by Smith, Bobbi
"I've never believed you to be a fool, Suzanne."
"What?!" she gasped at his insult.
"You'd better face the facts. There isn't a man in the world who wouldn't kill to get Lianne in his bed." He watched the color drain from her face at his brutal remark.
"So that's what your interest is in Adam and Lianne. What happened, Cyrus, did Lianne reject you?" Suzanne struck back just as cruelly.
Fury flared in the banker's icy blue eyes. "She's going to rue the day she refused me, Suzanne. You'll see."
"That may be, but it will have nothing to do with Adam and me." She refused to accept anything he was trying to tell her.
Cyrus was growing tired of her childishness where Trent was concerned. "You're wrong. Do you honestly think Trent will leave Lianne now that she's having his child? Can you deny that he was bedding her while he was courting you? Doesn't that tell you something?"
"No, Cyrus. You're the one who's wrong. I'm the one Adam loves." She tried to sound as convincing as possible.
Cyrus angrily came to his feet, aggravated at being thwarted by her refusal to see the truth of the situation. "Shall we just wait and see, my dear? I'm in no hurry to seek my revenge. When you realize that what I've told you is true, just let me know. You know where I am, Suzanne. All you have to do is send word. My plan is perfect, and working together we can both have our vengeance."
With that he was gone, leaving Suzanne to stare after him. Vehemently, she tried to deny to herself all that he'd told her, but still a niggling of doubt remained. Could it be true? Was Lianne the woman Adam really wanted?
Determinedly, Suzanne pushed the thought from her mind. Adam loved her, not Lianne. He'd told her so. Everything was going to work out just as she'd always hoped it would. Cyrus was wrong about Adam and Lianne, she was sure of it.
When Adam returned to Belle Arbor late that afternoon, Lianne and Becky were in the parlor. They exchanged meaningful glances as they heard him enter the house, but only Becky got up to go meet him.
"Adam?"
Adam was in no mood for a confrontation when he met his sister in the hallway. He was tired and he looked it. All he wanted to do was to get cleaned up and get some rest.
When Becky first saw him, she could tell right away that he'd been through some kind of terrible ordeal. Realizing the condition he was in, she said nothing about his strange disappearance the night before. Still, she couldn't help but wonder at the reason for his unannounced departure, and she worried that it had something to do with Beau.
Lianne followed Becky out into the hallway to greet Adam. Her reaction to his obvious exhaustion was completely different from her friend's. Instead of concern, she felt only disdain, blaming his weariness on a mad, passionate night spent in Suzanne's arms. The moment was tense and awkward and uncomfortably silent until Alex's excited greeting interrupted it.
"Adam! You're back!" the youngster whooped in delight as he came charging down the steps to see him. Without pause, Alex launched himself into Adam's arms and gave him a fierce hug. "I missed you! I knew you wouldn't stay away too long!"
"I came back as soon as I could," Adam told him as he returned his hug.
Adam looked up then, and his gaze accidentally collided with Lianne's. It was a heart-stopping moment for Adam. He had thought of her almost continually for the entire time he was gone, but even his most passionate memories of her had not done her beauty justice. He was thinking of just how lovely she actually was when he was jarred to the depths by the scathing look of loathing she gave him. It was obvious from the glacial glare she shot him that she thought he was lying to Alex.
Adam was torn as he watched Lianne turn away from him and walk rigidly back into the parlor. He wanted to go after her, to explain all that had happened and erase that accusing look of disgust from her face, but he held himself in check. He owed her nothing. What did he care what she thought about him? He may have been forced to take her as his wife, but that didn't mean he had to answer to her. She didn't mean a thing to him, not a thing.
"Hey, Adam, do you want to go for a ride later on?" Alex piped in.
Glad for the distraction, Adam tousled his hair. "What do you say we ride together in the morning? I'm a little tired now."
"All right," Alex agreed happily, and he darted outside pleased with the promise of being able to spend some time with him the next day.
"I'm going to get cleaned up now. I'll talk to you later, Becky," Adam said. Once again he glanced toward the parlor where Lianne had gone and then went on up to his room.
As Adam entered the master bedroom, he was hoping that he would have a few minutes of peace and quiet, but the sight of Lianne's nightgown spread out carefully on the bed put an end to that hope. The delicate, feminine garment reminded him all too forcefully of the power of his desire for her. It angered him that she had such a firm hold on his thoughts, and his movements were agitated as he stripped to the waist and then stalked to the washstand to wash. A short time later, when the knock came at the door, Adam knew who it was.
"Come on in, Becky," he called out.
Becky did as he bid and then shut the door behind her. Before she could say anything, he spoke up first, offering what he knew she wanted to know.
"I was in New Orleans, Becky," he explained flatly as he grabbed a towel and began to dry himself. When he'd finished, he looped his towel around his neck and turned to look at her.
"New Orleans?" Becky frowned and then knew a moment of true panic. "Why did you have to go there? Has something already happened? I have to know, Adam, is Beau all right?"
"I didn't go because of Beau, Becky," Adam explained, a bit surprised by her show of concern for Beau. "I went because Dr. Williams sent for me. The note I received during dinner last night was from him." He moved to the wardrobe to get a clean shirt.
"Elise . . ." Her name was a breathless whisper. "Did something happen to Elise?"
Adam kept his back to her as he paused in his actions for a moment. When he did finally answer, it was without emotion. "Williams has made a breakthrough, Becky. It looks like Elise is going to recover."
"Dear God . . ." Becky sank down on the edge of the bed, her mind awhirl with the implications of the news he'd just imparted. "What are you going to do?" She raised tormented eyes to his.
"I've already done it," he said as he shrugged into his shirt.
"What?"
"I told Dr. Williams the truth."
"But . . ." Becky's heart ached for her brother. For so long they had hoped and prayed for Elise to get better, and now . . .
"Don't worry about it," Adam remarked a bit coldly. "It seems that Dr. Williams has fallen in love with Elise, and she with him."
Becky didn't believe his attempt at indifference for a minute. She went to him and linked her arms around his waist to embrace him. "I'm sorry, Adam, so sorry."
"Why be sorry?" he asked. "Elise is going to be all right. That's all that matters."
"You still love her, don't you?" She looked up at him, trying to read behind the expressionless mask he had in place.
"It doesn't matter what I feel, does it? I mean, I am married now or have you forgotten?" he challenged bitterly, not wanting to examine his own emotions too closely.
"No, Adam, I hadn't forgotten." Becky felt chastised at his statement.
"Besides," Adam added, "Williams loves her. He'll make her happy."
"I just wish — "
"Wishing won't change anything. What happened, happened," he said flatly, interrupting her as he focused on what he was still driven to accomplish.
"But if Elise is going to be all right, then there's no need for—"
"There's every need, Becky!" Adam erupted, not about to give up his vendetta against Shark. "My plans haven't changed. I'm not going to stop until I've found Shark and made him pay."
Anger consumed Lianne as she left the house to wander in the garden. How dare Adam leave without a word, stay away all night, and then return without an explana
tion? She was his wife and, as such, deserving of at least some reasonable justification for his absence. The memory of his insistence on a "marriage in name only" assaulted her. Evidently, he was showing her most plainly how he planned to live their lives from now on. Pain stabbed at her heart. Lianne didn't want to feel this hurt and humiliation, but she did.
Pausing amongst the fragrant, blossoming flowers, she stared out toward the reflecting pond remembering the splendor of that one night there in Adam's arms. He had been so wonderful . . . so warm and tender. She should have realized the danger then, but she'd been too hopelessly naive and foolish. Now, it was too late to worry about the danger. She was his wife, she had his name, and she was bearing his child. None of it really mattered, though, because Adam didn't care.
Suzanne was the woman Adam loved. He'd made that clear from the start. The fact that he spent last night with her only served to emphasize it.
Lianne swallowed with some difficulty, her throat aching as she tried to suppress the emotions that threatened. She remembered the butterfly Alex had caught weeks ago, and she realized that her worst fears had come to pass. She was trapped in a loveless marriage.
A deep sigh shuddered through her, and she turned back toward the house. Soon it would be time for dinner, and she would have to face Adam across the table and pretend, for Alex's sake, that nothing was wrong. Lianne hoped that she was strong enough to do it.
Dinner was a subdued affair, but Alex didn't seem to notice. He was so full of tales to tell Adam about what he'd done all day that there was little room for other conversation.
Lianne was relieved not to have to worry about making chitchat during the meal. She was having enough difficulty coping with the thought of sharing the same bed with Adam again. She wished there was some way for her to avoid it, but remembering what he'd done on their wedding night, she knew better than to try to escape their bedroom
Watching him covertly from beneath lowered lashes, Lianne noted the ease with which he talked with Alex, and she found herself resenting the comfortable camaraderie they shared. Never, in all their time together, had Adam ever spoken with her that way. Their conversations had always been arguments or terse exchanges. It seemed that they had never shared anything except two wild nights of passion, and because of those two encounters, they were now joined for the rest of their lives.
Lianne wondered if there was any point in trying to change his opinion of her. She knew he hated her and would never believe anything she told him right now, but she hoped that in time she would be able to convince him of her true worth. She would be the perfect mother to their child, and then, perhaps, he would come to see that she was not the ogre he thought.
When the meal ended, Lianne excused herself and left the table as quickly as she could, pleading tired - ness and the need to go to bed early. Sarah brought her bath for her, and she settled into the steaming, perfumed water with great relish, glad to be away from Adam's somehow threatening presence. She had few enough pleasures left in her life, and she intended to enjoy this one to the fullest.
"Miss Lianne, which nightgown do you want to wear tonight?" Sarah asked as she stood before the wardrobe.
"The same one as last night will do," Lianne replied with little thought.
"You know there are other ones in here that would do just fine," the maid prodded slightly. She knew all about Adam's night away, and she wanted Lianne to do everything in her power to win him and keep him. For all his faults, Sarah thought Adam would make Lianne a good husband once they'd worked through the awkwardness of their forced marriage.
"The one I wore last night will be fine, Sarah," Lianne repeated brusquely. It was the simplest nightdress she owned and not nearly as seductive as the one she'd worn on their wedding night. Adam had made it abundantly clear that he didn't want her, so she saw no reason in flaunting herself before him.
"All right." Sarah sounded slightly annoyed as she answered, but when Lianne glanced at her, she couldn't read anything untoward in her expression.
"You can go now, Sarah. I'll be all right by myself," she dismissed her, needing some time alone more than anything else.
The maid let herself out of the room and closed the door quietly behind her. Sarah was just starting back downstairs to tend to her other duties when she ran into Adam at the top of the staircase. By the time she reached the downstairs hall, Sarah could no longer suppress the smile she'd held back or the twinkle that sparkled in her eyes.
Adam was desperately in need of rest. The long sleepless hours of the night before had caught up with him. Tired as he was though, his nerves were stretched taut at the thought of sharing his bed with Lianne. Remembering the nightgown she had laid out, Adam lingered below with Becky hoping to give his bride time to retire.
Adam delayed going up as long as he could. When he finally did go upstairs, he hoped to find Lianne already under the covers and fast asleep, so he could retire himself and get some much-needed rest. But what Adam found when he opened the door to the bedroom was anything but restful. Standing perfectly still just inside the doorway, he stared in mute shock at the sight of Lianne taking a bath. She hadn't heard him come in, so he took the opportunity to feast his eyes upon her.
Lianne looked gloriously lovely. Her red-gold hair was piled high on her head, baring the graceful arch of her neck. The heat of the water left her skin glowing rosily. Adam felt the all-too-familiar tightening heat in his loins as he imagined himself kissing the dewy droplets of water from her throat and bare shoulders. She lifted her arms to squeeze out the cloth she was using, and the action brought her breasts teasingly to the surface. Adam stared hungrily at the rounded, creamy orbs. The water tantalizingly lapped at their fullness, threatening to but never quite revealing the pale pink crests.
Adam bit back a groan as all trace of weariness left him. Suddenly, sleep was the furthest thing from his mind. Suddenly, he didn't care if she'd trapped him onto marriage. All that mattered was that he make love to her. Damn, but he wanted her as he'd never wanted another! Pushing the door shut, he took a step toward her, intending to follow through on the urgings of his baser instincts.
Lianne heard something and gasped as she turned to find her husband standing there staring at her. His expression was wooden, revealing nothing of his inner thoughts, yet there was something about the way he was looking at her that frightened her. In a shielding move, she grabbed the towel that Sarah had left for her and covered her bosom, not caring if she soaked it in the process.
"Adam! What do you want?" she demanded, conjuring up all the false bravado she could as she faced him. He seemed so overpoweringly male as he stood there, and she felt completely and utterly female, partially exposed as she was to his dark-eyed gaze. She thought him breathtakingly handsome, but, at the same time, knew that he had the power to hurt her and hurt her deeply.
The coldness of her tone jolted him painfully back to reality, and he forced away all thought of taking his pleasure of her. With ruthless resolve, he reminded himself of her treachery. He told himself again that her deceitful ways had almost ruined his plans. He told himself again that no matter how much he desired her, he was not going to make love to her!
"From you, dear wife?" Adam drawled sarcastically. "Not a thing." He spun on his heel and stalked from the room, slamming the door with a finality that jarred her.
Lianne stared at the closed portal, her heart sinking. A great sense of despair filled her at his blunt rejection. There could be no doubt about it, Adam hated her.
The water, which moments before had felt so soothing, suddenly felt chilling. In annoyance, Lianne cast the sodden towel aside and left the tub. She searched the room in dripping splendor for another towel and finally found the one Adam had used earlier. As she began to dry, she moved across the room to where her gown lay, and as she did, her path took her before the full-length mirror.
Lianne was unable to resist the temptation to stare at her own reflection. She had never thought herself a raving beauty, but
she did think that she was modestly attractive. Disheartened, she wondered why Adam was in love with Suzanne, and why he found her so much more attractive than herself. Was it because the other woman was more petite than she was, or was it because Suzanne was a golden blond while her own hair was red-gold. The mirror revealed no answers.
Lianne thought about going after him, but she knew it was a useless effort. She slipped into her gown and climbed into her solitary bed. As she drifted off to sleep, she wondered sadly if every night of her married life was going to be as empty as this one had been.
Chapter Twenty-six
Lianne came awake abruptly at the sound of a door slamming below. She sat up sleepily, straining to hear more of what was going on, but all she could make out was the sound of a rider galloping off into the night. Frowning and perplexed, Lianne wondered who would be leaving Belle Arbor at this late hour.
A terrible thought occurred to her, destroying her pleasantly slumberous state. What if it had been Adam who'd just ridden off? What if he'd been unable to stay away from Suzanne and had gone to spend the rest of the night with her, in her bed, giving her his love?
Lianne lay back down and tried to go back to sleep, but she was too filled with despair to rest any more. She had to know the truth. She had to find out if Adam was the one who'd just left the house.
Without bothering to pull on her wrapper, Lianne slipped from the bed and left the room to move silently down the hall. She paused at the top of the staircase. No sounds came from below, but a faint light showed through the partially open study doorway. Thinking that Adam had negligently left the lamp burning when he'd departed, she angrily headed downstairs to extinguish the light before returning to her own desolate bed.
Adam slumped wearily on the loveseat in the study, wondering if he was ever going to get a good night's sleep again. He had planned to go directly to bed when he'd gone upstairs long hours before, but the sight of Lianne bathing had driven him from the bedroom at almost a dead run. Now, half a bottle of bourbon later, he still couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw his wife sitting gloriously naked before him in the tub, and his desire would return full force.