by Anne Mather
‘You have to give me time,’ he muttered huskily, aroused in spite of himself. ‘Gordon’s given me some work to do—simple stuff, mostly, but it’ll prove once and for all what I can or can’t do.’
‘Let me help you,’ she pleaded, lifting her head. ‘We can be together——’
‘No.’
‘What do you mean—no?’
‘I mean, I have to do this alone, Joanna. I can’t ask you to share my life as it is——’
‘You’re a fool!’ Joanna was desperate now, drawing back from him, aware of the loosened buttons of her shirt, the irresistible allure of her exposed flesh. ‘What am I supposed to do while you prove yourself? Wait for you? Hang about here, waiting for something that may never happen—I love you, Jake. I need you.’
‘Give me time,’ he groaned tautly. ‘Joanna——’
‘No!’ She would prove to him that she could be as stubborn as he was. ‘Either you want me or you don’t. And if you don’t, someone else——’
‘No one else,’ he commanded savagely, grasping her shoulders and shaking her. ‘I couldn’t stand that. The thought of you and some other man. Even Trevor——’
‘Paul?’ Joanna arched her brows. ‘Oh, yes, Paul. I wonder how he——’
But she didn’t finish the sentence. Unable to resist the combined force of her beauty and his own jealousy, Jake hauled her to him, covering her mouth with his own in a rough, primitive embrace.
‘All right,’ he said against her lips, his breath almost suffocating her, ‘you win. I can’t take the chance that you might find someone else in my absence.’
‘There is no one else,’ she breathed, unbuttoning his shirt so that the hair-roughened skin of his chest was scraping her breasts. ‘Mmm, that’s nice, isn’t it? Hold me. Hold me closer. I never want to be apart from you again.’
‘You won’t be,’ he muttered, turning so that she was lying beside him on the couch. ‘That is, if your mother and Aunt Lydia, or even my sister, don’t succeed in changing your mind.’
Joanna’s slender fingers twined in the hair at his nape. ‘Will they change yours?’
Jake gave a helpless shake of his head. ‘Where is your mother anyway? What if she comes in and finds us like this?’
‘She’s away—until Sunday,’ murmured Joanna, faint colour invading her cheeks at the idea that had just occurred to her. ‘Why don’t you stay here tonight, too? It would save you having to come back in the morning.’
Jake’s eyes narrowed. ‘Is that what you want?’
‘Is it what you want?’
His grimace was faintly humorous. ‘Oh, Joanna, you know what I want.’
Her breathing was forced and shallow. ‘Show me …’
He hesitated for a moment, his hand running possessively along the inner curve of her thigh, and then, with a muttered denial, he rolled on to his back. ‘Joanna, there’s no turning back, you know. If—if I make love to you, I shan’t let you go.’
‘Did I ask you to?’
‘But you’re so—inexperienced,’ he exclaimed harshly, as she levered herself up to look down at him.
‘You can change that,’ she murmured, her fingers straying daringly over his flat stomach until he imprisoned them against him. ‘Let’s go to bed, Jake …’
His expression softened. ‘All right.’
With a feeling of unbearable anticipation she scrambled off the couch, but as she went to turn off the lamp, another sound came to her ears. It was the sound of someone crying. Anya!
With a startled glance at Jake who had heard the sound, too, she buttoned her shirt and hurried into her mother’s bedroom. For an awful moment she thought the child had got out of bed and discovered that her father was here, but it was soon obvious that Anya had just awakened, and that her tears were instigated by fear, not anger.
‘Joanna,’ she sniffed, when she saw the older girl leaning over the bed. ‘Oh, Joanna, I was having an awful nightmare! I—I dreamt that we—Daddy and I—were in the car with Mummy again, and she was trying to kill us all.’
‘Honey, don’t!’ Joanna sank down on to the bed beside her and took one of the little girl’s cold hands in both of hers. ‘You’ve been dreaming, that’s all. No one’s trying to hurt you. You’re safe with me. And—and Daddy’s here, too.’
‘He is?’ Anya was evidently delighted. ‘Where is he? Can I see him?’
‘I’m here, Anya.’ Jake came to squat at the other side of the bed, his eyes encountering Joanna’s with none of the coldness she had been half afraid of. She remembered too well his reactions when Anya interrupted them before, but this time it was different, and he was letting her know it.
‘What are you doing here, Daddy?’ Anya asked, in a shrill childish treble, as the demands of the conscious overcame her fear of the subconscious. ‘Did Joanna call you? How did you get here so soon?’
‘I was already in London,’ Jake explained gently, dark and disturbing in his white shirt, the collar still open to reveal the shadow of hair beneath. ‘Aunt Marcia knew where to contact me, and she did.’
Anya sighed. ‘Did Joanna tell you why I came? Are you very cross with me?’
‘I should be,’ he averred huskily, glancing at Joanna. ‘But in the circumstances, perhaps you did us both a favour.’
Anya frowned. ‘Why? Is Joanna coming back with us?’
Jake hesitated. ‘And if she is?’
‘Terrific!’ Anya’s mouth lifted.
Jake looked at Joanna again. ‘What if I told you she was coming back, but not to be your governess?’
‘Not to be?’ Anya looked confused. ‘But——’
‘What if I told you I wanted to marry her?’ Jake continued softly. ‘Would that make you feel differently?’
Anya was obviously finding it all difficult to absorb. ‘Does—does Joanna want to marry you?’ she asked, giving the girl a studied look, and Joanna intervened.
‘I love you, and I love your father,’ she said simply. ‘And if your father and I got married you’d have both a mother and father again.’
Anya’s mouth trembled. ‘I don’t think I want a mother,’ she said uncertainly. ‘Why can’t you just be my governess? My friend?’
‘A mother should be all those things,’ declared Joanna gently. ‘Anya, try to understand. Your father is lonely. I’m lonely. And you’re lonely, too. Let’s make each other happy.’
Anya still looked doubtful. ‘Would we be coming back to live in London?’
Jake bent his head. ‘Some day, maybe.’
‘Would I still have to go to boarding school?’
‘Don’t you want to go to boarding school?’
‘Not much.’
‘Then we’d talk about it,’ said Joanna practically. ‘If you promised to behave yourself, I suppose we might find a day school that would take you.’
‘Would you take me to school, Daddy?’ asked Anya anxiously. ‘Like you used to do?’
Jake smiled. ‘If that’s what you want.’
‘And could we have holidays and things, and wouldn’t you mind being seen in public and everything?’
‘I’d make sure he didn’t,’ asserted Joanna firmly, challenging Jake’s tawny gaze with her own green ones.
Anya sighed. ‘Can I think about it?’
Jake chuckled. ‘I think you ought to go to sleep, don’t you? We’ll talk about it in the morning, hmm?’
‘Are you staying here, too?’ asked Anya anxiously, looking up as he got to his feet, and although Joanna held her breath, he nodded.
‘Go to sleep,’ he said, taking Joanna’s arm to lead her from the room. ‘I’ll see you in the morning.’
Joanna went into the kitchen and Jake followed her. ‘Would you like some coffee?’ she asked, still half afraid he might have changed his mind, but he shook his head, drawing her possessively back against him.
‘All I want is you,’ he said, with beguiling sweetness, and this time when he swung her into his arms, there was no drawing back.
>
Nine months later, Joanna stood at the bedroom window of the flat near St James’s Park, which Jake had bought soon after the accident. Behind her she could hear the running water in the shower, and guessed that Jake would not be long before he joined her. That evening they had given their first dinner party, for Gordon Blakeney and his wife, and it had been a success, and she wrapped her arms about herself with a feeling of almost unbelievable happiness.
The water stopped running and a few minutes later Jake entered their bedroom, dark and disturbingly attractive in his cream bathrobe. Drops of water still sparkled on the silky gleam of his hair, and he tossed the towel he had been carrying on to the floor as he came towards her.
‘This is nice,’ he murmured, drawing her into his arms, his fingers already busy with the bootlace straps which were all that kept her sheer silk nightgown in place, but at her reluctant protest he bent his lips to her shoulder and allowed her to say huskily:
‘It was good, wasn’t it? The dinner party, I mean. You enjoyed it?’
Jake lifted his head and grinned down at her. ‘I know something I enjoy more,’ he told her mischievously, and her lips parted in knowing anticipation. ‘But yes, it was a very pleasant evening. I told you you’d like Gordon.’
‘I like his wife, too,’ said Joanna thoughtfully. ‘She’s invited me to lunch next week.’ She coloured becomingly. ‘To discuss family matters.’
Jake’s mouth took on a sensual curve as his gaze lowered to the gentle swell of her stomach. ‘It’s becoming noticeable, isn’t it?’ he murmured wryly. ‘Do you mind?’
‘Do you?’ she countered softly, and his eyes gave her her answer.
‘I love you,’ he told her huskily. ‘I love everything about you. Most particularly the knowledge of my child growing inside you.’
Joanna gave a breathless little laugh. ‘I like it when you talk like that. You sound so—possessive.’
‘I am possessive. Haven’t you learned that yet?’ he demanded, probing her ear-lobe with his teeth. ‘Come on, let’s go to bed. I don’t want to be too exhausted to work tomorrow.’
Joanna tilted her face up to him. ‘I told you I could help you,’ she teased. ‘As soon as you stopped pressuring yourself, you were cured.’
‘It was more than that,’ he told her gently. ‘It was you, your faith in me, in both of us. Without you, I’d never have had the nerve to try.’
Joanna smiled. ‘I liked the smallholding, you know.’
‘I know you did,’ Jake nodded. ‘That’s why I’ve bought the farm. It would have been a shame to leave Matt and Mrs Parrish behind. Besides, it’s served a dual purpose so far as Matt is concerned. It’s removed him from all the memories of his wife that used to haunt him, and Mrs Parrish says she’s always wanted to move south.’
Joanna dimpled. ‘Well, at least the children won’t be deprived of fields, and animals, and fresh air …’
‘The children?’ Jake’s brow quirked mockingly.
‘Well, there will be at least two, won’t there?’ murmured Joanna defensively. ‘Anya and …’
‘And our child,’ agreed Jake tenderly. ‘Oh, love, how did I ever survive without you?’
‘You tried to,’ she reminded him reprovingly, and he gathered her closer, so close that she could feel the hard pressure of his hips.
‘I was a fool,’ he averred, his hands moulding her to him. ‘If Anya hadn’t chosen to make her wishes known, I might never have had the chance to——’
‘Don’t!’ Joanna laid her fingers over his lips. We owe Anya a lot, I know it.’
‘And she owes you,’ declared Jake roughly. ‘You’ve restored her faith in herself and in other people.’ He nuzzled her cheek. ‘Maybe Marcia was more astute than she knew.’
‘Well, she wasn’t surprised when it happened,’ Joanna agreed, stroking his hair back from his forehead. ‘It was Mummy who was appalled when I said I was going to become a farmer’s wife.’
Jake frowned. ‘Didn’t you really mind living at Ravengarth?’
Joanna stared up at him. ‘You know I didn’t.’ She paused. ‘Why? Are you finding the work too demanding? Would you rather we——’
‘No. Oh, no,’ Jake reassured her. ‘My darling, Gordon’s not a philanthropist. He wouldn’t keep me on unless I was some use to him. But I have been playing with the idea of doing some freelance work, of making a drawing office at the farm and spending some of the time there. Does that appeal to you?’
Joanna touched her lips to his. ‘Wherever you are, I want to be,’ she said simply. ‘As long as you’re happy …’
‘Oh, I’m happy,’ Jake exclaimed, swinging her up in his arms and carrying her to the bed. ‘So long as we’re together, that’s all that really matters. Which reminds me,’ he shed his robe and slid on to the bed beside her, ‘Marcia’s offered to baby-sit. After the baby’s born, I mean. She says she’ll have both Anya and the baby while we go away together, like we did on honeymoon. What say we go back to Barbados? Making love on a moonlit beach is definitely to be recommended.’
Joanna gurgled with laughter. ‘Anywhere,’ she said, allowing him to untie her straps.
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IMPRINT: Sexy
ISBN: 9781488743214
TITLE: WHISPER OF DARKNESS
First Australian Publication 2014
Copyright © 2014 Anne Mather
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Mills & Boon®, Level 4, 132 Arthur Street, North Sydney, N.S.W., Australia 2060.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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