Completely disconcerted by his manner, her mind went frighteningly blank for a few seconds, but the hardening of his rugged features acted as a spur and she hastily pulled herself together.
'I—I would like to thank you for the blouse you've given me, but…'
'But?' he prompted harshly when her voice faded on her.
'As a replacement it's—it's far too expensive for me to accept.'
There was a deathly silence in the study, and then she flinched nervously as he dropped his pen on to the blotter and rose to his feet. With his hands pushed deep into the pockets of his corduroy pants, he walked round his desk to stand facing her, and the height and breadth of him dwarfed her so completely that, not for the first time, she wished herself a couple of centimetres taller.
'I don't usually have my gifts thrown back in my face,' he announced with displeasure in every syllable he uttered.
'Oh, please—I'm not—it's just that—'
'Is it the wrong size?' he probed harshly.
'Oh, no.'
'Does the style not appeal to you?'
'No, no! It's beautiful, but—'
Lisa bit her lip, aware that she not only felt like an idiot but that she was behaving like one too. Adam was making it extremely difficult for her to explain her reasons for not accepting his gift, and to have him towering over her like this made matters worse. He was much too close for comfort and, with her eyes on a level with the hard wall of his chest, she could not help remembering the feel of him, and the warm male smell of him when she had lain weakly against him after being dragged from the well. Her heartbeats quickened erratically at the memory, and she took an involuntary pace away from him in an effort to steady herself, but her action merely evoked his mockery, as if he was well aware of the effect he was beginning to have on her.
'Are you afraid I might demand some sort of payment for my… generosity?'
A shiver of shock went through Lisa, and her eyes widened with alarm as she raised them to his. 'Oh, no! I never thought that at all. Besides, you're not—not—'
'Yes?' he prompted, his mouth twisting derisively when she came to an embarrassed stop, and her cheeks were suddenly on fire.
'You're not the kind of man who would bargain with gifts in order to—to get what you want,' she managed finally, but she could not look him in the eyes, and fastened her glance instead on the silver buckle attached to the broad leather belt at his slim waist.
Their conversation had all at once become too dangerous, and much too personal. It had awakened her to a sensual awareness of him as a man, and she dared not think of him as anything else but her employer.
'You're quite right,' his voice vibrated along her receptive nerves, but there was an element of danger in the air that placed her instantly on the alert as he added darkly: 'What I want… I take. Like this, for instance.'
Lisa had been prepared for a verbal battle with Adam Vandeleur, but she was totally unprepared for the force with which her body made contact with his. His arms were locked about her smallness like a painful vice, and her startled gasp was smothered beneath the ruthless demand of lips that showed no mercy in the violation of her mouth. She was released again after a few seconds with an equally staggering swiftness, and the room spun crazily about her as she clutched wildly at the desk for support while Adam returned to his chair as if nothing had happened.
'You may do what you like with my gift,' he announced in a tone of dismissal as he picked up his pen. 'I have no further interest in the matter.'
Conscious of the fact that she was shaking in every limb, and of a soaring in her ears that made her feel as though she was on the verge of fainting, Lisa somehow reached the door and wrenched it open. She could not recall afterwards whether she had closed it behind her or not, for the only conscious thought in her mind at that time was to get away from Adam Vandeleur, and as quickly as possible before she humiliated herself utterly and completely by bursting into tears.
Later, when the shock of what had occurred no longer had such a devastating effect on her, she tried to find an answer for Adam's unpredictable behaviour, but could not. She could still feel the hard impact of his mouth on her bruised lips, and a tremor shook through her as she recalled her quick, involuntary response. It had been a ruthless kiss, but it had shaken her to the very depths of her being as no other man's kisses had ever done before. Rory had kissed her many times and, thinking herself in love with him at that time, she had enjoyed his kisses—she had, in fact, yearned for them—but never had his kisses affected her as much as that one, passionless kiss from Adam Vandeleur had done.
It frightened her now to think of it, but her mind clung relentlessly to those startling moments in the arms of a man who had filled her with an inexplicable wariness from the moment they had met. She had sensed the danger then, and she was even more strongly aware of it now. He could be gentle—she had discovered that when he had attended to Josh's ankle—but he could also be cruelly harsh, and frighteningly brutal if he wished, and it was this side of her employer's character that she feared most.
Lisa picked up the box with its lilac wrapping and thrust it into the furthest corner of her wardrobe. She wanted to forget about Adam's unexpected, and unacceptable gift, but the memory of what had transpired in his study would not be erased that easily.
'What I want… I take,' he had said, and he had taken her lips to draw from them a startling response that even now confused her, making her realise that she would have to be infinitely more careful in future not to let it happen again.
It was impossible to avoid someone when you lived under the same roof with them, Lisa discovered during the next few days, and, with the arrival of the manager Adam had employed for Waverley, his late brother's farm, Lisa found it even more difficult to give her employer a wide berth. He began to spend increasingly more time on his own property and, to Lisa's dismay, she seemed to encounter Adam wherever she went with the twins. He was seldom alone, however, for Willa Jackson was always close at hand, and her possessiveness was beginning to make it obvious to Lisa that this woman intended becoming the mistress of Adam's kingdom. She seldom made an effort to speak to Lisa, for it was as if she considered it beneath her dignity to do more than acknowledge the presence of a mere employee, but her green eyes continually flashed a warning at Lisa to keep her distance from Adam. It was a source of secret amusement to Lisa that Willa should consider her a threat, for Adam Vandeleur was not at all the kind of man who would interest her in that way, but Willa was obviously not taking any chances.
Kenneth Rudman, the new manager, came to dinner one evening at Erica Vandeleur's invitation. He was a lean young man with unruly brown hair and hungry eyes, but his knowledge and efficiency in farming was unquestionable, and on the other occasions Lisa had met him, she had found him a charming diversion, despite his tendency to become amorous in his boyishly enthusiastic manner. His flattering attentions at first startled and dismayed Lisa, but when she became aware of Adam observing them at times with sardonic amusement, she surrendered to the devilish desire to encourage Kenneth's behaviour. Why she did this, she could not explain to herself, but it was something she regretted very deeply when she encountered Kenneth in the garden one evening while she was taking her usual, after-dinner stroll.
'Are you looking for Mr Vandeleur?' Lisa questioned him as he came across the lawn towards her with that long-legged, swinging stride of his.
'No,' he laughed lightly, taking her arm and falling into step beside her. 'I was hoping to see you, Lisa, and here you are. It's almost as if you were waiting for me.'
Lisa stopped abruptly in her stride and stared curiously up into his lean, clean-shaven face. 'You were hoping to see me?'
'From the first moment I saw you I knew you would look beautiful in the moonlight,' he murmured with an unexpected note of passion in his voice that made her stare at him in speechless surprise. 'Your hair is like silver sheen, and in that white dress you look like a princess who has just stepped out o
f one of Hans Andersen's fairy tales.'
'Kenneth?' Lisa tried to extricate her hands from his, but failed. 'Are you feeling all right?'
'I feel wonderful,' he laughed again, adding with a hint of sensuality in his voice, 'Now that I've seen you.'
'Kenneth, I don't think—'
'You're the most wonderful girl I've ever met,' he interrupted, his hungry grey eyes devouring her face. 'Every time I see you I feel a little lightheaded.'
Cursing herself for foolishly giving him the impression that she was attracted to him, Lisa said a little sharply, 'I think you should go home and take an aspirin.'
'I don't need an aspirin, Lisa. It's you I need. I love you,' he declared hotly, lunging at her clumsily and showering her face with kisses.
'Kenneth, have you gone mad?' she demanded, trying to ward off his hungry, seeking mouth. 'Let me go! At once, do you hear!'
Her voice, sharp with anger, finally penetrated, and Kenneth released her abruptly as well as a little shamefacedly. 'I'm sorry, Lisa.'
Filled with instant remorse and guilt, she shook her head and said gently, 'I'm the one who should be apologising.'
'Lisa—'
'Don't say anything,' she interrupted, touching his arm lightly. 'It's all my. fault. I like you, Ken, but I realise now that I've misled you from the start.'
'You mean you don't feel the same way about me as I do about you?'
'We've only known each other for a few days,' she evaded having to speak the truth.
Lean-fingered hands gripped hers painfully. 'Do you mean there's hope for me yet?'
'No,' she whispered, lowering her eyes. 'I'm sorry.'
'How about friendship, then?' Kenneth persisted. 'Are we still friends?'
Lisa's smile was tinged with sadness. 'Friendship is just about all I can offer you.'
'Shall we seal our friendship with a kiss?' Kenneth asked eagerly, and before Lisa could refuse, his soft lips had brushed against hers. 'Goodnight, Lisa.'
Lisa watched him walk quickly across the lawn to where he had parked his small white MG and, as the car roared down the drive, Lisa sighed heavily. She had been a fool to allow matters to go this far, but Adam's attitude had, for some curious reason, acted as a spur, and she had been indiscreet enough to permit Kenneth to flirt with her outrageously. There was perhaps another reason for her behaviour, she finally admitted to herself with some reluctance. Kenneth's flattering attentions had given her sagging morale a boost, and it had done wonders as far as restoring her confidence in herself as a woman.
'That was very touching, I must say, but not very satisfying.'
'What—!' Lisa swung round sharply, her eyes searching the shadows beneath the trees a little wildly before they fastened on to Adam's large frame leaning casually against the gnarled stem of the old oak tree. Her heart skipped an uncomfortable beat as she demanded a little weakly, 'How long have you been standing there?'
'Long enough,' came the abrupt reply.
Lisa drew a careful breath. 'You mean you—you heard?'
'I heard—and saw—everything.'
'That was despicable of you!'
'Perhaps,' Adam agreed, coming out of the shadows with Rolf at his heels, and, as her frightened glance took in his black pants and sweater, she realised why he had managed to make himself so inconspicuous. 'I've watched you leading Rudman on whenever he came to Fairview,' that deep, thundering voice of his berated her, 'and I was fortunate enough to witness the results.'
Embarrassment and anger stung her cheeks. 'I—I hope you found it equally amusing?'
'I did.' There was something in his quiet admission that frightened her, and she turned from him, bent on escape, but a heavy hand came down on to her shoulder, gripping it so firmly that she feared it would be dislocated if she struggled for release. 'Where are you going?'
'I—I'm going inside.'
'No, you're not.' With both her shoulders now in the powerful grip of those large hands, she was swung round to face him, and what she saw in that dark face sent a shiver of apprehension up her spine as he growled, 'There should be a more satisfactory ending to this evening for you.'
A throbbing silence followed his remark, and then she whispered hoarsely, 'What—what do you mean?'
'I'm not a man for flowery speeches, and to repeat Ken Rudman's fairytale description of you is quite unnecessary, but this time you're going to know what it's like to be kissed by a man with experience instead of a young fledgling blundering into his first amorous adventure.'
'Oh, no!' she gasped as a wave of fear washed over her, and then she was fighting, with every ounce of strength she possessed, against the relentless pressure of his arms, until despair made her beat against his chest with clenched fists. 'Let me go… please!'
'For a little thing, you put up quite a fight, Lisa, but you know it's useless, don't you?' he laughed shortly, catching hold of her wrists and twisting them behind her back where he held them with one hand while the other encircled her throat and forced her face out into the open. 'Don't you?' he demanded.
Lisa could not answer him. She was too utterly at his mercy, and too aware of the hard, electrifying warmth of his body against her own, but, when his fingers caressingly probed the hollow at the base of her throat where a pulse throbbed achingly, helpless tears filled her wide, frightened eyes.
'Please, Mr Vandeleur, don't do this,' she begged unsteadily.
'It will be painless, I assure you,' he replied mockingly, lowering his head until she could feel his warm breath against her mouth. 'Kissing can be quite an enjoyable pastime when it's done correctly.'
'I don't doubt your expertise, but I don't fancy being the recipient under the circumstances,' she argued, but already a frightening weakness was assailing her limbs as his lips teased the corner of her mouth.
'You said that very prettily,' he laughed softly and dangerously, 'but the time for talking is over.'
His mouth took possession of hers now with a deliberate sensuality that swept aside her fragile resistance with devastating results. Her lips were parted beneath the expertise of his, and, as he continued to kiss her with a new intimacy, she felt the final shred of her resistance being torn from her grasp.
Rory's kisses had once excited her, but Adam's lips sparked off a flame that seared through her body, awakening her to a depth of emotion she had not imagined she possessed. She was drowning in a maelstrom of sensations, and then, as she felt the warm, caressing pressure of his hand through the silk at her breast, she knew the first stirrings of desire.
It was impossible, and more than a little frightening, but every nerve in her body had come alive to his touch, and when he finally released her she swayed slightly with the intensity of her emotions.
'I said it would be painless, didn't I?' he taunted her mockingly, and her sanity returned painfully when she realised that, unlike herself, Adam had remained emotionally undisturbed.
'You've had your fun at—at my expense,' she said unevenly, her throat working as she fought for control. 'May I go now?'
'In a moment.' The moon had dipped behind the clouds, shrouding them in a darkness that made her shiver involuntarily as she waited for him to speak, and when he did, she felt the colour come and go in her cheeks. 'I employed Rudman to manage Waverley for me, and not for your own personal amusement. If you want entertainment in future, then I suggest you seek it elsewhere.'
'Entertainment?' she questioned, her chaotic mind not quite ready to understand him fully.
'Yes, entertainment,' he repeated with harsh impatience. 'An affair, if you like.'
Lisa felt the colour drain from her face, and somewhere deep inside of her there was a pain she could find no answer for. 'Is that what you think of me? That I'm desperate enough to start an affair with the first man who might be willing enough?'
'Aren't you?'
'No, I certainly am not!' she choked out the words.
'Do you deny that you encouraged Rudman?' he demanded with a note of savagery in his
voice that chilled her even more.
'No, I don't deny it, but—' She stopped abruptly.
How could she explain the reason for her behaviour when she did not understand herself what had spurred her on to encourage Ken?
'It wasn't Rudman you wanted in the first place, was it?' Adam placed his own interpretation on her silence, and she stared up at him stupidly as the moon reappeared in the sky to accentuate every line of his harsh features.
'I—I don't know what you mean.'
'It was me you wanted,' he stated bluntly, and she recoiled from him as if he had struck her.
'You're insane!' she gasped, the wild beat of her heart drowning out the sound of her voice.
Hands of steel jerked her against him with a violence that robbed her momentarily of her breath, and his dark eyes glittered dangerously as they raked her pale features and settled deliberately on her soft, quivering mouth.
'You may call me what you like,' he said through his teeth, 'but you enjoyed my kisses more than you would care to admit, and I'm willing to bet that if I kissed you now you'd enjoy it just as much, if not more.'
'That's not true!' she argued hoarsely, but her treacherous body was already responding to his touch, and once again a flame was ignited within her, sending a sensuous fire racing through her veins. 'Let me go!' she pleaded frantically, more afraid of herself now than of him. 'Oh, please let me go!'
'Not yet, Lisa,' his voice rasped in her ear, and a thousand little shivers of unwanted delight raced along her receptive bloodstream. 'The finale is yet to come.'
She tried to ward him off, but as her hands encountered the hard wall of his chest, she knew the futility of her puny efforts. He was immovable, like a solid slab of concrete, crushing her softness against him while his lips devoured hers with a ruthless and demanding intensity that left no room for coherent thought. She felt like a leaf caught up in one of those miniature whirlwinds she had seen racing across the dry, dusty veld, and it swept her along until she neither knew nor cared where it was taking her.
Summer of the Weeping Rain Page 8
