'It isn't good to stand in the sun too long,' a soft voice said behind her. 'It's the best way of getting sunstroke.'
Laura remained rooted to the spot. 'I knew it,' she thought wildly. 'I knew that if I didn't stop thinking of Carl, I would go crazy.'
'Aren't you going to turn and say hello to me? the soft voice continued and, as she still remained motionless, strong hands reached out and swung her round.
No, she wasn't crazy. It really was Carl standing in front of her. But a Carl she had never thought to see again. Tall, broad-shouldered, fair hair glinting in the sunlight, eyes startlingly grey in a face that was tanned and smiling.
'Hello, Carl,' she said lamely. 'How—how nice to see you.'
'How nice to see you too,' he said gravely and, catching her elbow in a grip that made her wince, propelled her at breakneck speed towards the lush entrance of one of the newest hotels.
'How long have you been here?' she said in an attempt to bring rationality into what she still thought to be a dream. 'And how did you know where to find me? I suppose Duncan told you. I'm very happy here, you know. You don't have to—'
'You're talking too much,' he interrupted, and pushed her into the lift and pressed the button.
The doors closed and they shot up to the top floor where he led her into a magnificent suite that overlooked the ocean. He closed the door behind him, then as an afterthought locked it.
'Why are you doing that?' she asked.
'Because I want to talk to you alone and the maids have a habit of barging in.'
'You look marvellous,' she said in an attempt to be prosaic. 'You're walking and—'
'Running and jumping and swimming!' He strode over and put his hands on her shoulders. 'But none of it means a damned thing if I can't do it with you.'
Laura knew definitely that this was a dream. A most vividly realistic one, but a dream nonetheless.
'Well?' he demanded. 'Aren't you going to say something?'
'I don't know what to say.'
He searched her face intently and then sighed. 'I can't blame you for that. When I remember the things I said to you… But that's over, thank God. At last I can be truthful. I love you,' he said violently. 'I've been rehearsing for weeks what I was going to say to you when we met, but now I'm here, I can't remember a single word. All I want is to hold you close, to breathe in the scent of you.' He drew her into his arms and rubbed his cheek against hers. 'I love you,' he repeated, and sought her mouth with his.
In his kiss there was a longing Laura had never believed she would feel from him; a depth of desire allied to a depth of tenderness that set her body trembling as much as his. Her lips parted and she felt him take possession of her, his hands moving across her back to pull her body still closer. His heart was hammering loudly and she could feel its vibration against her breasts, while his trembling ceased and his body stiffened with desire.
'Laura,' he said thickly, and suddenly pushed her away from him. His cheeks were flushed and beads of sweat marked his upper lip. 'I've got to talk to you first. There are things to be explained.'
He led her to a chair and gently pushed her into it, then he went to stand by the window. The room was silent except for the faint hum of the air-conditioning and Carl's own quick breathing.
'First let's get Rosemary out of the way,' he began. 'When I married you I believed I was in love with her. In fact that was the reason for the marriage, as you know. I've tried again and again to remember when that stopped being the reason. But all I know is that she suddenly stopped mattering to me, and when I found myself thinking of the woman I wanted, she was always you.'
'Why didn't you tell me?' Laura whispered.
'Because I was tied to a wheelchair!'
'Do you think that would have mattered? Didn't you know I loved you?'
'How could I?' He flung up his hands. 'You were such a damn good actress. All cool commiseration and friendliness—never a hint of love.'
She remembered the hour on the settee and shook her head in bewilderment. 'I let you kiss me,' she said huskily. 'I responded to you. I was afraid I'd given myself away.'
'I believed you were only sorry for me. Don't forget Duncan had come on the scene by then, and like a fool I'd already started to throw the two of you together. Then Rosemary came back and I turned to her because it was the only way to stop myself from telling you how I felt. You see, I thought Duncan was so much better for you than I was.'
'You're a fool,' she said shakily, and ran over to him. He enclosed her within the circle of his arms and she rested against his broad chest. 'Why did you have the operation, Carl? Surely you must have known I wouldn't have wanted you to take such a risk.'
'I was determined to come to you a whole man. If the gamble had failed, I would never have told you how I felt. I let you think I was doing it for Rosemary because I knew that otherwise you'd try to stop me. You have no conception how I felt the day you came to see me in the hospital and begged me not to go through with it. I wanted so much to do as you wished, and yet I knew I couldn't. You see, I still hadn't realised you loved me. I knew you were fond of me, but I believed it was pity.'
She shivered, thinking of the lonely years they would both have had if the operation had failed. It was too horrifying to contemplate, and she clung to him as if his nearness could banish the horror. 'You took an awful risk pushing me at Duncan,' she murmured. 'What would you have done if I'd fallen in love with him?'
'I did think you were in love with him.' Carl's voice was grim. 'And I was all prepared to fight for you when Duncan came to see me and told me you'd turned him down and gone to Brazil.'
'That was six weeks ago!' she cried. 'You let me go through six weeks of misery.'
'It wasn't easy for me either I But I was determined to be completely well before I came to you.'
Tears poured down her face, but she did not care. 'Why didn't you telephone me? Sometimes I didn't think I could bear to go on living. I wanted you, yet I hated you.'
'There've been times during these past weeks when I've hated myself,' he said bluntly. 'When I think of the way Rosemary—' His jaw tightened. 'But enough of her.'
'Not quite,' Laura said. 'I'd like to know what happened to her.'
He gave a slight smile. 'I had a fine time telling her she hadn't pulled the wool over my eyes. She couldn't believe I'd only pretended I wanted her in order to hide my love for you.' His head bent lower and he spoke against Laura's mouth. 'But I don't have to pretend any longer. You're in my arms where you belong and I'm never going to let you go.' His lips moved backwards and forwards over hers. 'I have a message from Duncan for you.'
She stiffened slightly. 'What is it?'
'He wants you to know he hasn't done anything about getting you the annulment.' Grey eyes sparkled. 'So you're still my wife, and in a short time you won't have a hope of getting our marriage annulled!
'You will have to explain that more carefully, Mr Anderson,' Laura said demurely.
'Actions speak better than words,' he replied, drawing her towards the bedroom. 'Come, my darling, let me show you.'
Secretary Wife Page 15