Savage Interlude

by Carole Mortimer

  She was still shivering with fright. ‘Oh, Damien, if you hadn’t come in …’

  ‘But I did.’ He tilted her chin to smile down at her. ‘Now get yourself dressed and I’ll go and reassure Jennings that you’re all right.’ He gently touched her lips with his own.

  Her mouth bloomed and clung to his, her arms passing up around his neck to hold him to her. He kissed her back for several long seconds before firmly putting her away from him. She looked at him with hurt bewildered eyes. ‘Damien?’

  ‘Get dressed, Kate,’ he told her almost harshly. ‘I’ll be waiting for you in the lounge.’

  Her feelings of rejection were very acute after he had left her and the tears flowed more freely. Within the space of a few minutes she had almost been made love to against her will and then coldly rebuffed by the man she— By the man she what? By the man she loved? Surely not. She couldn’t love Damien Savage. She just couldn’t!

  She was pale and composed by the time she entered the lounge fifteen minutes later, freshly showered and dressed in lime green trousers and matching vest-top. Damien stood up at her entrance, searching her pale features sympathetically.

  ‘Feeling better?’ he asked softly.

  ‘Yes, thank you.’ She helped herself to a cup of coffee he had ordered. ‘Thank you for your help earlier on,’ she added primly.

  ‘You already thanked me, with deeds rather than words. I prefer those sort of thanks.’

  She looked at him uncertainly. ‘I don’t understand …’

  ‘Come here and kiss me and you will.’

  ‘Come over there and kiss you?’ she repeated breathlessly, feeling weak at the suggestion.

  ‘Yes,’ he said shortly. ‘Is that so hard to do?’

  ‘No, I—It isn’t hard at all.’ She went to him willingly, putting her arms about his waist, her head resting on his chest, hearing the steady beat of his heart. She sighed her pleasure, feeling strangely safe in his arms, even though she knew he wanted her as much as Matt Strange had, maybe even more. She didn’t feel repulsion in Damien’s arms, only a longing she didn’t wholly understand.

  He reached up to free her hair and smooth it down about her shoulders. ‘Always leave your hair loose when you’re with me,’ he ordered. ‘I can’t stand to see such glorious hair hidden away.’

  ‘Yes, Damien.’

  He gave a husky laugh. ‘I can see I’ll have to rescue you from sex-crazed attackers more often! It makes you much more submissive.’ His told tightened as she repressed a shudder. ‘We have to talk about it, angel, or else you’ll blow it up in your mind out of all proportion.’

  ‘But it—it was so horrible.’ She stiffened as she heard the sound of voice outside. ‘I think James has just arrived home.’ She went to move out of his arms.

  His hold remained firm. ‘Stay where you are. Perhaps when James sees you in my arms he’ll get the message. I take it you haven’t told him about us?’

  ‘No. But—’

  ‘Then stay here and let him draw his own conclusions.’

  ‘No, I—I can’t!’ She wrenched out of his arms just as the door opened to admit James.

  ‘Ah, Damien,’ he greeted the other man. ‘So pleased you could make it. I hope you’ve been looking after our guest, Kate.’ He saw the coffee-tray. ‘Ah, yes, I can see you have. Well, I’m glad you’re here now, Damien, to drink a toast with us.’

  Damien frowned. ‘A toast? Are you celebrating something?’

  ‘Mm,’ James grinned. ‘Haven’t you told him about the wedding, Kate?’

  ‘What wedding?’ Damien asked sharply.

  James put his arm about Kate’s shoulders. ‘Why, my wedding, old man,’ he answered happily.

  Kate looked in dismay from her brother’s face over to Damien’s, well aware that James had deliberately implied that it was the two of them who were marrying. And from the furiously accusing look Damien was giving her, it had worked.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  HER heart sank with dismay. James was only trying to protect her, she realised that, but he had chosen the wrong time to do it. She didn’t want to be protected from Damien any more, she just wanted to let things happen between them.

  But she could tell by the determination on James’ face that he had no intention of allowing that to happen, that he would do anything to stop it. He grinned down at her now, the humour not quite reaching his grey eyes. ‘Yes, I’ve finally given in. I’ve realised that I just can’t live without her.’

  ‘A bit sudden, isn’t it?’ Damien snapped curtly.

  ‘Not that sudden. She’s been in my life a long time now. Besides, I think that once you realise there’s one woman you don’t want to share with anyone else then that’s the time to give in to fate.’

  ‘I see.’ Damien’s eyes ripped into Kate with a violence that made her wince. ‘And you’ve just suddenly realised that?’

  James grinned. ‘Oh, not suddenly. I’ve been realising my fate was decided for some time now. This weekend made my mind up for me.’

  ‘Did it just?’ Damien’s mouth turned back in a sneer.

  James was prevented from answering by the entrance of the butler. ‘Yes, Jennings?’

  ‘Telephone, sir. It’s Miss Anderson, from America.’

  ‘Thank you, Jennings. I’ll take it in the study,’ he dismissed the man. ‘Excuse me, I shouldn’t be too long.’

  There was a long awkward silence after he had left the room, with Kate giving Damien surreptitious glances from under lowered lids. James had been very clever in his deceit—he hadn’t actually lied once, just omitted the name of his bride. He had made Damien blazingly angry, and she really couldn’t blame him for feeling like that. And what on earth must he think of her?

  He soon told her. ‘You used me, Kate,’ he said forcefully.

  ‘Damien, it isn’t like it looks.’

  ‘Isn’t like it looks, damn it to hell!’ he burst out fiercely. ‘My God, what a game you’ve been having with us, playing us off one against the other.’

  Kate gasped. ‘I’ve done nothing of the sort! I wouldn’t do such a thing.’

  He gave a harsh laugh. ‘What a bloody fool I’ve been! I fell for your little game like a prize idiot.’

  ‘There was no little game!’ she insisted, realising she wasn’t going to convince him. Damien wasn’t willing to believe her and that was half the battle. No matter what she said now he wouldn’t listen, he didn’t want to.

  ‘Of course there damn well was. You’re quite a clever little girl on the quiet, aren’t you? I should have known yesterday when I heard the two of you declaring your love for each other. I didn’t stand a chance of getting you to move in with me, you just used the fact that I desired you to get St Just to propose.’

  ‘I did not!’

  ‘It was a good scheme too, it obviously paid off. No wonder you were unwilling to let me make love to you. That didn’t enter into your plans, did it?’

  ‘There was no plan! If you’ll just let me explain.’ But what could she explain? The secret of her birth wasn’t only hers to give.

  ‘You’re not explaining anything to me, honey. I think you’ve already done enough. I suppose Matt Strange was part of your scheme too, just to let James know that even though he’s proposed he doesn’t actually have that ring on your finger yet. I’m sorry it was me and not James who came in and broke up that pretty little scene. I realise I shouldn’t have been here yet.’

  Kate gasped her anger. ‘Are you trying to say I arranged that—that attack this afternoon? Is that what you’re saying?’

  He shrugged his broad shoulders. ‘Maybe not quite the way it happened. Matt just happens to be slightly more persistent than I am. He won’t take no for an answer.’

  ‘Neither will you,’ she accused hotly.

  ‘But I did—twice. I shouldn’t have listened to you either, you were at my mercy this morning. I should have taken you, at least then I wouldn’t have this aching feeling in my stomach. I’ve taken more cold
showers over you the last couple of days than over any other woman. And I don’t like to admit defeat, but even I draw the line at married women.’

  ‘But I’m not marrying James,’ she tried to tell him.

  ‘You don’t have to keep up this reluctance with me,’ he sneered. ‘James has already proposed. I just hope he realises what a little schemer you are. He won’t have an easy time of it married to you, no man would.’

  ‘You were willing to have me living with you,’ she pointed out.

  ‘But I wasn’t going to marry you,’ he said scathingly. ‘You’ve been very clever to trap him into marriage.’

  ‘I didn’t trap him into anything!’ God, he could be so hurtful when thwarted.

  Damien smiled slightly. ‘You didn’t need to, you just denied him the one thing he wanted. Even I might have been prepared to marry you to get that.’

  ‘You might?’ she asked breathlessly.

  ‘I might. Unfortunately James got there first, and I’ve never fought for any woman. Poor James, he had to be the one you said no to.’ He shook his head.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Just how many lovers have you had?’ he demanded.

  ‘Why, none.’

  ‘None!’ he scoffed. ‘You don’t respond like an innocent, in fact I’m sure you’re not. You have a good body and you know it, using it to your advantage. James must be going insane living with you like this—I would have taken you by force by now.’

  ‘I’m sure you would!’

  ‘You can bet on it.’

  Kate was about to answer him when James came back into the room, making it impossible for them to carry on with their conversation. James couldn’t know quite the scene he had just interrupted and he apparently didn’t notice the tense atmosphere that existed between them, smiling broadly as he turned to face them.

  ‘Jennings is just bringing the champagne,’ he said brightly.

  Kate was too choked to say anything. Damien must think her really devious to imagine she could do all the things he was accusing her of—to imagine she would deliberately use him and Matt Strange to get James to propose to her, to get any man to propose to her. The fact that James was her brother was irrelevant, Damien believed her to be capable of such deceit, that was all that seemed to matter to her at the moment.

  Damien shook his head. ‘Not for me, thanks. I have to be going now.’

  ‘But we haven’t discussed the film yet,’ James protested.

  ‘Kate must have told you all that seems important at the moment. All the rest can wait, we have quite a few months to shooting time. I’ll be in touch.’

  ‘Let me get Jennings to show you out.’

  ‘I can find my own way, thanks, I found my way in. I think you should ask Kate about that, James. Ask her what she was doing in Matt Strange’s arms when I arrived.’ Damien paused at the door. ‘And while you’re at it I should ask her whose bed she slept in last night, and the circumstances behind us taking a bath together at your apartment this morning. Oh, and I must say I liked your choice of bath colour, I’ve always liked bottle-green.’

  James’ eyes had widened with shock and disbelief. ‘Kate!’ His look demanded that she explain.

  ‘God, you’re a swine, Damien!’ she choked at him.

  ‘Sure I am,’ he agreed tauntingly. ‘But I just don’t see why you should have things all your own way.’

  ‘Kate, is all this true?’ Her brother looked at her sharply.

  There was no mistaking the bewilderment in his voice, and Kate blushed a furious red. She could try denying everything, but the basic outline of what Damien had said was true. She had spent the night in his bed, in his arms in fact, and they had been in the bath together this morning. It all sounded very damning, and Damien knew that.

  ‘Doesn’t her silence tell you it is?’ Damien put in dryly. ‘I’ll be in touch, James. Goodbye, Kate. And thanks for last night, I enjoyed every moment of it.’

  ‘Why, you—’

  ‘Cool it, James,’ he said abruptly. ‘I agree with Matt Strange, she isn’t worth it.’ He didn’t give Kate another glance, but slammed out of the room.

  ‘Explain, Kate!’ James’ look was grim.

  She shrugged helplessly. ‘What is there to explain? Damien’s already said it all.’

  ‘You mean it’s true?’

  She shook her head. ‘Not the way he put it, no.’

  Her brother looked stern. ‘Then tell me just how it was, starting with last night.’

  Kate took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts together. ‘Last night Damien took me back to his apartment—’

  ‘But you were supposed to go to mine!’

  ‘Damien had other plans,’ she sighed. ‘Just let me explain, James. Right—well, he decided that it was a waste of time going to your apartment, and as I was only going to shower and change I had to admit it was too. Everything was fine until it came to going home. He went straight back to his apartment and I wasn’t really in any fit state to protest too much when he started to kiss me. He is very attractive, James, overpoweringly sensual, and I wasn’t a match for that. Besides, I’d had a couple of drinks at Matt Strange’s and—’

  ‘He got you drunk!’ James exclaimed angrily. ‘Of all the—’

  ‘No, no, he didn’t do that,’ she interrupted hurriedly. ‘He wasn’t even with me when I drank them, he and Matt had gone off somewhere to talk. Anyway, by the time we got back to his place the drinks were starting to take effect.’

  His hands clenched into fists. ‘And he took advantage of you in that state? I didn’t think even he would stoop that low!’

  ‘He didn’t. Will you let me finish, James, and stop jumping to conclusions!’

  ‘All right,’ he agreed grudgingly.

  ‘Thank you. Now I’m not saying he wouldn’t have made love to me—he made it very clear that that was his intention. James!’ she admonished as she could see him about to interrupt yet again. ‘As I was saying, he made no secret of the fact that he wanted me. And he would probably have got me too if I hadn’t passed out.’

  ‘My God! Just how much had you had to drink?’

  ‘That’s just it, as far as I was aware I’d had a couple of Martini and lemonades. Well, you know what a long drink they are, and I always like lots of lemonade. Well, apparently the barman had been doctoring them with large measures of vodka. The fresh air finally finished me off, and by the time we got to Damien’s I was having trouble thinking straight, let alone resisting him.’

  ‘So how did you get into his bed? I take it that was what he meant just now?’

  Kate nodded. ‘He put me there.’

  ‘I see.’ James bit his bottom lip. ‘And when you woke up?’

  She blushed. ‘I was alone. But—well, he—he said he’d slept in the bed with me. And he—he started to—’

  ‘Yes, yes!’ he said tersely. ‘I don’t want to hear all the details of his practised seduction, just tell me if he actually made love to you.’

  ‘No. He—he went to shave and I—I crept out while he was out of the room.’

  ‘And the bath together?’

  She still blushed at the thought of it. ‘That isn’t quite the way it seems either. When I crept out I went to your apartment. I was in the bath when Damien walked in. Oh, it’s all so embarrassing, James. I don’t want to talk about it any more. Nothing happened, no matter how much he implied it did. And Matt Strange can be explained even more simply—he made one of his usual passes and Damien came in and put a stop to it.’

  ‘You’ve had quite a weekend, haven’t you?’ The tension started to leave his body. ‘I shouldn’t have let you go out with him. I should have known better. He isn’t to be trusted.’

  ‘I liked him, James,’ she explained.

  ‘Did you indeed? He liked you too, he was furious just now when he thought I was going to marry you.’

  ‘Of course he was—he thinks I used him to get you to propose. He was being deliberately cruel just now
when he revealed those things to you. As my future husband you could be expected to protest loudly at my conduct.’

  ‘As your brother I can be expected to protest just as loudly.’ His face relaxed into a smile. ‘But if you say you’re all right I’ll try to get over it. You realise that this just increases my conviction that it isn’t a good idea for you to live alone?’

  ‘Oh, James!’ she pouted.

  ‘You aren’t safe left alone. I’ve put Damien off for the moment, but once he realises that it’s Sheri I’m marrying he could just be back.’

  That was what she was hoping. Oh, she didn’t want to become the latest in the long line of women in his life, but she would like to get to know him better. Her feelings had become more involved with him than with any other man she had ever known, her initial hostility turning to a burning curiosity to know more about him.

  She felt the age-old longings of woman to be the one to tame the rogue male. And Damien was certainly that. He felt responsible to no one and gave the impression he never would be. A man alone, and intending to remain that way.

  ‘He may be,’ she admitted, ‘but I would doubt it. He told me he never chases after any woman.’

  ‘I don’t suppose he needs to,’ James said dryly.

  ‘Exactly. So I’ll be perfectly safe from him if I move into a flat of my own.’

  ‘No, Kate,’ he refused adamantly.

  ‘Well, how about if I move in with someone else?’ She laughed as his face darkened. ‘Female, James, female!’

  His brow cleared. ‘Oh, I see. Mm, I suppose that’s an idea. Do you have anyone in mind?’

  ‘No, but I could advertise,’ realising he was weakening.

  * * *

  So it was that three months later Kate found herself sharing an apartment with Josie Walker, a lighthearted girl who giggled incessantly but who had a very strong sense of moral behaviour, much to James’ relief. Some of the replies they had received for Kate’s future flatmate had been quite impossible, and James had refused to even contemplate most of them.

  But Josie had been an instant hit with both of them, although she had been a trifle overawed at meeting the famous James St Just. She didn’t seem to find it odd that James more or less interviewed her, blossoming shyly under his practised charm. Josie was a girl of twenty, sharing a flat with four other girls at the moment, but as an only child she found the constant companionship tended to make her feel claustrophobic after a while.