Mrs. Amery hurried down the stairs as he entered the hallway.
“What’s going on?”
Mrs. Amery nodded her head up the stairs. “Dr. Ross is here from the village.”
“Why?” Rex strode up the stairs.
“I called him. It’s Miss Carmen, she had an accident.”
An accident? Concern sent him into overdrive. “What happened?”
“She fell on the back stairs, the service staircase. Something must have worked loose and...”
Her voice faded away as Rex shot past her, his mood frantic.
By the time he reached the doorway to her room, his chest felt constricted, concern for her almost blotting out the sound of voices chatting beyond. Grasping the door frame, he paused when he saw her, happily smiling at her companion. Only then did the noise register. It was her laughter.
Relief flooded him.
Carmen was sitting in her winged armchair, one foot raised and propped up on a large cushion on a stool. The doctor was fishing around in his briefcase, but paused, glancing up when Rex arrived. “Well, well, Rex Carruthers. I haven’t seen you in years. You look well, young man.”
The doctor reached out his hand.
“Not so young now, Doc.” He shook hands with the family doctor. It was comforting to find a familiar face with Carmen when he’d been so concerned. He stepped away from the doctor and knelt down at Carmen’s side, looking at her searchingly. “I’ll take care of you. I won’t leave your side.”
“Your sister will be fine.”
“Stepsister. Ex-stepsister, in fact,” Rex qualified sharply, clasping Carmen’s hand inside his own. “We aren’t blood related.”
“Yes, of course, apologies.” Dr. Ross looked from one to the other, then smiled. He nodded and picked up his briefcase. “It’s a minor sprain but I’ll get someone to deliver you a walking stick within the hour so you’ll be able to get around easier.”
Mrs. Amery, who hovered at the doorway, interrupted. “There’s a range of walking sticks in the boot room. I’m sure one of them might do the job.”
“Even better,” the doctor responded. “Keep off it as much as you can for a day or two. If it’s sore when you’re moving around use the stick on the opposite side to help keep the weight off.” He rooted about in his briefcase and came out with a prescription pad. “I’ll prescribe some anti-inflammatory tablets, just in case there is swelling. Any other problems, give me a call.”
Carmen smiled up at him. “Thank you, Doctor.”
“I’ll carry you everywhere,” Rex said. “That’s not a problem.”
“You can’t carry me everywhere.” She chuckled.
“I can and I will.” He heard the croak in his own voice. Responsibility and concern weighed heavily on him. It was more than responsibility he felt, though. He cupped her face in one palm, studying her.
She looked at him as if spellbound by what she saw in his eyes.
That look on her face was so precious. Somehow, it made him feel even more protective of her. Why had she fallen at all? Suspicion niggled at him. He’d had a near-miss himself that day, and now this. Vaguely he heard Mrs. Amery ask if they needed anything urgently, but he couldn’t tear himself away from looking at Carmen. If anything had happened to her...if anything did happen to her, he’d never forgive himself.
Mrs. Amery escorted the doctor out. Their footsteps and voices faded away on the landing.
Rex stroked Carmen’s cheek with his thumb. “I’m going to check the stairs out. Find out why this happened.”
She blushed. “It was just a stupid accident.”
Was it, though? He’d convinced himself that the incident in the tube station was random and therefore not an ongoing concern. Were the two incidents that had befallen them that day perhaps not as coincidental as they appeared? But who would do such a thing? And why? The events of the weekend before came to mind. The scene Amanda had made. Rex shook his head. “I’m not going to let you out of my sight. Get used to the idea.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
THERE WAS SOMETHING preoccupying Rex that he wasn’t sharing. It took Carmen a few minutes to realize this, but as soon as she did she wanted to know what it was.
At first she’d been overcome by the sight of him racing to her side. That familiar sense of longing and desire flooded inside her as soon as she saw him entering the room. The concern that he expressed over her injury made her warm right through. It was so unexpected, to see Rex worked up over such a small thing. Because she craved him so, there was a sweet sense of indulgence in just seeing him that way, absorbing the feeling of being treasured and cared for.
Then she noticed that he didn’t lighten up, and after Mrs. Amery had escorted the doctor out Rex left the room and she heard him having a discussion with Bill Amery out on the landing and then the two voices faded away. When he returned, he paced about her room, checking the windows and doing the oddest things.
“Rex, whatever is the matter?” She shifted in her chair, rearranging herself.
He turned back immediately. “I’ll get Mrs. Amery to bring you a cup of tea.” He immediately began to shift a table from its place by the window closer to the bed. “In fact, we’ll have dinner up here.”
“Don’t be silly. Mrs. Summerfield has gone to a lot of trouble preparing the dinner and she’s providing a full service before she heads home for the night. You know how she adores cooking for you. I’m not going to spoil it for her.”
Rex frowned at her.
“If you insist, you can carry me downstairs, but I can easily use one of the sticks and I’ll be able to get about quite easily. It’s really not that bad. Mrs. Amery rang the doctor as a precaution. It’s only a little sore.”
“I’m not going to risk you having another accident.”
That annoyed her. “I already feel like a clumsy fool, there’s no need to make me feel as if I’ll injure myself further because I’m going to be hobbling about for a couple of days.”
“That wasn’t what I meant.” His handsome mouth tightened. It was almost as if he didn’t want to say what was on his mind.
He came back to her side and squatted down there again, an action which caused her to melt a little more because he was close, and so caring. He rested his elbows on the arm of the chair and looked deep into her eyes. “I want to get you out of here.”
Get me out of here?
“What do you mean?” He might look like charm personified, but the statement immediately set off alarm bells for Carmen.
“I’ve checked out the stairs. Frankly, it’s a miracle you aren’t more hurt than you are. One of the banisters had been tampered with, and several of the carpet tacks had been removed.”
“Tampered with? You can’t be serious.” His expression assured her he was. “I know the house needs work, but surely, that’s all it was.”
“Either way, it’s not safe. I want to get you out of Burlington Manor, preferably tonight.”
Carmen’s jaw dropped.
“I know we set ground rules about our time together,” he continued, “but given the circumstances, I want to take you back to London, to my place or yours, whichever you prefer. We could even go to a hotel.” He ruffled his fingers through his hair. “That might be better, somewhere anonymous.”
“No way.” This was some sort of trick on his behalf, a ruse. He was trying to use this accident to unnerve her in order to get her out of the house. She must have been right when she said he’d engaged with the house again. He’d found out that he was fond of the place.
“We are still inside our month, and you promised to be with me,” he said, and he looked positively ruthless. “What difference does it make whether it’s here or somewhere else?” He stood up and gestured dramatically with his hands, as if laying down law.
“It makes all the difference in the world. And anyway, we need to discuss the details of the property transfer this weekend. You’ve been busy playing your games but you haven’t hoodwinked me, Rex Carruthers. I haven’t forgotten the deal.”
“The deal will be done. I’m not hanging around here to do it, though, not if you’re in danger.” He paced up and down the room as he spoke.
The change in him was unbelievable. Yet at the very same time she found herself overwhelmed by his presence and his powerful will. It affected her so profoundly that she wondered if she would ever be able to deny him anything, no matter how ludicrous. That frustrated and angered her. She had to keep her head when it came to this man and the supposed deal between them. “Stop talking nonsense, you’re overreacting.”
There was no way she was going to let him push her out of the house now. Besides, she only had her emotions under control because the situation was limited to a time and a place that would eventually end. If they continued to see each other outside of that, in other places, it would be more like dating and she couldn’t risk falling more deeply than she already was.
Is that even possible?
Rex stared at her. “You’ve let me take charge in this situation, and that suits me fine. You will do as I say, even if I have to tie you up and throw you in the back of my car. I’d much rather you agreed and sat in the passenger seat.”
Carmen stared at him. “What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you being like this?”
Her comments seemed to take a bit of the fire out of him and he returned to her side and shook his head. “Promise me you’ll come back to London and spend the weekend with me there, if I explain.”
Carmen frowned. “This better be good.”
“Promise me.”
She sighed with frustration. “I promise I’ll travel back to London with you. I’m not sure I can spend time with you there, though.”
Rex clasped one hand over the arm of her chair. He was looking at her as if she was mad. “Why the hell not?”
“Because...we agreed.” She couldn’t confess the real reason why—her fear of falling deeper if they spent too much time together. She’d already taken stupid risks that week, meeting him for lunch and entertaining him on the phone. He was beginning to seep into her everyday world, and she couldn’t afford to let that happen.
“But that situation has changed.” His eyes were wild.
“Has it? I need to protect myself.” She glared at him, because he was confusing her and he was making her feel vulnerable and unable to keep emotions in check.
“That’s what I’m trying to do, protect you.” He cupped her jaw and then ran his fingers into her hair. “If anything happened to you here, I’d never forgive myself.”
Carmen tried to make sense of it all. Could it be true, that someone had tampered with the stairs? She felt dizzy, confused and desperately vulnerable with him acting so tenderly toward her.
“Look—” he took a deep breath “—I need to figure out what is going on, but until I do I just want to get you the hell out of here and somewhere safe.” He spoke in a low voice and then glanced back at the open doorway as if checking that they weren’t being overheard by anyone.
“Okay, now you’re scaring me.” Suddenly she did want to leave. He’d rattled her. Maybe that was his goal, to get her out of the house. Had he pounced on this silly sprained ankle of hers to use it to gain the upper hand with her? He was such a charmer, such a smooth talker, that for a minute there he’d almost had her convinced that her safety was uppermost in his mind, but surely moving her out of the house was unwarranted. She would have put up with him forcing her to have dinner in her room while he fluffed her pillows. That might have been entertaining. But using it as an excuse to get her out of the house?
Mrs. Amery appeared with a carved wooden stand filled with walking sticks. She deposited the stand in the middle of the room and then began to look among them. “Some of these aren’t very practical. The doctor said the handle should be at hip height.” She pulled some sticks out of the pot, started measuring them against herself, then brought them over.
Carmen scarcely heard what she was saying, fixated as she was on Rex.
“One of these should do the trick, but I’ll leave them all so you can have a look at them.”
Rex took the selection of canes from the housekeeper. “Thank you, Mrs. Amery. I understand dinner has been prepared.”
“Yes, it’ll be ready for service whenever you are.”
“We’ll dine as planned, but then I’ll be taking Carmen back to London immediately afterward. It’ll be more practical for her.”
Mrs. Amery nodded. “That’s a shame, but I do understand.”
“Rex Carruthers, do not speak on my behalf.”
His eyes flared as he looked at her. Never had she felt his dominance more directly than in that short, powerful glance.
Even though she was angry, her body responded instantly and intimately. She grew hot and restless and her thoughts went back to where they’d been before she slipped on the stairs. Preparing for his arrival, wanting to be his the moment he got to her. The need to feel him inside her had been building since the last time they were together. So she’d come early, and ran about the place, unpacking her bag and getting dressed for his arrival. It was that eagerness that landed her in this situation, but the desire hadn’t gone away, and the way he was looking at her now—possessively, determined and oozing self-assured confidence—made her desire for him grow tenfold.
Rex stepped aside and let the housekeeper leave the room, then closed the door behind her. When her footsteps faded away, Rex locked the door.
Carmen swallowed. The mood in the room intensified, alone as they were. “You can’t make me leave.”
“That first night, you agreed to anything I wanted.” He strolled closer and put his hands in his pockets. The casual pose was affected. The tension in him was obvious as he loomed over her.
“What I agreed to was a sexual negotiation. Anything, sexual, here in the manor.”
He shook his head. “Funny, I don’t remember you issuing any small-print details. All I remember is your agreement that I should have full control of you, every weekend, for one month. And if I recall, you were pleading, as much as agreeing.”
“How dare you use that against me!”
He was so forceful, so utterly devastating in his command, that she almost lost sight of what they were arguing about. It would be easy to revel in this moment and let him have his way. However, the suspicion that this situation was manufactured in order to break her down was still there.
Carmen attempted to rise. As soon as she did he ducked down and swept her off her feet, lifting her easily into his arms.
“Let me down,” she said, wriggling and thumping her fists against the wall of his chest.
He quirked an eyebrow. “Tut-tut, my dear, you can’t keep going back on your word like this.” He carried her to the bed, where he laid her down. He did not, however, let her go. “Just moments ago you said I could carry you around.”
He kept her pinned to the bed with his hands on her shoulders.
“You can’t shift the goalposts on an arrangement like this,” she blurted. “You keep trying to up the ante but it’s really important that there’s absolute trust in the agreement.”
“You say that, and yet you’re the one who won’t trust me when I’m trying to take care of you.”
She wriggled her hips from side to side, trying to roll free of his hold on her. He wasn’t having any of it. When her lower body rolled away, he moved one hand. Easily latching it around her thigh, he rolled her back. He kept his hand there between her thighs, bunching the fabric of her dress in her groin. His fingers were tantalizingly close to her sex, his thumb pressed against her mound. She had to keep completely still in order not
to rub against him.
His expression had become dark and brooding as he watched her wriggling and trying to escape him on the bed. Then he shook his head, challenging her. “You really are a little spitfire, Carmen Shelby. There seems to be only one way to get your attention for any length of time these days, but if you insist...”
He removed his hand from her shoulder and pulled up her dress. Moving his hand between her thighs he locked it over the surface of her sheer panties, cupping the mound of her sex easily in his palm.
Carmen moaned loudly. She couldn’t help it. His hand on her there was too good. Immediately he began to knead her sensitive flesh, making her clit swell and tingle, her body heating through in a flash.
“Who’d have ever thought you’d turned out to be such a sexually voracious submissive.” He shook his head.
“I’m not being submissive now,” she shot at him.
“Are you sure?” A wry smile crossed his face as he looked down at her hips, where she was rubbing against his hand even while she argued with him.
That was too much. With all her effort she pulled free and rolled away, quickly climbing onto her hands and knees as she tried to break free from him.
He grabbed her, holding her there. “You claimed you wanted to be mastered by me, and yet here you are, defying a simple request.”
Her stomach flipped. She felt dizzy. How is it that my psyche is so in tune with that notion? She wanted to fight with him, to argue about what he was asking of her, but when he demonstrated his will and his intention to have her, she lost the power to resist.
He took advantage of her brief pause and flattened her to the bed.
Before she had the chance to even wonder what he might do, the back of her skirt was lifted, and she felt his hand on her bottom. Hard.
Carmen yelped.
He spanked her again.
Her buttock stung. She tried to pull away.
The Burlington Manor Affair Page 20
