Lovestorm (Harlequin Treasury 1990's)

by Jennifer Taylor

  ‘Perfectly.’ She smiled up at him with a biting contempt. ‘I shall play my part to the very best of my ability, Jacob, not to make things easier for you but because I have my own reasons for wanting this marriage to take place!’ She paused, then added deliberately, ‘However, I don’t intend to allow any repeat of tonight’s episode. I don’t need any “acting” lessons, thank you very much!’

  She walked ahead of him, doing her best as she circulated among the guests to put what had happened out of her mind. Yet each time she looked up and found Jacob watching her she couldn’t prevent the fear at the awareness in his eyes. Jacob had kissed her for his own very clear reasons but that didn’t explain why she had responded. And the worst thing was that Jacob was wondering about it too!

  * * *

  There were lights on in the flat when Helen arrived home. Jacob had offered to drive her back and arrange to have her car returned to her the following day, but she had curtly refused. She didn’t want to be alone with him again, to see that awareness in his eyes. It was something she wanted to work through by herself and understand. There had to be a rational reason why she had responded to his kiss, yet all through the evening, as she had circulated among the guests and fielded their curious questions about the wedding, she hadn’t been able to find it.

  Now she fixed a determined smile to her mouth as she walked into the sitting-room and found her father there reading. He looked up when he heard her, taking off his glasses and setting his book aside. ‘Ah, Helen. How did it go, then? Was it a nice party?’

  Helen dropped her bag on to the sofa, then tossed her black velvet evening cloak after it, trying to disguise the nervousness she felt so as not to arouse Edward Sinclair’s suspicions. ‘It seemed to go very well. I think Jacob was pleased, anyway. He—he announced that we’re getting married.’

  Her father nodded. ‘Yes, he told me that was what he intended to do.’ He must have seen her surprise because he smiled. ‘Jacob very formally asked for your hand in marriage when he paid me a visit the other day while you were out, darling. It may be old-fashioned but I must say that I respected him for paying me that courtesy.’

  Helen looked away, not wanting her father to see what she thought about Jacob’s consideration. He’d never mentioned a thing about it to her, but wasn’t that typical of him? He made his plans and carried them through exactly as he saw fit!

  ‘You are sure that this marriage is what you want, aren’t you, Helen?’ Edward Sinclair’s voice held a note of real concern, and hastily Helen strove to push her feelings aside. Her father had been looking much better since he had found out about the wedding and all that it entailed regarding his future, and she didn’t want to undo all the good work.

  ‘Of course!’ She laughed lightly. ‘What a strange question, Father.’

  ‘Not really. You must admit that it has all been rather sudden. One minute you and Jacob are at daggers drawn and the next you are planning on getting married.’ He glanced down at the book he held, then looked back at her steadily. ‘I wouldn’t like to think that you might be doing this for the wrong reasons, Helen.’

  She jumped to her feet, uncomfortable under the look. She walked over to the window and stared down at the city street, watching a car travelling slowly along the road before it drew to a halt. From this distance it looked remarkably like Jacob’s car, and she drew in a quick exasperated little breath. Now she was starting to imagine she was seeing him!

  ‘Helen?’

  She jumped when her father spoke again to draw her attention back to the fact that she hadn’t answered his question. Letting the curtain drop back into place, she turned to him with a determined smile. ‘My reasons for marrying Jacob are all the right ones, believe me, father.’

  Her voice held the ring of conviction and the worry faded from his face. He got up slowly and crossed the room, kissing her lightly on the cheek. ‘Good. That eases my mind, dear. Now I think I shall go on to bed, seeing that you are home safe and sound.’ He gave a faintly sheepish smile. ‘I know, you’re a grown woman now, but a father can’t help worrying.’

  Helen kissed him back with real affection. ‘Well, don’t. I can take care of myself.’

  ‘I’m sure you can, and the things you can’t handle I’m sure Jacob can take care of for you. He’s an extremely capable man, Helen, and I couldn’t have chosen anyone better to look after you when I’m gone.’

  He started towards the door but Helen couldn’t let him leave without explaining that strange statement. ‘You sound as though you admire Jacob, Father, but doesn’t it bother you about the house and the business?’

  The elderly man stopped and turned slowly to face her, his lined face holding just the faintest hint of regret. ‘What does bother me is the fact that I couldn’t do what Jacob has managed to do.’ He shrugged wearily. ‘I was never cut out to be a businessman. Your mother was better at that kind of thing than I ever was. After she died then I’m afraid things seemed to get on top of me. If Jacob hadn’t stepped in, then...’ He stopped abruptly, smiling. ‘But I’m sure you know all about that. Goodnight, darling.’

  Helen watched him go with a frown puckering her smooth brow. Edward Sinclair had sounded almost grateful to Jacob, but how could that be? Jacob had taken away everything the family had ever owned, so that was hardly a basis for gratitude! She turned back to the window, resting her hot forehead against the cool glass as she tried to make sense out of it all, but it was impossible to do that. Maybe she had imagined it, tiredness making her hear things that hadn’t been there. The best thing she could do was go to bed and sleep, then see if it was any clearer in the morning.

  She switched off the table lamp by the sofa, then walked over to the one on the small antique desk by the far window, jumping nervously as the telephone next to it suddenly rang. She snatched up the receiver at once, not wanting her father to be disturbed by what was probably a wrong number.

  ‘Helen?’

  There was no mistaking that deep, dark voice. Every pulse in Helen’s body jumped, her breath catching at the unexpected sound of it, until she heard Jacob laugh softly, with a depth of meaning.

  ‘Come on, sweet, I just know it’s you. Not afraid to answer me, are you?’

  ‘The day hasn’t come when I would ever be afraid of speaking to you, Jacob Hunt! What do you want?’

  ‘What a way to greet your fiancé. I’m cut to the quick, Helen.’

  ‘If you rang to play ridiculous word games then I am sorry, Jacob. It’s far too late to start a verbal fencing match with you!’

  ‘Then maybe we should try speaking to each other in a completely different way.’ His voice dropped an octave, smooth as satin as it hummed down the phone and made her whole body tingle with awareness. ‘I just thought I would call you to wish you goodnight before you went to bed, my sweet. Pleasant dreams.’

  Helen shook herself out of the sensual spell he was creating with his tone. ‘How touching of you! My, my, Jacob, you really do put yourself into a role body and soul, don’t you?’

  He laughed deeply. ‘Anything I set my mind to, Helen, I give it my full, undivided attention. Surely you must know that?’

  She wasn’t sure she liked the idea of being at the receiving end of Jacob’s “attention”! ‘If by that you mean you are single-minded and ruthless, then yes, I do know that very well! Now if that is all—’

  He cut her off, his tone a shade harder now. ‘Not quite. I forgot to tell you that I shall pick you up around twelve tomorrow to go to my solicitors to sign that contract. I believe that your solicitor was quite happy with it?’

  Helen couldn’t help the flush which stained her cheeks. Although there had been little comment from her solicitor when she had explained about the pre-nuptial agreement, she had sensed a certain well-concealed surprise. ‘Yes, he could find no problems with it.’

  ‘Good. Another thing out of the way.’ Jacob’s tone was bland, so why did she have the sudden and quite inexplicable feeling that he knew how emba
rrassed she felt?

  Helen’s blood began to boil at the thought, but before she could say anything he spoke again.

  ‘So I shall see you tomorrow, Helen. Oh, and don’t forget to switch that lamp off before you go to bed.’

  He cut the connection, leaving Helen staring down at the receiver in confusion for a few seconds before she dropped it back on to its rest and ran to the window just in time to see the car she’d noticed before pulling away from the kerb. It drew level with the street-lamp as it passed beneath the window and she had no difficulty in recognising Jacob before it roared away.

  Helen turned away from the window, automatically going back to switch off the lamp. Her hand rested on the switch for a moment, confusion clearly etched on her face before, with a determined flick of her fingers, she switched it off and plunged the room into darkness.

  She had no idea what sort of game Jacob was playing by following her home, and frankly she had no intention of standing there trying to work it out. She was going to bed and going to put Jacob Hunt right out of her mind for the rest of the night. What a pity she couldn’t put him right out of her life as well!

  CHAPTER FIVE

  HELEN was ready and dressed in a dark green wool suit and cream silk blouse, with her hair caught back from her face by two tortoiseshell combs, and with her temper hovering just a degree or two below boiling point, when Jacob arrived the next morning.

  Despite all her steely assertions, she had spent the night thinking about him, strange, disturbing dreams which once she had woken she had determinedly tried to erase from her mind. But just the sight of him standing at the door, immaculate as ever in a navy suit with a pale blue shirt, brought them all flooding back.

  She stalked back into the sitting-room and picked up her bag, willing herself to stay calm. They had been just dreams, that was all, strange, unsettling fantasies which had no basis in fact. Yet she couldn’t help but remember the sheer sensuality of them.

  ‘Someone seems to have got out of the wrong side of bed this morning.’ Jacob followed her into the room, walking calmly over to the window to push back the curtain in much the same way as she had the night before, and Helen felt her temper warm just one degree more.

  ‘I was perfectly fine until you arrived,’ she said sweetly. ‘I wonder if that could be any indication of what is wrong with me?’

  He smiled as he glanced back at her. ‘Temper, temper, Helen. What is the matter with you, my sweet? Surely you aren’t worried about signing this contract?’ He paused deliberately, big and powerful as he stood there and watched her with those dark blue eyes which seemed to see so much. Helen shifted uncomfortably, sliding the strap of her bag over her shoulder.

  ‘Why should I be worried about it? It was my suggestion after all, Jacob.’ She shrugged lightly as she started towards the door, but suddenly he was there before her, barring her way.

  ‘Then if it isn’t that, Helen, what is it?’ He studied her face, his eyes lingering on the faint blue shadows beneath her green eyes, mute testimony of the restless night she’d had. ‘You look tired. Didn’t you sleep well?’

  His voice sounded so soft and vibrant that a shiver ran through her and she looked away, terrified of what he might see. He couldn’t know why her night had been so restless, couldn’t see inside his head all the images which haunted her: Jacob bending to kiss her, his blue eyes glittering with a wild excitement; Jacob holding her in his arms as he stroked her body; Jacob moving over her to...

  She blanked the images from her mind, pushing past him to walk out of the door. She was shaking all over, her body strung so tightly that she felt the smallest wrong move would make her shatter into hundreds and thousands of tiny pieces. It took every scrap of strength she possessed to stand waiting for him to join her, when what she felt like doing was running away and hiding.

  ‘If I didn’t sleep well then I have you to blame for that, don’t I?’ She took the key from her bag to double-lock the front door, inwardly cursing herself when she saw the betraying trembling of her hands.

  Jacob calmly took the key from her and locked the door, then caught her hand, his fingers warm and steady as they closed over hers. ‘Then I must apologise.’ His mouth quirked attractively, his blue eyes very dark as they met hers. ‘I never meant to cause you a sleepless night, Helen.’

  Helen flushed, snatching her hand away from his as she dropped the key back into her bag. ‘I find that hard to believe! What were you doing outside the flat if you weren’t trying to disturb me?’

  ‘So that’s what this is all about.’ He led the way to the lift, pressing the button to summon it before leaning against the wall as he studied her with a slow smile.

  ‘Yes! I have no idea what you were up to last night, Jacob, but I don’t like having you follow me!’

  He straightened as the lift arrived, standing aside for her to precede him, but instead of pressing the button to take them down to the ground floor, he held the doors open. ‘For your information, Helen, I wasn’t up to anything at all other than ensuring that you arrived home safely.’ There was a hard edge to his voice now and she glared at him, hating to hear that note of rebuke.

  ‘And you expect me to believe that? Come on!’

  ‘I don’t expect you to believe anything I say, Helen. You’ve made it perfectly plain that you always suspect the worst from me, so why bother trying to convince you otherwise?’ He released the doors, turning away from her as he pressed the button for the ground floor.

  Helen stared at his broad back uncertainly. Had she done him an injustice by accusing him of having an ulterior motive? She wasn’t sure that she liked the idea, nor the fact that she was beginning to have doubts herself. She knew what Jacob was like! Anything he did had a purpose. Yet it seemed strangely hard to convince herself this time.

  In total silence she followed him out to where he had parked his big dark grey Mercedes, slipping into the passenger seat when he opened the door for her with a soft murmur of thanks. Yet when he slipped the key into the ignition to start the engine, she found she couldn’t hold back the questions any longer.

  ‘Was that really why you followed me, Jacob? Just to make sure I got home safely?’

  There was a soft hesitation in her voice and he turned to look at her, his blue eyes very dark as they rested on her face for a long moment which seemed to be suddenly strangely tense. Helen looked away, wishing she hadn’t spoken. There was just something in his eyes which made her feel suddenly uncertain, as though the ground had shifted beneath her feet to leave her off balance.

  ‘Yes. I didn’t like the thought of you making the journey by yourself at that time of night. Anything might have happened to you, Helen. And I didn’t want to take that sort of a chance.’

  His voice was strangely flat, devoid of the emotion she could sense lay behind that calm exterior, and Helen experienced a sudden crazy desire to make him admit what he really felt for once.

  ‘So it was more a case of you safeguarding your interests, was it, Jacob?’ She arched a slender brow, her tone deliberately challenging. ‘After all, you have admitted several times that I’m the last thing you need to add to your list of achievements, so how awful if anything had happened to me to thwart all those plans?’

  ‘How astute of you to realise it, my sweet. As you say, it would be galling to lose out now at the eleventh hour.’ He started the engine, then flicked her one last look. ‘I’m glad that you and I seem to understand one another so well, Helen.’

  Helen turned away, staring blankly out of the car window as she tried to hide the bitter disappointment she felt. What a fool she was to imagine even for a moment that Jacob had followed her home because he had been genuinely worried about her! The only thing that Jacob Hunt worried about was ensuring his own rotten plans worked out as he wanted them to!

  ‘Not sulking, are you, darling? I wonder why?’ There was a faint but unmistakable amusement in his voice as he turned the sleek car into the flow of traffic. Helen snapped her li
ps tightly together, refusing to give vent to all the sharp answers struggling to get free. She didn’t know what was worse, the mounting anger she felt at his single-mindedness or the strangely bitter sense of disappointment.

  Jacob laughed softly, steering the car skilfully through the maze of traffic. ‘Why do I get the idea that you’re annoyed? Was my answer not quite what you had been hoping for, darling?’

  ‘Don’t “darling” me, Jacob Hunt! I don’t need your sweet words or endearments. I know what you’re really like, don’t forget! I’m impervious to your particular brand of “charm”!’

  ‘You really are annoyed.’ There was satisfaction in his deep voice and in the slow look he gave her as they drew up outside the solicitor’s office. Jacob cut the engine, then continued to study her until Helen could feel the colour swimming into her face. She unfastened her seatbelt, her fingers all clumsy thumbs under the intent stare, then visibly jumped when Jacob reached across and laid his hand over hers.

  ‘I followed you home last night, Helen, because I was worried about you—you. Understand? It had nothing at all to do with any plans I may have made.’

  She couldn’t think what to say. Anything seemed to be fraught with danger. Just moments ago she had wanted to push Jacob into revealing his true feelings but now she knew that was the last thing she wanted!

  She dragged her hands away and fumbled with the door-lock, then stopped when she heard his soft laugh.

  ‘Does it scare you, Helen?’

  She glanced back at him, her eyes not quite meeting his in case he saw the confusion she felt. ‘I don’t know what you mean and I am sure that now isn’t the time to start a discussion about your possible motives. We shall be late.’