Beside her, Serena noticed Nick was very tense, staring, holding his breath. ‘My husband, Nick Colterne,’ Serena said at once, gesturing to him.
‘How do you do, old chap?’ Tony’s twinkling eyes moved to Nick and he extended his hand to him.
‘How do you do?’ Nick said in a hard voice, shaking hands with him.
‘Tony’s on the television, darling,’ the Earl murmured.
‘Oh, yes!’ Serena smiled, remembering his face suddenly from the small screen. ‘You have that late-night chat show, don’t you?’
‘Fame!’ drawled Tony with a theatrical wave.
Serena laughed, amused by his self-mocking vanity. ‘I must admit, I don’t often watch your show. But I did see it the night you interviewed that comedian. Oh, what was his name…Australian man, very fat—?’
‘Ed Alison?’
‘That’s it!’ she laughed, green eyes dancing over his smooth young face. ‘That was terribly funny. I was in tears laughing so much!’
‘Hilarious!’ Tony made a face. ‘Why does everyone remember that show? I’ll never live it down, will I?’
‘He deliberately threw that bowl of custard over your head!’ Serena said, and got the giggles suddenly at the memory of Tony, Viscount Hannon, going white with rage, not knowing whether or not to hit the man while the audience shrieked with laughter. ‘I’m sorry!’ Impulsively, she patted his hand. ‘I shouldn’t laugh, but it was so funny…’
Tony looked at her hand, then at her face. ‘That’s all right…’ he said softly, the expression on his face suddenly changing.
Serena turned to Nick to explain and sucked in her breath at the look in his eyes. They were violent blue, rage leaping from them, and his mouth was a taut line.
‘Darling,’ Serena said shakily, ‘Tony has a chat show and—’
‘I heard,’ Nick said with a bite of that cynical mouth, and looked at Tony with ruthless eyes. ‘How did a young aristocrat get a job hosting a late-night chat show?’
Tony met Nick’s hard, hostile gaze. ‘Oh, you know,’ he said with a frown, ‘I just started at the bottom and worked my way up.’
‘I doubt that,’ Nick said curtly.
Serena flushed, annoyed by his unaccountable rudeness. ‘Tony,’ she said, patting his hand again, ‘you must tell me all about life on TV. I’m sure it’s very exciting.’
Nick leaned close and said thickly in her ear, ‘If you don’t stop touching his hand, I’ll—’
‘Please don’t be a bore tonight,’ Serena said, flicking him an angry look, ‘or we’ll have to start talking about your many mistresses!’
Nick went white, staring at her.
‘I don’t want to cause any trouble,’ Tony murmured, frowning at them both.
‘No trouble at all,’ Nick said with a dangerous smile, and turned his attention to the very beautiful young actress sitting opposite him, a lazy, sardonic smile on his hard mouth as he flicked his gaze with deliberate sexual appraisal over her full breasts in the low-cut red gown and murmured, ‘We were intro-duced, but I’m afraid I was too busy admiring your figure to remember your name…’
Serena caught her breath, green eyes flashing over the brunette with sudden violent jealousy. Nick was deliberately looking at her like that…with that sexual appraisal he normally reserved only for her…
‘So what do you do, Serena?’ Tony was saying in an effort to defuse the tension.
Serena stared at him, a red mist over her eyes, the jealousy and anger she felt over Nick’s deliberate flirtation with the brunette too much for her to cope with suddenly.
‘Serena?’ Tony asked, leaning forward, frowning, a hand over hers.
‘I’m an artist,’ she said hoarsely. Then she struggled for dignity, and gave Tony a hot look through her lashes that she knew would have made Nick want to kiss her until her legs buckled. ‘I’ve just had an exhibition commissioned…’
Dinner was a nightmare. Serena shot Tony flirtatious looks through her lashes, laughing while her stomach clawed with sick jealousy, and Nick continued to flirt with his brunette, not even noticing how she was looking at Tony.
Serena wanted to stick a knife in him. She found herself drinking too much, flirting outrageously, desperate to get Nick’s attention, make him jealous, make him stop looking at that brunette…
After dinner a few celebrities made speeches. People started writing out cheques. There was a lot of laughter and applause, then the band started to play.
The jazz clarinet echoed through the cavernous hall, and people began to dance in the space below the Minstrel’s Gallery.
‘Would you like to dance?’ Tony asked her suddenly.
Serena caught the turn of Nick’s dark head, heard his sharp intake of breath, and found herself defiantly rising to her feet with a bright smile, her green eyes glittering.
‘Thank you!’ she said, ignoring Nick’s murderous blue eyes. ‘I’d love to!’
Tony led her to the dance-floor. Serena’s pulses raced with victory. That would teach Nick to flirt so blatantly, with such implicit sexual interest. How could he have done it…he must know it would be a knife in her heart?
‘I love jazz!’ Tony whirled her on the dance-floor, his young face lit with admiration as she swung, incandescent in the grip of primitive emotions, her red hair blazing and her sensual body supple in the green shimmering dress. ‘And I absolutely adore you, Serena! Why haven’t we ever met before?’
‘I’ve been married for three years!’ she teased lightly. ‘That’s why!’
‘Madly in love?’ Tony asked carefully.
Serena’s eyes blazed with dark rage. ‘No,’ she said thickly, ‘I hated my husband! I hate him…’ She closed her eyes briefly, then looked up with horror, saying, ‘Oh, God, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean that…I’m a little drunk…I shouldn’t have—’
‘Don’t worry,’ Tony said with a frown. ‘We all get these moments…’
Serena gave a hoarse laugh, eyes wild with pain, sick pain stabbing into her.
‘Are you all right?’ Tony frowned.
‘Yes, yes, I’m fine!’ she said thickly, then produced a bright smile, ignoring her pain as she continued to dance. Nick was indifferent…the blood drummed through her, icy and sluggish: Nick was indifferent.
The music slowed. Serena looked back at the table. Nick was laughing at something the brunette had said, his cynical eyes inspecting her red mouth.
‘Stay for a smoochy number!’ Tony drawled, and pulled her into his arms.
In agony, she went, resting her bright head against his white dinner-jacket, dancing slowly. Closing her eyes, she tried to push the knife of jealousy out of her spiritual heart, but it was stuck fast, too deep, buried up to the hilt, and she knew then that the dark, ruthless stranger who was her husband would always strike the deadliest blow in any battle between them.
And she loved him for it; clinging to Tony’s slim young shoulders, she drew a ragged breath, her body flooding with sudden, fierce love. He would always win. He was cleverer, deadlier, more ruthless than she.
Serena almost enjoyed the pain…
‘Your hair’s such a fantastic colour!’ Tony was saying softly, running his fingers through it. ‘Is it natural?’
‘Yes,’ she said, looking up, and over his shoulder saw Nick dancing with the brunette, his hard hands on her slender waist as she smiled and laughed and ran her hands through his thick black hair.
Serena went white, staring.
‘What are you doing tomorrow?’ Tony asked with a little frown. ‘I’m in the area for a couple of days. We could get together. Maybe you could show me the estate?’
‘Yes,’ she said thickly, staring at Nick as the brunette kissed his hard cheek, left a stain of red lipstick on his tanned skin. ‘That would be nice…’
Nick was facing her now as he danced, and his blue gaze seemed to meet hers with a sudden jolt, as though he’d known exactly where she was all along, and the look of ruthless mockery was more than s
he could bear.
‘I’ll call round at eleven,’ Tony was saying. ‘I know your family, of course, so I’ll just turn up at the private apartments. Is that OK?’
‘Yes,’ she said vaguely, and felt her heart start to beat faster as Nick moved from the brunette, put a hand on Tony’s shoulder, and pushed him coolly from Serena.
‘My turn, I think,’ he drawled with a lazy smile, taking Serena by the wrist and flicking her like a piece of silk so that she landed against his chest, her shaking hands on his shoulders. He started to move, his strong thighs intolerably exciting against hers.
Tony moved away but Serena hardly noticed, her eyes staring into Nick’s hard face with a potent mixture of hatred and desire.
‘You’re playing a very dangerous game, my darling!’ he murmured softly, and his voice was laced with implicit sexual threat.
‘I’m not playing anything!’ she said tautly.
‘You’re handling dynamite,’ he said softly, his smile dangerous. ‘Didn’t you know that? And I’d hate to see you make a mistake. You’ll get blown to bits if you do.’ His strong hand moved softly, caressingly to her pale cheek. ‘You won’t like it if I lose my temper.’
‘Go ahead and lose it!’ she said fiercely, eyes blazing. ‘I’m not going to stand around and watch you kiss that sexy brunette!’
‘Certainly not when the charming young viscount is so obviously smitten,’ he drawled, smiling lazily.
‘Tony’s very charming, yes!’ she said thickly. ‘And he hasn’t looked at another woman since the dinner started, whereas you have lipstick on your cheek, and it isn’t mine!’
The music stopped, forcing them to end their dance.
A muscle was jerking in Nick’s cheek as he looked down at her. ‘I’m warning you to stop this, Serena,’ he said, his hands hard on her waist. ‘Stop before it gets out of hand.’
Her mouth quivered with fear and excitement, but her jealous eyes saw only the red lipstick on his cheek and she said fiercely, ‘Go back to your brunette! I want to finish my conversation with Tony!’
Turning on her heel, she walked angrily away from him, her green eyes blazing.
‘No!’ His hand shot out, caught her wrist, his voice a tense drawl, almost bored. ‘Oh, no, Serena!’ He drew her back, his smile savage. ‘No, you damned well don’t!’
‘Let me go!’ she said fiercely, trying to pull her wrist out of his biting grasp.
‘No, Serena, I won’t!’ he bit out. ‘This whole charade ends now! You’re coming home with me!’ He started to pull her off the dance-floor, his face a tense mask.
‘For God’s sake…’ she began hoarsely, appalled at the scene he was making, people staring as he forced her off the dance-floor, his hand biting into her wrist as he strode, pulling her after him. ‘People are staring! You’re causing a scene!’
‘I’m Nick Colterne, I’m your husband, I own you and this bloody manor and I can do what I damned well please!’
Serena stumbled after him, her face scarlet. Nick pushed through the little cluster of people at the entrance, shouldering through them, his face a taut, polite mask, and she had no option but to follow.
They were in the cool night air, the stars glittering in the sky, and Serena stumbled after him angrily as he strode, gravel crunching beneath his feet, towards the private Flaxton apartments.
When they reached the doors he pushed them open with the flat of his hand and dragged her in after him. He released her to close the door. Serena broke away from him, running breathlessly up the stairs to their suite.
Nick came after her at a terrifying pace.
‘Leave me alone!’ Serena shouted hoarsely, fumbling with the doors of the suite, running in, slamming the door behind her.
Nick came through, black rage in his eyes.
‘No…!’ she cried, backing, and then ran, her heart in her mouth, to the bedroom, going in and desperately trying to lock the door after her.
Nick kicked it open, a savage expression on his face. Serena backed, swallowing convulsively, her heart hammering as she stared at him, her green eyes huge in her white, appalled face.
‘You went too far, Serena,’ he said thickly. ‘You went too far.’
Slowly, he began to loosen his tie.
CHAPTER EIGHT
SERENA stared, her hands clenching at her sides. ‘You can’t do this…’
‘That was a very adult game you were playing,’ Nick said with a dangerous smile, and his tie came off with a swish of silk, as he wrapped it around his fingers, then dropped it to the floor. ‘If you’re adult enough to use sex against me, you’re adult enough to pay the price.’
She backed, her heart in her mouth. ‘I didn’t do anything…’
‘You used sex against me, Serena,’ he said softly. ‘That’s the one weapon you’ve always kept in reserve.’ A smile touched his hard mouth, his blue eyes flicking over her body as he arched dark brows. ‘Well…it’s in play now, isn’t it?’
‘You’re talking nonsense…’ she whispered, backing, her legs suddenly coming in contact with the bed and stopping her where she was, her heart hammering as she faced him.
‘Am I?’ He reached her, stood in front of her, looking down at her through those carved lids. ‘I doubt that, Serena, or you wouldn’t be so damned terrified.’
‘I’m not!’ Her voice was ragged with it. ‘I know I can stop you…’
‘Sure,’ he said softly, flicking his ruthless eyes to her breasts, and then raising a hand, deliberately sliding his strong fingers over her fiercely erect nipples. ‘Well, well, well…sex really is in play, isn’t it, Serena?’ His blue gaze flicked up to hers. ‘I’ve waited a long time to get it, my darling, and now—you’re going to give it to me.’
She quivered visibly, staring at him hotly through her lashes.
‘Shall I take you on the bed?’ he asked coolly.
‘I’ll fight you!’ she said through lips that seemed to pulsate with hot arousal.
He smiled, and lowered his gaze to her breasts. ‘Take your clothes off,’ he said softly.
She almost whimpered, breathing erratically, staring at him as though hypnotised, and that was the moment she realised she wanted this, wanted it so much that she had deliberately provoked it.
‘No?’ His dark brows rose. ‘Then I’ll have to do it, won’t I?’ His strong hands went to the zip of her dress, slowly tugging it down, and Serena shivered convulsively, heat flooding her veins, making her heart pound druggingly in her ears.
‘Please don’t,’ she said hoarsely, denial struggling to rise feebly against overwhelming desire. ‘Please…Nick…I’m sorry…’
‘You flirted with that boy deliberately,’ he said under his breath, stroking the shimmering dress down over her bare shoulders, his blue gaze on her breasts as they bounced free. ‘You wanted to provoke me, and you did.’ He smiled, stroking the dress down to her waist, leaving her bared. ‘You always were a provocative little girl, and you’ve blossomed into an even more provocative woman.’
Serena breathed thickly, staring at his hard mouth. ‘I was jealous of you…you were looking at that brunette…dancing with her…’
‘So you thought you’d even the score,’ he drawled, strong hands moving up to just below her breasts, not touching them, watching her with a sardonic smile as she shivered, her eyes hot and filled with unconscious desire. ‘Oh, yes…!’ he said with a slow smile. ‘You keep looking at me like that, and we’ll get along just fine!’
‘Don’t go on!’ she said in sudden appalled horror. ‘Please, Nick…stop this…’
‘Stop?’ he laughed, his strong hands moving with firm erotic power on to her full, hot, aching breasts.
‘Oh, God…!’ she whispered thickly, shaking, staring at him with green eyes that blazed dark hunger, and he started to massage her breasts, watching her as her lips parted and her eyes glazed, and a second later his dark head was bending, his hot mouth closing over her nipple.
Serena moaned a low, harsh m
oan of dark arousal, and her hands went instinctively to his black hair, thinking she would pull his head away, but she didn’t…she clutched it to her bare breast, shaking with hot desire, her breath a ragged gasp.
Nick raised his dark head, inspecting her flushed face with a ruthless look in his dark eyes.
Then he slowly pushed her until she fell on to the bed, staring at him, shivering from head to foot, her green eyes blazing with desire as he slid down.
He moved towards her on his hands and knees like a predatory animal, his dark head bent, and Serena’s body curved with blatant sexual hunger, wanting him so badly that she was shaking with it.
He reached her, his mouth unsmiling, and slowly pushed her on to her back. As he slid one hard thigh over hers she felt the drumming blood pound in her ears, and as she met his dangerous eyes she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end with excitement.
His dark head bent slowly towards her. She could not look away. His hard mouth closed over hers in a masterful kiss and she moaned harshly, her mouth opening beneath his, her breath coming faster as her hands went helplessly to his strong neck and thrust into his dark hair.
The dark sexual landscape opened up to her like the hottest fires of hell and she was moving into it, her mouth open hungrily beneath his, her slender legs sliding against his as he kissed her with ruthless skill, demanding everything, his hard hands on her breasts as she started to breathe harder.
When those hard hands started to stroke her dress down over her hips she whimpered, heart pounding, and Nick just kept right on going, determined to have her, determined to drive her into the dark sea and smash her against the rocks.
The dress fell to the floor. He was looking down at her body, inspecting her nakedness as she lay there, blood throbbing violently, her eyes glazed with heat, and she wore nothing but a pair of silk panties that barely covered her. Nick slid his hand slowly to her slim thighs and she gave a hoarse moan of ragged desire that made his hard mouth curve in a ruthless smile as his dark head came back to her, and his kiss turned the heat up higher as his hand moved slowly, slowly, higher…
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