tall,
ethereally slim, and dark-haired, and her sister came as something of a
surprise.
Anne couldn't exactly be called beautiful either, with her
even features, but as she smiled Merlyn realised she had something much
more than mere surface beauty, that her warm blue eyes glowed with her
inner serenity and gave her a charm that couldn't be bought or applied
and would never fade.
'Merlyn!' she greeted warmly, crossing the room to hug
her, unzipping the anorak she wore over a powder-blue jumper and denims
as the heat in the room hit her. 'You're just as beautiful as I thought
you would be,' she complimented without envy. 'You really—'
The glow left her eyes as she frowned up at Merlyn. 'My God, what
happened to your mouth?' she gasped, moving Merlyn out of the light of
the window. 'You didn't mention anything yesterday about an
accident—'
'I wasn't in an accident,' Merlyn refuted reluctantly,
knowing Anne had seen what Rand hadn't; the black and purple bruising
about the cut she had made on her bottom lip.
'But you look as if someone punched you in the—
My God,' she breathed dazedly, turning slowly to look at Rand. 'You
didn't!' She shook her head disbelievingly. 'Brandon, you can't blame
Merlyn for any of this, it was my idea that she come up here. You
didn't have to do this.' She looked again with horror at the bruising
to Merlyn's lip.
'I didn't,' he dismissed abruptly. '
What
was your idea? And if Merlyn is a friend of yours how is it that you
didn't know how beautiful she is?' His eyes were narrowed with cold
suspicion.
Merlyn gave a negative shake of her head as Anne looked at
her enquiringly, knowing the other woman had expected her to have told
Rand who she was by now. Maybe she should have done, but he was already
unfriendly enough without that, and she had had no idea how long she
was going to be stranded with him in this way. Cold indifference she
could live with, armed warfare was something else! She would have told
him the truth before she left, Merlyn knew she owed him that. Although
she probably wouldn't have told him in quite this way.
'Because—'
'Because Anne and I have never met before,' Merlyn cut in
firmly, giving the other woman a reassuring look before meeting Rand's
challenging gaze at her admission. 'I'm an actress, and I—'
'Want to appear in that damned film they intend making
about my wife,' he finished thunderously. 'I should have known,' he
scorned. 'Arriving here in the storm with some tale about thinking this
was Anne's hotel, when all the time—'
'That wasn't a tale,' Merlyn defended herself heatedly.
'Do you really imagine I wanted our first meeting to be made that way?'
'Yes, I think that's exactly what you wanted.' He looked
at her in contempt. 'I think you planned yesterday down to the
last
detail
!'
All the colour drained from her face at his silent
implication that she had intended that they should make love last night
all along, that if the opportunity hadn't presented itself the way that
it had then she would have made it happen. It was completely
unjustified, but she
had
known who he was and she
had
made love with him, and that was all Rand
could see at the moment.
'Brandon, please.' Anne shot Merlyn a concerned glance.
'Merlyn only wanted—'
His icy gaze silenced his sister-in-law. 'I know you want
this film made, Anne, but I'm sure even you don't realise the lengths
your "friend" Merlyn went to to try and persuade me—'
'Anne, would you mind waiting for me outside?' Merlyn cut
in shakily before Rand could list those 'lengths'. She was avoiding
looking at him. 'I just have a few things to say to your brother-in-law,
and then I intend getting as far away from here as I can!'
'But—'
'Perhaps that would be best.' Rand's voice was harsh, his
gaze fixed relentlessly on Merlyn. 'Merlyn and I have a few things to
say to each other that might shock your sensibilities,' he added with a
sneer.
Anne looked at them each in turn, finally settling on
Merlyn. 'I'll be
ethereally slim, and dark-haired, and her sister came as something of a
surprise.
Anne couldn't exactly be called beautiful either, with her
even features, but as she smiled Merlyn realised she had something much
more than mere surface beauty, that her warm blue eyes glowed with her
inner serenity and gave her a charm that couldn't be bought or applied
and would never fade.
'Merlyn!' she greeted warmly, crossing the room to hug
her, unzipping the anorak she wore over a powder-blue jumper and denims
as the heat in the room hit her. 'You're just as beautiful as I thought
you would be,' she complimented without envy. 'You really—'
The glow left her eyes as she frowned up at Merlyn. 'My God, what
happened to your mouth?' she gasped, moving Merlyn out of the light of
the window. 'You didn't mention anything yesterday about an
accident—'
'I wasn't in an accident,' Merlyn refuted reluctantly,
knowing Anne had seen what Rand hadn't; the black and purple bruising
about the cut she had made on her bottom lip.
'But you look as if someone punched you in the—
My God,' she breathed dazedly, turning slowly to look at Rand. 'You
didn't!' She shook her head disbelievingly. 'Brandon, you can't blame
Merlyn for any of this, it was my idea that she come up here. You
didn't have to do this.' She looked again with horror at the bruising
to Merlyn's lip.
'I didn't,' he dismissed abruptly. '
What
was your idea? And if Merlyn is a friend of yours how is it that you
didn't know how beautiful she is?' His eyes were narrowed with cold
suspicion.
Merlyn gave a negative shake of her head as Anne looked at
her enquiringly, knowing the other woman had expected her to have told
Rand who she was by now. Maybe she should have done, but he was already
unfriendly enough without that, and she had had no idea how long she
was going to be stranded with him in this way. Cold indifference she
could live with, armed warfare was something else! She would have told
him the truth before she left, Merlyn knew she owed him that. Although
she probably wouldn't have told him in quite this way.
'Because—'
'Because Anne and I have never met before,' Merlyn cut in
firmly, giving the other woman a reassuring look before meeting Rand's
challenging gaze at her admission. 'I'm an actress, and I—'
'Want to appear in that damned film they intend making
about my wife,' he finished thunderously. 'I should have known,' he
scorned. 'Arriving here in the storm with some tale about thinking this
was Anne's hotel, when all the time—'
'That wasn't a tale,' Merlyn defended herself heatedly.
'Do you really imagine I wanted our first meeting to be made that way?'
'Yes, I think that's exactly what you wanted.' He looked
at her in contempt. 'I think you planned yesterday down to the
last
detail
!'
All the colour drained from her face at his silent
implication that she had intended that they should make love last night
all along, that if the opportunity hadn't presented itself the way that
it had then she would have made it happen. It was completely
unjustified, but she
had
known who he was and she
had
made love with him, and that was all Rand
could see at the moment.
'Brandon, please.' Anne shot Merlyn a concerned glance.
'Merlyn only wanted—'
His icy gaze silenced his sister-in-law. 'I know you want
this film made, Anne, but I'm sure even you don't realise the lengths
your "friend" Merlyn went to to try and persuade me—'
'Anne, would you mind waiting for me outside?' Merlyn cut
in shakily before Rand could list those 'lengths'. She was avoiding
looking at him. 'I just have a few things to say to your brother-in-law,
and then I intend getting as far away from here as I can!'
'But—'
'Perhaps that would be best.' Rand's voice was harsh, his
gaze fixed relentlessly on Merlyn. 'Merlyn and I have a few things to
say to each other that might shock your sensibilities,' he added with a
sneer.
Anne looked at them each in turn, finally settling on
Merlyn. 'I'll be
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