‘You forget yourself, mi esposa. I will not have you speaking to me like that!’
‘Then what do you intend to do about it? Are you going to find some fresh way to punish me for my temerity in speaking the truth? Surely you don’t intend to resort to physical violence, Luis? But then there aren’t that many options left after what you have already done!’
‘Why should you imagine I would have to resort to violence to bring you into line? There are other far more effective ways.’ His head came down, his mouth bruising as he kissed her with little regard for her feelings. Laura struggled, beating her fist against his shoulder to make him stop but he merely trapped her hand and twisted it behind her back, drawing her even closer as he forced her mouth open so that he could kiss her with a thoroughness which was an insult by being so devoid of emotion.
When he raised his head to stare arrogantly into her face, she was shaking, silent tears running down her face. He had never kissed her that way before, not even during that bitter lovemaking they had shared. Now she felt cheapened by it, as though he had deliberately set out to teach her how little he cared for her. It was only the thought of what he would do to Rachel that stopped her from leaping from the car and running away again.
‘Perhaps you understand now how foolish it is to speak to me in such a way, Laura. I will not tolerate it.’
‘I understand perfectly. Don’t worry, I won’t make the same mistake again. I have no inclination to have you teach me another lesson like that!’
His eyes narrowed dangerously. ‘Careful, querida. Once again you come within a hair’s breadth of going too far.’
‘By whose standards? Yours, Luis?’ She laughed shrilly, pushing the long blonde hair back from her face. ‘That’s the real problem, isn’t it? I don’t meet your exacting standards and you can’t accept that. But before we go any further I think we should get a few things straight.’
‘You aren’t in any position to lay down conditions, Laura. I hold all the cards. Your friend’s future lies in my hands. You can merely accede to my wishes and make things easier for her and her family.’
‘You would really do this? Cause Rachel and her father to lose their home? You must know that her father is a very sick man and that a shock like this could kill him!’
‘But it isn’t going to get to that, is it, querida? You will ensure that doesn’t happen?’
His arrogance fuelled her anger. He knew that she would have to agree to everything he demanded! ‘I can’t believe that anyone could be this cold-blooded, not even you, Luis, and heaven knows I’ve had proof of it in the past!’
‘I cannot see why you are so surprised. Surely you didn’t think I would be prepared to let you go after what you did?’
‘It would have been less painful if you had, for you as well as me. Do you really imagine that you will enjoy having me back in the role of your wife knowing that I have been forced into it?’
He shrugged dismissively, running a hand lightly around the steering-wheel. ‘You are making this sound far more dramatic than it really is. I just want my wife back, Laura. Divorce is out of the question so it makes sense that we should resume our marriage.’
‘And what does your family think of this?’ She laughed a touch hysterically. Even for the sake of appearances it was going to be hard to act the part of the loving wife when she knew how Luis felt about her. ‘What does your mother feel about having me back as her daughter-in-law? She made it blatantly obvious that she didn’t welcome me before and now that this has happened she must feel that all her worst fears about my unsuitability have been confirmed.’
‘I have not discussed any of this with my mother or any members of my family. For your information, Laura, everyone believes that you have been away with my blessing.’ He smiled at her gasp of surprise. ‘You are not the only one adept at keeping a secret, pequeña. I kept the reason for your sudden absence a secret also.’
‘But how? And why? What did you tell everyone?’
‘The how was simple. I merely let it be known that you had returned to England to stay with a sick friend. A small distortion of the truth, you must admit. As for why—well, I didn’t see that it would serve any useful purpose to discuss matters that concern no one but us. It is enough that I should have to live with the knowledge of your deceit. To imagine that others were discussing it would be unacceptable.’
He sounded so hard and unyielding that her heart wept. It just emphasised how little his attitude had changed in these past two months. If anything it had hardened because now a desire for revenge had been added to his anger. Had he ever really loved her? Laura doubted it. He had wanted her physically and married her because of that desire, but love? If he had loved her, then surely he would be able to reach beyond his pain and anger?
‘I am just surprised that you can bear the thought of having me back, Luis,’ she said softly, bitterly. ‘Are you sure you can face the thought of sharing your life with a woman like me just for the sake of appearances so that the great name of Rivera won’t be damaged in any way?’
‘It will not be easy, but there will be compensations.’ His voice was equally quiet yet it seemed to strum along her nerves and make her whole body tense.
‘What do you mean?’
‘I should have thought that was obvious, my love. Our marriage is a fact that cannot be changed so we shall have to make the best of it, enjoy the benefits.’ His eyes drifted over her slender body then returned to linger on the bruised swell of her lips in a look she could feel because of its very sensuality. When he suddenly reached over and ran his thumb across her mouth she started violently, her heart hammering until she felt giddy from the fast surge of blood along her veins.
He watched her in silence then slowly withdrew his hand. ‘Neither of us can deny that we still find one another attractive. There is still that spark, that hot sexuality, isn’t there, Laura? That will be compensation enough...for now.’
She reeled back away from him, hating the fact that he understood all the feelings his touch evoked. Their relationship had always been a sensual one even in its darkest moments but she couldn’t bear the thought of having him treat her the way he had again. ‘I won’t let you use me again, Luis.’ Her voice was harsh with pain and she saw him frown but she had to make him understand how she felt. ‘I couldn’t bear to have you...touch me the way you did before I left!’
‘I don’t see that you have any choice in the matter. You are my wife. You will share my life, share my home and share my bed.’
‘No!’ She reached for the door-handle, desperate to end this painful meeting.
‘Yes.’ He pulled her back to him, determination etched on his face. ‘This will be a marriage in every sense of the word.’ He laughed suddenly as he smoothed his hand up her arm and along her shoulder, tracing the delicate bones. ‘It won’t be such a hardship, Laura, will it? You know that I can make you want me.’
His fingers trailed up her neck to stroke tantalisingly around the curve of her ear, making her shudder in helpless response. He smiled, intent written all over his handsome face as he started to bend towards her, but she pushed him away. ‘Stop it!’
‘What are you so afraid of, querida? You know you want me to kiss you, want to feel my hands on your body.’ His hand slid down to her breast, cupping it as he smoothed the nipple with his thumb to bring it surging to life. ‘Even though you claim to have hated how I made love to you after I discovered your secret you still responded to me as you are responding to me now.’
His words filled her with shame and she closed her eyes against the truth of what he said. She had both hated and longed for his touch. He had been able to rouse her to mindless passion, making her cling to him and call out his name, yet there had been no love in his lovemaking, just a cold, clinical desire to impose his will on her as a punishment. Now the thought of having him treat her that way again was too much.
Tears ran unheeded down her cheeks as she waited to feel his mouth claiming hers
in a kiss that would reflect all her fears, so that it took a moment to realise that he was drawing away from her. She opened her eyes, trying to understand why he had changed his mind, but there was little to be gleaned from his expression. He obviously understood her confusion because he smiled coldly as he gestured towards the road.
‘This is neither the time nor the place. I prefer to kiss you somewhere more private where we won’t be interrupted.’
Her heart sank, the hope that had started to blossom wilting. She was a fool to imagine that he might care about her feelings! ‘I hate you, Luis!’
‘Do you?’ He shrugged dismissively. ‘I’m afraid it’s of little consequence now. Have you done as I asked and packed your things ready to leave?’
‘No! How can I go when Rachel is so upset because of what you’ve orchestrated?’
‘And how can you stay when doing so jeopardises her future even more? Don’t play games with me, Laura. You will not win, be sure of that.’
‘I am not playing games! Even you must see that I can’t walk out on her today now that this has happened.’ Icy contempt laced her angry voice but he was unperturbed by it.
‘Rachel is an adult. She doesn’t need you to hold her hand.’
‘No, she doesn’t, but she does need support, something to get her through this mess.’ She stopped, struck by a sudden thought. ‘You do intend to sort this out? You aren’t just trying to trick me, making me believe that it will all be cleared up if I go with you only to find that you have done nothing to solve Rachel’s problems?’
‘I shall start the process as long as I have your word that you will accompany me back to Spain tonight.’ He paused to study her with cool hauteur. ‘However, Laura, I am not a fool, so do not make the mistake of taking me for one, will you?’
‘I don’t know what you mean.’
‘No? Perhaps I am being overly cautious but I prefer to foresee all eventualities. That being the case, I shall, as I said, start the process to ease Rachel’s financial problems by ensuring that her brother gets this new contract he is bidding for. It will enable him to pay something towards the loan, enough to satisfy the finance company at least. However you must always remember that your friend’s future security depends upon your own behaviour.’ He smiled briefly at her shocked expression. ‘You behave as the wife of Luis de Rivera should and there will be no problems for her. But if you do anything foolish, Laura, like running away again, then Rachel will bear the consequences. You have just this one chance to save your friend. Is that clear?’
‘Oh, I understand. All of it! You are despicable, Luis. Totally and utterly despicable. Have you no heart at all?’
Anger shimmered in his black eyes, burning her with its heat as he bent towards her. ‘No. If I ever did have a heart then you destroyed it, Laura. You, with your lies and deceit!’ He drew back abruptly, glancing at the thin gold watch strapped to his wrist. ‘There is a flight at seven this evening. I shall re-book our seats for then. Make sure that you are ready when I come for you, querida. I shall accept no excuses and make no allowances. Your future and that of Rachel and her family lies in your hands.’
He started the engine, waiting while she got out before driving away. Laura watched him go with a pain so great tearing at her heart that she felt as though it was being ripped to shreds. There was no way she seemed able to break through that wall of ice he’d surrounded himself with. He hated her for what he saw as her deliberate treachery, and she hated him for the way he was prepared to do anything to make her pay.
How could they make a life together founded on such bitterness and hatred? They would end up by destroying each other, yet there seemed no way out, when Luis was so determined to get his revenge.
CHAPTER THREE
LAURA settled back as the plane started its descent. Their flight had been delayed so that by the time they had changed planes in Madrid to fly on to Jerez de la Frontera, where Luis lived, they had been travelling for several hours. Now she could feel weariness enveloping her but she couldn’t afford to relax. There was still the coming meeting with Luis’s family to get through.
She glanced round at him and felt a sudden stab of fear. How could they hope to convince everyone that theirs was a proper marriage when they felt the way they did?
He must have felt her gaze because he looked up suddenly, his expression shuttered. What was he thinking, feeling? Was he worried about this coming meeting as she was, or was that cool confidence of his so great that he was certain it would all go as he had planned?
‘What is it, Laura?’ His voice was quiet so that it wouldn’t carry to the seats behind, but she started nervously. ‘If there is a problem then I wish to hear about it before we reach the house, so what is worrying you now?’
She laughed bitterly. ‘Arriving at the house is what’s worrying me, Luis! There’s no way that people are going to believe this marriage of ours is a love match!’
Her voice had risen to carry clearly to the elderly couple seated behind them and Luis’s face tightened as his fingers fastened around hers on the arm of the chair. ‘That is enough. No one will believe it if you act like that! Remember that it is up to you what happens to your friend. You must convince my family that our marriage was founded in heaven and that we couldn’t be happier.’
The cold, hard sarcasm hurt and Laura looked away as her eyes misted with tears. How could he hope to fool his family and friends when every word he said betrayed his hatred of her? ‘It won’t work, Luis. Nobody is going to believe that we are madly in love.’
‘No?’ He reached over and turned her face to his. ‘People will see what we want them to see and believe what we want them to believe. It’s as simple as that.’ His voice dropped an octave, dark and deep and deliciously sensuous as he bent closer to her. ‘We still feel passion for one another, that same desire that brought us together once before. Others will see that and misinterpret it as love.’ He ran his thumb across her mouth and smiled at her soft indrawn gasp of breath. ‘Heaven knows I was fool enough to make that same mistake myself, so there is no reason why others won’t make the same one as long as you play your part as well as I know you are capable of. You are an accomplished actress, mi esposa, so now it is up to you to put your talent to full use again.’
She snatched her head away. ‘I keep telling you, Luis, that it wasn’t an act! I loved you. I wanted to marry you but I never set out to trick you.’
‘And that was why you lied to me? You made me out to be a fool, Laura, and if that is your idea of love then I am only glad neither of us feels that way any longer.’
He turned away, his face stern and remote once more. Laura swallowed down her pain. He would never understand; she had struck a blow against that fierce pride of his and he would never forgive her for that. It would always lie between them, and not for the first time she wished she could turn back the clock and erase that brief love-affair she’d had while she was at university. But that was impossible. It was a part of her past that had formed her into the woman she was today, and if Luis couldn’t accept that then he could never accept her.
* * *
It was almost dark when the chauffeur-driven car turned into the drive of the Casa de Flores, Luis’s home. Conversation had been non-existent on the short drive from the airport. Luis had seemed engrossed in his own thoughts and Laura had shied away from making conversation when all it seemed to do was lead to arguments.
Now she sat silently as the car made its way up the sweeping driveway. It was so dark that she could barely see the rolling acres of vineyards where the Palomino grapes were grown. Luis’s family owned a small bodega by comparison to some in the area but the sherry they produced was the finest quality and much sought after throughout the world. In recent years demand for sherry had decreased as the drink had become less fashionable, so that thousands of acres were being uprooted to prevent a glut on the market which would bring prices down. But the wine the Riveras produced was still in great demand, especially in Hol
land where fine dry sherries were still so popular. By any standards Luis was a wealthy man who held a position of power and standing in the community, and she would be expected to live up to those exacting standards. It was a thought which filled her with fear in the present circumstances.
‘There is no going back, Laura. You gave me your word and you must understand the consequences of going back on it.’
How had he known what she was feeling? She had no idea but it shook her. In silence she watched as the house came closer, feeling tension coiling in her stomach. Luis’s family had never really welcomed her, making it plain that they would have preferred him to marry someone far more suitable to their lifestyle but he had been determined. How he must be regretting it now!
Her eyes were haunted as she climbed out of the car but Luis appeared not to notice as he dismissed the chauffeur and took her arm to escort her up the steps and in through the huge double oak doors which led into an enormous black-and white-tiled entrance hall. An ornate brass and crystal chandelier reflected off the heavy dark oak furniture, highlighting the patina of centuries. Luis’s family had built the house in the seventeenth century and lived there ever since, a fact that Doña Elena had never tired of reminding Laura about to emphasise the differences in their backgrounds. Now, as she heard the click of heels on the tiled floor behind them, she steeled herself for the coming meeting.
She turned slowly then felt herself go cold when she saw the woman standing there, a woman she had learned to mistrust even more than Luis’s mother.
‘You are late, Luis. Doña Elena sends her apologies but she has retired for the night. I offered to stay to meet you instead.’ Mercedes Lorca came forwards, her dark eyes flickering from Luis to Laura as she moved with her customary sinuous grace. As always she was immaculately dressed, her black hair smoothed into a classical chignon, her full lips tinted red to match the slim-fitting dress which hugged her voluptuous figure. Laura was instantly conscious of her own travel-weary state and knew without a doubt that had been Mercedes’s intention.
Spanish Nights (Harlequin Treasury 1990's) Page 3
