She ignored that smile. ‘Which isn’t to say I won’t,’ she told Claude sweetly.
The older man chuckled, although even that small effort seemed to tire him, Lori noticed. ‘I think you’ve both more than met your match,’ he mused.
‘You could be right,’ Luke drawled, pulling up a chair for Lori.
She slid into it gracefully, seemingly unaware of the way his hand rested possessively on the back of the chair, also choosing to ignore his slightly intimate way of talking to and about her. If he believed he was making progress all the better, his disappointment would be all the more acute later on when she said a polite goodnight to him!
When they said goodbye to Ruth and Claude half an hour later she allowed him to put his arm casually about her waist to guide her out of the room. But she made sure she moved pointedly out of the arc of that arm once they were out in the corridor, staring straight ahead as she sensed his frustrated gaze on her.
He held the door open for her to get into the car, going round to slide in behind the wheel. ‘Dinner?’
‘I’ve already eaten,’ she refused, drawing attention to her legs as she smoothed the silky material over her thighs.
‘I haven’t,’ he said curtly.
Lori shrugged. ‘Then you can go on somewhere after you’ve dropped me off at my home.’
‘I’d rather you came with me.’
‘I have some washing to do this evening.’
‘Ouch!’ Luke grimaced. ‘Second to a lot of dirty washing!’
He wasn’t even second! ‘Actually,’ she looked at him with cool eyes, ‘if I weren’t doing my washing I still have some ironing to do, or the flat to clean, or—’
‘Okay, Lori,’ he rasped, ‘I get the message.’
She held back her smile of satisfaction with an effort. Luke obviously didn’t appreciate this blow to his ego. She felt sure Marilou would have cancelled anything to spend the evening with Luke Randell.
‘Don’t you ever eat at home?’ she asked curiously. ‘Or didn’t you and Marilou eat out last night?’
‘I do eat at home, and yes, Marilou and I did go out last night. But if you’re offering to cook me dinner—’
‘I’m not,’ she told him sharply.
‘I thought not,’ he drawled with a sigh. ‘But if you ever do get the urge to try your culinary skills on someone, I’m always available.’
Lori raised her eyebrows. ‘How would Marilou feel about that?’ she taunted.
‘She can’t cook,’ he shrugged.
‘What a shame! But I’m sure she has other—attributes.’
‘I wouldn’t know.’ His tone was abrupt. ‘She only arrived back from the expensive school Gerry sent her to a month before I left the States, and I don’t make a habit of seducing children. Good God, Lori, I’m thirty-nine. Marilou is only twenty!’
‘So?’
‘So I don’t make love to adolescents,’ he ground out as he stopped the car outside the building containing her flat. ‘But I have no objection to melting icebergs!’ He pulled her roughly into his arms, grinding his mouth down savagely on hers, at the end of his endurance where she was concerned.
She didn’t fight him, but she didn’t respond either, forcing herself to remain passive as his mouth raped hers, searching the warm recesses of her mouth, caring nothing for the fact that she wasn’t kissing him back.
‘Kitten!’ he groaned against her throat. ‘Don’t be cold, darling. Kiss me back!’
Lori almost flinched at his use of the endearment, hating the soft darkness of his hair against her cheek the feel of his lips probing her throat. When his mouth returned to hers she knew she couldn’t stand it any longer; a vivid picture of her father and Jacob Randell on the front page of a newspaper sprang to mind, this man’s father triumphant, her own father the accused.
‘No!’ she wrenched away from him, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes.
‘Kitten—’
‘Stop it—’ she pushed open the door. ‘Stop it, I tell you! My name is Lori, and I am not your kitten! Neither does my ice need melting—not by you, anyway!’
‘Lori, I’m sorry,’ he grasped her arm, his fingers painful on her bare arm, ‘I didn’t mean to upset you.’ Puzzlement flickered in and out of his eyes. ‘Why are you so upset? I’m sure you’ve been kissed before.’ He frowned darkly, his face flushed with a deep anger that she should react to him like this.
She chewed on her inner lip, realising she hadn’t handled this very well. She should have cooly rejected his kiss, not reacted like some gauche schoolgirl who had never been kissed.
‘Yes, I—Of course I’ve been kissed before,’ she attempted to smile. ‘But not in anger.’
‘I’m sorry,’ he touched her cheek with gentle fingertips. ‘You had every reason to suppose what you did about Marilou, but I can assure you, if you’re interested,’ he added ruefully, ‘that she is just my ex-employer’s daughter as far as I’m concerned. She goes back to the States at the weekend, and all I’ll feel is relief. Have dinner with me tomorrow, Lori?’ he pleaded softly.
She hesitated deliberately, and saw triumph flare in the depths of his eyes. He thought he had won! He really thought an apology, an explanation that Marilou was no serious competition to her, and a few caresses would have her eating out of his hand. Arrogant fool. As arrogant as his father!
‘I don’t think so,’ she refused hardly, getting out of the car, turning to add, ‘I’ll be doing my ironing tomorrow.’ She slammed the door, making no haste as she entered the building, knowing Luke would be too angry to attempt to follow her. She was right; the soft purr of the Jaguar’s powerful engine roared to life as he accelerated away.
A smile curved her lips as she took the lift up to her flat.
* * *
To say Luke was brusque with her the next two days would be an understatement—he was positively ruthless.
So much so that Lori began to wonder if she might not have pushed him just too far. He barely looked at her now, and she might have been part of the furniture for all the notice he took of the flattering dresses she wore. And the perfume that the extravagantly decorated box assured her would have a sensual effect on men did the opposite to Luke.
‘What the hell is that smell?’ he growled as he came into the office on Friday morning, his expression grim. ‘For God’s sake, open a window!’ He slammed into the adjoining room.
She did as he instructed, she also went to the ladies’ room down the corridor and washed the perfume from her skin. So much for that!
His humour hadn’t improved as he gave dictation, and she felt as if she had been through a battle by the time she returned to her own office—and lost it! Maybe she had gone just a little too far with that last parting comment on Wednesday night, it would certainly seem so. She would have to think of some way to persuade him that she was available—to a certain extent.
He walked out lunchtime without a word, giving her no chance to persuade him of anything. Consequently she was in no mood to cope with Marilou’s straightforward talking when the girl walked in five minutes later, her perfume stronger than the one Lori had more or less been ordered to wash off, and the dress she had on leaving nothing to the imagination.
‘Luke—Mr Randell has already gone to lunch,’ she told the young girl distantly.
Marilou’s gaze flickered over her insolently. ‘What a pity,’ she drawled confidently. ‘I thought I was early.’ She glanced at her wrist-watch. ‘Oh well, I’ll have to meet him at the restaurant as we arranged.’
Lori nodded. ‘Goodbye, Miss—I hope you have a pleasant flight home tomorrow.’
‘Flight?’ Hard blue eyes looked at her. ‘But I’m not going home.’ Marilou shook her head.
Lori met her gaze steadily. ‘Mr Randell told me you were leaving tomorrow.’
Marilou smiled, a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, not even attempting to hide her dislike of Lori. ‘I’ve changed my mind—or rather, Luke changed it for me. Although
I haven’t told him yet, it’s my little surprise for him,’ she added with satisfaction.
‘I’m sure he’ll be pleased,’ she said stiltedly.
‘So am I,’ Marilou smiled like a satisfied cat. ‘It was nice seeing you again, Lori,’ she said insolently, and left as suddenly as she had entered.
Lori realised that she had no more time to lose; Luke couldn’t be as uninterested in Marilou as he claimed if he were still seeing her, if he had asked her to delay her departure. She would have to change her own tactics, she couldn’t let Marilou get too much of a foothold in Luke’s life. That little madam would cling like a leech, given the chance. Lori couldn’t give her that chance; she didn’t intend this farce to go on with Luke any longer $$han it had to.
He appeared to be in a better mood when he came back from lunch—and she didn’t need two guesses why!
She rose from her desk to collect her jacket, moving close to Luke, appearing to slip, breathing her satisfaction as she felt his arms go about her protectively.
‘Steady,’ he murmured close to her ear. ‘It’s those damned high heels you women insist on wearing.’ He put her firmly away from him. Lori at once winced, and Luke’s face darkened with concern. ‘Did you hurt yourself?’
‘Just my ankle.’ Her voice was husky, knowing his gaze followed her as she massaged the silky flesh. ‘I—’ she straightened, meeting his gaze, and her own eyes filled with a forced longing, her lips parting invitingly.
Desire flared in the dark grey depths, and he took an involuntary step towards her, only to stop hesitantly. ‘Can you walk all right?’ he queried softly, visibly shaken by her closeness.
‘I think so.’ Her tone was breathless. ‘Please don’t concern yourself with me,’ she dismissed. ‘I’m sure you have lots of work you should be doing.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ he was frowning heavily. ‘Maybe you should put a cold bandage on your ankle, in case it swells.’
‘Oh, I’m sure it isn’t that serious,’ she assured him hastily, taking several steps with only the slightest of limps. ‘I’ll be fine in a few minutes.’
His gaze seemed fixed on the perfection of her long legs, the skin soft and silky, tanned from several afternoons spent in the sun. ‘Did you know you have the most incredibly sexy legs?’ he said huskily.
Warm pleasure filled her. It was working, already it was working! ‘I believe you have mentioned it before,’ she looked at him beneath lowered lashes.
Luke groaned low in his throat. ‘When are you going to put me out of my misery and go out to dinner with me?’ His eyes glittered like black coals, his hands moving restlessly at his sides, as if he would like to touch her.
‘How about tonight?’ she smiled.
‘You mean it?’ he took her in his arms.
‘Yes,’ Lori nodded. ‘Unless you have a previous engagement? With Marilou, for example.’
Luke moulded her against the hardness of his body. ‘If I had I’d break it. You see, my family’s word isn’t its bond,’ he teased huskily.
She knew he was flirting with her, that he was just trying to make her laugh, and yet his mockery of the claim she had once made to him only succeeded in hardening her resolve to break this man, as her father had been broken.
The door suddenly opened behind them. ‘Lori, I—’ Jonathan came to an abrupt halt in the doorway, his mouth falling open in surprise as he saw Lori was in Luke Randell’s arms. ‘Excuse me,’ he mumbled, quickly leaving again.
It wasn’t the way she had wanted Jonathan to find out about herself and Luke, although his invitations had been increasingly difficult to turn down without being rude. She doubted he would make any more!
Luke watched the display of emotions across her face, her regret, her dismay, and finally her acceptance. ‘Like me to go after him and explain?’ he said huskily.
She looked up at him with clear brown eyes. ‘Explain what?’
‘Well, that we—that I—’ he frowned. ‘Hm, explain what?’ he shrugged dismissively. ‘He really was just a friend as far as you were concerned, wasn’t he, Lori?’
‘Yes.’ Her arms were up about his neck, clasped together at his nape.
‘I never, ever, settle for friendship,’ he warned before his lips claimed hers in a kiss of exploration, no force this time, no demand, just very gentle persuasion.
Her lips moved in response beneath his, tentatively at first, and then with an eagerness that had her pulling away from him in surprise. This was an act, she wasn’t supposed to enjoy it. Not with Luke Randell!
‘Kitten?’ Luke touched her pale cheeks. ‘It isn’t your ankle, is it?’
‘No,’ her smile was bright. ‘What time will you call for me tonight?’
When she returned from lunch, her ankle suitably cured, Luke’s mood had softened towards her; his attraction to her was once more a tangible thing, the warm looks he kept shooting her, and the feeble excuses he used to come into her office making her tease him about the whole practice realising they were going out together. His answer was, ‘To hell with what everyone else thinks!’
Luke was still working when she left shortly after five, but he assured her that he would pick her up promptly at eight o’clock. To her dismay she met Jonathan out in the car park, his expression reproachful.
‘I’m sorry, Jonathan,’ she sighed, not knowing what else to say. She had only been out with him twice, had refused his other invitations, but nevertheless she still felt guilty about him having seen her with Luke.
‘So am I,’ he muttered. ‘I thought you liked me, Lori.’
‘I do like you.’
‘But you like Randell more.’ He grimaced. ‘I suppose a senior partner does have more to offer than a mere lawyer.’
She must have hurt him more than she realised, bitterness wasn’t usually part of Jonathan’s nature. She put her hand on his arm, and felt him tense beneath her fingertips. ‘I really am sorry, Jonathan,’ she said with a sincerity he couldn’t possibly doubt. ‘I never meant to hurt you, I only wanted us to be friends.’
‘You knew I wanted more than that.’
‘Yes,’ she confirmed huskily. ‘Which is why I haven’t been out with you again,’ she pointed out gently.
He still looked disappointed, but less angry. ‘You’re serious about Randell, then?’
‘I—I could be,’ she answered evasively.
He sighed. ‘Then it only remains for me to wish you luck. I wish things could have turned out differently,’ he shrugged, ‘but Randell’s pretty stiff competition.’
‘Oh, Jonathan!’ Lori spluttered with laughter as she saw his rueful grin.
‘Well, he is,’ he returned her smile. ‘I hope you’ll be happy with him,’ he bent and kissed her lightly on the lips, ‘but if it doesn’t work out, I’m still available.’
Lori shook her head. ‘I couldn’t do that to you. But thank you.’
She felt slightly better as she drove home. She did not like hurting Jonathan, but she knew she couldn’t have the complication of him in her life while she was seeing Luke. She doubted he was the sort of man who liked to share anything, especially a woman.
She had proof of that earlier than she had imagined. Luke arrived at her flat at seven-thirty, his expression grim as he walked past her and into the lounge, seeming unaware of the fact that she was still only wearing the robe she had slipped on after her shower. Her hair had already dried, to a glowing red-gold cloud, her make-up was completed too, so she only had her dress to put on.
She followed Luke slowly, frowning at the aggression in his face, very much aware that they were alone in the flat, as Sally had already gone out. Luke stood with his back to the window, his black dinner suit fitting him superbly, his silk shirt snowy white, emphasising the tanned mahogany of his skin.
‘I thought you said eight o’clock,’ she frowned, sure that she hadn’t made a mistake about that.
‘I did,’ he bit out.
She moistened her lips, her eyes a puzzled golde
n brown. ‘Then you’re early. As you can see, I’m not ready yet—’
‘Is he here?’ Luke rasped.
‘He?’ she repeated softly, having no idea what he was talking about.
‘Anderson,’ he said savagely. ‘Is he here? Is that why you’re dressed like that, because you’ve just got out of bed with him?’
She gasped. ‘Certainly not! I’ve just taken a shower, that’s why I’m dressed like this. Why on earth should Jonathan be here?’ She was genuinely suprised that he should think such a thing.
‘My office looks over the car park, Lori,’ he ground out. ‘I saw you and him there together tonight, the touching little way you put your hand on his arm, the way he kissed you,’ the last came out fiercely. ‘Especially the way he kissed you!’
He was jealous, she could see that now. Luke Randell was fiercely, savagely jealous! She could hardly believe he would react so violently; anger was twisting his face into a cruel mask. Usually he was so controlled, lazily mocking when angry, teasing when he was flirtatious. But he wasn’t teasing now, and he certainly wasn’t lazily mocking either!
‘Luke—’
‘Don’t try and make excuses, Lori!’ he pulled her roughly towards him. ‘It will take more than excuses to placate me, to put the memory of him kissing you from my mind!’
She looked up at him fearlessly, still tall even in her bare feet. ‘What will it take, Luke?’ she murmured softly, lowering her lashes over honey-coloured eyes, tempting him into action.
‘This!’ His mouth came down on hers, plundering her mouth, gently easing it apart to run the tip of his tongue along the softness of her lips. ‘Kitten!’ he groaned, enfolding her in his arms, his hands strong and sure across her back as he moulded her against him, making her aware of the aroused hardness of his body.
To her surprise she felt no revulsion at the intimacy, offering no resistance as he parted the lapels of her robe, one hand moving inside to cup her breast, his thumbtip finding the nipple with unerring accuracy.
Lori gasped and would have moved away, but Luke’s arms tightened about her. And then she didn’t want to move away, but melted against him, telling herself that she had to allow him to kiss her, to touch her, otherwise he would never desire her to the extent she wanted him to, where he would grant her least little wish to please her.
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