Private Lives

by Carole Mortimer

  ‘You were lucky Jake came along when he did, then,’ David approved.

  ‘Yes,’ she bit out through gritted teeth, knowing she would rather it had been anywhere else but so close to Jake’s temporary home that she’d had to run out of petrol, ‘wasn’t I?’

  Aqua-green eyes glittered with suppressed laughter as Jake accurately read by her expression that she would rather it had been anyone but him that had come along and offered her assistance.

  ‘How is the play going, Fin?’ David prompted as they all sat down, the two men in chairs, Fin on the sofa. ‘Your mother told me you’re having problems; have you managed to find a new director yet?’

  Fin couldn’t look at Jake, and yet she knew of his sudden tension anyway, was well aware from his reaction yesterday to realising she was acting in a play that anything to do with the acting profession, amateur or otherwise, was likely to upset him intensely.

  She shrugged. ‘Delia filled in for this evening—’

  ‘Oh, my God,’ David grimaced, as familiar with Delia’s high-handedness as Fin was; he should be—Delia had been his secretary until her retirement the previous year! And she ran the Sovereign Players with all the efficiency with which she had once run his office. ‘Did everyone walk out?’ he winced.

  ‘Not quite.’ Fin sighed at the almost truth of his guess. ‘Annie came very close to it, though. I think that’s why Delia had enough good sense to end the rehearsal when she did.’

  ‘I’m surprised she even realised she had caused any tension,’ David said teasingly. ‘She has the sensitivity of a— I’m sorry, Jake.’ He gave the other man a rueful smile. ‘It’s very rude of us to be talking about people you don’t know. At least, I presume you don’t know them?’

  ‘No,’ Jake grated.

  ‘Well, Fin is involved, as you might have gathered, with a local amateur production of Private Lives—’

  ‘David, I’m sure Mr Danvers isn’t interested in all that,’ Fin quickly cut in on his lively explanation, still very much aware of the way Jake had blown up yesterday when he’d realised she was acting in the play.

  ‘On the contrary,’ Jake drawled with infuriating calm. ‘I’m very interested. You’re having trouble with your director?’ He arched dark brows, almost challengingly, it seemed.

  Fin eyed him warily, not quite trusting his mood. And she was absolutely positive, no matter what he might have just claimed to the contrary, that Jake Danvers or Jacob Dalton wasn’t in the least interested in their provincial offering of the sophisticated Private Lives! ‘That’s right,’ she confirmed flatly. ‘He had to drop out for personal reasons,’ she revealed reluctantly.

  ‘You seem to get as much “artistic temperament” among the amateurs, Jake, as there is reputed to be among the professionals,’ David said teasingly.

  Fin felt her cheeks grow warm, knowing that Angela Ripley, this man’s wife, had been reputed to be one of the least temperamental actresses in Hollywood. On the contrary, she had been every-one’s darling. Including Fin’s father’s!

  What would the great general public, who had placed the squeaky-clean actress on a pedestal from the time she had first appeared on their screens as a child-star of six, think of that?

  Fin knew exactly what she thought of it. But it wasn’t even possible to guess what Jake Danvers thought about anything. He had left Hollywood after Angela’s death, didn’t appear to have remarried in the time since, so perhaps that was indicative of the way he still thought of his dead wife.

  ‘That isn’t very fair, David,’ Fin reproved only gently, knowing his mood was buoyant at the moment because of the baby, and not wanting to burst his bubble.

  ‘You’re right, it isn’t,’ he gave her an apologetic smile. ‘Gerald is right to put his family before what should amount to a hobby, after all.’

  Her mouth twisted. ‘Derek thinks it’s an obsession,’ she said ruefully. ‘He says a hobby wouldn’t take up this much of my time.’

  David shrugged. ‘Maybe he’s right. But if you really enjoy it that much …’ He trailed off pointedly.

  ‘Derek?’ Jake prompted softly into the momentary lapse in conversation, having been listening to them intently.

  ‘A friend of mine,’ Fin told him firmly before David could make any reply, wondering just how much longer Jake intended staying; he had driven her home, been offered the obligatory drink, which he had accepted; shouldn’t he now be as politely taking his leave?

  But he gave no sign of preparing to go, his aqua-coloured gaze narrowed on her questioningly. ‘Is he involved in the play too?’

  ‘Heavens, no!’ she dismissed with an incredulous laugh, sobering slightly as Jake continued to look at her with raised brows. ‘It must be obvious from what we’ve already said that he isn’t.’ She shook her head ruefully.

  ‘I see,’ Jake nodded thoughtfully before putting the brandy glass down on the table beside him. ‘I suppose I had better be on my way …’

  At last, Fin sighed inwardly. Her mother was only feet away up the stairs; if she should wonder what was keeping David all this time and came down in search of him …!

  She was genuinely grateful to Jake for giving her a lift home, but at the same time she wished he would now go!

  He stood up, his size and height instantly commanding, returning David’s smile with genuine warmth as the two men shook hands once again. Fin could see without the necessity for words that the two men did like each other, could see their obvious respect for each other, although she almost gasped aloud at David’s next comment.

  ‘Are you intending to stay in the area long, Jake? If you are, perhaps you would like to come to dinner one evening,’ he suggested warmly. ‘I’m sure my wife would like to meet you.’

  Fin stared at the two men in mute horror; this man couldn’t come here to dinner, mustn’t meet her mother!

  She swallowed hard as she became aware of Jake’s narrowed gaze on her pale cheeks and over-bright green eyes, knowing he had realised her near-panic at the thought of his accepting David’s invitation—and wondered at the strength of the emotion! Their own relationship had been a little stormy so far, but even so her reaction now must seem a little extreme to him. But she couldn’t help that, her body taut, her palms feeling damp, her eyes wide with apprehension as she waited for his reply.

  ‘I’m not absolutely certain what my plans are yet,’ he finally answered slowly, still watching Fin intently, his mouth twisted with sardonic humour at her obvious discomfort. ‘But I’ll bear your invitation in mind, thank you,’ he added gratefully. ‘Take a rain check if I may?’

  ‘Of course,’ David confirmed smoothly. ‘Any time you’re free and feel like a little company, just give us a call. Or Fin,’ he added with slight challenge in his voice.

  She studiously avoided her stepfather’s teasing gaze, concentrating on the saturnine man across the room. ‘I’ll walk you to the door,’ she said tightly.

  ‘How civilised of you,’ Jake murmured close behind her as they went out into the hallway, leaving David alone in the sitting-room. ‘Especially as you’ve been willing me to leave from the moment you realised your stepfather was still up!’ he added tauntingly.

  Fin spun around self-consciously, gasping her dismay at the accusation, relieved when she saw that David, at least, hadn’t been witness to the conversation, Jake having closed the sitting-room door behind them when they had left. ‘That’s—’

  ‘True!’ Jake finished mockingly. ‘What’s the matter, Fin?’ His eyes narrowed. ‘Apprehensive as to what conclusions Derek will make of my having driven you home?’

  ‘Certainly not!’ Green eyes flashed her indignation at the suggestion. ‘Derek knows he has no reason to mistrust me,’ she claimed with more bravado than actual truth; Derek could be un-necessarily suspicious at times, and it was something about him she found very irritating.

  ‘But he doesn’t know he can trust me!’ Jake murmured so softly that by the time Fin had been alerted to what he had actually sai
d it was already too late to stop his arms going about her body as he pulled her up against him, his head swooping down and his lips taking possession of hers.

  As she felt herself instantly respond, her arms moving up about his neck to hold him down to her, Fin knew that she couldn’t trust herself—not around this man, at least!

  He appealed to her immediate senses: taste—nectar; smell—tangy aftershave and a deliriously masculine smell that was pure Jake; and touch—oh, God, touch!

  His thighs were hard as he held her body against the length of his, hands moving restlessly across her body and down her spine, their lips moving together in mutual need. Fin felt the warmth at her thighs as the moist tip of Jake’s tongue parted her lips and penetrated her mouth, a sensual caress as he explored deeper.

  There was no rejection of her this time, no fury, only dark passion in his eyes as he raised his head to look down at her.

  She felt very young and vulnerable, totally exposed by the passion this man could produce in her at will. She didn’t understand it, didn’t want it, but she couldn’t seem to stop it either, her breath catching in her throat as his lips slowly lowered to hers once again.

  He drank from their moisture, sipped from her warmth, both of them knowing it was a frustrated passion. For now.

  Oh, God, what was she thinking of? Fin realised in panic, wrenching her mouth away from the demanding pressure of his even as she pulled out of his arms. She couldn’t see this man again, let alone let this, or more, happen between them again.

  My God, she had never wanted a man like this before, was stunned at her own reaction to him—terrified might be a more honest description of how she felt at her wanton behaviour! If she wanted him that badly, would she be able to stay away from him?

  ‘You’re right, Fin,’ Jake murmured gruffly. ‘This isn’t the time or the place for us to be indulging in this.’ He shook his head with self-derision. ‘Maybe you are a witch after all,’ he murmured with a dark frown, running a hand through the dark thickness of his hair. ‘Because for a few minutes there I actually forgot where we were, and that your stepfather could walk out here and see us at any moment!’ He made the admission with harsh reluctance, as if despising his own weakness now that his head was clearing of the passionate intensity that had possessed them both seconds ago.

  Fin knew she hadn’t forgotten where they were, for that moment in time she simply hadn’t cared! David could have walked out of the sitting-room into the hallway where they were, her mother could have come down the stairs, the house could have fallen down around their ears, and for that brief time in Jake’s arms she wouldn’t have cared.

  His mouth twisted derisively. ‘I can see you’re as thrilled by that realisation as I am,’ he rasped harshly, his eyes suddenly glacial, completely misunderstanding the reason for her look of horror. ‘You didn’t exactly resist, Fin,’ he grated challengingly.

  She stared up at him, unable to speak, to defend herself; she had no defence for what had just happened!

  What about Derek? They had been seeing each other for almost six months, and yet twice now in the last two days her loyalty to the relationship had been put to the test, and both times she had failed miserably. Even if she never saw Jake again, where did that leave her relationship with Derek …?

  ‘I had better go,’ Jake ground out savagely, as she still wasn’t able to answer him. ‘No doubt I’ll see you again.’

  Oh, God, she hoped not, as the front door to the house was quietly closed behind Jake as he left. Maybe if she didn’t see him— What difference would that make to the sham she had made of her relationship with Derek …? This afternoon she could perhaps have put her behaviour down to stunned surprise on her part, but tonight as well was just too much. She knew she had ruined her relationship with Derek for the sake of a man she couldn’t—dared not—see, again!

  She still looked slightly dazed when she wandered back into the sitting-room, lost in the torment of her thoughts.

  ‘Impressive,’ David murmured intrusively from across the room, where he still lounged in the armchair.

  Fin blinked her puzzlement as she looked over at him. ‘Sorry?’

  His mouth twisted in teasing humour at her preoccupation. ‘I said, your friend Jake is impressive,’ he repeated patiently.

  ‘He isn’t my friend!’ she snapped defensively. And there were plenty of words she could have used to describe him, and impressive certainly wasn’t one of them!

  David’s brows rose at her vehemence over the claim. ‘Well, he certainly isn’t mine,’ he said pointedly. ‘Although I have a feeling,’ he continued thoughtfully, ‘that he’s the sort of man who would make a very good friend, totally dependable,’ he nodded. ‘No matter what the situation.’

  She didn’t want to hear anything good about Jake Danvers at the moment, needed to remember he was actually Jacob Dalton, and that he was arrogantly impossible to deal with, in any situation.

  She certainly couldn’t allow herself to fall in love with him. Not him …!

  * * *

  But she couldn’t seem to get away from at least talking about the man the next day, her mother, as they sat having breakfast together, deeply curious about the man who had driven Fin home the night before and come in for a drink.

  ‘David said he was fascinating.’ Her mother looked at her speculatively. ‘I heard the voices down here, of course, but I thought it was just you and David talking, didn’t realise we had a visitor. I would have come down if I had known.’ She looked disappointed that she hadn’t.

  Fin thanked God that she hadn’t as she drove to her office in her mother’s car, needing to open the office before dealing with the problem of driving out to the van with the can of petrol. Her mother had offered to come out with her later in the morning, once Fin was organised for the day. In actual fact the two of them could have gone out straight after breakfast to collect the van, but the truth of the matter was that Fin needed this short respite away from discussing Jake. It still sent shivers down to her spine even to think how close he and her mother had come to actually meeting. She certainly didn’t want to give herself time to dwell on her own behaviour with him the evening before. No, all she wanted was to get to work and forget about all of that for a few hours.

  As if to torment that desire, her first call of the day was from Derek, and just the sound of his voice reminded her all too forcefully how she had returned Jake Danvers’s kisses the night before.

  She had barely lifted the telephone receiver, heard Derek’s greeting, when she looked out of the window and saw the familiar sleek lines of Jake’s Jaguar pulling up outside her office, and the lean length of Jake Danvers unfolding from its plush interior!

  It was like some awful nightmare, Derek on the telephone, Jake about to enter her office!

  ‘Fin? Fin, I said how did it go last night?’ Derek repeated, with obvious impatience on the other end of the telephone line for her lack of response to his first query.

  She was still staring out of the window at Jake in fascinated horror, filled with disbelief for his presence here this morning.

  Dark sunglasses hid those incredible eyes from her gaze, but she could see from his tilted head that he was looking up at the sign above her window, that it would only be a matter of seconds before he looked in the actual window and saw her sitting here, watching him!

  She gratefully took those few seconds’ respite to take in his own appearance, the tanned arms covered in dark hair beneath the blue short-sleeved shirt that fitted across the width of his shoulders, faded denims fitting low down on his hips. His hair, cut in the shorter style, looked even more attractive today, Fin loving the way it curled endearingly about his ears and nape. Loving—! She dared not even think about that word in connection with this man!

  ‘Fin, I know I’ve been a little intolerant of your theatrical inclinations the last few days,’ Derek continued indignantly down the telephone line at her continued silence. ‘But when I make an effort to show an int
erest you could at least show a little enthusiasm in return!’

  Jake was closing and locking the car door now, his head turning as those dark glasses—and presumably the aqua-blue eyes too!—looked straight at her now as he approached the door to her office with powerfully determined strides.

  ‘Fin!’ Derek snapped his exasperation with the total silence that greeted his every remark. ‘Oh, hell,’ he muttered impatiently. ‘Am I just talking to that damned machine after all—?’

  ‘I telephoned your flat last night, Derek.’ She spoke quickly, grimacing slightly as the office door opened and Jake strode into the room, one long, lean hand moving up to remove the sunglasses, Fin suddenly feeling pinned to the spot under the full force of that aqua-coloured gaze. ‘There was no answer,’ she told Derek lamely.

  ‘Because I wasn’t at home, obviously,’ Derek answered defensively as he read criticism in her voice. ‘You were out doing what you wanted to do, and so I—’

  ‘Derek, I wasn’t complaining,’ she cut in hastily as she realised he had misunderstood her abrupt statement, deliberately breaking Jake’s gaze to turn away and concentrate on what Derek was saying—before there were any more misunderstandings.

  ‘You can’t seriously expect me to just sit at home night after night, waiting for you to call when you can spare me a few minutes of your time!’ Derek continued angrily as if she hadn’t spoken.

  That last accusation was completely unfair; she had always encouraged Derek to pursue his own hobbies and interests without complaint from her, which was one of the reasons she now found his criticism of her so— But she wasn’t about to argue that point with Derek when Jake was standing beside her, listening to her side of the conversation, at least! As she knew he was doing, his mouth twisted derisively, dark brows raised over mocking eyes.

  ‘Shall we meet for lunch later, as usual?’ she lightly suggested to Derek, wanting to end this particular conversation.

  ‘Was there any doubt that we would?’ Derek demanded indignantly; they always met for lunch, unless, like yesterday, Fin saw her mother instead. But that didn’t usually happen two days in a row.