She was in no hurry to return to London, lingering another week on the palm-edged beaches, her eyes opening wide as she came back from a swim in the clear blue water one afternoon to find Lewis stretched out on a beach towel next to hers, his body very white in the blue swimming trunks against the tan she had acquired the last two and a half weeks.
‘Is there anything wrong?’ She picked up a towel to dry her hair, her black bikini slicked to the slender curves of her body.
He moved up to lean back on his elbows. ‘Not from where I’m lying,’ he grinned.
‘Lewis—’
‘Nothing is wrong,’ he cried defensively. ‘You seemed very vague about when you were coming back when you telephoned me the other day, so I’ve come out here to make sure you go back in the next couple of days.’ He looked up appreciatively at the clear blue sky. ‘Although I might stretch it into a week,’ he added lazily. ‘It was raining when I left England.’
Danielle sat down cross-legged next to him on her towel. ‘What’s the rush?’ she frowned.
‘I have a couple of commissions lined up for you,’ he shrugged.
‘Is that all it is?’ she asked with a casualness she was far from feeling.
He gave her a sideways glance. ‘What else could there be?’
She turned away to hide her disappointment. ‘Nothing. Did you happen to see my parents before they left?’
He nodded. ‘They sent their love.’
She bit her lip, choosing her next words carefully. ‘Have you seen anything of Nick lately?’
‘Nick?’
‘Andracas,’ she enlarged tightly, having the distinct impression Lewis was playing with her.
‘Oh that Nick,’ he nodded again. ‘Yes, I’ve seen him, a couple of times, in fact.’
‘And?’
‘He seemed fine,’ Lewis shrugged.
‘Oh.’
‘Physically, that is,’ he added ruefully. ‘His temper could do with a bit of improving, though. Do you know, he threatened to punch me on the nose unless I told him where you were?’ He feigned surprise.
Danielle felt a surge of hope, her earlier disappointment forgotten. ‘He did?’
‘Yes. Strange that,’ Lewis mocked. ‘Of course I didn’t tell him.’
‘Oh,’ her disappointment returned, although she looked at him suspiciously as he continued to look unperturbed. ‘You don’t exactly have the look of someone who has recently been hit.’ His handsome face looked as clean-cut as it usually did.
‘Of course not,’ he smiled. ‘I’m not stupid. I told him I couldn’t possibly break a confidence, but that I would let you know he wanted to see you.’
‘What did he say to that?’
Lewis grimaced. ‘I wouldn’t offend the delicacy of a lady by repeating his answer,’ he said dryly. ‘But he did warn me that if anyone, including you, were to learn through me that he had been looking for you that I could be in serious trouble. I have no idea what he could have meant, do you?’ he mocked.
Danielle couldn’t help but smile. ‘You’re taking this very well, I know that.’
‘What else can I do?’ he shrugged. ‘My priority must lie with you. After all,’ he grimaced. ‘Andracas can only beat me to a pulp, you pay my wages.’
She laughed softly. ‘My hero!’
‘Seriously, Danielle,’ he sobered suddenly. ‘What’s going on between you two?’
‘Not a lot at the moment,’ she told him truthfully, although it sounded as if Nick had had a change of heart about that.
‘The last I heard he was going out with Jemima Street. Then suddenly that was all over; and—’
‘It is?’ she queried sharply.
Lewis nodded. ‘He found her a part in one of the plays he’s promoting as her pay-off. Not bad for spending a few weeks in his bed.’
‘You’re becoming cynical, Lewis,’ she derided.
‘I know,’ he sighed. ‘That’s what happens when you have your life threatened by one of the most powerful men in the world! So what is going on?’
She shrugged. ‘I think I shall have to go back to London to find that out.’ Although her hopes had been raised tremendously the last few minutes. If Nick were looking for her it could only be for one reason. ‘But I think we’ll stay on here a few more days,’ she told Lewis firmly. ‘Your tan could do with improving.’
He raised blond brows. ‘What tan?’
‘Exactly,’ she laughed, handing him her sun-tan lotion.
In the end they stayed on a further three days, Lewis finally deciding he valued his life as well as his pay-cheque. But one thing Danielle could have done without was the reporters at the airport, ignoring their probing questions as she and Lewis climbed into a taxi.
When she saw the picture of them together in the evening newspaper later that day she wished they had answered the questions, then perhaps they wouldn’t have had to invent their story! ’Danielle Smith and friend arriving from Miami’, the caption read. The two of them looked tanned and fit, if a little tired after their flight, Danielle’s hair bleached almost white in places from the strong sun.
She spent the evening with her parents, telling them all about her holiday and catching up on all their news. All of them avoided mentioning Nick, although her parents must have been aware of the fact that the two of them were no longer seeing each other.
She recognised the silver Ferrari parked outside her home as she parked her car just after ten, needing an early night after her long day. Nick’s unexpected presence here didn’t seem to indicate that she was going to get one.
He got out of his car as soon as he saw her, walking towards the building, swinging her round to face him. ‘Is he the father?’ he demanded fiercely.
The last month had changed Nick considerably, his face harsher than ever, his body looking leaner, despite what Lewis said to the contrary. She knew Nick’s body intimately, and he had lost weight the last four weeks.
But his accusations hadn’t changed, arid she bristled angrily. ‘If you’re talking about Lewis, then the answer is no,’ she snapped. ‘You might be surprised by the answer.’
‘Tell me.’
Temper flared in her flashing green eyes. ‘Your arrogance is no less acceptable to me now than it was before,’ she shook off his hand. ‘I don’t have to tell you anything.‘
Once again he made no effort to stop her as she walked away, and this time Danielle had a feeling he wouldn’t show any sign of weakening towards her.
She didn’t know what to do. Nick was a proud man, it had taken a lot for him to come to her tonight, even if his main emotion had been anger. She doubted he would be back. Which left it up to her to be the one to make the first move. It was something she didn’t like doing any more than he did.
She tried telephoning his apartment, and when she received no answer there she tried the house. A woman answered when the call was put through to the lounge.
‘Who’s calling?’ the woman wanted to know when Danielle asked for Nick.
‘I—Just a friend,’ she evaded answering directly. ‘But if he’s busy—’
‘Oh he isn’t busy,’ the woman derided. ‘Just a moment, please.’
‘Yes?’ Nick rasped when he finally came on the line, his voice slightly slurred, giving Danielle the impression that when the woman had said he ‘wasn’t busy’ in that tone she had really meant he was slightly drunk!
‘It’s Danielle,’ she told him quickly. ‘But I seem to have caught you at a bad moment—’
‘Don’t hang up,’ he ordered harshly. ‘It’s only my niece. Carly, get the hell out of here,’ he seemed to turn away from the receiver. ‘This call is private.’
Carly! Danielle almost dropped the receiver in her shock. She had been speaking to Carly Daniels, Nick’s niece that she had been to finishing school with, not some woman he had picked up to spend the rest of the night with as she had at first assumed. But she hadn’t recognised the other woman’s voice, so there was little chance of Carly recogn
ising hers. Nevertheless, it made things difficult to know that the other woman was in London.
‘Danielle, are you still there?’ his voice had softened, obviously alone now.
‘Yes.’
‘God, you don’t know how good it is to hear your voice,’ he said huskily, all traces of the slur gone now. ‘What happened earlier, I was out of line.’
‘And I should have been more reasonable,’ she sighed, relieved it was going so well between them. ‘But you should know by now how the newspapers distort things.’
‘You have been in Florida with Vaughn, I checked.’
She bit back her indignation that he should dare to probe into her private affairs like that. ‘Then you must also know that we stayed in separate hotels,’ her voice was taut. ‘I’m sure you and Miss Street didn’t even stay in separate rooms,’ she added sharply.
‘Danielle—’
‘I didn’t call you to argue with you again, Nick,’ she cut in firmly. ‘I wanted to invite you over to dinner tomorrow evening. I thought we could talk, calmly,’ she added pointedly.
‘I’d love to. …’
‘But,’ she finished dryly. ‘If it isn’t convenient for you then let’s take a rain-check on the idea. You call me and let me know when you’re free,’ her voice was brittle, wondering if she were too late, if he had found a replacement for Jemima Street already. She hadn’t thought of that.
‘It isn’t that at all—Hell, what time tomorrow?’ he bit out impatiently.
‘About seven-thirty?’
‘I’ll be there,’ he told her grimly.
As it turned out they didn’t speak much at all before or during the meal, Nick more reserved than she had ever seen him, the epitome of the polite dinner guest, even bringing the wine and a red rose for the centre of the table. Danielle eyed him warily; it was almost like waiting for the ice to break beneath you. Because she knew it would sooner or later.
‘Lewis mentioned when we were on holiday that you wanted to see me,’ she opened the conversation once they returned to the lounge with their brandies, hoping Lewis would forgive her for disclosing this confidence.
Nick’s eyes narrowed. ‘I simply wondered where you had disappeared to, that was all.’
That wasn’t all, and they both knew it. ‘I just took my holiday that was cancelled when I did Miss McDonald’s portrait. I’m surprised you noticed my absence with Miss Street to keep you company,’ she added mockingly.
‘You know damn well I was only seeing her because you wouldn’t go out with me,’ he rasped.
‘It wasn’t a question of not going out with you, you were demanding more than I wanted to give.’
They both fell silent after her outburst, Danielle stubbornly so, Nick seeming to be searching for the right words to say.
‘Nick—’
‘Danielle—’
Finally they both spoke at once. ‘You first,’ she invited with an embarrassed laugh, uncertain and off-balance with this new Nick. His arrogance she could handle, even his blazing anger, but she couldn’t even understand this different Nick, let alone handle him. It wasn’t the first time he had put her off-guard with his change of manner, and she was beginning to realise there was a lot more to Nick Andracas than the lazy charm or cynical cruelty.
He sighed. ‘I was just going to say that I wasn’t just out of line last night, that I’ve been out of line all through our relationship, I realise that now.’
Danielle stiffened warily, wondering if she had misjudged his reason for coming here tonight; it sounded distinctly as if she were going to get the Andracas brush-off. ‘Oh?’ she sounded only mildly interested.
‘Yes.’ He stared into the bottom of his brandy glass. ‘I’ve been trying to push you into an affair you’ve made it obvious you don’t want or need. You’re right, we don’t even know each other, have no basis to go jumping into bed together. But when I get back from the States—’
‘You’re going away?’ she queried sharply.
He nodded. ‘That was the reason seeing you tonight was a little inconvenient. I had reservations for my niece and myself on a flight for this morning.’
‘And you cancelled those plans because of me,’ she realised dazedly.
His eyes were compelling. ‘It was important that I see you before I go, try to make amends between us. I have to go back to the States tomorrow, I have no choice, my niece Carly is having a battle at the moment with the rest of the family about the man she wants to marry. I’ve been dragged in to decide if he’s a suitable husband for her or not. As if I’m any judge on marriage,’ he added abruptly. ‘But when the family needs me, I have to go. You understand that?’
‘Yes.’ She could also understand Carly’s insistence that she be allowed to marry the man she wanted to; the other woman had shown in the past that she had a determination and will as strong as that of her uncle.
Nick stood up, putting down his glass to come and sit on the arm of her chair. ‘Your way of doing things is new to me,’ he told her throatily. ‘I’m not used to waiting any length of time for what I want, but with you I’m going to try.’ One of his hands moved to cup her cheek. ‘When I get back from America we’ll do things your way for a change.’
Danielle moistened her lips, the gentleness of his caressing hand doing strange and wonderful things to her equilibriu. ‘How long will you be away?’
‘A week, possibly two. But I’ll call you every day if I can.’ His gaze was warm on her parted lips.
Possibly as long as two weeks! God, she wouldn’t wait as long as that to put an end to this, things were starting to go wrong again already. She reached up to curve her arm about his neck. ‘We don’t have to wait that long, do we?’ she encouraged huskily.
‘Danielle …!’ he groaned his confusion with her change in behaviour before lowering his head down to hers. ‘It’s been so long since I held you, darling,’ he moaned. ‘So long!’
His body crushed down on hers above her in the chair, his kiss all enveloping, his thighs moving restlessly against her. But he made no attempt to touch her intimately, even though the thin blue gown only had two tiny buttons holding the bodice up above her breasts.
Danielle moved against him impatiently, encouraging him to intimacy, one slender hand moving to caress the hardness of his thighs, feeling him shudder in reaction. Suddenly he was putting her away from him, standing up to move away from her, his eyes almost black from the effort it cost him to turn away from her.
‘Nick, why—’
‘If I make love to you now,’ his voice was gruff with desire, ‘then I’ll never get to New York. And I have to go. But when I get back I have such plans for us!’
‘Yes,’ she agreed dully.
‘Unless you would like to come with me tomorrow?’ he suggested with eagerness. ‘I’d enjoy showing you New York.’
‘No,’ she refused abruptly. ‘I—I can’t. I have commitments here, my own work to do.’
‘Oh,’ he grimaced his disappointment. ‘But you’ll save the weekend I come back for me?’
‘Yes,’ she said curtly. ‘You really can’t stay tonight?’ and looked up at him pleadingly, one night being all she wanted.
He shook his head regretfully. ‘I really have to go tomorrow. But we’ll have all the time we want once I get back,’ he promised softly.
When he got back. She both looked forward to and dreaded that time. And it was for all the wrong reasons!
God, she had planned this all so carefully, she would let Nick make love to her, leave him his two hundred pounds and then get out of his life. Only it wasn’t working out that way. She had wanted him to make love to her just now, hadn’t given a damn about thoughts of revenge. She had just wanted Nick.
And that could be very dangerous.
CHAPTER EIGHT
NICK kept to his promise and telephoned her every day, his conversation light and chatty, telling her with regret that he had to stay on a few extra days to attend his niece’s wedding. Obviously he
had approved of the prospective bridegroom. Which was probably as well, remembering Carly from the past she would have married the man of her choice anyway.
‘I’ll be back on Sunday,’ Nick continued huskily.
‘That’s good,’ she kept her own voice light, as she had done the last two weeks.
‘Good!’ he groaned at the inadequacy of the description, impatient with the distance that separated them. ‘I want you so badly that Carly’s fiancé could look like Frankenstein and I’d still approve of him just to get this problem off my hands so that I can come back to you. The last couple of weeks over here without you have been hell, Danielle.’
For her too, but for a different reason. She was fighting herself as well as him now, knew that she was no longer impersonal in her revenge, that she wanted him as badly as he claimed to want her. And that terrified the life out of her. What if she couldn’t say goodbye after that one night with him? What if she fell into her own trap? She had a sad feeling she may already have done that.
‘Sunday isn’t too far away,’ she dismissed lightly, confident of her ability to resist him with thousands of miles separating them.
‘To me it is,’ he grated, the cool politeness he had shown her during his other calls the last two weeks rapidly disappearing. ‘Will you stay with me on Sunday night?’
She felt a leap of her pulses. ‘At your apartment?’
‘No,’ he told her quickly. ‘At my house.’
‘Your house?’ she repeated in a puzzled voice, sure he had never stayed overnight there with any of his women before. ‘Perhaps you prefer my apartment?’ She kept her fingers crossed that he would say no to the latter; she could hardly walk out of her own apartment at the end of the evening!
‘No, not your apartment,’ he said instantly. ‘The house will be fine. I should be back by mid-afternoon, so I’ll call for you at about—’
‘No, I’ll make my own way there,’ she told him abruptly. ‘I’m sure you’ll be tired.’
‘Not that tired,’ he growled.
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