effect it was having on her pulse-rate. ’I did what I had to to make you comfortable. There’s no mystery to it.‘
‘If it had been some other woman, then maybe not, but you, Louise...’ He didn’t finish the sentence, but then he didn’t need to. She knew what he meant!
‘Meaning that I don’t usually do things without a very good reason?’ She laughed harshly, hiding the pain behind a mask of amusement. It hurt so much to hear what he thought of her, even though she must have heard his view a dozen times by now. ‘Don’t worry yourself about it, W
yatt. I’ll just add my charge to the bill. I wonder what the going rate is for nursing care over there? Not to worry; I’ll make some enquiries and I promise not to charge you above the odds.’
His face froze, his eyes glacial now as they skimmed her face with contempt. ‘Do that. I’d hate for you to come back to me at a later date with any further demands. We may as well ensure that you didn’t waste the entire night!’
She hated him! Hated him for thinking such things about her, hated him for his pigheaded refusal to see the truth! Hated him for the way he could hurt her this way.
‘Of course. Now if you’ve finished sorting out that bit of business...’ She opened the door wider, wanting only for him to leave before she broke down and wept. ‘Don’t forget poor Carling, will you? She must be wondering where you’ve got to.’
‘I’m not likely to forget her. However, both she and Lawrence would think it very strange if I didn’t stop by your room to wish you a tender goodnight.’
‘I imagine that Carling would be only too delighted if you didn’t, but let’s not go into that right nowl If you’ve finished acting the loving fiancee would you mind leaving me in peace?’
‘Of course not.’ He glanced round the room, then let his gaze travel back to her face. ‘You seem very on edge tonight, Louise. Is there something wrong?’
‘No! Absolutely nothing. How could there be when I’ve just added a bonus to that ten thousand dollars you’re paying me? Now will you please go?’
She sagged in relief when he finally stepped out into the corridor, then stiffened when he turned back. ‘Before I forget, Lawrence asked me to tell you that the alarms will be switched on in about half an hour’s time. So don’t go wandering about the place or you’ll set them off.’
‘Alarms?’ she queried faintly.
‘Mmm. With all these antiques about the place, he doesn’t believe in taking any chances. The house has a very sophisticated alarm system, which is switched on at night. But that shouldn’t cause you any problems. Goodnight.’
He left at last and Louise shut the door then closed her eyes in despair. Great! That was just what she needed, the whole house rigged up to a system that would awaken the dead if she set a foot out of the door!
Wearily she walked over to the window and stared at the lights of Nassau gleaming across the bay, tantalising symbols of freedom, so near, yet so far away. She’d never be able to escape now. She’d have to stay here with Wyatt and put up with all his horrible comments. Unless...!
She glanced at her watch, her eyes bright with relief as she realised she didn’t have to abandon all hope just yet. There was still time to put her plan into action if she left the house immediately. She could hide in the gardens until Wyatt and Carling got back from their walk, then set about making her way over to Nassau. If she could catch a flight out tonight then she could be away before anyone noticed that she was missing. She might have to leave her things behind, but it would be worth it. And there wouldn’t be a single thing that Wyatt Lord could do about it!
The night was warm, the faint breeze blowing through the bushes where she was hiding tangy with the scent of the sea lapping at the white sands just yards away. Louise shifted slightly to ease her cramped legs, wondering irritably how much longer she would have to stay there. Wyatt and Carling had left the house a while ago to stroll down to the beach, then disappeared along a path leading towards the rear of the property. If this was Wyatt’s idea of damping Carling’s interest in him, this lengthy moonlit stroll, then he needed taking aside and talking to. A night like this was just meant for love!
For some reason the thought annoyed her intensely, and she straightened to stare round the deserted gardens. Were Wyatt and Carling still out here, or had they returned via some other route, leaving her hiding here wasting valuable time? With her luck and Wyatt Lord’s track. record, it seemed more than likely.
She glanced back at the house, her eyes narrowing on an upstairs window where a light was showing. If she wasn’t mistaken, that was the room Wyatt was in. She’d been amused when she’d discovered that Carling had put them in rooms at opposite ends of the corridor—a not very subtle ploy to keep them apart. Now, as she watched, a figure appeared at the window, and she had no difficulty in recognising Wyatt. She stepped back into the shadows, then stopped when she realised that there was no way he could see her from this distance, not dressed in the black jeans and long-sleeved black T-shirt she’d chosen specially.
A smile teased the full curve of her mouth as she thought about how angry he would be in the morning when he found out that she’d gone. He would have his work cut out thinking up some plausible excuse to tell Carling and her father, but it served him right for being so...
Her brain turned to mush, all the sweet thoughts of revenge dissolving as a second, equally recognisable figure appeared at the window. Just what was Carling doing in his room?
The anger she felt was so swift and unexpected that Louise had taken several steps towards the house before she realised what she was doing. She sank back to the ground, forcing herself to get a grip on her emotions. It didn’t matter what Carling was doing in Wyatt’s room; it was none of her affair! He could entertain a whole army of beautiful women in his bedroom at any time he chose, and she was a fool to feel...well, betrayed! She might have been brought here in the guise of fiancée, but she mustn’t lose sight of the fact that it was all an act. Carling Hutton was welcome to him!
She stayed where she was until the light in the window was suddenly extinguished, plunging the house into darkness and her imagination into overdrive. Deliberately she blanked the thoughts from her mind and stood up, walking briskly towards the gates. What Wyatt and Carling were doing right now was their business. What she had to concentrate on was getting into Nassau and catching that plane. Once she’d left the island, then she could put this whole unpleasant episode behind her.
She was nearly at the gates when something made her slow down. She glanced round, wondering what was making the strange flurry of unease ripple down her spine. In a slow sweep her eyes traced the shadows before coming to rest on two gleaming pinpoints of light by the edge of the path, and she frowned. What on earth were they?
The moon slid from behind a lacy black cloud, illuminating the gardens with a bright silvery light, and Louise bit back a gasp of shock as she saw the huge Dobermann pinscher dog standing by the bushes watching her. With its eyes gleaming red in the light and its mouth hanging open to display huge white fangs, it looked like a hound from hell, and Louise felt her blood curdle with fear.
With a tiny yelp she turned and fled back the way she’d come, expecting any moment to feel those vicious teeth ripping into her flesh. A sob welled into her throat as she scrambled up the veranda steps and tried the patio door, only to discover that it was locked. She shot a terrified glance over her shoulder and moaned when she saw the dog at the bottom of the steps. It made a move towards her and Louise gave a sharp cry of fear, then turned and raced for the ornate iron staircase that led up to the second-floor veranda, hurling herself through the first set of French doors that opened under her frantic hands.
She slammed them behind her and stood quite still while she caught her breath, then gave a tiny scream when a deep voice spoke almost in her ear.
‘Well, this is a surprise! I never expected you to come visiting me again tonight. And so eagerly, at that. You must be keen, Louise. You almost threw yourself into this room. What’s the matter, sweetheart? Afraid that Carling might have beaten you to it and claimed what’s rightfully yours as my fiancée?’
She must have done something really terrible, committed some deed so awful that fate was determined to pay her back for such a misdemeanour! First that hellhound, and now this! She opened her mouth to reply to the mocking comments, determined not to let him get away with such an accusation, but he fficked a lamp on, bathing the room in a softly golden light, and all ability to answer fled abruptly. For a long, tense moment Louise stood immobile, colou
r surging into her pale cheeks as she studied the picture he made standing there with just a towel wrapped around his lean hips. Against the soft white terry cloth his skin was coppery, smooth, making her fingers itch to touch it and see if he was made of flesh and blood or sculpted. No man had a right to be so perfect as he was, a right to have such a handsome face and such a perfect body. It made her ache deep inside just to look at him, made feelings spring to life that she didn’t fully comprehend.
‘Well, cat got your tongue, then?’ He moved a few steps closer, his mouth curling deliberately into a smile of cool amusement as he studied her flushed face. ‘You know you only had to ask, Louise, and anything you desired would be yours.’
It was the way he said that, softly, seductively, that broke the spell. Louise straightened abruptly, pushing the tangled curls from her flushed cheeks as she glared into his mocking eyes. ‘You have nothing I want, Wyatt Lord, apart from that money!’
If she’d intended to make him angry by the bold reply, then she failed miserably. He laughed deeply, moving so close that all she needed to do was stretch out a finger to feel the smoothness of that coppery skin and trace the hardness of those muscles. She swallowed hard, curling her hands into fists, refusing to give in to such a crazy urge, then felt her heart leap into her throat when he did just what she’d imagined doing—he reached out and touched her. Slowly the tip of his finger traced a path down her cheek to slide smoothly, tantalisingly on down the slender column of her neck to the delicate bones of her shoulder and linger just for a heartbeat before moving on, leaving behind a trail of fire.
‘I...’ She couldn’t seem to get her thoughts into any sort of order, couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything apart from the burning touch of his finger, but she had to try. ‘Stop that,’ she ordered shakily, reaching up to catch his hand with hers, then flushed wildly as she realised that instead of removing herself from danger she’d achieved just the opposite by bringing his hand into contact with the top curve of her breast.
Playing at Love Page 6