His After-Hours Mistress

by Amanda Browning

  ‘What you did was despicable, and a sheer waste of time.’ She hit back at him the only way she could. ‘I was never in any physical danger from him. That isn’t how he works.’

  Roarke’s expression grew grim. ‘No, I realised that after a while. He prefers to use mind games, doesn’t he? Where the scars won’t show. It’s still abuse in my book. Your father is little more than a bully, and I have an intense dislike for bullies.’

  Ginny folded her arms and paced up and down. ‘Maybe you do, but that didn’t give you the right to follow us. Besides, I can take care of myself,’ she insisted, ending up before him and glaring at him frostily.

  Roarke smiled, but it was far from pleasant. ‘I’m glad to hear it, but if I hear him threatening you again I’ll knock him into the middle of next week, and I won’t ask your permission first.’

  The statement so surprised her that Ginny blinked at him. ‘You’ll what?’

  Roarke continued to look grimly purposeful. ‘You heard me.’

  Nobody had ever come to her defence before. Ginny had always fought a lonely battle, for herself and her brother and sister, and to have someone say what he just had drained her anger and left her more than a little bemused. She sat down a tad hurriedly on the parapet.

  ‘But I’m not your responsibility, Roarke,’ she felt compelled to remind him, to which he shot her a level look.

  ‘You’re my responsibility if I choose to make you so…and I do choose to make you so.’

  That caused her to laugh mockingly. ‘Oh, yeah? You don’t even like me!’

  Roarke shrugged. ‘You’re growing on me,’ he admitted, and moved round to rest against the wall beside her. ‘So that’s your family, huh?’

  She pulled a face. ‘Not any more. You heard the Brigadier say so himself.’ It felt strange to be talking openly about them after all these years. Because it had hurt so much to be cut off from them, it had been easier not to talk about them at all. By overhearing what he had, Roarke had just broken down that barrier too. Though she hated that he knew, he was one person she had no need to lie to now. Surprisingly, that gave her a new-found sense of freedom.

  Roarke glanced at her sideways. ‘Why do you call him Brigadier?’

  ‘Because he was never a father. He issued orders, or gave us rules and regulations which had to be followed to the letter and, if we didn’t, privileges were withdrawn. Our friends had to be vetted before they were allowed in the house. We were his family, but he treated us as if we were part of the army.’

  ‘Charming man,’ Roarke remarked scathingly. ‘I’m not surprised you rebelled. I’m just surprised you stayed so long.’

  ‘It wasn’t through lack of nerve,’ she hastily justified herself. ‘If I had run away they would only have brought me back home, and that would have been worse. So I decided to wait it out until I was old enough to leave. It was while I was waiting that I met Mark the Snake,’ she added, keeping her tone level with an effort.

  ‘There are a lot of those around,’ Roarke pronounced wryly. ‘It isn’t always easy to pick the good guys from the bad guys, sweetheart. For one thing, the bad guys have good camouflage.’

  Ginny shot him a whimsical look. ‘Where were you when I needed some good advice?’ she asked sardonically, and he chuckled.

  ‘Creating my own kind of hell, probably. Do I take it your romance with Mark the Snake followed the usual pattern?’

  Ginny had never thought she would find anything amusing about the past, but Roarke’s comments made her smile and eased the remembered sense of despair. ‘You do. I thought he loved me, but the Brigadier was quite right. All he wanted was the money that would come with me. When I was cut off he vanished quicker than you can say it.’ Leaving her pregnant and without the means to support herself, but she wasn’t ready to talk about that to Roarke yet.

  ‘Snakes have a habit of doing that. You were better off without him in the long run,’ Roarke observed evenly, and Ginny nodded.

  ‘True, but I was still living short term. There were…complications.’ She had struggled on, but it had been a downward path which had eventually sent her back to her family, only to be rejected because she wouldn’t give up her baby. She shivered at the memory and took a slightly ragged breath. ‘It was the worst time of my life and I prefer not to think about it.’

  Roarke nodded. ‘I can understand that. You have to move on.’

  His understanding was unexpected but welcome. ‘I made another life for myself and I thought I’d left the past behind.’

  ‘Until you discovered your brother is marrying my sister,’ he mused thoughtfully.

  ‘Seeing the Brigadier again after all these years was a nasty shock. I couldn’t think why he would be here,’ Ginny confirmed.

  ‘I can’t say I like the sound of the family Caroline’s marrying into.’

  Ginny could well understand his concern. He cared about his family, and wouldn’t want his sister to walk into the lion’s den. She glanced down at her fingers, knowing it was within her means to put his mind at rest. It would mean revealing more of herself to a stranger, but the thought of doing nothing didn’t sit easily with her.

  ‘Listen, I can talk to her if you like. Tell her what my father can be like. She’s in no danger, though. After all, she’s the good connection the Brigadier wants for his son. If she produces an heir in nine months’ time, she’ll be his pride and joy.’

  Roarke glanced at her downbent head. ‘A legitimate heir,’ he said gently, and Ginny stiffened at the reminder. Her eyes darted to his, saw the ready sympathy there, and rejected it. He was going too far. She jumped to her feet, crossing her arms and taking a hasty step away.

  ‘Don’t even think of going there, Roarke. You overheard things that were none of your business. The subject isn’t open for discussion,’ she told him forthrightly, her eyes sending sparks his way as she looked at him.

  ‘I merely wanted to say I’m sorry about your baby.’

  Ginny fashioned a shrug of sorts, although her heart twisted painfully. ‘It was a long time ago.’

  Roarke shook his head. ‘Sweetheart, it was only yesterday for you, and always will be,’ he countered gently, bringing a lump to her throat and tears to her eyes.

  She held up a hand to silence him. ‘So help me, Roarke, if you say another word…’ Her throat closed over at that point, and she turned her face away, closing her eyes, pressing her lips together tightly to still their trembling.

  She didn’t hear him rise and come up behind her, just the gentle touch of his hands on her shoulders.

  ‘Forgive me. I’m not usually so crass,’ he apologised and his thumbs took up a sensuous circling motion.

  ‘You weren’t crass. You were trying to be kind, and I thank you for that, but I’d rather just forget this whole episode.’

  Ginny knew she ought to shrug him away, but his touch was giving off an incredible amount of warmth that was sending tingles through her bloodstream. It had the strange effect of making her want to lean back against him. It was very tempting, hypnotically so, and she might even have done it if a couple hadn’t walked out of the open door, laughing at something someone had said. She was brought back to the present with a jolt.

  ‘Hey! Cut that out!’ she ordered immediately.

  Stepping away from him, so that his hands fell to his sides, she asked herself just what she thought she was doing letting him touch her at all, let alone leaning in to him! He was the man she loved to hate, though she had to admit there were aspects of him which weren’t as bad as she had thought. Her heightened emotions were no doubt playing tricks on her after the encounter with her father.

  Roarke held up his hands and backed off. ‘Sorry. I thought you liked it.’

  She had, but that was hardly the point. ‘Look, I know you were trying to help, but keep your hands to yourself in future.’

  He winced and glanced towards the couple who were strolling towards them. ‘OK, OK, just keep your voice down. We’re supposed to be an it
em, remember?’

  How could she forget? ‘We’d better go in,’ she suggested.

  ‘Are you still willing to talk to my sister?’

  ‘Of course.’ Ginny wasn’t about to withdraw her offer. Caroline needed to know what she was taking on.

  ‘Let’s go find her, then.’ He led the way to the door, but halted short of entering the crowded room. ‘Wait a second.’

  Ginny halted obediently. ‘What’s wrong?’

  He grinned wolfishly. ‘Nothing—just checking you look as if we’ve been up to something.’

  Ginny shot him a withering look. ‘Well, do I?’

  ‘Don’t worry—only you, me and Sir Martin know what really went on. To the rest you look interestingly mussed.’

  ‘Oh, good!’

  Taking her arm, he slipped it through his and laughed huskily. ‘Behave yourself, we’re about to walk out on stage again.’

  Ginny rolled her eyes, then plastered a smile to her lips. ‘If I wish you to break a leg, you won’t misunderstand my meaning, will you?’ she hissed out of the side of her mouth.

  ‘Ouch!’ Roarke laughed again and they stepped inside.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  UNFORTUNATELY Ginny and Roarke didn’t get the chance to talk to Caroline before the party wound down. They mingled and waited and watched, but James stayed firmly by his fiancée’s side, making it impossible for them to speak to her freely.

  ‘We’ll catch up with her later, after the others have gone to bed,’ Roarke decided as the clock slowly ticked towards midnight.

  ‘What if James is with her?’ Ginny pointed out, but Roarke shook his head.

  ‘In this house? Not a chance.’

  Her brows rose. ‘We’re together.’

  He grinned roguishly. ‘That’s because I’m a hopeless case, and we aren’t getting married tomorrow, or is it today? Now, if we should find my mother with her, offering her some last-minute unwanted advice, that wouldn’t surprise me at all.’

  Ginny had been carrying an untouched glass of wine around with her for ages, and now set it down on the nearest table. ‘This is getting ridiculous. I’m tired. Let’s go to bed,’ she grumbled, stifling a yawn.

  ‘Now, that’s the best offer I’ve had all day,’ Roarke flirted wickedly.

  ‘It wasn’t an offer,’ she refuted immediately, knowing that, had she been less tired, she would have chosen her words more carefully. ‘It was a statement. I’m tired,’ she repeated grumpily. It had been a long day, and unexpectedly emotional. She was drained.

  ‘You’re no fun, sweetheart,’ Roarke teased. ‘You were supposed to get affronted and flash those fascinating eyes at me,’ he added, causing her to frown.

  ‘I’m too tired to get affronted. And what do you mean, fascinating eyes?’ she asked in surprise.

  He laughed softly. ‘When I’ve made you really mad at me, you spear me with a look.’

  ‘I do not,’ she protested, still unexpectedly unsettled by his description of her eyes.

  ‘Sure you do. Lesser men would tremble, but I’m made of sterner stuff. I can take it.’

  ‘Which is just as well, because you probably deserve it,’ she riposted smartly, then a movement across the room caught her eye. ‘Oh, look, I think your sister may be calling it a night.’

  Roarke glanced round in time to see Caroline kiss her mother and say a general goodnight to whoever was left in the room before leaving with James.

  ‘We’ll give them ten minutes to say goodnight to each other, then we’ll follow her. Can you last out till then?’

  Ginny nodded. Another half an hour wasn’t going to make a lot of difference. ‘If we go outside, the air should wake me up a bit,’ she suggested.

  ‘Come on, then. We’ll stroll round the house and go up by the back stairs.’

  The cooling midnight air did clear her head as they slowly strolled along the terrace. At the corner they halted by mutual consent to study the view over the lake. It was such a clear night, with the lights of the town glittering almost as much as the stars overhead.

  ‘It really is beautiful here,’ Ginny observed with an envious sigh.

  ‘I try to come over several times during the summer,’ Roarke agreed.

  She quirked an eyebrow at him, lips twitching impishly. ‘To visit the ogre? Isn’t that taking filial duty a little too far?’

  His laugh was rueful. ‘You’re never going to let me forget that, are you?’ he said, reaching out to brush a strand of red hair from her cheek.

  ‘Hey!’ Ginny protested without any great force. ‘We’re not on stage now,’ she reminded him. Much to her surprise, he didn’t remove his hand but brushed an imaginary strand from her other cheek.

  ‘As a matter of fact, we are,’ he countered softly, and her eyes widened. ‘We’re being watched.’

  She went still. ‘Who is it?’

  ‘My over-sexed stepmother. She must have seen us come out here and decided to follow to see what we get up to,’ Roarke enlarged and met her eyes. ‘She knows I wouldn’t miss an opportunity like this for a little romancing. We’re going to have to give her a show, I’m afraid, or she’ll start to smell a rat.’

  Ginny desperately wanted to look round, but that would have been too obvious. All she could do was hold his gaze. ‘What do you mean? Exactly what kind of show?’

  With a casual movement Roarke stepped in front of her and set his hands on her shoulders. ‘Brace yourself, sweetheart. I’m going to have to kiss you. Nothing else will do.’

  He began to lower his head towards hers, and Ginny raised her hands to his chest. ‘I didn’t agree to any of this hands-on stuff.’

  Roarke’s lips twitched. ‘What did they used to say: close your eyes and think of England? Don’t worry, it will all be over in a minute,’ he joked, and brought his mouth down on hers.

  And that was how it began.

  The kiss started out as a simple pressing of lips on lips, and probably would have stayed that way, only something happened that changed everything. Ginny was thinking she would give him ‘think of England’…when her brain stopped functioning. She was unexpectedly swamped by a powerful wave of electricity which lit her up from inside and set her nerve-ends tingling. Heat surged through her system, bringing with it a sensual response that had her lips softening and parting. Before she knew it one kiss became two, then many as they sought more of the same, tasting and exploring with ever-deepening need. They couldn’t seem to get enough.

  Without conscious thought she let her hands slip up around his neck, her fingers fastening in his hair, whilst at the same time Roarke let out a purely male groan and slid his arms around her, pulling her tight up against himself. When Roarke’s tongue sought her mouth Ginny welcomed him with a sigh of pleasure, matching him stroke for stroke. They drowned in the kiss, and at the same time it began to spiral out of control. Neither seemed able, or willing, to stop it.

  The angry banging of a door echoed across the night and startled them back to the present. The kiss ended, leaving them staring at each other in slowly dawning realisation that they were in each other’s arms and couldn’t remember how they had got there. Of course, that situation didn’t last. They simultaneously recalled that the kiss was supposed to be no more than a gesture, and their shock was mirrored on both faces.

  ‘Oh, my God!’ Ginny declared thickly, very much aware that her heart was racing, her knees were trembling and her breathing was ragged.

  ‘What the hell—?’ Roarke muttered unevenly, and released her just as she stepped back from him.

  They stared at each other in disbelief. Roarke raised a faintly trembling hand and dragged it through his hair.

  ‘Well, that was unexpected!’ he attempted to joke, but the words came out heartfelt. He meant what he said and it was no laughing matter—for either of them.

  Ginny touched a finger to lips that felt slightly swollen. ‘Tell me that didn’t happen,’ she commanded in horror.

  Roarke laughed hollowly. ‘What d
id just happen?’ he wanted to know, but Ginny couldn’t help him.

  Of course, they both knew what had happened, but neither wanted to believe it. The kiss was supposed to have been a token gesture. It had turned into a passionate conflagration that still had their bodies tingling.

  Ginny turned away from him, striving to get her breathing back to normal. ‘This isn’t happening. I don’t want this.’

  ‘You think I do?’ Roarke growled behind her.

  Ginny licked her lips, but that was a mistake, for she could still taste him. ‘Just…don’t start getting any wild ideas, OK.’

  ‘Sweetheart, I don’t want to have any ideas about you!’

  She spun round again, eyes flashing accusingly. ‘Then why did you kiss me like that?’

  ‘Why did you?’ Roarke countered, and they were left staring at each other in angry silence.

  It was Ginny who finally broke the hiatus. ‘This is a silly thing to be arguing over. Neither of us planned it, it just happened. It must have been moon madness. Things like this often happen at weddings, but it doesn’t mean anything. It isn’t going to happen again.’

  ‘You can say that again,’ Roarke agreed dryly. ‘Hopefully, Jenna will have got the message.’

  Their eyes met, and both knew the other was thinking that the message she had got was more than either had bargained for. Then it hit them that they hadn’t given Jenna a thought, and they turned as one to find the terrace empty.

  ‘She’s gone,’ Roarke confirmed. ‘It must have been the door closing that…’ He left the sentence hanging for Ginny to fill in the blanks.