Lovestorm (Harlequin Treasury 1990's)

by Jennifer Taylor

  ‘What a little coward you really are, Helen. You’re afraid to see what’s staring you in the face.’ He caught her arm and turned her back, his fingers cool on her heated flesh as he lifted her chin and made her meet his steady gaze. ‘But one day soon, Helen, I’m going to make you face up to it all. I won’t let you run away from the truth as you’ve been running for years now.’

  She laughed harshly. ‘I must face up to the truth? That’s rich, Jacob, coming from you! If you tried facing up to all the rotten things you have done then maybe we would find something to talk about, but don’t hold your breath!’

  Anger glittered in his eyes and his grip tightened before he made an obvious effort to control himself. He let her go and drew back as he unfastened his seatbelt, a faint amusement in the look he gave her. ‘We’ll soon see, I expect, but, as you so rightly said, we don’t want to be late.’

  He climbed out of the car, walking smoothly round to open Helen’s door for her. She got out without a word, not waiting for him as she climbed the steps to the solicitor’s office. She didn’t want to think about what Jacob had meant, didn’t want to think about anything but signing the contract. That and getting even with him was all she was interested in. Something warned her that playing truth games with Jacob could prove to be a huge mistake!

  * * *

  By the time that Jacob dropped her off outside the flat later that afternoon, Helen was exhausted. It had taken longer than she’d expected at the solicitor’s office as the man had gone meticulously through every clause in the agreement. Helen couldn’t decide which had been worse, seeing all the terms and conditions written down in indisputable black and white, or the man’s fussy attention to every little detail. It had all seemed so sordid somehow, but there again no one could claim this forthcoming marriage had been made in heaven!

  The lifts were all in use so Helen took the stairs, climbing to the second floor to pause outside the door while she found her key. Her father would be at his club as usual, reading the papers and chatting with his friends. Marrying Jacob meant that his routine wouldn’t have to change now that he was going to remain in the flat. It was some sort of consolation at least.

  ‘Helen.’

  She gave a small cry of alarm and dropped her bag, her hand going instinctively to her throat to stem the wild leaping of her pulse as she suddenly recognised the man standing in the shadows. ‘Richard! What are you doing here?’

  He moved towards her, a faint frown on his face as he studied her. ‘I had to come, Helen. I didn’t mean to scare you, though.’

  Helen shook her head, bending down to pick up the contents of her bag which had scattered halfway across the small hallway. ‘It doesn’t matter. I—I was just surprised to see you, that’s all.’

  ‘I’m sure you were.’ There was more than a hint of bitterness in Richard’s voice and Helen shot him a worried glance. She had not heard a word from him since that dreadful day in Jacob’s office. Several times she had toyed with the idea of writing to him or even telephoning, but each time decided against it. What could she say, after all, apart from repeating her apologies for the way she had hurt him? She wasn’t fool enough to think that Jacob hadn’t meant that warning he had issued. She felt so guilty, but how could she make Richard understand that she had done everything with the best of intentions yet not tell him the truth?

  She straightened up, forcing a smile as she unlocked the door. ‘Would you like to come in, Richard? I could make us some coffee, perhaps.’

  He nodded abruptly, walking past her to stop in the middle of the sitting-room and stare round in a way which made Helen strangely uneasy. ‘I think I would prefer a drink, Helen.’

  Helen paused in the middle of taking off her jacket, frowning at him. ‘A drink? But you never drink in the middle of the day.’

  ‘Then maybe it’s about time I changed my habits.’ He walked over to where the drinks were arranged on a small table and poured himself a generous measure of whisky, downing half of it before slamming the glass down on the tray with enough force to make Helen wince. ‘Maybe I should change a lot of things about myself, Helen. What do you say?’

  ‘I don’t know what to say, if you want the truth.’ She sat down on the edge of the sofa, her hands clasped in her lap. She had never seen Richard behaving like this before. It was completely out of character.

  ‘Oh, I would like the truth all right, Helen. I would really like to hear it.’ He picked up the glass and drank the rest of the whisky, then refilled it, staring at her over the top. ‘So come on, Helen, why not tell me just what made you decide to marry a bastard like Jacob Hunt?’

  Helen jumped to her feet, her face paling. ‘Richard, I really don’t know what’s come over you coming here like this.’

  ‘Don’t you?’ He laughed harshly, swallowing the whisky before tossing the glass carelessly back on to the tray. ‘You treat me like some sort of fool for months, stringing me along, then dump me, and you want to know what’s the matter with me.’ He moved towards her so fast that Helen had no chance to avoid him as he caught her by the shoulders and shook her hard.

  ‘It wasn’t like that! Please, Richard, you must understand that I never intended to hurt you.’ She tried to struggle free, but although Richard was only slightly built he was far too strong for her to escape him.

  ‘You never intended to hurt me?’ He mimicked her tone, his face faintly flushed. Helen could smell the whisky on his breath and wondered if he had been drinking before he’d come, yet it didn’t add up to the picture she held of him. Dear, kind, patient Richard had never acted like this before! That he was acting this way now was all her fault.

  The thought made her ache for the distress she had caused him, and she stopped struggling. ‘No, I didn’t. You must believe me, Richard.’

  ‘Yet the minute I left the country you made a play for Jacob Hunt? Or did you wait until I had left? Maybe you were seeing him before then?’ His eyes glittered with a feverish light, his hands bruising her shoulders through the thin cream blouse.

  ‘No! You’re wrong. Jacob and I—well, we explained the situation to you the other day.’

  ‘Of course you did. It was all like some bolt out of the blue, you both suddenly discovered that you were in love? How wonderfully romantic it all sounds, yet I’ve been thinking about you and me, Helen, recently.’ His hands slid down her spine to curve around her buttocks as he drew her closer. ‘I always went along with what you wanted, didn’t I? You set the rules and would never allow me to break them, but maybe that was a mistake. I can’t imagine that Hunt was so patient and maybe I should take a leaf out of his book.’

  His head came down, his lips bruising as he kissed her with a harsh brutality which terrified her. Helen struggled wildly, one part of her unable to believe what was happening. This was Richard! Dear, patient, Richard...

  With a sudden surge of strength she pushed him away from her and ran to the front door, her only thought to get out of the flat before he caught her. Her fingers fumbled with the lock before she managed to get it open, then she gave a scream of shock as she found Jacob outside the door.

  ‘Helen? What the hell is going on here?’ Jacob’s face was taut with anger, his blue eyes glittering as they studied her pale face, the bruised swell of her mouth, before they lifted and focused on the man who had followed her into the hall. Helen went cold at the expression on his face as he took a slow step past her.

  ‘No! Jacob—Richard is just upset. He...’

  He set her aside, barely sparing her a glance, his whole attention focused on the fair-haired man who was standing uncertainly a few feet away. ‘Go into the sitting-room, Helen, and leave this to me.’

  ‘Jacob, you—’

  He cut her off, his eyes like ice, his voice so harsh and unrelenting that she flinched. ‘Go!’

  Without another word she ran into the sitting-room and sank down on to the sofa, huddling into a tight little ball, of pain and misery. She could hear voices outside in the hall, b
ut in a remarkably short time they stopped. Yet when she heard footsteps crossing the room towards her, she couldn’t look up. She knew who they belonged to, of course. Richard would never have stood a chance against the fury she had witnessed on Jacob’s face just now.

  ‘Here, drink this. You look as though you need it.’ He held a glass out to her containing a small measure of brandy, but Helen shook her head.

  ‘No, I don’t want it.’

  He swore softly, dropping down beside her on the sofa and turning her to face him while he held the glass to her lips. ‘I said drink it. You look as though you’re going to pass out at any minute, from the colour of you.’

  Helen took a tiny sip, then winced as she felt it sting the inside of her lip. Tentatively she ran the tip of her finger across the sore spot, surprised to find that it was bleeding. She looked up at Jacob in shock and knew that if she lived to be a hundred she would never forget the expression on his face just then. He looked as though he could happily commit murder, his face set into rigid lines, his eyes so dark with fury that they appeared black. Without a word he got up and Helen could hear him running water before he came back with a cloth and handed it to her.

  ‘That should take the swelling down although it’s going to be sore for a day or two. I wish to God I’d followed my instincts and given Jackson a taste of his own medicine instead of just throwing him out!’

  Helen held the cloth to her mouth, closing her eyes to hold back the tears. She had never felt so ashamed in her whole life. All this had been her fault; she had driven Richard to act so completely out of character. Tears slid from under her closed lids and she heard Jacob give a rough exclamation as he took the cloth out of her hand then drew her to her feet, holding her close against him as he stroked her hair and murmured a string of meaningless, barely heard words of comfort.

  Helen had no idea how long she stayed like that in his arms, crying out all her fear and pain and humiliation. All she knew was that it felt good to feel his strong body so close, to feel his hands firm yet strangely soothing as they smoothed over her dishevelled hair, to hear the throbbing depth of his voice rumbling in her ear. When she finally drew away from him he studied her in silence, then gently smoothed the pads of his thumbs under her eyes to wipe away the last of her tears in a gesture which seemed strangely gentle for a man like Jacob.

  ‘All right now?’

  There was something in his voice which made a shudder race through her, and Helen drew further away from him, suddenly afraid. The Jacob Hunt she was used to she could handle, but this man, this tender, gentle stranger was outside her experience.

  ‘Yes. I—I’m fine now. Thank you.’ She sounded stilted to her own ears and to Jacob’s, she didn’t doubt, and hurried on. ‘What happened before, Jacob—it was all just a misunderstanding, I’m sure.’

  ‘A misunderstanding?’ He stiffened at once, all traces of tenderness fading so abruptly that Helen wondered if she must have imagined them. ‘There was no misunderstanding, Helen. If I hadn’t arrived when I did, then I leave you to imagine what might have happened!’

  Her face flamed at his bluntness but she faced him proudly. ‘Richard was upset. Normally he wouldn’t dream of acting the way he did just now. I’m not making excuses for him but I can understand the strain he must have been under recently.’

  ‘And that’s why he came here and virtually assaulted you?’ Jacob laughed harshly, his eyes blazing so that Helen took an instinctive step back. ‘But of course it’s all understandable in the circumstances. Normally, Richard would never do such a thing. He’s too much of a gentleman for that!’

  His sarcasm stung, and she glared back at him. ‘Richard was hurt, and no wonder. Perhaps it’s difficult for you to appreciate the kind of anguish he has been going through, Jacob!’

  He seemed to tower over her, his body rigid. ‘Yes, it is difficult, my sweet. Difficult to understand why you are prepared to excuse behaviour which is totally inexcusable. But then we are talking about Richard, aren’t we? And you know exactly what he is like the same as you know exactly what I am like. And nothing will ever change your views!’

  He turned on his heel and strode towards the door, yet suddenly Helen knew that she couldn’t let him leave like this. There had been something in his voice just now which had sounded almost like pain, but that was ridiculous. Jacob was invulnerable. No one could ever hurt him! Yet the sheer craziness of the thought drove her to call him back.

  ‘Wait! Jacob—please.’

  He paused and glanced back, his face betraying little as he stared at her. ‘What now?’ He smiled suddenly in a way which made her heart turn over at the savagery of it. ‘But of course, Helen. Are you worried that I might do the sensible thing and inform Richard that he no longer has a job with my company? Were you going to plead with me to be lenient with him?’ He laughed deeply. ‘Don’t worry, darling. Every dog is allowed one bite after all, and that was Richard’s.’

  Helen flushed, searching his face for any sign of what she’d thought she might see, but there was nothing and she experienced a strange disappointment she couldn’t explain and didn’t enjoy. It made her reply far more tartly than she’d intended to. ‘No. I wouldn’t waste my breath doing that, Jacob. You’re impervious to pleas of any kind. I shall just put my faith in that contract we signed today.’

  Jacob smiled tightly, feeling in his jacket pocket to pull out a long manila envelope. ‘And that’s why I came back here.’ He tossed the envelope on to the desk. ‘It’s your copy of our agreement, Helen. You left it behind in the car, so I thought I had better bring it round for you to put in a safe place. Good job I did, eh? Still, at least you know where you stand with me.’

  He left without another word or backward glance, closing the door quietly behind him. Helen went to the desk and picked up the envelope, holding it between both her hands like a lifeline.

  She knew exactly where she stood with Jacob all right, she had known that right from the beginning. So why did it suddenly feel as though the ground had shifted under her feet again? Why, when she thought she knew everything there was to know about him, did there seem to be so many unanswered questions? And why should she even care what they were all of a sudden?

  CHAPTER SIX

  THERE was a bowl of flowers on the registrar’s desk. Their scent filled the air, heavy and cloying, making her feel sick.

  Helen lifted a hand to wipe away a bead of perspiration from her upper lip, then stopped when her fingers brushed against the stiffness of the veil on her hat. Her hand dropped to her side, her fingers clenching and unclenching on the fine cream cashmere cloth of her suit. She’d thought that she could go through with this, thought that the burning hatred and desire for revenge would be enough, but now she wasn’t certain any longer. How could she marry Jacob and make what must surely be the biggest mistake of her life?

  Panic seemed to claw inside her breast and she half turned, then felt Jacob’s fingers close around her hand. ‘Are you all right, Helen?’

  His voice barely carried above the solid drone of the registrar’s as he carried on with the wedding service, oblivious to all the undercurrents. Helen drew in a steadying breath then glanced up into Jacob’s dark face as she searched for—what? Some sign that he felt as uneasy as she did about what they were doing? But there was nothing in his blue eyes or on that strongly carved face which even hinted at uncertainty. Jacob had made his plans and carried them through, one by one, and now she had to be just as determined as he in order to make him pay for every single thing he had done!

  When the registrar asked for her responses she gave them in a steady voice, staring straight into Jacob’s eyes so that he could see the hatred and contempt she felt for him. Yet when it came to his turn to repeat the words of commitment Helen felt a shudder run through her. Jacob sounded as though he meant the words he spoke in that deep, steady voice, meant this marriage to be real and lasting.

  Her pulse leapt, beating wildly under the strong fingers encircli
ng her wrist, and she knew at once that he had felt it. She wanted to snatch her hand away to stop him feeling the betraying sign of weakness, but that would have been even more of a betrayal in a way. The one thing she must never let Jacob start to think was that he could affect her in any way physically. Something warned her that would be far too dangerous.

  When the registrar gave permission for Jacob to kiss the bride, Helen steeled herself, but he did no more than brush her mouth with his before he drew away and turned to smile at the few people who had been invited to the ceremony. Apart from her father, Helen hadn’t wanted anyone to be there and Jacob had taken her at her word, so that she knew no one else in the party apart from a woman in her late fifties who seemed vaguely familiar. Even as she watched, the woman hurried forwards, smiling as she hugged Jacob and kissed his cheek, then turned to Helen.

  ‘I don’t think you really remember me, do you, dear?’ At Helen’s shake of her head, the woman laughed and patted her arm. ‘No, I realised that you didn’t when you walked past me before. I’m Jacob’s mother.’

  Helen stared at the older woman in astonishment, trying hard to reconcile the mental picture she had from years before with the elegant stranger. Margaret Hunt had kept very much to herself when she had lived in the village, but Helen could only ever remember seeing her simply dressed in chainstore clothes which bore little resemblance to the couture outfit she was wearing now. With her silver-streaked dark hair drawn on top of her head in an elegant coil, the woman looked far different from how Helen remembered and she found it hard to hide her astonishment, but Jacob’s mother didn’t seem at all perturbed.

  ‘I know. I’m not at all like you remember, mainly because of all these beautiful clothes Jacob insists on buying for me.’ She turned to smile lovingly at her son, pride shining in the blue eyes which were so like Jacob’s before she turned back to Helen. ‘I just want to wish you both every happiness. I never thought the day would come when Jacob’s dearest wish would come true. When he rang to tell me that you had agreed to marry him—well!’ She bent forward and kissed Helen’s cheek. ‘I’m sure I don’t need to tell you what a wonderful husband he will make you, Helen. I’m sure you know all his good points.’