The Blackmailed Bride (15 page)

‘Definitely,' Sarah beamed.

U
NLIKE
the suite at the resort, this one had two very large bedrooms. Kate didn't have any possessions to put in the one allocated to her, but she soon discovered that Javier had anticipated this. A comprehensive array of clothes in her size, all with expensive designer labels she coveted, were hanging up in the walk-in wardrobe and more were neatly folded on the shelves. As she fingered the fine silk of a matching set of bra and minuscule pants, she tried not to think about how he knew her bra size!

Still a bit sleepy-eyed and grouchy after her nap in the car, she entered the sitting room carrying a bar of soap which was the same herbal-scented brand she preferred to use—no coincidence, she was sure.

‘How did you know…?'

‘Meticulous research,' Javier explained languidly as he took a sip from the glass of whisky he was nursing. The ice chinked as he saluted her with it. ‘A shower might refresh you…' His eyes slid over her cream dress and ended up on her bare toes before making the return journey to her face. ‘Or would you like some food brought up?'

In other words, I look like a dish rag!

‘A bar of soap I can live with,' she gritted unsmilingly. ‘But I can't accept clothes from you.'

‘Millions of pounds you can accept but a few clothes you can't? I'm sure there's some logic in there somewhere, but I must admit it escapes me momentarily.'

‘That's not the same thing and you know it!'

‘You do need to dress for the part; as my wife you will be expected to project a certain image.'

‘I'm sorry if you don't like my clothes sense but I'm not about to be made over into some plastic bimbo clone!' she announced, planting her hands firmly on her hips as she glared belligerently across at him. ‘So you can cancel the hair appointments and the image consultant,' she told him quiveringly. ‘That wasn't part of the deal. You can't say you weren't warned—I told you I was poor value for money—but you went ahead and married me anyway. So if you're ashamed of me in front of your posh friends and family,
too bad!
'

Her piece said, Kate experienced a sudden and strong desire to burst into tears…as if it mattered what he thought of her?

Javier examined the antagonistic glitter in her eyes and let out a long, slow whistle. Sitting forward in his chair he placed his glass on the gleaming surface of an antique metal banded oak chest beside him.

‘I knew you couldn't bring luggage with you without causing comment, so it seemed sensible to arrange for some clothes in your sizes brought here,' he told her quietly. ‘I merely asked for them to be classic, simple and understated, like the things I have seen you wear,' he revealed with what seemed genuine admiration.

‘Oh!'
Looking down at her crumpled linen shift Kate could only wonder at his taste.

‘If I'd wanted to play Svengali,' he added drily, ‘I would not have chosen you as a subject; you are probably the
least
malleable person I have ever known. It is true however that we will attend functions where people will be expensively dressed. You may wear chain-store clothes if that is what you wish.' His broad shoulders lifted in a negligent shrug. ‘But I did think you might find it less of an ordeal if you blended in. I see no reason for you to suffer financially to that end.' Having shot down in flames just about every
aspect of her complaint and made her feel petty and ungrateful in the bargain, he picked up his drink.

As he raised the glass to his lips, he continued to study her unblinkingly over the rim. ‘Incidentally, I like your hair.'

His eyes held a possessive gleam as he examined the silvery tumble of soft waves that had unexpectedly excited his admiration.

‘I shall take the risk of you rushing out to cut it off, or dye it purple to establish your total disdain for my opinion, and admit I would not like it at all if you changed anything about it,' he told her softly.

Kate gulped and regrouped. ‘Maybe I was a bit hasty about the clothes, but you should have told me we'd be coming here.' She pushed her fringe from her eyes; it felt lank and floppy, which made his reaction to it all the more amazing in her eyes. The picture of a glowing bride she was not!

Despite the fact he had discarded his jacket and his tie was loosened, Javier still looked as fresh and vital as ever.

‘My parents will be worried…' God, she still had to tell them. That should be fun; what'll I say…?
Mum and Dad, I got married yesterday, but don't worry, it's not going to change my life…
Only it already had, she realised as her eyes were drawn to the sleek figure slouched in the chair.

Javier had to be the only man in the universe who could slouch elegantly!

‘I left a message for them explaining that you were feeling much better and I was taking you to visit friends and we'd probably be staying overnight.'

‘A lie for every occasion.'

‘No lie; Serge is a friend and he is manager here.'

‘Oh, is that how you know him?'

‘My grandparents had a villa about a mile from here; we
would spend summers here.' His soft reflective smile suggested these were happy memories.

Kate found she was fiercely glad about that. After what Serge had told her about the tragedies in his childhood she was glad that Javier had some good memories. She swallowed as an image of a small, lonely boy materialised in her head—a boy with golden skin and blue eyes; the image made her heart ache.

‘Serge's mother was their housekeeper,' he explained. ‘We used to run wild together. This very spot was one of our favourite places; it was just a ruin at the time, and probably dangerous into the bargain, but you don't want to hear about my childhood.'

Actually, she did. Kate was horrified to discover that she was in fact interested in everything about him! She ate up the details like an addict.

‘You are happy about the arrangements I made…?'

‘You seem to have anticipated everything…'

‘Not everything. I thought I had…' he mused contemplating the bottom of his glass through narrowed eyes. His long lashes suddenly lifted. ‘But I was wrong.'

Being the sudden focus of his curiously intense blue gaze unsettled Kate, who was already incredibly jumpy. Unable to bear his scrutiny any longer, she turned her back on him and pretended a great interest in the fine examples of local art hanging on the wall, when all the time all she was actually conscious of was Javier.

All her senses were finely tuned to his smallest gesture, the slightest inflection in his voice; in fact, she was so hyper-focused there was a strong possibility that she was seeing and hearing things that weren't there.

‘You're not happy that I left the message?'

‘It's not that, it's just… Well, I'm used to doing things for myself. It feels strange to have someone else speak on my behalf.'

‘Ah, yes, the independent career woman.'

Kate spun around angrily. ‘Don't you dare patronise me…or…'

‘If you're going to threaten, Kate,' he advised her smoothly, ‘it's always more effective if you decide beforehand with what or how you're going to intimidate your victim. With married people I believe the withdrawal of your sexual favours is a popular method. Of course,' he mused silkily, ‘you have to grant them first…'

Was the hint of a question in his voice or a figment of her fertile and overheated imagination? The remotest possibility that he was actually suggesting they consummate their union had her heart beating like a drum.

She sharply veered her thoughts from the dangerous direction they were taking. ‘I'm just saying…' Damned if I know what I was saying! She exhaled and started again. ‘It would just have been nice to be consulted. I might have felt less…'

‘Less what?'

Her hand went to the base of her throat as their eyes met, she could feel the heavy throb of a pulse there. ‘Manipulated,' she ground out.

‘Is that how I make you feel?'

Out of control, sexually depraved…
needy…?
The list went on and on!

She shrugged and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. ‘Forget it; I was just shocked to wake up and find myself here.'

She hadn't been shocked at first, he recalled; that had come a few moments later when the wary light in her eyes had resurfaced.

In those very first moments after he'd gently shaken her awake there had been no concealing caution, her velvety eyes had been filled with sleepy, sensual invitation that had taken his breath clear away. In that brief, unguarded mo
ment she'd looked up at him, all softness and warmth, glowing as if lit from within.

The recollection of it made his body respond as it had done at the time, when all he'd wanted to do was pull her beneath him and kiss her senseless in a prelude to removing every stitch of clothing from her delicious soft body, then he'd taste every inch of that too. He wouldn't allow himself to satisfy his hunger completely, though, not until she was begging him to…drawing out the pleasure until it hurt.

When she had reached out and touched his cheek, her fingertips light and delicate as they ran over the stubble on his jaw, Javier had been forced to reassess the timescale of his plans. Javier understood the power of sex, but the hunger that gripped him at that moment was more urgent than any he could recall.

A small pucker had appeared between her feathery brows as her hand fell away. ‘You're not a dream,' she breathed in the moment before she realised where she was, and who he was.

Javier, not a man given to wishing, was left wishing hard that he was the man she had taken him for. A man whose existence he discovered he deeply resented.

Kate stepped backwards as Javier suddenly levered himself up from the chair in one lithe, fluid motion. She watched as he began to move around the room, his whole manner radiating restless energy… Perhaps he was feeling the confines of this paper marriage already?

Perhaps regret was responsible for the brooding expression on his face she speculated as she watched him push open the double doors that led out onto a flower-decked wrought-iron balcony. As he turned back to face her, Kate's breath caught; standing there with the light breeze ruffling the smooth glossy outline of his dark hair, drawing the fabric of his shirt tightly over his torso, he made a simply magnificent figure.

The frown line deepened above his classical nose as his eyes skimmed her motionless figure. ‘I thought you would welcome an opportunity to…adjust to our…arrangements before you face your family.' A wry expression drifted across his face. ‘I know I do. Surely you didn't think we'd be going back there tonight? That you would be sharing a room with your sister?'

‘Well, actually, I was so busy wondering how I was going to get through the wedding itself,' she revealed ingenuously, ‘that I hadn't thought as far as the honeymoon.'

In fact, Kate, you haven't thought much at all! With a sigh she slumped despondently into a tapestry-covered easy chair.

‘Have I said something funny…?' she asked as he smiled one of those lop-sided numbers that she found not only wildly attractive but impossible to interpret. ‘I'm not speaking honeymoon in the literal sense, of course,' she hastily clarified.

‘You know it will do my over-inflated ego a power of good to be in your company…' If he hadn't had to fend off some determined candidates, Javier might have been forced to reconsider the widely held belief amongst his envious contemporaries that there were any number of women who might not consider marriage to him was something to be
endured!

‘Have you any idea how long we might have to…'

‘Cohabit?'

‘I was going to say pretend to be married,' she corrected tartly—cohabit had an uncomfortably intimate sound to it.

‘We
are
married and I have the papers to prove it.'

‘Not properly!' she countered crossly.

‘I had noticed.'

Kate took the gutless route and acted as if she was oblivious to the challenge in his eyes. ‘This is a very nice hotel,' she observed, sweeping past him onto the balcony which
looked out onto a sunny courtyard and the mountains beyond. Hands on the wrought-iron scroll work, she leaned over to get a better look at the fountain beneath. The only sound was the trickle of the water and the distant hum of bees going about their business; it was a lazy, relaxing sound.

‘When we were trawling through the holiday brochures, I wanted to stay here, but I was overruled.' Eyes closed, she lifted her face to the sun.

It didn't take a genius to figure out by whom; as far as Javier could see the little sister with her charming manner and shallow smile seemed to get exactly what she wanted. Worse still, Kate seemed to be quite resigned to taking second place. As far as he was concerned, if there was ever a woman who ought to take first place it was Katherine M. Anderson.

Kate didn't realise that he'd followed her until she felt his breath against her neck.

‘Coward…'
he whispered softly.

Kate started so violently that for a moment she lost her balance and tipped too far forwards until only her toes were still on terra firma.

‘Por Dios!'
Javier cried harshly as he hauled her bodily back from the balustrade. He turned her roughly around to face him.

The hand he planted in the small of her back brought her hard up against his body; the one twisted into her hair tilted her face up to his. Every point of contact between them was an exquisite kind of torture as her receptive nerve-endings came to life. As far as Kate was concerned, colliding head-on with his blazing blue eyes was a far more terrifying experience than nearly falling fifty feet onto cobbles.

Held this close, she was aware not only of his amazing strength, but the waves of fury vibrating through his lean,
hard body too. In his heightened emotional state he unconsciously slipped back into his mother tongue. Kate stood there in a blank condition of shock while a hot tide of furious Spanish washed over her.