by Bobbi Smith
Lianne had tossed and turned for hours after Adam had stalked from the bedroom. She was upset with herself, yet she wasn't quite sure why. She didn't know if she was angry because she'd rebuffed Adam's longed-for advances or if she was angry because he'd dared to make those advances after having spent time with Suzanne.
All Lianne did know was her foolishness in sending Adam away from her had resulted in his rushing right back to Suzanne. Long dormant, her pride surged forth reminding her painfully that nothing of value is easily won. If she really loved Adam, she knew she would have to fight to claim his love. The realization gave her a sense of purpose and eased the feeling of helpless misery that had embraced her.
Lying there alone in the dark, Lianne went over her situation again and again, until fatigue forced her to rest. As upset as she was, she had not expected to fall back asleep.
"Lianne . . ." The hoarse, rasping voice said her name softly.
The room was completely dark, the moon having set long before, when Lianne stirred and opened her eyes. It surprised her to find that she'd been asleep, but she wasn't upset or fearful at coming awake again. She thought that she'd drifted off only moments before, not hours ago as it had really been. Lianne wondered if Adam had returned, and she started to leave the bed to check, when he spoke again.
"Lianne . . ."
Where earlier she'd been deceived by the shadows and thought Adam had been Spectre, this time there could be no mistaking his voice. That deep, gruff tone could only belong to her unseen captor. It was him! Spectre! And he was here in her room! How had he gotten in? What did he want from her?
"Lianne, I came for you."
"No! You have to go!" Her heart was pounding and her pulse was racing. Spectre was here before her, but because of the darkness, she still couldn't see him.
"I can't leave you. You mean too much to me," he confessed the truth into the disguising, inky blackness of the night. "I want you, Lianne. I want you for my own . . ."
"That's impossible!" A thrill of excitement charged through her. "My husband — "
"Your husband is gone, my sweet," Spectre scoffed knowingly.
"No, he's not!" Lianne felt a bit frightened by his boldness in invading the sanctuary of her bedroom. She had thought she would never have to deal with him again, but now he was back, and she didn't know what to do.
"I've been watching . . . waiting. I saw him ride away. He won't be back until dawn. We have the rest of the night together—alone."
"No, Spectre. I don't want this," she declared. "I'm a married woman."
"You didn't fight me before," he pointed out coldly.
"How could I?" she threw back at him.
He was beside her in a heartbeat. "I can prove to you that you want me, Lianne."
Lianne stared at his masked features, shocked.
"You're masked?" Her tone was one of wonder as she reached up intending to strip away the offending disguise so she could see his face.
He gripped her wrists quickly to stop her. "It's necessary, love. There are those who would kill to learn my identity. It's better this way."
"But I want to see you."
"What I look like doesn't matter. All that matters is what's in my heart." He swept her into his arms and kissed her passionately.
His arousing kiss sent her senses soaring. She was alive with desire for him. She wanted him. She wanted him desperately, but she loved Adam. . . .
"Spectre, please, stop. This is madness . . ." Lianne gasped when his mouth left hers to explore the sensitive cords of her neck.
"You're like a fire in my blood. I can't get enough of you. That's why I came back. I need you, Lianne. I need you and I want you as I've never wanted another."
"But I can't . . . I shouldn't . . ." She started to argue, not even noticing that he'd released her arms. She was clinging to his broad shoulders, his mask long forgotten. Her head was thrown back in ecstasy as he pressed heated kisses along the arch of her throat.
"You can," he told her huskily, pushing her nightgown from her shoulders to bare her breasts to his questing caresses. "You can and you will . . ."
There was no more talk then, only passion as they came together in an inferno of molten need. As Spectre, Adam gave her all the love he had pent up inside him, and, instinctively, Lianne returned his loving a hundredfold. It was a tumultuous, elemental joining—man and woman merging as one. They gloried in the union, cresting together and riding the tide of their desire to ecstatic oblivion.
Adam roused first from the blissful exhaustion that had claimed them both. His mood was disquieted as he slowly thought about the moments just passed. Lianne had made love with him as Spectre, openly and freely. He'd had only to press his point, and she'd given herself to him.
Adam suddenly felt as if he were caught on a double-edged sword. She could love him as a roguish mystery-lover, but not as the man who was her husband. The deception had been his from the first, and now he was trapped by it and the guilt that followed.
Adam wanted nothing more than to wake up with her in his arms, but he knew the risks were far too great. Moving easily away from her heavenly embrace, he began to dress.
"You're leaving?"
"It wouldn't do to have your husband find me in your bed," he responded a bit harshly. He heard her sharp intake of breath as his words cruelly struck home. He longed to erase them and comfort her, but he didn't dare. The sky to the east was already beginning to lighten, and Adam knew that if he touched her again, he would not be able to stop until he'd made love to her one last time. He had to go now, while it was still dark out.
"Will you be back?" Lianne asked fearfully, hopefully. She wasn't sure why she was asking, she just knew she had to know.
"I'll be back," he answered with a certainty. Then he was gone, disappearing out through the bedroom window.
Lianne flew from the bed to try to catch a glimpse of him leaving, but it was as if he had vanished into thin air. It surprised her that he could disappear that quickly, but there was no trace of him to be seen. For a moment, Lianne almost wondered if she'd dreamed the whole encounter with him.
As the sun crested the horizon bathing the room in a bright, golden glow, Lianne finally wandered back to her solitary bed. She thought of Adam then and where he'd spent the night, and tears threatened. She fell across the bed and turned her face into her pillow to muffle the sounds of her heartbreak.
Chapter Thirty-two
Several days passed as Adam returned to working the plantation again. No matter how busy he kept himself, though, Lianne was always in his thoughts. Whenever he saw her, it was all he could do to keep from taking her in his arms and loving her. He wanted to convince her of his innocence and see a warm glow of love for him reflected in her eyes, but he knew he had to wait just a little longer.
Since the night he'd made love to Lianne as Spectre, Adam had decided to begin trying to win her over. He knew it would take time, for there was a lot of distrust and misunderstandings between them, but he was determined to start making the effort. The breach in their marriage was great, though, and any small kindness he extended her way was met with a wariness that left him despairing and even more frustrated.
The only time Adam had come close to reaching her was when he'd taken an active interest in the plans she and Becky were making for the nursery. He'd offered several ideas that he thought would work and then had insisted that they decorate the room in blue, stating that he knew his son would not like a bedroom done in any other color. For an instant, he could have sworn that he'd seen a flash of warm emotion in Lianne's usually frosty, emerald gaze, but it had disappeared quickly, and she'd deliberately distanced herself from him after that.
Lianne's unspoken rebuff had hurt, but had not discouraged Adam too greatly. Biding his time, he elected not to appear too eager for fear of appearing unconvincing. He wanted to lay the foundation for a lifetime of love together, not sweep her off to bed for an hour's worth of physical pleasure.
His s
upposed love for Suzanne hung over him like a threatening cloud. Adam knew he should go see her and keep up the pretense, but somehow he hadn't been able to make himself do it. Lianne was the only woman he wanted, and he seriously doubted that he would be able to carry off the role of Suzanne's devoted lover with any conviction right now.
Still, Adam knew Shark was due back at any time. He didn't want to jeopardize his plan for trapping him, so he'd sent a note to Suzanne the day before explaining that he'd been gone on a short business trip and that he would come to Willow Bend to see her just as soon as he could get away. Adam hoped that would keep her satisfied for the time being.
Adam was sitting at his desk working on the plantation accounts when the knock came at the study door.
"It's me, Adam," Becky identified herself.
"Come on in," he called out, setting the books aside.
Becky entered and closed the door behind her again. Adam could tell that something was bothering her, for her usually pleasant expression was somber.
"Adam, I think we need to talk," she stated firmly.
"All right," he answered a bit cautiously, unable to imagine what could be troubling her. "What is it?"
"I'm worried about Lianne . . . and you," Becky said bluntly and then hurried on before he could say anything. "Now, you know I don't usually interfere in anything you do, but I can't help it this time. Something's terribly wrong between you, and since I love you both, I want to help."
Becky paused almost breathlessly, expecting Adam to explode in anger at her boldness in interfering in his life, and she was completely surprised when he only sat in silence, staring at her for a long moment.
"I don't know that you can, Becky," Adam answered simply as he pushed away from the desk and moved to stand by the window.
"It's Elise, isn't it, Adam? She's the reason you're distancing yourself from Lianne, isn't she?" Becky hit at what she thought was the core of the problem between them.
Adam was a bit shocked by her statement, and the glance he gave her revealed his thoughts.
"I thought so," Becky was saying, believing that she'd correctly identified the problem.
"No, Becky. Elise has nothing to do with it."
"She doesn't?" She was astounded. "You don't love her anymore?"
"I'll always care for Elise, but she's not the woman I love." Distractedly, Adam added, "Sometimes now I wonder if I ever really did . . ."
"Then what is it? What's wrong?"
"I've fallen in love with Lianne, Becky," Adam offered in the way of an explanation.
"Oh, well, that explains it all," Becky responded drolly, glaring at him.
"No. You don't understand," he went on, thinking of all the reasons Lianne had for hating him.
"I guess I don't," she agreed. "I would think that if I loved someone, I would want to be married to them."
"That's true enough, but, Becky, Lianne doesn't love me."
"So make her fall in love with you. There was a time when all the single women in Charleston would have gladly accepted your proposal — if you'd proposed," she teased.
"It's not as simple as you make it sound."
"And why not?" she demanded.
Adam stifled a groan as he thought of the strangling web of intrigue he'd created with his deceit. "Because there's still Suzanne to consider, and—"
"You're married to Lianne," Becky stated with emphasis, "and she's having your baby. You've just confessed to me that you love her. I don't see that Suzanne has anything more to do with your life. Lianne is your life now. Lianne and your baby . . ."
"Becky, there are things you don't know . . . things I can't talk about."
"There's nothing to talk about," she insisted, seeing everything plainly in black and white as she always did. "You love Lianne. That's all that matters. Tell her. Work things out between you."
"You make it sound so easy." Adam rubbed the tense muscles in the back of his neck.
"It can be, if you let it," she urged. "You know you can't go on this way."
"I have to for a while yet . . . until Shark—"
"Can't you give it up?" Becky was suddenly angry. "This need you have for revenge might very well ruin the rest of your life!"
Adam's expression was strained as he turned to look at her. "It's too late to quit now. It'll be over soon."
"I hope for your sake that it's over soon enough . . ."
Suzanne was frustrated and angry as she stormed about the parlor at Willow Bend.
"Why haven't I heard from him?" she ranted out loud to herself. "It's been days, and all he's sent is this one pitiful note!" She stared down at the single-paged letter Adam had written, telling her how he'd been out of town and that he'd come to her as soon as he could. She felt hurt and rejected, for there was no talk of love in his note at all.
The searing memory of Cyrus's warning taunted Suzanne as she considered the cool missive, and as much as she wanted to put it from her, she couldn't. The possibility that Adam might have fallen in love with Lianne haunted her.
Suzanne thought back and realized how decidedly cool he had been toward her the last time he'd come to call. She remembered how rushed he'd been and how he'd been the one to break off their passionate embrace. At the time, Suzanne had thought that she'd tempted him too fully and that he was trying to restrain his runaway desire for her, but now she was beginning to see things in a different light. Perhaps he'd really fallen for Lianne. Perhaps he was going to end their relationship completely.
Outrage surged through Suzanne at the thought, and she stalked out into the main hallway and called out for a servant.
"Mary," Suzanne commanded the maid, "have a horse saddled and brought around for me."
"But, Miss Suzanne . . ." The servant started to question her request, knowing her mistress always took the carriage. "You know you don't like to ride astride like a man!"
Suzanne silenced her with a chilling glare, then hurried upstairs to change into her riding habit. As soon as she saw the stablehand leading the riding horse up to the house, she went out to meet him.
Suzanne had chosen to ride horseback rather than take the carriage, so she could cut cross-country and reach the other plantation house faster. All she cared about was being with Adam again. She was tired of waiting for him to come to her. She was going to seek him out and find out why he'd stayed away for so long.
As Suzanne rode up the main drive toward the big house, she was surprised to find that the place looked a little deserted. There were numerous workers out in the fields, but there seemed to be no one around the main house. She dismounted without help and tied her horse to the hitching post herself.
Suzanne waited there for a moment, expecting someone to have seen her coming and to emerge from the house to greet her. When no one did, she grew bold. It was not unusual for guests to enter a house unbidden, so she mounted the front steps with confidence. The main door was wide open, and Suzanne took advantage of its unspoken invitation by walking right on inside.
She could hear the sound of Adam's voice coming from behind the closed study door, and so she moved down the hall to listen, curious to hear what he was talking about. Suzanne didn't know what she'd expected to learn, standing there eavesdropping outside the door, but what she did hear made her go deathly pale.
"It's not as simple as you make it sound." Adam was saying.
"And why not?" Suzanne recognized the woman he was talking to as his sister Becky.
"Because there's still Suzanne to consider, and — " Suzanne knew a moment of victorious delight.
"You're married to Lianne," Becky stated with emphasis, "and she's having your baby. You've just confessed to me that you love her. I don't see that Suzanne has anything more to do with your life. Lianne is your life now. Lianne and your baby . . ." Suzanne went rigid.
"You make it sound so easy."
"It can be, if you let it. You know you can't go on this way."
"I have to for a while yet . . . until Shark — " Sha
rk!
"Can't you give it up? This need you have for revenge might very well ruin the rest of your life!" Adam was after Shark? Suzanne wondered why.
"It's too late to quit now. It'll be over soon."
"I hope for your sake that it's over soon enough . . ."
Suzanne backed away from her door, her hands shaking and her temper flaring as Becky's damning words echoed through her very soul. You've just confessed to me that you love her . . . You've just confessed to me that you love her . . . You've just confessed to me that you love her . . . Damn Lianne Ducharme! Damn her! It had happened just like Cyrus had said it would!
A terrible, swift need for vengeance against the woman who'd stolen Adam from her and caused her so much humiliation filled Suzanne. She was going to take care of Lianne once and for all. Then when his precious little wife was out of the way, Suzanne knew she could use her knowledge of Shark's activities to her benefit with Adam. She would have him for her own yet!
She was furious as she hurried back outside. She wanted to leave before someone saw her, but when she caught sight of Lianne working in the garden at the far side of the house, she was unable to resist the opportunity to torment her.
"Why, Lianne, still working like a fieldhand, I see," Suzanne remarked cattily as she watched her digging in the soil.
Lianne had cringed at the sound of her voice, but she straightened from her work to give her a grimace of a smile.
"I happen to like working in the garden. It's quite peaceful — most of the time."
"Oh," Suzanne put a lot of disdain into that one word as she stared at Lianne's soiled clothing.
"What do you want, Suzanne?" Lianne asked impatiently. She knew the other woman had sought her out for a reason. She wanted to find out what it was and get this over with as quickly as she could.
