She looked down at herself, then at him. He saw the soft rush of pink rise to her cheeks and he gave her a slow, knowing smile.
"I opened it after you passed out. You were warm. Warm, and wet." Deliberately, he dropped his voice to a whisper. "That's what you were always best at, baby. Being warm and wet for me."
She bunched her hands into fists and he knew she wanted to hit him but she wasn't a fool. This was her big moment. Faith wasn't going to show what she was all about this morning. He saw her fingers shake as she closed the buttons but when she spoke, she sounded calm.
"It's difficult to believe you and Ted were brothers. He was a gentleman."
"That's why you were able to fool him into marrying you." The cool facade dented. "I didn't fool him into anything." "Sure you did." Cole caught her wrist as she started past
him. "I'd never have fallen for that trick." "Let go of me, please."
"It's the oldest game in the world."
"Let go, Cole."
"Telling a man he's made you pregnant-"
Faith swung toward him. "That's not the way it was!"
`-and after he's done the right thing, married you and given you his name, you bat your eyes and say, whoops, sorry, I made a minor miscalculation-"
"What?"
"But Ted was a good guy. He was too decent to say, okay, the joke's over and I want a divorce."
She stared at Cole in amazement. Yes, she'd made Ted promise not to tell Cole about her child but was it possible he still didn't know?
"`Pregnant? Let me see a lab test,' another guy would have said, but not Ted. How'd you work it, Faith? It couldn't have been easy, first luring him into bed, then making him think you were having his baby-"
"Damn you! You know it all, don't you?" Her voice trembled with rage; her eyes glittered with it. "But that's not the way it was. I didn't..." Faith stopped herself in midsentence. Why tell him more than she had to? "He said-he wanted to marry me."
Cole's hand tightened on her wrist. "What'd you think, huh? That maybe my old man would change his mind about a slut like you if he thought Ted was going to give him a grandson?"
"Let go of me!"
"You can't run away, Faith. Not yet." Cole grinned. "It's payoff time, remember? The will. Don't you want to know what you're getting?"
She wrenched her hand free and this time he let her. "I hate to disappoint you," she said softly, "but I already know. Ted told me."
"Did he," he said, but she knew it wasn't a question.
"I never wanted the Cameron money."
"Of course not." Cole's eyes narrowed. "Money wasn't why you married my brother."
1 married your brother because I was pregnant with your child. The words were on the tip of her tongue but Cole would never know that. He never had to know she had a child at all. All she had to do was get through the next hour. He'd leave Liberty and she'd never have to see him again.
"Believe what you like," she said. "It doesn't matter to me. Nothing about you matters to me. I came here to see Sam Jergen, not to be insulted."
Cole could feel his anger growing. She was playing at being a lady. She looked the part, even sounded it, but he knew exactly what she was.
"Damn you," he growled, grabbing her shoulders and pushing her back against the wall. "The worst part of this is trying to figure out how the hell Ted and I could have been such fools."
"Take your hands off me!"
"There was a time you wanted my hands all over you."
"Stop it."
"What's the problem, baby? Don't you like being reminded of how things used to be?"
"You-you bastard!"
Cole laughed. "Scratch the surface and find the truth. The lady bit is only skin deep."
"Let go of me. Let go, or so help me, I'll-
"What? What will you do?"
His hands slid from her shoulders to her wrists. She winced and he knew he was hurting her but he didn't care. She'd hurt him far worse, not that it mattered anymore. He'd been over her for a long time, purged himself of the memory of her scent and taste in the arms of a hundred other women. What he couldn't get past was knowing that she'd made him hate his brother for so many years, and for what? There wasn't a way in hell she'd ever been worth the pain she'd caused.
"What did you figure, Faith? That maybe, if you were lucky, I'd never come back? That way, you'd get it all. The name, the money..."
She was crying now, tears he knew were supposed to melt his heart and turn him to clay in her hands. She'd wept in his arms that night he'd made love to her.
"Don't, sweetheart," he'd whispered, feeling clumsy and helpless, afraid he'd hurt her, and she'd kissed him and said she was crying because she was so happy, because of how it felt to belong to him, at last.
"I didn't want any of it. Not the name, not the money..." "Sure you didn't." Cole clasped her face, forced it up to his. "You married my brother because you fell head over heels in love with him. Oh, yeah. I'll just bet you did."
"I told you. I don't give a damn what you believe-" "Did you sleep with him right away? Or did you tease him,the way you teased me?" He gave a quick laugh. "You were some actress, baby. You had me thinking that waiting was my idea, not yours."
"I was a fool to have gotten involved with you. Everybody said you were no good. I should have believed them!"
"That's why you and I made such a good pair. Neither of us was worth a damn."
"I hate you, Cole Cameron. And I'm glad you came back because I've waited years and years to tell you that. I hate you, hate you, hate-"
Cole drove his hands into her hair, knotted the silky curls in his fingers. "That's not what you said that last night." "Don't do this. Don't-
... Touch me,' you said. `Kiss me,' you said. `Make love to me,' you said-
"I was young." She was panting now, struggling wildly against him, conscious of the hardness and strength of his body, of his scent, his heat. "And I was foolish. I thought you were special, that you-"
"You thought I was your ticket out. Tell me, were you a virgin, Faith? Or was it all make-believe, the way you blushed as I undressed you, the way you trembled in my-
'`I wish I'd never met you. I wish-"
"You were good, I'll give you that." His arms went around her and he pulled her tightly against him so that she could feel what she'd done to him. It was her fault that even the memory of that night could still turn him hard as stone. "You on your back, me inside you-" His gaze dropped to her parted lips, then lifted to her eyes. "Do you remember, Faith? How it felt when I moved against you? How it was to taste yourself on my mouth?"
A sob broke from her throat. "I hope there's a special place in hell for you."
"There probably is. And you can bet you'll be there with me." His hands tightened in her hair and he urged her head up. "Faith," he said thickly, and suddenly it was that night all over again, he could feel the need twisting inside him, feel the heat building in his blood...
Dammit! What was he doing? Cole let go of her, swung away, opened the door-and almost walked into Sam Jergen.
"There you are," the lawyer said. "You folks all right? My secretary said..." His voice faded as he looked from Cole to Faith. "Well," he said, and cleared his throat, "maybe we ought to take a break for a minute or two."
"No," Cole said.
"No," Faith said, in the same breath. "Just get this over with." She turned toward Jergen. Her heart felt as if it were trying to beat its way out of her breast but she forced a polite smile to her lips. "You should have told me we weren't going to be meeting alone."
"The will concerns you both, Mrs. Cameron. I thought it would save time if we discussed the provisions together."
"Discuss them, then, but this is all a technicality. I'm familiar with the terms of my late husband's will."
"I see." Jergen ran a finger under his collar. "All its terms?"
"Of course."
The lawyer heaved a relieved sigh. "Well, that disposes of that. But there are
other factors..."
"What other factors?" She thought of Peter, waiting at home. "I have things to do."
"What she means," Cole said lazily, "is she wants to know exactly how much she inherits." He smiled. "Am I right?"
"Okay. That's it." Faith headed toward the door. She knew she was making a mistake, letting her emotions take over, but too much was happening. The shock of seeing Cole again. The anger he could still stir in her. His conceit in thinking he could still make her respond to him ...and the horror of knowing that maybe, oh maybe, he was right. "Seeing us together may have suited you, Mr. Jergen, but I don't want any part of it. You can call me when you're free."
"From bereaved widow to outraged client." Cole clapped his hands in slow cadence. "What a performance."
She whirled toward him. "Listen, you no good son of a-
"Mrs. Cameron. Mr. Cameron." Jergen held up his hands. "Please. Calm down."
"The lady's in a hurry, Sam." Cole looked at Faith. He was still smiling, but what she saw in his eyes made her breath catch. "So let's cut to the bottom line. Hold off on counting your money, baby."
"You're insulting, do you know that?"
"You're not getting it. Not one penny." He folded his arms, rocked back a little on his heels. "I intend to fight my brother's will in court."
Faith stared at the man she'd once thought she loved, the man she hated with every bone in her body. You don't have to fight it, she wanted to say. You can have the money, every cent... But there was Peter to consider, and the new life she had to make for him.
"Mr. Jergen?" she said softly, her eyes locked to Cole's face. "Can he do that?"
"He can do whatever he wishes, Mrs. Cameron. But-"
"Forget the `but,' Jergen." Cole unfolded his arms and came slowly toward her. She wanted to back away but she knew what a mistake it would be to show him any sign of weakness. "I'm going to fight it, and I don't care if it means estate is tied up in litigation forever. That would suit me tine. Watching you spend whatever money you already on court battles for the next umpteen years would be a pleasure., ,
Mr. Cameron. Please. If you'd let me speak-"
"Jergen, when I want your legal advice..." Cole let out a breath. "All right. What is it?"
The lawyer looked from one of them to the other. "There's nothing to fight in court," he said softly. "What I've been vying to tell you is that there isn't any money left to inherit."
CHAPTER THREE
Faith stared at Sam Jergen. He had his finger inside his shirt collar again and from the look on his face, she knew he wanted to be anywhere but in this office.
"I don't understand," she said carefully. "What do you mean, there's no money?"
"I mean exactly what I said, Mrs. Cameron. The money is gone. Well, unless you want to count maybe two thousand dollars that's in your husband's checking account..."
"That's impossible!" Cole's voice was whip-sharp. "You've made a mistake."
"I wish I had. Unfortunately, the facts speak for themselves." Jergen lifted a large file box from the floor and placed it on the conference table. "Here are all Ted's bank and brokerage statements. I've been through them I don't know ho many times, alone at first and then with an accountant. Your brother's accountant, in fact. You're more than welcome to have your people go through the documents, too."
Faith looked at Cole. His people? As stunned as she was, that almost made her laugh. Such a lofty phrase for a man who'd left town on a motorcycle and had probably returned on the bus, and never mind the expensive-looking suit. For all she knew, he'd talked some woman into buying it for him. Those were the only "people" he'd have dancing attendance on him.
"They can work here," Jergen said, holding out his arms in a gesture that made it clear he was offering the entire suite of offices. "Naturally, I'll put my staff at your disposal."
"Yes," Cole said. His voice was low, filled with authority as well as warning. "You will. But I want answers now."
The lawyer's string tie rode up and down as he swallowed. "Well, it's a complicated story, sir..."
"Simplify it, then." Cole's smile was quick and chill. "You can do that, can't you?"
Jergen blanched. "Yes. Certainly, sir."
Sir? Faith looked from one man to the other. What was going on here? She was the sole beneficiary to Ted's estate but Sam Jergen was treating Cole with deference and ignoring her. That was how it had gone since he'd entered the office.
"Unless you know the answer, my sweet sister-in-law."
It took a few seconds before she realized Cole was talking to her. She looked at him. "Answer to what?" She blinked. "Are you asking me about the money?"
He leaned toward her, that chilly smile angling across his mouth again, and slapped his hands down on either side of the the box. The sounds, flat as gunshots, startled her, and she jerked back.
"That's right," he said softly, "I'm asking you, Faith. What happened?"
"How would I know? Ted handled the accounts. I didn't have anything to do with those things."
"You make it sound as if you weren't interested in `those things,' but we both know how wrong that is." Cole narrowed his eyes at her. "You've had plenty of time to get your hands on my brother's funds."
"Are you accusing me of theft?"
"I'm accusing you of being one clever piece of work, baby. I bet you've been playing games with Ted's money-"
"Your money. Isn't that what you said? You just said you were going to fight me in court."
"Damn right, as soon as I figure out how you did this." "Well," Jergen said cautiously, "that's not exactly-" "Stay out of this, Jergen. This is a private matter." "But-but..." Jergen cleared his throat. "You're wrong,Sir. Mrs. Cameron had no involvement in what happened. Cole stood up straight and folded his arms over his chest.
"Prove it."
"If you'll just look at this..." The lawyer plucked a folder from the file case. Cole snatched it from him and began reading.
"I'm the one you should explain things to," Faith started to say, but when she saw the look that transformed Cole's face, her anger faded. "What is that?" she said softly.
Cole shook his head, went on reading. Then, slowly, he raised his head and stared at the attorney.
"What the hell ... ?"
"I know," Jergen muttered. "Incredible, isn't it?"
"What?" Faith said. "What's incredible?"
Neither man answered. Jergen folded his hands behind him and rose up and down on his toes. Cole walked to the window and tilted the folder into the sunlight, as if that might help him make better sense out of the pages inside it.
"Why?" He swung toward the lawyer. "Jergen? Explain it to me."
"I can't, sir. All I can do is show you the dates and the figures but if you mean, explain how your brother got himself into such a mess... I can't do that."
"What are you talking about?" Faith stared from one man to the other. She knew they'd all but forgotten her existence just as she knew that whatever was happening in this office threatened all her dreams for Peter's happiness. "What's in that folder, Mr. Jergen?"
"It's rather complicated, Mrs. Cameron. All you need to know is-"
"All you need to know," she said calmly, even though she was trembling inside, "is that taking that tone with me is a mistake. I am your client. You work for me, not for Cole Cameron, or have you forgotten that?" She strode to Cole and grabbed the folder. She expected resistance but he let her take it, even smiled a little when she did.
"Read it and weep, baby."
She opened the folder and stared blindly at the first page. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Cole hitch a hip onto the window ledge and fold his arms. He looked amused, as if what was about to happen would be entertaining. She wanted to fling something in his arrogant face. Everything in her yearned to tell him what he could do with the folder as well as the money but that was her pride whispering in her ear and pride meant nothing. It hadn't, not for years.
Peter was the only thing that m
attered. Thinking of him, concentrating on how much she loved him, gave her the focus she needed. Faith stared at the page until it stopped being a blur. Columns of numbers jumped out at her. Purchases. Sales. Balances. It went on for page after page, the balances getting smaller and smaller, the accounts closing down. Finally, she looked up, seeking help from Jergen, but Cole had moved. He was standing directly in front of her, and his frigid eyes locked onto hers.
"Cole?" She held the papers out toward him. Her hand trembled. "What is this?"
"Your future," he said, almost gently. "Look at the last line."
She did. Total balance, seven hundred eighty-two dollars and...
"Those are your assets, darling." His voice was a purr. "The payoff. Not quite what you'd been expecting, is it?"
He was standing too close, invading her space. She knew it was deliberate, that he meant to throw her off balance, and he was succeeding. She didn't like having him so near, didn't want to smell the scent of his cologne, something elusive that went with the expensive suit. Tiny lines radiated out from the corners of his eyes. The years had bruised him, as she knew they'd bruised her. She was worn down by gossip, exhausted by deceitful slurs but he-he had become harder and more dangerously masculine than ever, watching her with a little smile she longed to slap from his face.
A chill raced through her blood. She took a step back and fought to keep her tone steady.
"I'd like an explanation, Mr. Jergen. Is this supposed to be all that remains of my husband's estate?"
"Late husband," Cole said. "Ted's not around to play your games anymore."
"Mr. Jergen," Faith said, ignoring Cole, "surely there are other assets. What happened to them?"
"It's complicated." Jergen patted her arm. "That's what I'm trying to tell you, Faith-"
"Then simplify it," she said, jerking away from him. "And please remember that my name is Mrs. Cameron."
She heard Cole laugh but she didn't care. She was tired of being patronized and she kept her eyes on the lawyer until he flushed.
"As you wish, Mrs. Cameron. In brief, your husband lost everything in the market."
Cole Cameron's Revenge Page 4