by Smith, Bobbi
Adam had not told Becky any of what had taken place. All Becky knew about Suzanne was that she was a lovely woman he'd been courting lately, nothing more. She would learn of the 'engagement' when everyone else did at the party.
He'd felt almost jubilant when he'd settled in at the desk earlier. When he saw the letter from Dr. Williams on top of the stack of papers before him, he'd grown sober and then a bit hopeful. Setting his tumbler of bourbon aside, Adam had ripped open the envelope and begun to read. There had been no change. Elise was still the same.
Adam's sense of triumph and possible hope had vanished as completely as if it had never existed. In that poignant, painfilled moment, he'd realized that no matter what kind of victory he achieved over Shark, it would not be enough. It would never bring Elise back. He would never be able to recapture those times before the raid.
Now, as Adam got up from the desk to refill his glass at the liquor cabinet, his grief turned to anger. His hard, driving need for justice would not let up. He might not be able to restore the past, Adam swore to himself, but at least he could make the one responsible pay for it. He filled the glass to the brim, tossed it down, and then poured another.
Suzanne crept into his thoughts then . . . conniving little Suzanne. Knowing that he was going to have to continue to treat her as his beloved until Shark showed up repelled him. She was partially to blame for what had happened to Elise! Adam shook his head in amazement as he recalled his quick recovery from the shock of finding out that she was wearing Elise's necklace. It pleased him that he'd been able to carry on with the charade so convincingly after such a devastating blow, and it left him feeling much more confident about his dealings with her in the future. If he could handle a shock like that, he knew he could handle just about anything. He took another deep drink.
A knock came at the door and it annoyed him. He didn't want to speak with anyone right now. He'd told Becky specifically that he wanted to be left alone tonight.
"What is it?" he demanded impatiently. He expected it to be Becky, and he was surprised to find it wasn't.
"It's Lianne. I've just returned. I'd like to speak with you now, if you have the time. It's important." Lianne stood rigidly in the hall awaiting permission to enter a room in her own house. The thought only fueled her resolve to convince him to sell it back to her. She was glad now that she'd had a snifter of brandy before coming to speak with him. It took the edge off the humiliation she was feeling.
Adam was not concerned with Lianne Ducharme or any problem she might have. He figured she was just coming in to tell him that she and Alex would be leaving shortly, and that suited him just fine. The sooner she and Alex were gone, the better.
"Come on in." Adam invited as he swigged again from his glass, draining it. He paid little attention to Lianne as she entered the room behind him and closed the door. "Please, take a seat," he directed, not even bothering to look up at her as he added more liquor to his glass.
"Thank you." Lianne said to his back, irritated by his obvious indifference. She bit her lip to keep from making a snide remark. Up until yesterday, she had been the owner. Yesterday, she would have been the one asking him to sit down.
"I take it you've seen your uncle and — " Adam turned around to face Lianne who was seated behind him, and his words drifted off as an unexpected, explosive charge of sensual awareness raced through him. He had instinctively known that she was a beautiful woman, but he'd had no idea that she was really this lovely.
As controlled as Adam usually was, this time his composure slipped for an instant, and his amazement showed clearly on his face. His appraising gaze raked heatedly over her. Her hair had been pulled up and away from her face on the sides, emphasizing the loveliness of her features, and then left to fall freely to her shoulders in a thick cascade. The simple dress she wore was by no means anything fancy, but it fit her slender figure to perfection, and the loden green color highlighted the glory of her eyes.
It was then, caught up in that challenging emerald gaze, that Adam realized he was openly staring at her. Moving quickly to mask his interest, he told himself that it didn't matter to him that she was even more attractive than he'd ever imagined. She would soon be out of his life forever, and, judging by his reaction just now, that was for the best. There was no time for an entanglement. He had to concentrate on Suzanne.
"Yes, I did meet with my uncle." Mezmerized once again by his rakish good looks, Lianne had found herself staring openly back at Adam. How handsome he was in snug-fitting dark pants and a white shirt that was unbuttoned at the neck just enough to reveal the beginnings of a dark mat of chest hair. Lianne had to force herself to look away and refocus on the real reason she was sitting there before him . . . Belle Arbor.
"And?" As he spoke, Adam leaned one hip against the desk in a nonchalant posture directly in front of her, the gesture inadvertently drawing her gaze to the way the material of his pants stretched tautly over the leanness of his hips and muscular thighs.
Lianne swallowed and dragged her gaze upward to meet his eyes. She wished he would move away and put the barrier of the desk between them. He was far too close. She had never reacted to any man this way before, and she found that his nearness disconcerted her. She wanted to think about Belle Arbor and the future, not about how attractive he was.
"And I've come to make you a business proposition," Lianne finally managed, girding herself to make her proposal. This had to work . . . it just had to!
"You have?" This took Adam completely by surprise. He'd expected her to merely fill him in on the details of her exit from the house and his life. Instead, she was now claiming that she wanted to discuss business with him, and he couldn't imagine what it could be.
"Yes. I want to buy Belle Arbor back." There, she had said it. She took a deep breath as she awaited his response.
"No," Adam replied without hesitation. "Belle Arbor is not for sale."
His answer came so quickly that she was astounded. "You aren't even interested in hearing my offer?" She couldn't believe that he had refused so abruptly. Any good businessman would at least listen to a profitable proposal!
"No. I've no interest in selling Belle Arbor." He was firm as he answered. He was not about to let go of the plantation now that he knew of its connection to Willow Bend and the Gulf. It enabled him to make direct contact with the Sea Shadow. The setup was perfect, and he was going to take full advantage of it.
Lianne flushed with fury. She wanted to attack him physically and force him to agree to her offer. She was irate as she demanded, "Why not? You've only been here a day! It can't mean anything to you!"
"Oh, but Belle Arbor does mean a lot to me. I've found I like it here," Adam said with cool precision. "I plan to stay for some time."
"But I can pay you . . ." she said quickly, ready to present him with all her calculations, willing to plead with him.
"Don't even waste my time or yours bringing up figures." Adam waved her next statement aside with a casual, dismissing action. "Belle Arbor is not for sale at any price." His gaze hardened upon her as he emphasized his point. He would not be deterred from catching Shark.
Lianne could not control the rage that exploded within her. She had been ready to beg him to listen to her, but he'd refused her even that! She would not quit! She would not be forced to give up! Not by her uncle and certainly not by him! How dare he ruin her life, and with such nonchalance!
"I hate you, Adam Trent!" She launched herself at him in a futile attack, ready to strike out at him in any way she could. "I hate you for everything you've done to us! Somehow, someway, I'm going to get my home back! I will, you'll see!"
Adam was totally unprepared for her assault, and her actions shocked him. She landed one glancing blow to his face before he managed to get his defenses up. As furious as she was, Lianne was fighting him with all her might, and Adam had to trap her arms behind her back to stop her.
Adam's cheek was smarting and his pride was bruised as he brought the squirming vi
xen tightly against his chest, pinning her there. For just an instant at that first intimate contact, it seemed to Adam that all time had stopped. A charge that was almost electric jolted through him as he stared down at her in bewilderment. His gaze went hungrily over her flushed face. He saw the anger flashing in her emerald eyes and wished, suddenly and perversely, that she was looking at him with passion instead of fury. His gaze shifted to her mouth, and he knew a gut-wrenching longing to claim those tremulous lips and devour their sweetness. He wanted to probe the honeyed darkness of her mouth and feel her return his kiss full measure. Her breasts were crushed to his chest, and they felt soft and full. Adam longed to bare them to his gaze, to touch them, to weigh their softness in his palms. He wanted to —
The direction of his thoughts jarred Adam, and he gave a slight shake of his head to try to clear it of such foolish notions. Lianne Ducharme was not for him, no matter how enticing he found her to be. With a sneering condescension meant to degrade, he responded to her taunts of hatred.
"Don't waste your hate on me, sweetheart," he sneered, tightening his hold on her in an almost threatening manner. "Hate your uncle. He's the fool who gambled away your precious Belle Arbor."
Lianne was aware of the heat of his lean, manly form against her and had the circumstances been different, she might have enjoyed being in his arms. As it was, she was too angry to feel anything but fury. She struggled valiantly against his overpowering strength, pushing ineffectually against the rock-hard wall of his chest in an effort to free herself, but it was a useless endeavor. Realizing that she could not possibly escape him until he chose to let her go, she hated him even more.
"Let me go!" she hissed. She was seething. He had totally humiliated her and all she wanted to do now was escape. Tears of frustration threatened, but she refused to show Adam any weakness.
Adam realized then that he had to let her go. He released her abruptly, as if burned by her touch. Lianne was so surprised by his unexpected compliance to her demand that she stumbled. Adam kept his features schooled into a mask of indifference as he casually resumed his position, leaning negligently back against the desk. Standing before him, Lianne glared up at him, her hands clinched into fists of frustrated fury at her sides. Adam regarded her levelly and was again struck by how desirable she was. He knew a very real yearning to taste of her passion in his bed, and it was only through a supreme effort of will that he pushed that distracting thought from him. He gave her a cool, tight smile.
"Is there anything else you feel we need to discuss?" he queried with an outward calm that revealed nothing of his inner turmoil.
Lianne wanted to shriek her rage! Oh, how she despised him! He was so smug—so infuriatingly self-confident! Someday she hoped he got exactly what he deserved! She mustered what little control she had left.
"No." It was a shaky, tight-lipped answer.
"If you'll excuse me then?" He turned his back on her, dismissing her completely.
Again she wanted to attack him, but it was no use. Her last hope had been dashed. It was truly over now. Lianne felt her heart sink. She was helpless. With her innate, ladylike grace, she swept from the room, unaware that behind her Adam was watching her exit, his dark-eyed gaze hooded, his expression unreadable.
Lianne closed the door as she stepped out of the study and then stood indecisively in the shadowed hall. Though she appeared composed, deep inside of her all she wanted was to run away and hide. She had failed. What was she going to do now? She wasn't just worried about herself. Her responsibility for Alex weighed heavily upon her. She had to provide for him, too, and she wouldn't have any money for nearly a year. Where would they go? How would they live? She wrung her hands, the only outward display of her upset.
Glancing nervously about, Lianne knew she had to get away by herself. She needed time to collect her thoughts. She couldn't even conceive of facing Alex right then, so she hurried down the hall and through the kitchen seeking an avenue of escape.
For the first time in her life, Lianne could see no alternative course of action open to her. She was out of options. The end had come. There was no hope of ever getting Belle Arbor back, Adam had certainly made that clear, and there would be no money to support them even minimally for nearly a year. Despair gripped her in an almost physical embrace.
Lianne hurried through the kitchen and then paused at the edge of the porch. She glanced about wildly, trying to think of a safe haven from the desolation that hounded her. A small cry escaped her, and she bit her lip to stifle any further cries. Rushing from the porch, she ran blindly off through the night in search of a place of solace and of peace.
Though Adam had managed to keep his expression impassive as Lianne had fled the study, he couldn't stop watching her. It seemed that he was mesmerized by her, and his dark-eyed gaze had followed her every movement. Adam frowned as he remembered the excitement that had rocketed through him when he'd held her, and he wondered what it was about her that could affect him that way. Not even Elise had had such power over his senses.
Adam picked up his tumbler of bourbon and took a deep drink, welcoming the burning heat of its potency as he tried to push all thoughts of Lianne from him. But even as he tried, he found he was putting himself in her position and looking at things for the first time from her point of view. It was then that he came to realize what she was feeling.
Suddenly, Adam swore violently to himself as he gave a rough, denying shake of his head. Annoyed, he again tried to put all thoughts of Lianne and her situation from his mind. It was not his concern! He was not going to get involved with her! Just the fact that she could drift into his thoughts, showed how much trouble she could potentially prove to be. At this time in his life, he needed full concentration. There could be no distractions from his purpose, and catching Shark and making him pay was his purpose.
Adam had never had much of a problem controlling himself before in any area of his life. He felt reasonably confident now as he took a sip of his bourbon that he could suppress the disturbing attraction he was feeling for Lianne. He was certain that it was a purely physical thing and that he would be able to master it. Why, even on the Windwood he'd managed to keep a tight rein on his desire for Elise, and he had loved her.
The thought of Elise brought a deep sense of guilt and forced him to face up to the faint, tormenting question he wanted to ignore. If their love had been so true and so wonderful, why was he able to feel this desire for Lianne? Even though Elise was ill, shouldn't his love for her have remained strong and vital? The more Adam considered it, the more upset he became.
Adam moved to refill his glass and told himself that this would be just one last drink. Yet, when he came back to sit at the desk again, he brought the bottle with him. As he savored the potent bourbon, it occurred to him distantly that Lianne hadn't told him when she and Alex were leaving.
Chapter Nine
Lianne didn't know how long she had wandered listlessly through the flower garden before heading toward the reflecting pond. She was near collapse, mentally and physically. All the fight had gone out of her, and she felt empty and drained. She had done her best, but it had not been good enough. She had lost.
Lianne drew a shuddering breath as she dropped down on the pond's grassy bank. Hugging her knees to her chest, she stared sightlessly out across the small lake's black, glossy surface seeking the comfort that this view often gave her. Yet tonight, instead of soothing her, the inky darkness offered only cold, harsh emptiness.
Her very soul grew numb as she contemplated all that had happened. Always before there had been a thread of hope . . . something she could hang on to until things got better, but now there was nothing.
When she'd vowed never to return to Antoine, she'd meant it. He had openly declared his hatred for Alex and her, and Lianne knew he would find pleasure in seeing them suffer. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. Set upon the path she'd chosen, she would not go back.
The moon had not yet arisen, and the night was silent a
nd breathlessly hushed as if waiting in anticipation of its coming.
Surrounded by the blackness, Lianne felt really alone for the first time in her life. It was a moment of supreme vulnerability, and it broke the last of her control. A sob of defeat tore from her throat as she acknowledged her loss. Tears she'd long denied fell freely, and she didn't even bother to wipe them away. She had been broken. It was useless to fight and struggle any more . . .
It was late. Becky and Alex had long since retired, having come by the study to bid Adam good-night an hour or so before. Still seated at the desk, Adam was staring thoughtfully at the half-empty bourbon bottle. It fascinated him to think that he could have possibly drunk that much liquor tonight. He didn't feel drunk. If anything, he felt even more tense and on edge that he had before he'd begun drinking in earnest. Annoyed, Adam wondered belligerently if he would ever be able to find a measure of peace. He knew he certainly wasn't finding it at the bottom of a bottle of bourbon.
It suddenly seemed stuffy and overly hot in the study, so Adam got up and opened the shutters to let the night breeze cool the room. He paused at the window to take in the beauty of the summer night. In the distance, he could see the moon's first light paling the midnight blue of the sky. The scent of cut grass and blooming flowers perfumed the humid evening air. Adam breathed deeply hoping to clear his head a little bit as he massaged the taut muscles at the back of his neck.
All seemed serene, and he wished he felt as calm and tranquil. Adam was about to turn away from the window, when he heard a faint disturbing sound. He frowned, concentrating, but the elusive cry had faded and died on the breeze. Adam had almost dismissed it as his imagination, when it came to him once more. Somehow, he knew instinctively that it was a woman weeping. She sounded lost, alone and in great pain.
Some unknown need compelled Adam to investigate. He left the house and moved quickly through the gardens trying to figure out from which direction the cry was coming. He made his way along the winding paths, following the plaintive cry that only occasionally drifted his way.
