‘No! Look, when she told me she was pregnant, I was over the moon. I was so thrilled at the thought of being a father, so proud of her, so anxious to do the right thing. I told her immediately that we’d get married and she seemed as happy about it as I was. But my father hit the roof when he heard the news.’
‘What happened?’ asked Laura.
‘I had been on the point of heading off to Harvard to do a commerce degree and he threatened that if I married Paula he would withdraw all financial support.’
‘What did you do?’
‘I told him to stuff his financial support and married her anyway. Then I got a job as a deckhand on a fishing boat so that I could support her.’
‘What went wrong between you?’ demanded Laura.
James gave a savage laugh.
‘The first thing was that she admitted that she had never been pregnant. It was only a story she had made up so that I would marry her. My father was the wealthiest farmer in the area, and she knew about my plans for going to the United States, so she thought I’d be her ticket to a wider and more interesting world. When she found that I’d quarrelled with him and wasn’t going to get any money, she was furious with me. She told me flatly that she didn’t intend to spend the rest of her life mouldering away in a fishing village and either I had to find some way of supporting her or the marriage was over.’
‘So what did you do?’ asked Laura.
‘I was pretty stunned, but I begged her to give the marriage a chance. I didn’t have any particular skills at that stage but I was making good money on the fishing boat. I promised her that if she’d just stick it out for another three years or so, while I got some savings together, we’d go to America and I’d open some kind of business there.’
‘But that didn’t happen?’
James’s mouth set in a grim line.
‘No, it didn’t. Paula managed to arrange her passage to America a bit faster than that. About two years after we were married I came back early from a fishing trip and found her in bed with a hotshot American investor who’d come out to visit one of the scallop farms here. I’d had my suspicions for some time that she was being unfaithful to me, and in a way it was almost a relief to have it out in the open. We agreed to get a divorce and she went off to America with him and later married him.’
‘How did you feel about it?’ asked Laura hesitantly.
He shrugged.
‘Devastated at first, but that was mainly hurt pride. Once I got used to the idea I was glad the marriage was over, because we’d done nothing but make each other unhappy for the entire two years it lasted. The whole thing was a disaster, and the worst part about it was that it coloured my view of women for years afterwards.’
‘Is that why you’re so down on deceit and disloyalty?’
James smiled wryly.
‘Yes, but I took precautions to protect myself from then on. It seems ridiculous to me now, but I was so determined not to get caught again that I avoided the kind of women I might have fallen genuinely in love with. Instead I had a lot of shallow, meaningless affairs with shallow, meaningless women. Until I met you.’
Laura was more touched by this blunt admission than she wanted him to guess. She tried to cover her emotion with a show of scepticism.
‘And then?’ she prompted brusquely.
James put up his hand and massaged his temple as if he had a headache.
‘And then I knew I was in big trouble,’ he admitted. ‘From the first moment I saw you, here in this very house, I was immediately intrigued by you. I had come along, simmering with prejudice and determined to dislike you, because I thought you were going to be another woman like Paula. Only out to marry Sam for your own advantage and not really caring a damn about him. But you were so different from what I expected. In spite of those weird clothes you were wearing, you really seemed to have genuine dignity and character. It was even worse when I took you to that wedding rehearsal and had to pretend I was marrying you. I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like if it were really true, and I was appalled to discover that I was very powerfully attracted to you.’
‘It was exactly the same for me,’ broke in Laura, abandoning all pretence of detachment.
He gritted his teeth and sighed.
‘I thought as much,’ he said. ‘But I swear that when I took you out on that beach I had no intention of doing anything except trying to persuade you not to marry Sam. I thought it would be a mistake for both of you if you rushed into it. Then, before I knew it, I had you in my arms and I was kissing you as I’ve never kissed any woman in my life. It felt like the best and worst deed I’d ever done. It was so right, so natural, so good to hold you like that, and yet I believed you were my nephew’s fiancée. I couldn’t believe I was capable of such treachery, so I dealt with my anger by blaming you for it. I told myself you were another woman like Paula, getting married just for your own advantage with no intention of making it work.’
Laura made a sound that was halfway between a groan and a laugh.
‘You must have got an awful shock on Bea’s wedding day when you discovered who I really was,’ she said.
James’s eyes flashed murderously at the recollection.
‘Calling it a shock is the understatement of the century,’ he said. ‘At first I was too stunned to take it in, but then I felt the most incredible relief. You weren’t going to marry someone else, you were still free, which meant that I had a chance with you. But then I started to think about how you’d made a complete fool of me, and I could have tanned your hide.’
Laura flashed him a guilty smile.
‘It wasn’t a very good beginning, was it?’ she muttered.
To her surprise, James suddenly cupped her face in his hands and gazed earnestly down at her.
‘Yes, it was,’ he insisted. ‘Any beginning with you would have been a good beginning, because the only thing that matters is that we found each other. I’ve been a fool, Laura. I treated you badly and I let my arrogance and hurt pride about the past erect barriers between us which should never have been there. But I am sure of one thing now.’
‘What’s that?’ she asked shakily.
‘That I love you, and I’m never going to stop loving you. Laura, I probably don’t have the right to ask you this, but will you please, please marry me?’
She was filled by a rush of emotion which threatened to sweep her off her feet, an intoxicating mixture of joy and sadness, pain and regret, anger and forgiveness and a bright, shining hope. Even now she struggled to be cautious.
‘Are you asking me just because of Gareth?’ she demanded.
James swore softly under his breath.
‘No, I’m not asking you because of Gareth,’ he said. ‘He’s a great little guy, and I’m already beginning to love him, but that’s not the reason I’m asking you to marry me. I’m asking because I love you, because I can’t imagine how I’ll live without you. I’ve spent the last three years making you miserable and now I’d like to spend the rest of my life making you happy. Will you let me try?’
Laura looked up at those tawny gold eyes fixed intently on her, at the urgent, troubled set of his mouth and made her decision. Hadn’t she once told him that you had to be prepared to take risks when you fell in love? Except that this time she didn’t feel that she was taking a risk. Now for the first time she felt absolutely certain that she could trust James for the rest of her life. Twining her arms around his neck, she stood on tiptoe and kissed him fiercely on the lips.
‘Yes,’ she said.
With a groan of triumph he caught her against him, crushing her so hard that he squeezed the breath out of her.
‘Do you know what I’m going to do to you?’ he demanded huskily.
A tremor went through her.
‘Oh, I think I can take a wild guess,’ she murmured, moistening her lower lip with her tongue.
‘You shameless little hussy,’ he breathed admiringly, pressing his lips against the pulse that beat in h
er throat. ‘Tell me, then.’
She lifted her open mouth and whispered in his ear, enjoying the sudden flare of excitement in his eyes as he strained to catch the soft, tickling words.
‘Does that appeal to you?’ she finished demurely.
‘It will do for starters,’ he growled. ‘And after that I’m going to—’
A hot rush of arousal throbbed through her as he told her in vivid, shameless detail exactly what he planned for her. And, while he was talking, he was busy calmly unbuttoning her silk blouse and peeling off her tights and knickers.
‘Unfair,’ she whispered. ‘You’re still fully dressed.’
‘I won’t be for long. And I want you ready for what I’m planning.’ His warm fingers stroked up the inside of her thigh and then slid teasingly inside her, so that she shuddered and clamped her teeth down on a soft moan.
‘Well, what a pleasant surprise. So you are ready? Good. But you’re going to be more than ready by the time I take you, my darling. You’re going to be whimpering and crying out and writhing in my arms and wanting this more than you’ve ever wanted anything in your life. Aren’t you?’
A pang of pure, unfulfilled need lanced through her at those hoarse, seductive words. When his hands brushed over her breasts, caressing their aching fullness, she strained against him, offering her open, trembling lips to him.
‘Yes,’ she breathed.
Cupping her face in his hands, he bent her backwards and kissed her with a deep, savage hunger that made the blood roar in her ears. Only when he had plundered her mouth again and again did he suddenly sweep her off the floor and gaze down at her, his breath coming in long, heaving gulps.
‘You drive me insane with longing, Laura,’ he growled. ‘Night after night since we parted I’ve dreamed of doing this to you. Well, now I’m not going to wait any longer. Once I make you mine, nothing will ever part us again.’
With a sharp, indrawn breath he wrenched open the door and strode swiftly down the hall, carrying her as effortlessly as if she were weightless. The gold-striped wallpaper and antique paintings spun past her and then she heard the creak of James’s bedroom door as it opened. Once inside he kicked it shut and turned the heavy key in the lock.
‘Is Gareth given to night-time wandering?’ he asked.
She shook her head.
‘Good, because I have a very long night planned for you.’
Striding across to the bed, he set her down in the middle of it, switched on the bedside lamp and sat beside her, gazing hungrily down at her. Then his face clouded.
‘What is it?’ she asked in a troubled voice, reaching up to touch his cheek.
He turned his head and kissed the plump cushion of flesh at the base of her thumb.
‘I’m afraid you’ll get pregnant, and I’ve no protection to offer you at this moment. We can wait if you want to, and I’ll go to a pharmacy tomorrow.’
She shook her head, relieved that that was the only thing troubling him. For a moment she had feared that he had changed his mind about everything he had just told her.
‘No,’ she said with passionate certainty. ‘I don’t want to wait. And anyway, I’m not likely to become pregnant at the moment.’
‘But what if it does happen?’ he persisted, stroking her tumbled hair with a tormented expression. ‘There’s nothing I’d like better myself than to give you another baby. It thrills me to the core even to think of it, and this time I’d be there to help you through it all, but if you don’t want to take the risk—’
‘I do want to!’ she insisted. ‘And if we don’t make a baby tonight, then I want to do it soon, James, very soon. I love you and I want your children. I can’t tell you how much.’
‘Oh, sweetheart.’ He gathered her in his arms and held her with crushing force. All the things they wanted to say seemed to flow between them without words, then gradually the nature of their embrace began to change. His hands moved over her satiny skin and he stroked her naked body until she could bear it no longer.
‘Are you going to get undressed, or aren’t you?’ she demanded impatiently.
He looked down at her with a slow, sultry smile that made something melt inside her.
‘That’s an invitation I can’t refuse. If you’re going to be a good wife, you’ll have to learn to do certain things for me. You can start by unbuckling my belt and seeing what you can find there. Go on, do as you’re told.’
A hot flood of colour rushed to her cheeks, but with trembling fingers she obeyed. The heavy leather and brass seemed to jam obstinately, but with a sharp tug she worked the belt free from the buckle, then slowly, tauntingly, unzipped his jeans. A soft gasp escaped her as she saw the powerful ridge outlined beneath his jockey shorts. All she could think of was how much she wanted to touch it, rub herself against it, feel its heat and hardness deep inside her. Hesitantly she ran her hand down over it, then more daringly slipped her fingers inside his underwear and gripped him hard. James gave a low groan.
‘I think I’ve died and gone to heaven. Laura, if you’re serious about loving and marrying me, will you please rip off my clothes so that I can have you? Now!’
With a muffled giggle she lay naked on top of him and began half-heartedly fumbling with his shirt buttons. But, since most of her efforts were directed to kissing his eyelids and brushing her naked breasts against his face, he soon became impatient with her progress. Letting out a low, animal roar he sat up, flung her on her back and began tearing off his clothes himself.
‘If you’re trying to drive me out of my mind, you’ve succeeded,’ he growled, hauling his shirt over his head and flinging it into a corner of the room, followed by a volley of other garments. ‘And you’ve only yourself to blame for the consequences.’
Trapping her against the pillows, he began to kiss her, and lowered the full weight of his body onto her, so that she was crushed pleasurably beneath him. His tongue thrust into her mouth and she felt an answering rush of heat deep inside her. Arching her back, she thrust herself against him, so that she felt his male hardness stir and throb against her. She cried out as his fingers skimmed down between her thighs, parting her softness so that he could bring her to the point of frenzy with his touch.
In the soft glow of the lamplight she could see him watching her from under half-closed lids, and when her breathing quickened into a gasping, staccato rhythm he suddenly reared up and crouched over her, his face dark and distorted with need.
‘I can’t wait another moment,’ he breathed. ‘I want to be deep inside you, Laura.’
Groping with his hand, he lodged his virile hardness against her and plunged in. A cry broke from her lips at the explosive, sundering force of that invasion and yet she gloried in it, taking delight in his size and power and ruthless energy. The ache that filled her was wholly pleasurable and she strained to meet him at each thrust, threshing her head from side to side and moaning as he found her innermost depths. A strange sensation kept building and building inside her, with the unstoppable force of an ocean wave, gathering strength until at last it broke and shattered with immeasurable force, leaving her gasping in total fulfilment.
‘I—love—you, James,’ she whispered.
He went on ruthlessly pounding away at her, his face intent and strange, as if he were absorbed in some eerie trance, until at last he, too, stiffened and cried out. The warm gush of his climax filled her and his arms tightened around her.
‘I love you too, Laura,’ he breathed.
As he buried his face in her neck and his frantic breathing slowed she felt his lips press warmly against her throat, and a joyful sense of complete happiness flowed through her.
‘When can we get married?’ she asked, hugging him hard.
‘Tomorrow morning.’
‘No. Seriously.’
‘The moment I can book the church and arrange a licence. I want you as my wife, Laura, and I don’t intend to wait.’
* * *
It was a perfect day for a wedding, so bright an
d sunny that it was impossible to believe that it was still only late winter. A pink, frothy blossom covered the cherry trees in the rectory garden next door to the church and drifts of daffodils tossed their heads beneath the bare oak trees. Here and there a few sheep had escaped from a nearby paddock and wandered around nibbling the grass that grew in lush clumps around the weathered gravestones.
All of this Laura noticed as she arrived, flustered and breathless, ten minutes late for her own wedding. It was so unlike her to be late that James had grown worried and come out of the church into the porch to look out for her. Hastily she wrenched open the car door and jumped out, waving her bouquet of scented frangipani.
‘James, I’m here!’ she called.
He strode across to meet her and stood looking down at her, his tawny eyes glowing warmly.
‘I was afraid you’d changed your mind,’ he teased.
‘It wasn’t that! I couldn’t get my hair to sit properly and then I laddered my tights and—oh, James, do I look all right?’
His gaze took in every detail, from the little wreath of flowers in her hair down to her ivory-coloured tailored silk dress and pearl drop earrings.
‘You look gorgeous,’ he told her approvingly.
At that moment Bea came limping across from the porch in her red attendant’s frock and grinned at them both, her dark eyes dancing.
‘All ready to go?’ she asked. ‘Sam’s inside getting restless.’
Laura’s eyes twinkled too as she remembered the last time they had met for a wedding in this very spot.
‘Now that we’re all here, I suppose that we should introduce ourselves,’ she said. ‘I’m Laura, she’s Bea, you must be James. I’m the bride, she’s the bridesmaid, you’re marrying me. Now, let’s get started, shall we?’
eISBN 978-14592-6947-7
SUBSTITUTE BRIDE
First North American Publication 1997.
Copyright © 1996 by Angela Devine.
All rights reserved Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work In whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontano, Canada M3B 3K9
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