‘Ugh! Alex, that wasn’t fair play. I’ll get you back for that when you least expect it,’ he warned.
Laughing, Alex dropped down on the sand beside him.
‘You’re doing pretty well on the board now. Enjoy yourself?’ Paul smiled indulgently.
‘Mmm. It’s so beautiful out there. Peaceful. Makes you feel that God’s in his heaven and all’s right with the world,’ she replied.
‘I know what you mean.’ He paused. ‘I was kind of surprised to see Justin de Wilde turn up at the beach with you this afternoon,’ Paul said, breaking the short silence. ‘I saw him out there on the board with you.’ He watched her closely. ‘I would have thought he was a bit old for the surfboard scene.’
A spurt of irritation rose in Alex on Justin’s behalf. He wasn’t old, she wanted to say, but she remained silent. Then she turned her irritation on herself. Why did she feel she had to defend Justin? He hardly deserved having her plead his cause. She lowered her eyes, her fingers moving absently in the warm sand. ‘We were just talking,’ she said softly, knowing Paul expected a comment.
There was another silence.
‘Look, Alex, I don’t want to, well, to frighten you, but I think you should be careful with him.’ Paul’s hand rested lightly on her shoulder. ‘He fancies you, for sure.’
Alex blushed. ‘Don’t be silly, Paul!’
‘No, I mean it, Alex. He’s got it bad. I should know—I’ve got the bug, too, and I know the symptoms.’ He grinned crookedly and when Alex made no comment he continued. ‘Not that I’m saying he’s unsavoury or anything like that but, hell, Alex, he’s miles too old for you, old enough to be your father!’
‘Paul! Hardly that!’
‘Well, just about,’ said Paul, a little embarrassed. ‘Anyway, what I mean is he’s a man of the world, more experienced than you are and I’ll bet he’s forgotten more about, well, about sex,’ he said quickly, ‘than you’ve ever known. He’s probably got a girl in every city he visits.’
A pain turned deep inside Alex and she raised wide eyes to Paul’s worried face.
‘Alex, I just don’t want to see you get hurt,’ Paul said intensely, drawing her against his shoulder.
She tensed for a moment and then relaxed against him and sighed. ‘I’m not going to get hurt, Paul, so there’s really no need for you to worry about me.’
‘Oh, Alex!’ He lifted her chin so that he could look down into her eyes. ‘You don’t know how…’ He sighed. ‘You’re like a babe in the woods when it comes to men. How did you manage to stay so… so untouched?’
What would Paul do if she laughed hysterically at that? Because she very nearly did. Untouched? If Paul only knew! She shook her head slowly. ‘Paul, you really don’t know anything about me.’
‘I know you’re a wonderful, sensitive girl,’ he said thickly, and bent his lips to hers, kissing her lightly. When she didn’t push him away he kissed her again, his lips cool and gentle, asking for a response.
Unconsciously Alex found herself making that same comparison. Justin was hard, unbending, demanding, lifting her to great erotic heights until she was sure she had entered another world on some higher plane. Paul was so very different, gentle, comforting, so much safer. So he might not touch her senses the way Justin did with just a simple look, wasn’t that far more stable, so much less complicated?
Alex’s lips moved on his, wanting desperately for it to be right between her and Paul. Her hand went to his shoulder as he gently pushed her back on to the sand. He was breathing quickly, his hands moving over the bareness of her midriff, his kisses hardening as he lost control and pressed his young body against hers.
Alex could almost imagine they were Justin’s hands moving over her body, Justin’s lips on hers, and a wild surge of need rose inside her for a few seconds, before Paul’s voice whispered her name and she came back to reality with a thud. An immediate coldness flooded her body. It wasn’t Justin. No one could ever be Justin.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she began to push Paul away with a panic that added strength to her struggles. But Paul was slow to recover from the shock of her sudden change of heart and his lips moved to capture hers again. Alex turned her head aside.
‘No, Paul. Please don’t!’
‘Alex!’ His voice was hoarse, angry. ‘What the hell are you playing at? What is it that freezes you every time I begin to get close?’ His eyes fell on the tears streaking her face and he sat away from her his expression a mixture of anger and despair. ‘God, Alex, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.’
Alex almost cringed with shameful guilt. Here was Paul apologising for something that was entirely her own selfish fault. She had led him on, encouraged his kisses. What else could she have expected? ‘It’s not your fault, Paul. It was totally mine.’
‘I just wish you’d talk to me,’ he implored. ‘You know I’d never hurt you, Alex—’
‘I know that. I…’
A shadow fell over the two of them and they both looked up guiltily, like two children caught with their fingers in the cookie jar. Their eyes met the coldness of light blue ice.
A pulse throbbed in Justin’s jaw as he gazed down at their supine forms from his six foot of height, his eyes taking in the closeness of their bodies, Paul’s hand still resting on Alex’s bare waist, the tears Alex quickly dashed from her cheeks.
‘Are you ready to go home, Alex?’ he asked evenly.
Her eyes skimmed over him, almost apprehensively. He had pulled on his jeans and shirt and carried his sandals in his hand and from her low vantage point he looked incredibly colossus-like.
‘I… No. No, thanks. I’ll stay a little longer. I can get a lift back with Paul.’ Alex struggled to answer casually, although the words caught in her throat.
Justin’s eyes were crystal barbs as they attacked first Alex and then Paul. ‘As you like,’ he said at last, and strode off along the beach without a backward glance.
‘Phew!’ Paul let out the breath he’d been holding. ‘If looks could kill!’ He frowned at Alex’s pale face. ‘Don’t take it to heart, love. If you’re not interested in him, you’re not interested in him.’ His eyes met hers and she read a faint question in his expression.
‘I said I wasn’t.’ Alex hoped she sounded far more convinced than she felt.
Paul shrugged. ‘Then he’ll just have to get the message that you aren’t.’
Alex watched Justin’s fast retreating figure and shivered involuntarily. Somehow she didn’t think it was going to be as easy as that.
Chapter 10
On Monday Alex drove up to Brisbane to collect a few things from her flat, not returning to the coast until late at night, so that there would be no chance of having to see Justin. The following day she spent shopping, and if he did turn up at the flat she wouldn’t have known as the boys were also away on a fishing trip.
Back at work at the restaurant on Tuesday night she went out on to the stage with a feeling of uneasy anticipation and her eyes skimmed the audience searching for a familiar dark head.
As the evening progressed she began to relax, and the night was almost half over when she saw him. He was sitting alone, at a table to one side of the stage, and he had obviously been there for some time as he had almost finished his meal.
Her eyes met his and he slowly raised his wine glass in her direction, a cynical smile touching his lips. Alex turned away, a dull flush suffusing her face, and she had to use all her willpower to keep from glancing back towards him.
In the first break Paul moved across until he was beside Alex and quietly remarked, ‘Have you noticed who’s seated off to your left, all alone?’
Alex nodded, waiting for her next song to begin.
‘He’s hanging in there, I’ll give him that,’ said Paul, and began to play the introduction.
By the time Alex was singing he
r final number she was as jittery as she had been the first time she had sung in public. With reluctance she went into the last chorus and she was incapable of preventing her eyes from turning towards his table. She almost lost her lyrics. The table was empty and although she searched the restaurant thoroughly she was unable to pick Justin out of the remaining diners and dancers. He had left without so much as a word.
The next day was the most hectic of Alex’s life. The film crew swarmed all over the restaurant like busy ants. What seemed like hundreds of people flitted about with lights, light meters, cameras, make-up, clipboards, all seeming to know what they were doing. Alex saw Ben in a totally different role, that of a dedicated film-maker, and he was demanding of his staff and stars.
The morning went so well that they decided to shoot the remaining scenes in the afternoon, and it wasn’t until the crew had wrapped up the equipment that Ben could finally have a quiet word with Alex. He informed her that she was invited to dinner at his unit on Sunday evening.
‘I know that’s your first night off, otherwise we’d have made it sooner.’
‘Ben, I’m not sure it would be a good idea for me to come over.’ Alex frowned. ‘I mean, your parents may be upset if I turn up out of the blue.’
‘Rubbish, Alex! Justin’s already told them you’re here, and it was Mum’s idea that you come to dinner.’
Alex raised her eyebrows. ‘Your mother suggested it?’
Ben grinned. ‘Yes, honestly. You know, Mum’s not so bad really. Her bark’s worse than her bite.’ He laughed at Alex’s sceptical expression. ‘Dad’s as pleased as punch about seeing you again. He always said he’d have snapped you up if Justin hadn’t beaten him to it. Of course he’d have had to get in line behind me.’
‘What? And spoil our beautiful friendship?’ Alex smiled and gave him a playful shove. She sobered. ‘How is your father?’
‘Fine. He gets tired easily, but apparently his doctor’s pleased with his progress.’
Paul approached them and Ben gave him a calculating look. ‘Well, I must be off. Pick you up about seven on Sunday.’ He touched her arm and walked away.
Paul’s eyes looked levelly at Alex and she groaned inwardly as he turned to watch Ben leave the restaurant. ‘Ready to go back to the flat?’ he asked clippedly.
Alex nodded. ‘Whenever you are.’
‘What did he want?’ Paul jerked his head in the direction Ben had disappeared.
‘Ben? Oh, nothing really,’ she replied nervously. ‘I… He just invited me to dinner on Sunday evening. With his parents,’ she added guiltily.
‘He invited you to dinner? Was it his idea or his brother’s?’ Paul asked sharply.
Alex began to get angry. ‘Actually, it was his mother’s idea.’
‘His mother’s? Why would she want to meet you? You hardly know them.’
‘Paul, for heaven’s sake. Let’s leave it,’ Alex interrupted him before he could ask any more pointed questions. ‘I’m tired and I want to go home, and I’m in no mood for an inquisition.’ With that she turned and left him, collected her bag and walked across to the door to wait for him.
They left in an uneasy silence that lasted the rest of the day.
***
In the peace and quiet of the study in Ben’s unit Justin sat pouring over the papers his accountant had given him which he still hadn’t had time to study. Hadn’t had time? His lips twisted cynically. Hadn’t had the inclination was nearer the point. Even now the typed sheets seemed to glare mockingly up at him.
He sat back and ran a hand over his face. Sitting here was a total waste of time, but he had had to use the excuse of this paperwork to satisfy his mother that he wasn’t sitting moping. He almost laughed. He was hardly an adolescent, pining away for a lost love.
A spurt of anger coursed through him and he stood up abruptly and began pacing about the small room. Damn Alex! If only he could get her out of his mind, out of his life. In six years he’d tried everything. Work. Other women. Throwing himself into his work succeeded in leaving him mentally and physically exhausted. Other women left him emotionally cold. Even Margot. He sighed and sat down again. Especially Margot.
He would have thought the night he’d spent with Alex in her flat would have got her out of his system for good. But it had had the reverse effect. Now he wanted her with a depth of desire that surprised him, and the thought of life without her nearly drove him insane. To all outward appearances he was calm, refined, in command of himself, but inside he realised his control could be as easily snapped, that he could be as primitive, if you like, as the next man. Where Alex was concerned, that was.
Alex. She was the catalyst that set off the chemical reaction and wiped away his façade of civility. But he was determined to keep his cool from now on. He almost smiled recalling the shock on her face when she caught sight of him at the restaurant. He would make sure she knew he was around and intended to stay around.
Each night Justin sat at the same table at Christie’s, eating his meal, listening to the music, watching Alex sing. He always left before the last song and made no attempt to approach her, and Alex was totally perplexed by his actions. As each evening passed she found her eyes seeking him out as she sang. Most times he didn’t acknowledge her look, but occasionally he would raise his wine glass or smile, causing Alex’s stomach to turn over with agitation.
Paul took great exception to Justin’s presence, and as the week wore on he began making snide sarcastic remarks about him both on and off the stage, and Alex’s nerves stretched to breaking point.
Sunday evening arrived far too soon and Alex stood in her room trying to decide what to wear. She held up a sedate floral sundress and then returned it to the wardrobe. Tonight she needed a psychological boost to her ego so that she could face her mother-in-law with self-confidence and poise.
Her eyes rested on the new black dress she had bought a couple of weeks ago and hadn’t as yet worn, and a smile lifted the corners of her mouth. It was just what she needed. She knew the dress suited her and if she wore it she couldn’t possibly be reduced to the gauche little mouse Justin’s mother had always made her feel in the past.
Slipping out of her bathrobe, she lifted the soft black material over her head and let it fall over her shoulders, its silkiness a caress against her skin. The bodice moulded her full breasts and accentuated her narrow waist, the shoestring straps exposing an expanse of tanned shoulders and back. The front was low enough to hint at the swell of the white skin of her breasts and her hair took on a fairer tone in contrast to the dark colour of the dress.
Knowing her days on the beach had added a healthy colour to her face, she used her make-up sparingly, only touching her lashes with mascara, her eyes almost violet-blue as her emotions swung between excitement and apprehension. She slipped on her high heels and picked up a light cotton shawl for later in the evening when the sea breeze could become chilly after the heat of the day.
Her hair shimmered in the light as she gave herself a last inspection in the mirror. Taking a deep breath, she firmly told her reflection she was not going to be intimidated by any of the de Wildes. She was a responsible adult, a person in her own right, and she was determined to meet them on their own level. She glanced at the bedside clock. Ben should be here any minute now and she hoped she would have the courage of her convictions when she found herself in their midst.
Paul was sprawled almost insolently in a lounge chair in the living room and frowned up at her from his magazine. As his eyes moved over her his scowl deepened.
‘I thought it was just an informal dinner,’ he said curtly.
‘It is as far as I know,’ she said, refusing to be drawn.
‘Humph! Don’t you think you’ve overdone it a bit in that get-up?’
Alex smoothed the dress nervously over her hips. Perhaps Paul was right. Maybe she had gone a little overboard
. Her eyes flickered uncertainly as she tried to decide whether or not to change her outfit before it was too late.
‘Don’t look like that, Alex.’ Paul got to his feet.
‘Like what?’
‘All lost and… Oh, hell, Alex, I’m sorry. I just don’t understand any of this and I don’t think you should go tonight. Not looking as great as you do.’ Paul came to stand in front of her.
‘I said I’d go. They’re expecting me.’
‘Well, I don’t trust those de Wildes as far as I can throw them. They could be bloody Bluebeards for all we know.’
‘I hardly think so.’ Alex smiled faintly. ‘Not in front of their parents, anyway.’
‘It’s not funny, Alex,’ Paul growled with ill grace, and pulled her into his arms.
Alex put her hands against his chest and turned her head so that his lips touched her cheek. ‘Please don’t, Paul!’
He let her go and threw himself back into the lounge chair. ‘I guess I come a pretty poor second to those two sophisticated, well-heeled, upper crust men of the world,’ he said with self-pitying anger.
‘Paul, you’ve got it all wrong—’
‘Have I, Alex?’ He looked up at her cynically.
‘Yes, you have. But I can see in this mood it would be useless trying to put you right. If I said white was white at the moment you’d swear it was black.’ Alex turned away and when the doorbell chimed loudly into the strained silence she was almost relieved to cross to open the door to Ben.
But it wasn’t Ben standing in the hallway. Justin stood with one hand on the door jamb, the other on his hip, and looked so big and attractive it was quite a few seconds before Alex could catch her breath. He was wearing light blue scrub denims that hugged his muscular thighs and a soft grey leather bomber jacket that moulded his broad shoulders. His dark blue shirt was unbuttoned at the collar and lay open to show the strong column of his neck, while the setting sun behind him highlighted his dark hair, turning the grey at his temples to white.
Play Our Song Again (Lynsey Stevens Romance Book 13) Page 12
