Serpent in Paradise

by Rosemary Carter

  'This is how you respond to Bruce?' Sloan asked once, when he lifted his head.

  Later Teri would wonder why it was so important to thwart him. 'Of course,' she lied.

  She heard him swear beneath his breath, and then he was kissing her again, more roughly this time. He might have been giving vent to some inexplicable anger, but after the first moment of outrage Teri did not think about that. His mouth on hers had become even fiercer, more demanding. His hands were doing things to her body that sent her senses whirling, so that she could not have protested had she wanted to. Overriding any rational thought was just a driving need for a fulfilment which only Sloan could provide.

  She did not resist when she felt him pull down the zip of her sun-dress or when he eased her bra over her shoulders. She gave a little moan of pleasure when his hands went to her breasts and began to cradle them and caress the swelling nipples. And then her own hands found the buttons of his shirt; she undid them and let herself explore the muscled planes of his chest.

  She heard him groan, and the sound filled her with fierce joy. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. There was something wonderful in that knowledge.

  'Take the shirt off.' His tone was ragged, and she heard his breathing quicken as she complied, slowly, teasingly. 'As if I'd made love before,' Teri thought wonderingly, and knew that loving Sloan had sharpened instincts she had not even known she possessed.

  'You are so beautiful.' The words seemed to be torn from his throat.

  You are beautiful too, she thought.

  He began to kiss her again, her mouth and her eyes, and then downwards, along her neck to her breasts. As his lips lingered on each nipple in turn Teri felt dizzy with desire. No world existed beyond the walls of this room, the only reality was the sensuous ache that flooded her limbs.

  He lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bed, and she let him do it. The time for resistance was long past. There was no longer even the will to resist. She loved Sloan, and she wanted to experience that love physically in the way of a mature woman.

  What would happen now was inevitable. Subconsciously perhaps, she had recognised the fact when she had agreed to inspect Sloan's home with him. She loved him more than she had thought it was in her to love any man, and she had hungered to be in his arms, in his bed.

  'I've no shame,' she thought, as she watched him unbuckle his belt. 'I know there's Miranda, and yet I'm willing to make these moments mine. Perhaps because I know they're the only ones I'll ever have.'

  Lying down on the bed beside her, Sloan gathered her to him. He began to kiss her again, to caress her, with a great tenderness this time. A tenderness which was more erotic than anything that had preceded it, for beneath it was the controlled desire and passion of a man.

  'I can't wait any more,' he whispered at length, and through a dry throat she said, 'I know.'

  Her arms were around his back, she wanted him too. And then as he entered her body pain shot through her, sharp and unexpected, and she jerked on the bed. A cry rose to her lips, but she managed to stifle it.

  Sloan stiffened and his body grew still. And then he withdrew from her. Leaving the bed, he went to the window.

  Something was wrong, terribly wrong. Teri balled a fist over her mouth to stop herself crying as she watched the tall naked figure, his shoulders rigid.

  'Sloan.' It was a whisper.

  He did not answer. She whispered again, 'Sloan.' And then, 'What's wrong?'

  Without turning he said, 'I hurt you.'

  'No—well, just a little. Next time it will be different.'

  'Next time!' He wheeled, and his face was so grim that she recoiled.

  Miranda. She had forgotten Miranda. Of course— there would be no next time.

  'I wouldn't have hurt you if I'd known.' A muscle worked in his jaw. 'Why the hell didn't you tell me you were a virgin?'

  She looked at him numbly, unable to answer, wondering why he was so angry.

  'Jill isn't your daughter.'

  Teri found her voice. 'She's my sister.'

  'I see.' Sloan's face went cold. Devoid of any expression. He moved from the window and picked up his trousers. 'I suggest you get dressed, Teri. When you're ready I'll take you back to Vins Doux.'

  Emma would have to release her from her promise. There was no way Teri could remain at Vins Doux. Not after what had happened.

  On the drive back from Bienvenue she had thought of explaining to Sloan why she had concealed Jill's identity, had in fact tried. But Sloan had been unforthcoming, had made it clear he was not interested, and after a minute Teri decided not to bother. Sloan had had has secrets and seemed not to feel guilty about them. Why should he have a double standard when it came to her own affairs?

  She had closed her mouth and lifted her head, before staring out of the window as if she had not a care in the world. Reaching Vins Doux, she had thanked Sloan politely for the interesting day—interesting? it had been devastating!—and then she had pushed past him, past Emma who had come outside on hearing the car, and had made for the haven of her room. There to hurl herself on to the bed, where she had wept until she thought there was not a tear left inside her.

  An hour later, looking at herself in the mirror—was this really Teri Malloy, this haggard-faced girl with the haunted eyes and the tear-streaked cheeks?—she had come to a decision. She would leave Vins Doux, promise or no promise. She could not stay here and face seeing Sloan several times every week. Loving him as she did, it would be agony to endure his increased contempt.

  Jill was not the child she had brought with her from Johannesburg. Her face was filled with colour now and the small limbs were growing decidedly chubby. The Cape air and the good food she had been eating agreed with her. It was a shame to take Jill away from Vins Doux. But the move need not be detrimental, Teri reflected. No reason why they should go back to Johannesburg. She would find a job in Cape Town, and with the money she had been able to save while she was at Vins Doux, she would be able to give her sister many of the small luxuries that she had previously had to deny her.

  Emma, of course, was an obstacle. It had always seemed to mean very much to the older woman that Teri should stay with her a year. How would she take the sudden decision to leave?

  Surprisingly, Emma took it well. She listened quietly as Teri talked.

  'I'll miss you,' she said at length.

  The grey eyes were understanding. She knows! Teri thought. Holding her breath, she waited for Emma to make some comment on the situation.

  Emma only said, 'I'm glad you're not going back to Johannesburg. You'll visit me sometimes, you and Jill?'

  'Of course.' But she knew that when she met Emma it would have to be in Cape Town, where there could be no chance meeting with Sloan.

  'When were you thinking of leaving?'

  Today, if that were possible. But it was not. She must give herself a few days to think, to plan what she would do when she reached the city.

  'In a week?'

  'Friday? All right, Teri dear. I'll be very sorry to see you go, but I realise I can't force you to stay if that's not what you want.'

  Teri thought her head would burst in the days that followed. There was so much to think of, so much to plan. If she had only herself to consider she could face the future with the confidence that somehow things would fall into place. But there was Jill. She had to know that the little girl would have security before she could let herself embark on a new life.

  She made phone-calls to libraries and schools and museums. There was no positive offer of a job—she had not expected one so easily—but a few of the responses sounded hopeful, and she made arrangements for interviews.

  Teri meant to tell Bruce and Virginia that she was leaving, and found that she could not. The very thought of her imminent departure dried her throat, so that she could not speak.

  'I'll just say goodbye when the time comes,' she told Emma.

  How would she say goodbye to Sloan? Would she be able to say it at all
? Picturing the scene, at night in bed, was no help. Despite all that had happened, the mere thought of saying goodbye to the man she loved made her cry every time.

  If only she could avoid running into him before Friday. So far she had been lucky. She had not seen him at Vins Doux. Not that there had been much opportunity. Every spare moment was spent in the library. 'Try to finish researching the section you were busy with,' Emma had said. Even without the request Teri would have done the required work. Emma Roland had shown her only kindness, and she was determined to leave the work in an orderly manner, so that her successor would find it easy to go on with.

  'I could continue researching in Cape Town,' she said once. 'I've enjoyed the work so much, I could send you the notes.'

  'That's an idea to consider.' Emma paused. 'I wonder if you could do me one last favour?'

  'You know I would.'

  'I also know you have a lot on your mind right now. Do you think you could look at some books for me, Teri?'

  'Of course.'

  'You've heard me mention Herman Kruger? No? He was a scholar of some renown once, and he has a fine collection of old books that he wants to dispose of. I've been wanting to lay my hands on them for years.'

  'You want me to come with you to see them?'

  'I can't get away myself. Not before Friday.'

  'I'll go alone, then.'

  'Herman's become something of a recluse, he lives in a cottage along the coast. It's not all that easy to find,'

  'You could draw me a map,' Teri suggested.

  'I'm not sure that I could, and even then you might get lost. Sloan knows the way.'

  Teri felt herself grow rigid. 'Sloan will give me directions?'

  'He agreed to take you there.'

  The colour drained from Teri's cheeks. 'No!' The betraying word was out before she could stop it.

  Grey eyes were warm. 'Am I asking too much of you?'

  'You know you are,' Teri whispered.

  'It's just one day, Teri. You need never see Sloan again after that.' Emma paused a moment. 'The books mean so very much to me.'

  The girl drew a shaky breath. 'All right. I'll say goodbye to Sloan at the same time.'

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  He came for her in the morning, and the first moments were awkward. The last time she had seen him had been at Bienvenue, when he'd accused her— he had accused her, hadn't he?—of being a virgin, and had told her to dress.

  As they drove away from Vins Doux she could not look at him. Just before reaching the highway he stopped the car. Teri was surprised, but even then she didn't turn. Sloan had his own reasons for doing things.

  She gasped when fingers touched her hair and two pins were tossed on to the car-seat. She did turn to him then. 'What do you think you're doing!'

  'Turning the stern woman into the sweet girl I prefer.'

  'You've got a nerve, Sloan!'

  'I do? Well, perhaps I have. Worth it in this case, I'd say.' Blue eyes were warm with amusement, and despite herself Teri felt her heart reach out to him.

  'This top-notch thing doesn't suit you, Teri.'

  She'd known it when she had pinned up the hair and had seen herself stern and aloof in the mirror. Just the right image to wear as an armour, she had thought then.

  'I like my hair this way,' she said jerkily.

  'Liar,' he responded, but without rancour.

  Teri sat very still as more pins were loosened. At length Sloan threaded his hands through her hair, causing it to fall loosely around her shoulders.

  'The Teri I know,' he said softly. 'Will you relax now?'

  Incredibly, she did. It was a glorious day, with not a trace of the wind that so often lashed the coast. The air smelled of pine-needles and wild flowers, and sky and sea were a vivid blue. Would there ever be a day quite like this one again?

  Teri turned to look at Sloan. He looked so handsome that her pulses raced.

  He must have felt her looking at him because his head turned and his eyes met hers. 'You are more relaxed.' He smiled and his hand reached out covered one of hers. 'Let's make this a special day, Teri.'

  'All right.' As she smiled back, she knew that she wanted it to be special. Alone with Sloan, away from Miranda and Bruce and Virginia. Away from Vins Doux and Bienvenue. She had made up her mind not to see Sloan again, and yet fate, in the shape of Emma Roland, had intervened. That being the case, she too wanted the day to be special. One last day to add to her precious store of memories.

  Did he know that she was leaving? Probably not, for if he did he would surely have mentioned the fact. She would tell him before they returned to Vins Doux, she decided. But not now, not with the day unfolding before them.

  Teri had thought that Sloan would be in a hurry to take her to Herman Kruger, so that he could get back to Bienvenue, but such seemed not the case after all. 'Bring a bikini,' he had told her, and she had debated with herself whether to accede to the request. When he drove down to a beach, and the temptation of golden sands and lazy waves lay before her, she was glad she had not been altogether stubborn.

  'What happened to the bikini?' Sloan's eyes ran over her as she appeared from the bushes in a one-piece bathing-suit.

  She danced him a provocative smile. 'I was taking no chances.'

  Blue eyes gleamed and mobile lips curved at the corners. 'I suppose you didn't think this slinky piece might be even sexier?' He grinned down at her. 'Come along, Teri, let's try the waves.'

  They swam a while, then came out of the ocean and let their wet bodies dry in the sun. Teri lay back on her towel, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her skin. Her eyes were closed so that she did not see Sloan, but she was acutely aware of him.

  Presently she opened her eyes and sat up. Sloan looked like some pagan god, she thought, drawing in her breath. Water-darkened hair clung to the bronze-sheened body. His shoulders were broad, his waist and hips narrow, his limbs well-shaped and muscular. Across his cheeks long lashes made a smudged shadow, and his lips were slightly curved, as if he was enjoying some private thought. Teri yearned to touch him, to let her hands explore the hard planes of his body. She put out a hand, let it go within an inch of his chest, then, with a shuddering breath, brought it back to her side.

  Without warning his eyes flicked open. For what seemed like eternity blue eyes held green ones. Sloan lifted himself on one elbow, and brushed her throat and one shoulder with his hand. The touch was feather-light. It was also erotic.

  He was going to kiss her. It was what she wanted— wanted so very much. I've lost my senses, she thought. This is our last day together and he will end up breaking my heart. But I love this man, and sense doesn't seem to come into it.

  He did not kiss her. Instead he said, 'Let's go back to the car and find a place to eat.'

  The inn to which he took her was perched high on a rugged cliff. White-painted tables and chairs stood on weather-worn slate. Clumps of wild flowers grew between the stones, giving the air a lovely spiced scent. Surrounding the cliffs on three sides was the sea, the waves rising only to crash on to the rocks in a ceaseless roar.

  Sloan passed the menu over to Teri. 'What will you have?'

  'A buttered scone and some tea, please.'

  The waitress came, and he gave the order. 'Tea for two, and an ice-cream with plenty of chocolate topping.'

  'Sloan!' Teri scolded when the girl had gone. Her forehead was puckered in a frown and her lips were pursed, but her indignation was a sham. It was not possible to be angry with him. Not today.

  'You didn't want just the tea.'

  'Of course I did. I told you I did.'

  'I remember a girl who said the same thing once before, and all the time she was craving ice-cream with all the trimmings. Remember that girl, Teri?'

  'Vaguely.' She met his eyes bravely. 'The same girl who said she was experienced in love when in fact she was a virgin.'

  'Virginity and a passion for ice-cream.' His eyes shone with laughter. 'Quite a combination!'

 
'Not very alluring.' There was a catch in her breath.

  'Did I say that?'

  'No.' Teri did not know what made her add, 'Not like Miranda.'

  Something flickered in the blue eyes. 'Not at all like Miranda,' Sloan agreed, and a little of the magic vanished from the day.

  The waitress arrived with the tray. For an isolated inn, the ice-cream was unexpectedly good, but Teri could not enjoy it. She made an effort to eat, Sloan would have been both puzzled and disappointed if she had not, but she had no appetite for the confection.

  Her throat was thick with the promise of tears. She loved Sloan, she loved him more than she had ever dreamed she could love a man. Yet after today she would not see him again.

  Clearly Sloan, who was sipping his tea with evident enjoyment, was not bothered by similar thoughts. It could only be a matter of time till he married Miranda. If he remembered Teri at all, it would be only for her lies and her passion for ice-cream.

  The sun was setting when they reached Herman Kruger's cottage. Set well back from the highway, it was on a bumpy unlit road full of torturous bends. Emma had been right, Teri would not have been able to find it alone.

  A fierce-looking man with wild white hair and great shaggy eyebrows, Mr Kruger did not seem surprised at the lateness of their arrival. After serving them a thick vegetable soup with cheese and bread, he brought out his books.

  They were interesting, Teri saw that at once—first edition volumes which she had not seen before. They would make a wonderful addition to the library at Vins Doux. Herman Kruger was eager to sell, Emma was just as eager to buy, and it was not hard to arrive at a price.

  'Do you think you could put us up for the night Mr Kruger?' Sloan asked presently, when the deal had been concluded.

  'Magtig,' snorted the old man, as Teri jerked round to Sloan with a puzzled look. 'I have just one room, and I don't share it with anybody. Never did, never shall.'

  'We wouldn't think of invading your privacy.' Sloan was sweet reason itself. 'We don't want to put you to any trouble, Mr Kruger, but was that a shack I saw outside?'