Old Desires/A Stranger's Kiss (2-in-1 edition) (14 page)

‘On the contrary, I think perhaps I said rather too many. I thought you were a cold, uncaring young woman who had quite deliberately chosen to ignore her natural mother. I did everything Mary asked of me, to the letter, but frankly I hoped you would just go away and never set foot in Highfield, or Ashbrooke, again.’

‘So why did you make me come back?’

‘Because I made a mistake.’

His eyes were shadowed in the cool shade of the studio. Unreadable. ‘I confess that from the moment I met you I had my doubts, but I refused to listen to them. The facts spoke for themselves. It was quite clear that you were simply coming with me because you thought that you might miss out on a valuable inheritance if you didn’t.’

‘That wasn’t why I came.’

‘No. That caricature was quite a shock, though. Did I really make that bad an impression?’

‘Yes,’ she admitted, embarrassed. ‘But you’ve changed. I couldn’t draw that now.’ Then, realising that this betrayed her own change of heart she turned from him and looked at the house, bathed in sunshine. ‘But there was no need to come and fetch me. I would have come back eventually.’

‘I couldn’t be sure. And I wanted you here.’ Before she could work out exactly what he meant by that, he had his arm around her shoulder and was leading her back to the house. ‘I’ve been putting off the evil moment, but I think I’d better get this interview over with, then I can throw Grantham out with an easy conscience.’

‘I can manage that myself, Joshua. But it’s a long drive and it is the weekend. He really ought to stay until tomorrow.’

‘He should have thought of that before he came bothering you. If he’s too tired to go home he’ll have to stay in a hotel.’

* * *

David’s face, as he followed Joshua back into the sitting-room a couple of hours later, was an odd mixture of elation and dejection. Clearly he had got most of what he wanted, but at a cost.

‘If you telephone my secretary on Monday she’ll make an appointment for your photographer to come to my office,’ Joshua said, adding, in case it wasn’t absolutely clear, ‘I don’t want to see you again.’

He returned to the study, leaving David to say goodbye to Holly and tender his apologies, which he did with less grace than she might have expected in the circumstances.

‘I wouldn’t have said anything about the two of you,’ he said finally, unable to contain his resentment any longer. ‘He didn’t have to threaten me.’

He looked so much like a small boy that Holly felt quite sorry for him. She had no idea what Joshua’s idea of a threat was, but could well imagine that it wouldn’t be much fun to be on the receiving end of it.

‘There’s nothing to tell, David.’

‘No? That was two other people I saw kissing this morning, was it?’

‘David,’ she warned. ‘You have more than you could possibly have hoped for, leave it at that.’

‘I know. It was just that… Oh, what’s the use? Who could compete with someone like Joshua Kent?’ He made an angry gesture in the direction of the study. ‘He’s got everything. Including you, apparently.’

Wrong again, David, she thought. He hasn’t got me, because he doesn’t want me. But she had no intention of giving him any hope.

‘Once you’ve a grand job in London you’ll find someone special and forget all about me,’ she assured him, trying hard not to be too impatient.

He looked at her pityingly. ‘I might find someone else, Holly, but I’ll never forget you.’ He paused in the doorway. ‘Just don’t let him hurt you.’

Too late, she thought. Far too late for that.

‘Has he gone?’ Joshua looked up from the tape recorder as Holly searched him out in the study a little later.

‘Yes. What are you doing?’ He pocketed the cassette. ‘Just a few precautions, in case he decides to forget our agreement.’ He pulled a face. ‘What a miserable start to a warm and sunny Saturday. I came to take you sailing and now it’s the middle of the morning.’

‘Sailing? I’ve never been sailing.’

‘Well, now is a very good time to learn. Ashbrooke Leisure is about to launch a new class of yacht. The prototype awaits your pleasure.’

She had thought, in that moment when she had turned at the sound of his voice and he had kissed her, that he had changed his mind. Come back to finish what they had barely begun. But no. He had made her come back to Ashbrooke and now felt it his duty to look after her. She had no wish to be a duty.

‘It sounds lovely, but please don’t feel you have to entertain me, Joshua. I’m sure there are dozens of other things you could be doing.’

‘Hundreds,’ he assured her, with a perfectly straight face. ‘We could drive up to Dartmoor if you’d prefer?’

‘It’s all right, Joshua,’ she said, determined to let him see that she wasn’t going to make a fuss just because he had kissed her until her bones melted. He had probably kissed dozens of girls just like that. He couldn’t possibly have known that for her it was a totally new experience. ‘You’ve done everything you had to do. I’ll always be very grateful.’ She put out her hand very firmly, a gesture that gave them both a graceful exit. He took it in his own, larger, darker one and held it quite gently.

‘Are you telling me to go?’ he asked in a smooth drawl that immediately threatened to overturn her resolve. His grip tightened imperceptibly as she tried to withdraw her hand from his.

‘I...I think it would be best.’

‘For whom?’

‘For both—’ But he didn’t wait for her answer. He provided his own.

‘If you’re saying it would be best for me, Holly,
I have to tell you that that’s an impudent presumption on your part.’ She opened her mouth to deny it, but he continued, ‘But if you’re trying to tell me that it would be best for you…’ This time the pause was endless.

‘What?’

‘I I intend to prove you wrong.’

He jerked her in one swift movement into his arms and pinned her against him, his hands at her waist, her bare legs pressed against the hard, hairy length of his thighs.

‘Joshua!’ she protested. ‘Let me go!’ And she pushed furiously against his chest.

‘Of course,’ he went on, as if nothing out of the ordinary were happening. As if her heart were not rushing headlong to obliteration. As if her body were still all her own and not simply a quivering extension of his. ‘You could simply admit your mistake. Say, I’m sorry, Joshua. I’d love to spend the day with you. Try it.’

‘No—’

One hand remained at her waist, effortlessly containing her attempts to free herself. The other began to move in a slow, kindling caress upwards along her spine and for a moment she was paralysed by the slow spread of fire that seeped through her veins. Then she gasped and began to struggle against him in earnest.

His full lower lip curved in a sensuous smile and his eyes darkened and quite suddenly she realised that she was not helping herself. Not one bit. She stopped abruptly, her breath coming in short ragged gasps as she fought to overcome her own desire.

‘Well?’ He waited a moment, holding her against the warm, still length of his body, driving her almost beyond the limit of her self-control. Then his mouth began to dip towards hers.

‘I’m sorry, Joshua,’ she rasped out urgently. ‘I’d love to spend the day with you.’ His mouth paused, inches from her own, but he didn’t loosen his grip.

‘Sure?’ he said. ‘I’m perfectly willing to demonstrate.’ Neither of them was oblivious to the quiver that shot through her. ‘Say, “yes, Joshua”.’

‘Yes, Joshua…’ The words were little more than a croak, she could hardly speak, but his look demanded more. ‘I’d love to spend the day with you.’ She forced the words out in a series of hoarse, panting breaths.

‘That’s better.’ She almost collapsed with relief as he loosened his grip. Then he said, ‘Oh, what the hell?’ And he kissed her anyway.

CHAPTER TEN

HOLLY’S lips parted on an urgent protest and that was her first mistake. What might have been almost nothing, the merest tease of a kiss, became altogether different as, with a groan something like agony, he pulled her fiercely into his arms, his tongue stroking swiftly along hers to begin the sweetest exploration of her mouth.

His touch turned her bones to liquid fire and she melted against him, no longer able to offer any resistance to the man taking control of her senses and making them his slave. Even her hands, which had been pressing against his chest, fighting uselessly against his domination of her will, slid traitorously upwards to wind themselves around his neck, leaving her quite defenceless. And that was her second mistake.

His hands swiftly loosened the T-shirt from her waistband and then slipped under the cloth where the sensitive pads of his fingers began to work a deeper kind of magic, sending warm, electric tremors flickering across the silky smooth skin of her back. He reached the fastening of her bra, disposed of it and then his hands moved swiftly to cup the firm ripeness of her breasts and torment the burgeoning tips of her nipples under his thumbs.

Holly made a small sound, somewhere between a purr and a moan, and pressed her hips wantonly against Joshua as she felt the urgent stirring of his passion.

He drew back with a sharp exclamation and searched her face, his eyes dark and heavy-lidded with arousal. ‘If you want me to go, Holly,’
he warned, the grating texture of his voice a further torment, ‘you had better stop doing that right now.’ She smiled lazily back at him, her cheeks flushed, her large amber eyes almost black. ‘Do you still want to spend the day on Dartmoor?’ she challenged, her voice low and husky. And that was her third mistake.

Joshua Kent said something quite rude on the subject of Dartmoor. Then he bent and caught her behind the knees, swinging her up into his arms to carry her swiftly up the stairs.

She knew she should protest, make some show of resistance, but she was beyond caring what might happen afterwards. She wanted this arrogant, unbearable, dominating man, who had appeared uninvited upon her doorstep and turned her life upside down.

He shouldered open the bedroom door and then placed her very gently on the bed. For a moment, he held her there, caged by hands on either side of her body, barely touching her, but even a foot apart the heat of his body was searing her to a flaming desire that only he could quench.

Then he lifted one hand and trailed his fingers across her burning lips. ‘You’re beautiful, Holly.’

‘If I am, Joshua, it’s because you’ve made me feel beautiful.’ His mouth touched her lips so briefly that she felt instantly bereft, then her complaint became a sigh as it began a slow and sensuous exploration of the delicate skin under her chin, along the curve of her throat, trailing the firebrand of his tongue down to the edge of her T-shirt.

‘Don’t stop,’ she moaned and moved to throw it off. Get rid of all her clothes. But he caught her hand.

‘I’ll
undress you in my own good time,’ he said and she lay back against the pillows. ‘Don’t take too long.’ The words shocked her. She had never been like this, had been teased for her reserve, sworn at on one unpleasant occasion before she had learned to quell expectations before they got out of hand. But love had woken some new, wilder side to her nature.

For a moment Joshua was very still. Holding back with some last vestige of self-control. ‘Holly,’ he said, his voice ragged with the effort, ‘if you have any doubts, say now. If I take you, I keep you. Forever.’ She opened her eyes fully and looked at him, the clamped-down jaw as he waited for her to be certain, his grey eyes shimmering with passion.

Doubts? What doubts could there be? Even on that first day when they had glared at one another across the shabby sitting-room at home she had known they were fencing on a razor-edge. He had jarred against her, stirring the slumbering passion that was thundering through her veins, setting up a raw, sexual tension, and deep inside she had recognised the danger. Now, when she had fallen helplessly, hopelessly in love with the man there could be no doubts. She didn’t care about the future, she wanted this moment with him. And he was right; she would hold it in her heart forever.

She laughed softly, catching at the hem of his shirt and easing it up his back, her fingers doing a little teasing on her own account as they strayed across his chest and down the flat, hard stomach. Her lips parted in delight as he drew in a sharp breath, rejoicing that she had the power to render him momentarily speechless.

‘Does that answer your question, Joshua? Now, how much longer are you going to keep a lady waiting?’ She flipped open the button of his shorts.

‘Dear God,’ he murmured. ‘Don’t…’ But what she mustn’t do was never voiced as the doorbell rang, shattering the bubble of the private world into which they had retreated. They both froze.

‘Would David come back?’ Joshua asked her after the first stunned silence. Holly shook her head, the crazy enchantment already evaporating with the loud intrusion of the outside world. Joshua began to roll from the bed, already tucking the soft polo shirt back into his shorts.

‘Ignore it,’ she pleaded, catching at his hands. ‘Whoever it is will go away.’

‘With my car parked on the front doorstep?’ He shook his head. ‘At least David had the sense to drive round the back.’

‘We could be on the beach. Anywhere.’ But the point became academic as they heard the sound of the door opening and a voice calling out, ‘Is anyone home?’

He muttered an expletive, stepped back and drew a deep breath, running his hands through his hair in an effort to tidy it. ‘It’s Mrs Austin. She worked for Mary and she’s been coming in a couple of days a week while the house has been empty. I phoned her yesterday and said she should come and see you. I might have known she wouldn’t wait until Monday. She’s a terrible old gossip, Holly, and she’ll expect every detail of your life history before she leaves.’

‘I haven’t got a life history,’ Holly said scratchily. And at this rate she never would have. She got unsteadily to her feet and caught sight of herself in the mirror. She winced. ‘Joshua, I can’t. Look at me.’

For a moment he did just that. Then he wrenched himself back into the real world and whisked her silently into the bathroom. He wrung out a cold flannel and held it to her cheeks.

‘Hello? Miss Carpenter?’ Joshua’s eyes warned her to be silent and they stayed perfectly still while the footsteps began to climb the stairs. Then the steps stopped and retreated and after a moment they heard her on the path outside.

‘She’s gone into the garden to look for us.’ He held her for a moment, steadying her, handing her a hairbrush.

‘Just think of something else, sweetheart. Something nasty.’ He groaned softly and pushed her away. ‘Go. You’ll be fine. Make her a cup of tea. I’ll be down in a moment to rescue you.’ He caught her by the shoulders and dropped a brief kiss on her mouth. ‘Don’t worry. She doesn’t bite. She only looks as if she might.’

Her legs were a little wobbly as she made her way back down the stairs, still certain that the world and its wife would know exactly what she had been doing on this sunny Saturday morning.

‘Hello?’ she called. ‘Mrs Austin?’ Holly moved quickly towards the woman coming in through the garden door, looking about her uncertainly. They had met briefly at Mary’s funeral, but Holly had been wearing a prim suit with a black velvet hat covering her hair.

Now Mrs Austin audibly drew breath.

‘Miss Carpenter.’ She couldn’t take her eyes off her hair.

‘Won’t you come in? Mr Kent told me you would probably call today.’

‘Well, dear, I hope it isn’t inconvenient, but I thought I’d better come and see what hours you wanted. If you want me to work for you at all, that is.’ She looked up the stairs and Holly could almost hear the wheels of her mind working. ‘Is that Mr Joshua’s car outside?’ ‘Yes, he’s…’ Holly forced a smile. ‘Would you like some tea, Mrs Austin? A sandwich perhaps? It must be very near lunchtime.’ She glanced at her watch. It was not quite ten-thirty and Mrs Austin looked at her a little oddly. ‘I got up very early.’

‘Well, a cup of tea would be welcome, but nothing to eat. I can’t stay long.’ She threw a glance back over her shoulder at the stairs as she allowed herself to be shepherded into the sitting-room.

Holly took another deep, steadying breath as she filled the kettle, wondering what on earth Joshua was up to.

Surely he didn’t intend to hide upstairs? That would really give the woman something to think about. Perhaps he expected her to make some excuse. She tried to clear the cotton wool from her mind and think of something. A blocked sink, perhaps? No, Mrs Austin looked the sort of woman to roll up her sleeves and go and deal with that sort of problem herself, given half a chance.

With hands still shaking, she laid a tray with three of the best cups, filled the delicate milk jug and put out the sugar basin. She poured the boiling water into the teapot and then found some chocolate biscuits. There was still no sign of Joshua when she carried it into the sitting-room and set it down on the low table before the sofa.

‘Well, here we are,’ she said, smiling with a confidence she was far from feeling, and covered the ensuing moments with a flurry of polite queries regarding milk and sugar, holding off the question she sensed Mrs Austin was dying to ask.

Finally there was nothing more to do and she raised her cup to her lips just as Mrs Austin began, ‘Is Mr Joshua going to join–?’

‘Mrs Austin! How good of you to come.’ Holly’s cup rattled in her saucer as she raised her eyes and saw Joshua, dark hair dusted with cobwebs, his arms full of photograph albums. ‘I promised Miss Carpenter I would go up into the loft for her this morning,’ he said confidentially, sinking down beside the older woman on the sofa. ‘I knew there must be a lot of old photographs somewhere and she’s a bit like Mary: scared of spiders.’ His eyes glinted softly at Holly as he took the cup she offered. ‘Isn’t that right?’

‘I’m afraid so. Witless.’

Mrs Austin tutted. ‘If you want anything down from the loft, Miss Carpenter, you just ask me. No need to go bothering a busy man like Mr Joshua.’

‘Please call me Holly.’

‘Holly. What a pretty name. Of course, you were a Christmas baby.’

‘Christmas Eve,’ Holly confirmed.

Joshua drank his tea and stood up. I’d better go and leave you two to sort out your business. Unless I can do anything else for you, Holly?’ His brazen look from behind Mrs Austin’s back was blush-making, but Holly managed somehow to keep a straight face.

‘Not right now, Joshua. But could you drop by this evening? I have one or two things you really ought to see,’ she said, and placed her cup on the tray without a sound. ‘If you can spare the time, that is? Mrs Austin tells me that you are a very busy man. I’d hate to take advantage of your…’ she paused and managed a slow smile. ‘…good nature.’

It was his turn to struggle. ‘I think I can manage that. About seven?’

‘Perhaps I can offer you dinner. A small thank-you for all your kindness.’

‘Well, that’s very thoughtful,’ he said quite briskly. ‘But there’ll be quite a lot to get through. Better leave dinner until later.’

‘Shall I show you out?’

‘I know the way.’ He mouthed a silent kiss from the doorway and retreated before her detached manner disintegrated entirely.

Mrs Austin had settled herself on the sofa and made herself at home. ‘It’s a while since I saw these old albums.’ She produced a cloth from her pocket and wiped the dust off the top one and opened it. ‘Well, now, will you look at that. It’s Mr and Mrs Graham and Miss Mary when she couldn’t have been more than ten years old.’

Holly joined the woman on the sofa. Her grandfather had a stern expression, his wife looked serene and Mary…

Mary looked exactly as she had at the same age. A little bit too thin, her fair hair bleached white by the sun.

‘There’s one of your mother in here somewhere. She came to stay with Mary after, well, you know all this.’

She didn’t but let it go and Mrs Austin continued to turn the pages, chattering on, full of gossip.

There was a picture of her grandfather looking very important in a red robe and chain of office. ‘That was the year Miss Mary’s father was mayor,’ Mrs Austin explained.

‘What was he like?’

Mrs Austin hesitated. ‘A bit stiff. Miss Mary found it hard, I think, especially after her mother left.’

‘Left?’

The other woman’s eyes gleamed briefly with the excitement of a new audience for old news. ‘She left him for another man. Caused a high old scandal. It was hard for Miss Mary and she was kept on a pretty tight rein growing up, I can tell you.’ She shook her head. ‘A mistake, that. Even when she insisted she must go and look after your poor mother when she was expecting you he carried on so that I thought that the heaven would fall in. In the end he saw how set she was — and your mother had been so kind when her mother left that I think she would have gone anyway.’ She sighed. ‘I thought that when he died it would be different, but she must have been thirty by then and I suppose she’d got into the habit of being alone. Not that she was ever lonely, of course. She was always busy.

‘You’ve worked for the family a long time?’