by Susan Napier;Kathryn Ross;Kelly Hunter;Sandra Marton;Katherine Garbera;Margaret Mayo
‘Sounds like a good plan.’
She wanted to get out of bed but she was embarrassed by her nakedness…Absurd, considering the fact that he had seen and sampled every naked inch of her body last night, but she couldn’t help it—in the cool light of day she was suddenly shy again.
‘I think I might go and have a shower,’ she said hesitantly.
‘Mmm, good idea. I’ll follow you once I’ve finished here.’
Did he mean he intended to follow her into the shower itself? she wondered heatedly. Or did he just mean that he was allowing her to use the bathroom first?
Caitlin wasn’t used to being in such close quarters with a man she knew so little about. All right, she knew his body very well now…and she had been as intimate with him last night as it was possible to get. But apart from the fact that she knew he found her attractive and that they were sexually compatible, she didn’t know what else was going on in his mind. It made her feel awkwardly inept as to how to handle this situation. It made her almost wish that she had more experience in casual affairs.
Gathering her courage, she wrapped the sheet around her toga-style and stepped out of the bed. She could hardly dash from the room while all her clothes were scattered about the place in wild abandonment, so she stooped to pick up a few things. Her panties and stockings from the floor were first to be snatched up. Then she approached his desk and picked up her skirt and the bra from his in-tray.
She didn’t dare look at him as she did this, but she was aware of him watching her. Then as she made to turn away from the desk he reached out and caught hold of her arm.
‘Don’t I get a good morning kiss?’ he asked gruffly.
Her stomach turned over as she met his eyes, and she allowed him to steer her around the side of his desk where he pulled her down onto his lap.
‘There, that’s better.’ He smiled, his eyes on her lips. ‘Last night was very enjoyable.’
‘Yes…’ She felt breathlessly helpless. All she wanted was for him to fold her into his arms again and do exactly what he had done to her last night. The lack of all control scared her. She needed to be careful around him; her emotions were all over the place. The wild feelings of love last night worried her especially. She was still raw from her breakup with David and she couldn’t trust her feelings.
He noticed the flicker of uncertainty and vulnerability in her green eyes and then as she tried to avert her gaze his finger firmly lifted her chin so that she was forced to look at him.
‘You are an incredibly sexy woman,’ he murmured. Then his lips met with hers in a warmly seductive kiss and the fire ignited inside her with such ferocity that it swept her mind away all over again. He laced his hands through her hair, holding her still while his mouth explored hers with compelling sensuality, then his hands moved to the sheet that covered her, pulling it away so that his hands were free to move over the smooth velvet nakedness that lay beneath. His fingers found her breasts, caressing and toying with her as his lips trailed a heated path down her neck and lower. The slight rasp of his skin against the softness of hers was somehow incredibly sexy, adding to the intense desire welling up inside her.
As his lips found the sensitized warmth of her breast she gasped and closed her eyes, the clothes that she had gathered from the floor slipping from her fingers as her hands moved to rake through the darkness of his hair. She buried her face into its softness, breathing in the scent of him, the tang of cologne and soap.
The sudden shrill ring of the phone behind them made him stop abruptly. Her heart was thundering against her chest; she wanted to tell him not to answer it, but to carry on. Her eyes met with his, wide and silently pleading for more of his kisses…much more of his caresses.
And for a moment she thought he was going to oblige and that he was as impatient to continue as she was. Then the answer machine came on. ‘Hi, Ray, it’s Sadie…I need to speak to you.’ She spoke in French, her voice huskily attractive. ‘Can I see you today or is that not convenient? It’s just…’ Anything else she was saying was cut off abruptly as Ray swung the chair around and picked up the receiver.
‘Hello, Sadie.’ As he spoke he watched Caitlin gather the sheet around her body. ‘No, today isn’t suitable…Yes, that’s why I left the office early yesterday.’
Caitlin slipped from his knee and bent to pick her clothes up again. Their eyes met as she stood up. ‘I’m going to go have that shower,’ she mouthed.
He nodded.
As Caitlin left the room his conversation continued. She closed the door behind her and told herself that it was just as well they had been interrupted; it gave her time to gather her senses. The words fought valiantly with the red-hot need that still swirled inside her, refusing to be extinguished.
She made her way back to her bedroom and threw her clothes down on a chair. The massive bed, still pristinely untouched, seemed to mock her. So much for hiding in here all night, she thought wryly, so much for being in control of the situation.
Leaving the sheet on the floor, she went through to the bathroom and turned the shower on full. Standing under the razor-sharp jets of hot water, she washed her hair and soaped her body with hard, vigorous strokes in the vain attempt to rid herself of the need that was still rampaging through her.
Caitlin didn’t like the feeling of being out of control. It was important that she took stock of things now; emotionally distanced herself from the heat Ray stirred up inside her.
Then the shower door opened and Ray stepped in beside her and suddenly the thought of distancing herself was the furthest thing on her mind.
‘Now where were we?’ he murmured with a grin as he took her firmly into his arms.
Hours later as they wandered along the Champs-Elysées, gazing into designer boutiques, Caitlin was still trying to close her mind on the steamy hot passion they had shared together earlier. But it seemed to colour the whole day. It was there in the heat of the sun that shone down on them, it was there in the white intensity of the blossom on the trees, in the swirling silky darkness of the Seine. And it was fiercely present every time Ray looked at her or smiled, or touched her. The emotions she so wanted to suppress were out of control, and as much as she tried, she couldn’t seem to get them back into the neat little compartment where she could shut the lid on them.
Was she on the rebound? she wondered as Ray insisted on dragging her into a jewellery shop to look at a necklace she had admired in the window.
Maybe…she was…
‘You must try it on.’ Ray cut through her thoughts as he lifted the amber necklace from its velvet case.
‘No, really, Ray. I think it’s very pretty but—’
‘Lift your hair up,’ he cut across her with a smile. ‘And I’ll fasten it for you.’
She found herself doing as he asked. Even the touch of his fingers against her skin as he fastened the gold chain made her senses swim.
‘So what do you think?’ he asked as the assistant brought a mirror so Caitlin could see herself.
She released her hair and glanced at herself. The necklace looked fantastic against her skin, its amber colour reflecting the amber lights in her hair and bringing out the green-gold of her eyes.
‘It’s looks wonderful, doesn’t it?’ Ray said softly. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek and for a moment they were both reflected in the oval mirror. Caitlin couldn’t help thinking that they looked right together somehow. The thought was crazy and she moved away from him slightly and reached to unfasten the necklace.
‘You should keep it on.’ He caught hold of her hand before she could find the catch. ‘It complements the black trouser suit you are wearing perfectly.’ He nodded at the assistant who took the mirror away. And then the next moment Ray was passing a credit card across the counter.
‘No, Ray, I can’t let you buy it!’ Caitlin was horrified. She had been so busy daydreaming earlier that she hadn’t been fully aware of the price of the piece. ‘It’s far too expensive.’
‘You
like it. Don’t you?’ he asked nonchalantly.
‘Well, I love it, but—’
Ray was already signing on the dotted line. ‘It’s a birthday present,’ he said. ‘And I want you to have it.’
The sales assistant gave him his receipt and smiled at them both. Caitlin noticed how she particularly smiled at Ray…but then it was the same everywhere they went—women just seemed to fall over themselves for him.
‘Thank you, Ray, but you shouldn’t have done that,’ she told him as they made their way back outside. ‘It’s far too generous a gift.’
‘No, it’s not.’ He caught hold of her hand and smiled at her. ‘Besides, I have an ulterior motive.’
‘You have?’ She looked over at him uncertainly.
‘Yes.’ He leaned closer and kissed her softly on the lips. ‘I want you to undress for me later and wear it as I make mad, passionate love to you.’
The wild rush of adrenalin inside her seemed to scorch through her skin. ‘I think that could be arranged,’ she said huskily, and there was part of her that wanted to ask if they could go back to his apartment right now.
‘Good.’ He pulled a strand of her hair playfully. ‘But now I think we should go and have something to eat.’ He raised a hand to flag down a taxi.
Ray took her to a small restaurant in a lovely old square and they sat at a table outside and sipped some wine as they perused the menu.
He glanced across at her and smiled and her heart seemed to do an alarming somersault. If she was on the rebound, then how come these emotions were so much more intense than they had been with David the first time around? The question snaked its way into her thoughts. No one had ever made her feel like this before.
‘So have you decided?’ he asked as a waitress came out to take their order.
She glanced quickly back down at the menu. She had decided, she reminded herself firmly, not to think about anything too deeply any more.
After the waitress took their order they sat in companionable silence. It was interesting watching the people walking across the square; some were obviously tourists because they posed for photographs outside the small chapel opposite. Some were Parisians, smartly dressed going about their daily business, and others were lovers strolling hand in hand in the sunshine.
For a moment Caitlin found herself thinking about her wedding and she glanced at her watch. It was almost three. She would have been arriving at the church now.
And it probably would have been the worst mistake of your life, a little voice reminded her sharply.
Watching her, Ray noticed how she looked at her watch and how her skin suddenly blanched. Was she thinking about the wedding and David? he wondered.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked softly.
She glanced across at him and smiled, and suddenly the pain inside her started to subside.
‘I’m absolutely fine,’ she told him sincerely.
It was late by the time they got back to his apartment.
They had sailed down the Seine on the Bateaux Mouches, admiring the fine architecture of the city. They had taken the lift to the top of the Eiffel Tower and they had sat at a pavement café at Montmartre as darkness had stolen over the city.
The plan had been to shower and change and go out for dinner. But once in the privacy of the apartment the plans were somehow forgotten as they ended up tumbling into bed, to make wild, passionate love.
At ten-thirty they awoke in the darkened apartment and both were ravenously hungry. So Ray phoned for a take-away and opened a bottle of champagne. They picnicked on the roof terrace, admiring the twinkle of the Parisian lights.
‘Life is strange, isn’t it?’ Caitlin reflected as she sipped the champagne. ‘If someone had told me a few months ago that I would be spending my birthday in Paris with you, I wouldn’t have believed them.’
Ray grinned. ‘What is it they say…? Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.’
‘That’s very true.’ Caitlin sipped her champagne and the bubbles went up her nose.
‘What happened between you and David?’
The quietly voiced question took her by surprise.
Ray watched her silently for a moment and noticed the flicker of vulnerability in her wide green eyes. Then she looked away from him.
When they had got out of bed she had thrown on a white silk blouse and a pair of jeans. Her hair was tousled around her face and very sexy; her skin still had a glow across her cheekbones that a moment ago had been due to the wild heat of their lovemaking…And now probably was down to the fact that she was uncomfortable with his questions.
‘It just didn’t work out, Ray,’ she said lightly.
‘Was there another woman?’
‘No!’ Her skin held even more heat now. ‘I think maybe I could have coped with that better,’ she added impulsively. ‘At least I could have hated him for that…’ She shrugged and then added huskily, ‘Instead there is this horrible feeling that I failed him…because I wasn’t able to help him.’ She looked over at Ray and her eyes shimmered with a different raw emotion for a moment. ‘But how can you help someone when they won’t admit they have a problem, when they refuse to even talk about it in terms of a problem? He had a serious gambling addiction, but he refused to see it that way.’
‘I see,’ Ray said quietly. ‘A lot of addicts are like that and if they are not ready to accept help there is very little you can do.’
Caitlin shook her head. ‘I probably didn’t handle it very well. When I found out I was shocked and angry and I moved out. But afterwards when I’d calmed down I tried to talk to him. I got all the leaflets, you know, about places to call and counselling services, but he was furious with me for even suggesting it. He thought we should just go on as if it didn’t matter—it was just a hobby, he said.’ Caitlin toyed with her glass. ‘Taking my engagement ring off was a last resort…but even then he thought I was the one in the wrong.’
‘You still care about him a lot, don’t you?’ Ray said softly.
‘Of course I care about him, and I’m worried about him. We were together for three years, and it’s hard to switch off from that…’ She trailed off huskily. Then she glanced over at him and their eyes met and a red-hot wash of emotion swept through her. Although it was true, she did care about David, it was nothing to the explosive feelings that Ray could stir up inside her.
The acknowledgement sent shock waves through her and hastily she took another sip of her drink. She wasn’t thinking straight, she told herself fiercely.
‘So, anyway, that’s the sorry state of my romantic entanglements.’ She forced a light note to her voice and gave him a half-smile. ‘What about you?’
He shrugged. ‘Since Hélène died I have found it easier to avoid entanglements. I’ve kept my relationships light and my workload heavy.’
‘And that’s what you recommend for a broken heart, is it?’ It was difficult to sound detached. She knew that her time here with him was just a casual fling, but she didn’t like it pointed out in such cool terms.
‘No, I wouldn’t recommend that…’ For a moment he was silent. She glanced over at him and noticed how his eyes seemed shadowed with sadness. ‘I can’t say that it has helped heal the pain of losing her.’
She swallowed hard, suddenly ashamed that she had made such a flippant remark. ‘I’m sorry, Ray.’
He shook his head. ‘I’ve come to terms with Hélène’s death…I’ve had to. But I still miss her.’
Caitlin drew her legs up onto the chair and hugged her knees close in against her chest. ‘Tell me about her,’ she invited softly.
‘What do you want to know?’ He looked amused for a moment.
Caitlin shrugged. ‘Where did you meet? What was she like?’
She rested her chin on her knees and watched him as he spoke.
‘We met in Provence at the château. My mother had relocated down there after my father died and she was having the place redecorated. I had just graduated from university
and was only there for a short visit before starting a new job in Paris. Then Hélène walked in with her team of decorators in tow. She looked incredible with her dark hair billowing around her face, like something from a pre-Raphaelite painting. Dark eyes, pouting soft lips that were quick to smile, she oozed life and vitality. My four-day break stretched into a two-week stay. I only just made it back in time to start my job. Then two weeks later I had persuaded her to give up her interior design job and move up to Paris to live with me.’
‘Wow,’ Caitlin said softly. ‘It must have been love at first sight.’
Ray nodded. ‘I had never been a great believer in that before. But yes it was like a bolt of lightning…coup de foudre…I can still see her very clearly in my mind just as she was that day when she walked into the château, still remember the feelings she stirred up inside me. We were married two months later. There were a few raised eyebrows that everything was happening so quickly.’ He shrugged. ‘But we just knew it was right, and I’m glad now that we didn’t waste time…’
‘How long were you together?’ Caitlin asked softly.
‘Seven years, and they were good years.’ He shrugged. ‘So that is something to be happy about. I went into partnership with Philippe and as the business took off we were able to spend more and more time down in Provence. Hélène always loved it down there, it was home for her. At first we were just there for the month of August when everything shut down in Paris. But then later, after my mother died and I inherited the château we would spend longer there.’
He fell silent for a long moment. ‘And that was where she died, down in Provence where it all started…She lost control of her car on one of the hairpin bends going down to the village.’
‘I’m sorry, Ray…’
For a moment he looked as if he hadn’t heard her, then he glanced over at her and shrugged. ‘Life goes on, doesn’t it Caitlin? And you learn to just get on with things.’ His voice seemed hard suddenly.
Caitlin reached across and covered his hand with hers. She didn’t know what to say to him; words somehow seemed so inadequate.
