Spanish Nights (Harlequin Treasury 1990's)

by Jennifer Taylor

  She stiffened under the cold scrutiny, seeing beneath the veneer of politeness. Mercedes had hated Laura from the outset, barely hiding her animosity whenever they were alone. From what Laura had gleaned, everyone had expected Luis to marry her, a marriage which would have been a suitable bonding of two people from similar backgrounds and the joining of two important sherry producing families.

  Laura could have accepted and made allowances for Mercedes’s hostility in those circumstances and even have attempted to win the other woman over. What she couldn’t accept was the way the older woman had deliberately set out to drive a wedge between her and Luis. After Luis had found out about her past, it had been Mercedes he had turned to for comfort, and that was something Laura could never forgive or forget!

  ‘Laura, how are you? I don’t know if your stay away from us has done you any good. You look extremely tired.’

  The smile on the older woman’s face might have fooled some, but it didn’t fool Laura. She stared coolly back, keeping the anger from her voice so that Mercedes wouldn’t know she had scored a point. ‘It has been a tiring journey and a tiring few months. It is probably a good job that Luis insisted I return now. Being here with him will soon cure my tiredness.’

  She slid her hand into Luis’s arm, watching the quick flash of anger in Mercedes’s eyes before she carefully concealed it. With a non-committal murmur the woman led the way towards the small salon, leaving Laura and Luis to follow.

  ‘And what was that all about? I will not tolerate you being rude to guests, Laura.’ Luis’s voice was steely as he drew her back but all of a sudden she didn’t care. How many times had she suffered some spiteful comment Mercedes had made rather than cause a scene.

  ‘I was as polite as Mercedes was. You might not be able to see what she is up to but I am not blind to her tricks.’

  ‘And what tricks are those?’ He moved closer, smiling faintly when she started nervously as his arm brushed the side of her breast.

  ‘She...she has never liked me. She has done everything in her power to put a wedge between us and ruin our marriage.’

  He laughed harshly. ‘She has done that? If anyone has ruined our marriage it is you, querida.’

  ‘Maybe I am to blame, but if Mercedes hadn’t welcomed you then maybe we could have talked things through. If she hadn’t been so quick to offer comfort, Luis, we might have had a chance to resolve our problems.’

  ‘You really think it could have been that simple? If Mercedes had closed the door on our friendship then we would still be enjoying a real marriage, not this mockery?’ His anger was rising but hers spiralled to meet it as she remembered the pain and heartache she’d felt on realising that Luis had turned to another woman for comfort.

  ‘Closing the door to you wasn’t the only thing she should have done. She should have kept you out of her bed as well, Luis!’

  He went still, his body rigid then suddenly he laughed in a way which sent a disturbing shudder through her. He cupped her cheek with one hand, his fingers smoothing its softness to leave behind a trail of fire and a turbulence of emotions which deafened her to what he was saying. It was only when she noticed the cold mockery on his face that she dragged herself free of the sensuous spell.

  ‘What...what did you say?’ Her voice was husky, betraying, and she saw his smile deepen.

  ‘I said that it was flattering to realise that you could still be jealous about me and other women, Laura. Especially in view of the fact that you have been at great pains to tell me how you no longer feel anything for me.’

  ‘I am not jealous. I’m not! I don’t care who you see or who...’

  ‘I sleep with? Is that what you are trying to say, pequeña? How understanding of you. A man is lucky to have a wife like you, a woman who understands his peccadilloes.’

  Laura turned her head away, afraid of what he might see in her expression. She shouldn’t feel jealous of Luis and Mercedes or of him sleeping with any other woman. She hated him! It didn’t matter whom he took to his bed and made love to! Yet the thought of him holding another woman in his arms and murmuring to her as his hands stroked her flesh as he had once done with her was almost more than she could bear.

  In silence she let Luis lead her to the small, elegant salon where Mercedes was pouring coffee from a heavy silver pot into wafer-thin cups. She glanced up as they walked into the room then smiled with a faint satisfaction when she saw the tension that was evident between them. Handing them both cups of the fragrant brew, she sat down on one of the silk-covered chairs and spoke to Luis in rapid Spanish before breaking off with a false little laugh.

  ‘Oh, forgive me, Laura. I keep forgetting that your knowledge of our language is limited. You really must make an effort to learn it properly now that you are back again. That is, assuming that you intend to stay this time.’

  The woman’s voice was bland but Laura shot a quick look at Luis. He had said that he’d told no one about what had happened but did that include Mercedes? Suddenly she couldn’t stand the thought of the woman knowing her secret and gloating about what it had done to her marriage. However before she could say anything Luis took her hand and raised it to his lips.

  ‘Laura has promised me that she will be staying here with me from now on. Isn’t that so, mi esposa?‘

  His words were a parody of the truth. Laura glared at him, taking care that Mercedes didn’t see the look she gave him. ‘Yes. You know I did, darling.’

  Mercedes obviously didn’t like the exchange, missing the undercurrents. She set her cup down then stood up and smoothed her dress over her hips. ‘I am sure that your mother will be pleased to hear that news, Luis. Laura’s prolonged absence has caused her some concern and in her state of health that is something I am sure you wish to avoid.’

  ‘Of course. I am grateful for the time you have devoted to her recently, Mercedes. With my sister away studying in Paris and I going to England to collect Laura, Madre would have been on her own these past few days.’

  Mercedes smiled with satisfaction, shooting a look at Laura who was silently watching the exchange. ‘What else should close family friends do, Luis? You know that I am only too pleased to help in any way I can.’ She gave a tinkly little laugh which grated on every one of Laura’s overstretched nerves. ‘After all, I have been such a frequent visitor to this house over the years when we were growing up that it is almost my second home! Now if you will both excuse me I must go.’

  ‘How did you get here? By car? I didn’t notice it outside.’ Luis stood up, his smile warm and natural. They made such a perfect couple, Laura thought with a pang of regret, both tall and elegant and aristocratic. Did Luis regret not marrying Mercedes instead of her? Maybe if she had listened to the advice people had tried to give her before they married then they wouldn’t all be in this mess now. But she had loved Luis so much that it had closed her mind to reason. And now she would have to pay the price.

  ‘My car is in the garage for repair. Some tiresome problem with the gearbox, I believe. Domingo drove me over this afternoon. I shall ring home and see if he can collect me.’

  ‘There is no need to do that, Mercedes. Naturally I shall be only too pleased to drive you home.’ Luis laughed. ‘Anyway, knowing that brother of yours, I doubt he will be in at this time of the night!’

  ‘If you are sure it isn’t too much trouble.’ Mercedes turned to Laura, not bothering to hide her triumph. ‘I hope you don’t mind, Laura.’

  ‘Of course not.’ Laura determinedly held her own smile, refusing to let the other woman know how much she disliked the idea. She got up and walked into the hall with them, forcing herself not to flinch when Luis bent and pressed a cool kiss to her cheek.

  ‘I won’t be long,’ he said politely. ‘You must be tired after your journey though so don’t wait up for me.’

  Her eyes glittered back into his, letting him know exactly what she thought of his advice and the reasons for it. ‘Don’t worry, I shan’t. Take your time, darling. There’s no
need to rush back on my account. I’m sure that you and Mercedes must have a lot to catch up on.’

  His mouth thinned at the barely veiled sarcasm in her soft voice, his expression promising retribution when he returned, but rashly Laura didn’t care. She was tired of bowing to his whims and following his orders. It was about time she showed him he might come to regret forcing her to return like this.

  However, her bravado lasted little longer than it took for Luis to escort Mercedes to the car. Was this going to be the pattern for many nights to come? Would she be left alone here while Luis spent his time with other women? If that was so then she didn’t know how she was going to bear it. Luis had set out to seek revenge and from the look of it he was going to be successful, because there wasn’t a thing she could do to stop him.

  * * *

  Laura didn’t expect to sleep but exhaustion had taken its toll. She fell into a restless sleep, to awaken several hours later with panic clawing at the edges of her consciousness. She sat up in the huge bed and took gulping breaths of air while she fought against the nightmares, but it took a long time for them to go.

  Being back in the house and in this room she and Luis had shared had served to heighten the dreams which had haunted her for months. Now it seemed impossible to clear the images from her mind and she moaned softly in distress.

  ‘What is it, Laura? Are you ill?’ Luis’s voice was soft but she gave a sharp cry of alarm. He muttered something rough half under his breath and came further into the room, leaving the door from the dressing-room wide open so that light spilled into the bedroom. Laura shrank back from the glare, turning her face away as Luis stopped beside the bed.

  ‘I asked you a question, Laura. What is wrong?’ He sounded more angry than concerned and Laura reacted instantly to it. She glared back at him, her face paper-white in the cold light, her eyes shadowed with remnants of the dreams.

  ‘Nothing! I am fine. You don’t need to worry about me, Luis. I mean, what could possibly be wrong when I have just returned to my husband’s loving care?’

  ‘Enough! Why do you keep trying to goad me like this? What purpose does it serve?’ He sat down on the side of the bed. He was still wearing the elegant suit trousers and white shirt he’d worn earlier, although he had shed his jacket and removed his tie, unbuttoning the front of the shirt so that she could see his tanned, hair-roughened chest through the opening, and despite herself Laura felt a ripple of hot awareness run through. Deliberately she moved her gaze away, whipping up her anger, afraid of the feelings she could feel stirring to life.

  ‘Purpose? It just reminds me what a bastard you really are, Luis!’

  His eyes darkened but surprisingly there was a trace of amusement in his deep voice rather than the anger she’d expected. ‘And do you need to remind yourself of that fact, querida? Is it easy to forget that you hate me?’

  Too late she realised her error. She edged away from him, feeling the coolness of the fine percale sheets against her thighs where the gown had ridden up. ‘No, it isn’t easy to forget what you are. I don’t think I shall ever be able to do that.’ She laughed bitterly, pain and anger surfacing in almost equal measures as she swept a glance at the bedside clock. ‘I hope you didn’t outstay your welcome at Mercedes’s home. But of course I tend to forget that you and she are such old friends. I am sure that she enjoyed entertaining you until the early hours.’

  His laugh sent a shiver down her spine. He bent towards her to tilt her chin while he studied her face. ‘Do I detect more than a hint of jealousy, my devoted little wife? Tut, tut, you know that I only have eyes for you.’ He bent towards her but Laura quickly turned her head away before he could kiss her on the mouth. She pushed against his chest, feeling the warmth of his body on her palms as she tried to move him away from her.

  ‘No! Do you imagine that I would welcome you when you’ve been with her? I might be forced to continue with this marriage to save Rachel but there is no way I shall put up with this, Luis!’

  ‘And what if I tell you that I spent only ten minutes at Mercedes’s home talking business with her father? Would that make a difference to the welcome I would get from you?’

  ‘I wouldn’t believe you. You must think me a fool, Luis. I know what time you left here to drive her home!’

  ‘But you don’t know what time I arrived back because you were already fast asleep, worn out by all the trauma, I imagine.’ He moved closer, effectively trapping her against the carved headboard. ‘You cannot imagine how charming you look fast asleep, Laura, wearing that very fetching gown.’ His eyes skimmed the thin white silk nightgown before returning to her face. ‘I was tempted to wake you but, being a considerate husband, decided to let you rest undisturbed and spend the night in my dressing-room. However, that doesn’t seem necessary now, does it, querida?‘

  His hand slid softly up her arm, his fingers brushing so lightly against her skin that she could feel every tiny nerve-ending tingling with sensation. Desperately she pushed his hand away, all too aware of the throbbing ache that was springing to treacherous life inside her. She wouldn’t let Luis use her this way!

  ‘Stop that!’

  ‘Stop what? This?’ Once again his hand made a slow, maddening foray over her bare skin, lingering on the point of her shoulder before moving to the delicate bones of her throat while he caressed the long smooth lines of it with his thumb. Laura shuddered, her hand catching his to move it away but instead of gaining the advantage she lost it when Luis turned his hand over and captured hers, holding it while he pressed his mouth to the spot where his fingers had been.

  ‘No...please, Luis.’ Her voice was weak when she wanted it to be strong. It held a hoarse note which betrayed her real feelings and against her throat she felt him smile. Slowly, deliberately, he ran his mouth over her skin, the tip of his tongue tracing a delicate pattern on the soft white flesh. Laura murmured something unintelligible, feeling flames of desire licking along her veins. She didn’t want to feel this way, didn’t want her body to respond to his touch, yet she seemed powerless to resist now as she had been powerless to resist all those weeks before. Could she bear to go through all that pain, to have Luis make love to her when what he felt was so alien to love?

  ‘Don’t do this, Luis, please. It won’t help either of us. You know it won’t.’ Her eyes were dark with memories when they met his but it did little to stop him.

  ‘I disagree. This will do a lot to help me, Laura. I have dreamt of this night after night. Dreamt of having you back here in my bed and making love to you. Yes, this will go a long way to help me feel whole again, mi esposa!‘

  His head came down so suddenly that she had no chance to avoid the kiss. His lips took hers with a brutal force and scant regard for her feelings. If he had intended to hurt her and pay her back then he couldn’t have found a more bitterly effective way as he plundered her mouth. When he finally drew back she was shaking all over, her eyes glazed with tears.

  ‘I know you hate me, Luis, but this is cruel!’

  ‘Hate you?’ He drew back further to study her face, his eyes filled with an emotion she found it hard to define. ‘Yes, I have hated you these past weeks, hated and detested everything you have done to me, to our marriage, yet, strangely, hatred isn’t the strongest emotion I am feeling right now.’ He reached out and caught her around the waist, lifting her to him so that her body lay against his, letting her feel the urgency of his arousal. Her eyes lifted to his, wide and shocked, and she saw him smile with a wry, almost bitter self-mockery.

  ‘Yes, I want you. You can tell that, can’t you, Laura? I want to make love to you, bury myself in your sweet softness, stroke that smooth satin skin, pretend just for a while that you are what I believed you to be when I married you.’

  ‘No! You can’t pretend like that, Luis! You can’t pretend that nothing has changed when you know that it has. You either accept my past or...’

  He cut her off abruptly, his hands tightening so that she murmured a protest but he se
emed not to hear. ‘I shall never accept it, Laura. Never!’

  ‘Then there is no point in this...in any of it.’ She twisted in his hold but he held her firmly, drawing her closer so that she could feel every rigid inch of his body imprinted against her softness.

  ‘But I disagree, my sweet. I find the idea of making love to you too tempting to resist, so why try? We are married and it is my right to do so.’

  Her eyes blazed back at him. ‘Right? There are no such things as “rights” in this situation. You intend to use force to make me bow to what you want, and there is a name for that, Luis: rape!’

  ‘Such an ugly word to come from such a beautiful mouth.’ He ran a fingertip around her mouth, holding her as she struggled. ‘I have no intention of using force, though, querida. You hurt me by making such an accusation.’ He laughed softly as he moved his fingers once again across her lips then trailed them lightly along her jaw. ‘Force won’t be necessary because you will want me to love you so much that you will beg for my touch, plead with me for the release that only I can give you.’

  ‘You really are the most insufferably egotistic...’

  The rest of the heated words were lost as he bent and kissed her, his lips surprisingly gentle now. Laura tried to draw away, recognising immediately the danger of the kiss, but he merely weaved his fingers through her hair and held her head still while he traced her lips with the tip of his tongue, inviting them to part for him. Laura clamped her mouth tightly shut. She would never give in, would never do as he had said and beg!

  ‘But why are you being difficult? You know you enjoy my kisses as much as I enjoy giving them to you.’ His voice was deep velvet, his accent strumming lightly through the words and making her tingle with awareness and need. She shook her head, wanting him to understand that she wouldn’t do what he wanted willingly before her strength gave out and she capitulated.