time
he hadn't seemed to mind.
'You know all these things you're saying about me aren't
true,' she challenged him angrily.
'I told you, I know nothing about you—and I
don't want to know!'
'You know something about me you aren't willing to admit
to yourself,' she bit out. 'Why is that, Rand?' she cried bitterly.
'Does it make it difficult to put the blame for last night on me?'
His eyes were cold, angry slits between lush lashes. 'I
don't know what you're talking about.'
'You may have been a faithful husband, Rand, but you had
plenty of years before you met Suzie to experience every type of
lovemaking there is. And although you haven't admitted it, you have to
know that last night was my first time with a man!'
CHAPTER FOUR
'I know
it had been a while for you—'
'The first time,' she insisted.
It had troubled her last night that Rand hadn't been aware
of her innocence, and then she had been so lost to the ecstasy they
were sharing that she had put it from her mind. But she knew he
had
to have been aware of that barrier he had breached, of the reason for
her tears.
She continued to watch him challengingly.
'You're an actress—'
'I couldn't
fake
something like
that!' she protested.
'Of course you could, it's done all the time in the
marriage bed,' he taunted.
Merlyn shook her head disbelievingly. 'Do you really think
that?'
'Yes!'
'Then I pity you—'
'I told you last night, I don't want your damned
pity—'
'After you had already taken it,' Merlyn shot back. 'If
Suzie could only see you now!'
He became deathly still, his body taut with tension. 'What
do you mean?'
She sighed, accepting that he would never believe he had
been her first lover—or he just didn't
want
to believe it. 'I feel as if I've come to know her rather well since
reading Anne's book—'
'It was incomplete,' he rasped.
'It was written from your wife's notebooks; you gave them
to Anne yourself.'
'Notes only tell a person's random thoughts, not what the
person was really like.'
'Anne knew her sister well enough to know what she was
"really like", and I've come to know her as well as I could without
actually meeting her. And I know she would be disappointed in
you—'
'Because I refuse to acknowledge the dubious virginity of
a woman who gave herself to me for gain?' he scorned viciously.
'You didn't just bury your wife two years ago,' Merlyn
told him shakily. 'You put your ability to care for other people in
beside her!'
His mouth twisted. 'This isn't a scene from some B-movie
with some hackneyed happy-ever-after ending where the hero throws
himself into the heroine's arms as he realises he's fallen in love with
her! And I've heard all the lectures I need to from Anne.'
She flinched at his scorn; she hadn't expected her
criticism to suddenly transform him into a man who could love again,
she wasn't that naive, but she had hoped that his cynicism wasn't so
deep-rooted that he wouldn't even listen when someone was concerned
about him.
'Because
she
cares for
you—'
'And what's your angle, Merlyn?' he jeered softly. 'Or do
I really need to ask!'
It was useless trying to reason with this man, she didn't
even know why she felt the compunction to try. And yet she felt as if
she had let down Suzie's memory in some way by not being able to reach
Rand through the barrier of his bitterness.
'Anne's waiting,' she said abruptly. 'I hope you don't
mind if I leave my car here until I can arrange to have it picked up.
I—I hope you realise Anne knew nothing about—about
the things you're accusing me of?' She looked at him anxiously, having
done enough damage without ruining his relationship with his
sister-in-law too.
Grey eyes looked at her coldly. 'Anne could never be
involved in anything that sordid, I'm well aware that it was all your
own idea.'
He was meaning to be insulting, and he was succeeding more
effectively than he could guess. The last thing she would ever be
involved in would be sleeping with anyone to get herself a role
he hadn't seemed to mind.
'You know all these things you're saying about me aren't
true,' she challenged him angrily.
'I told you, I know nothing about you—and I
don't want to know!'
'You know something about me you aren't willing to admit
to yourself,' she bit out. 'Why is that, Rand?' she cried bitterly.
'Does it make it difficult to put the blame for last night on me?'
His eyes were cold, angry slits between lush lashes. 'I
don't know what you're talking about.'
'You may have been a faithful husband, Rand, but you had
plenty of years before you met Suzie to experience every type of
lovemaking there is. And although you haven't admitted it, you have to
know that last night was my first time with a man!'
CHAPTER FOUR
'I know
it had been a while for you—'
'The first time,' she insisted.
It had troubled her last night that Rand hadn't been aware
of her innocence, and then she had been so lost to the ecstasy they
were sharing that she had put it from her mind. But she knew he
had
to have been aware of that barrier he had breached, of the reason for
her tears.
She continued to watch him challengingly.
'You're an actress—'
'I couldn't
fake
something like
that!' she protested.
'Of course you could, it's done all the time in the
marriage bed,' he taunted.
Merlyn shook her head disbelievingly. 'Do you really think
that?'
'Yes!'
'Then I pity you—'
'I told you last night, I don't want your damned
pity—'
'After you had already taken it,' Merlyn shot back. 'If
Suzie could only see you now!'
He became deathly still, his body taut with tension. 'What
do you mean?'
She sighed, accepting that he would never believe he had
been her first lover—or he just didn't
want
to believe it. 'I feel as if I've come to know her rather well since
reading Anne's book—'
'It was incomplete,' he rasped.
'It was written from your wife's notebooks; you gave them
to Anne yourself.'
'Notes only tell a person's random thoughts, not what the
person was really like.'
'Anne knew her sister well enough to know what she was
"really like", and I've come to know her as well as I could without
actually meeting her. And I know she would be disappointed in
you—'
'Because I refuse to acknowledge the dubious virginity of
a woman who gave herself to me for gain?' he scorned viciously.
'You didn't just bury your wife two years ago,' Merlyn
told him shakily. 'You put your ability to care for other people in
beside her!'
His mouth twisted. 'This isn't a scene from some B-movie
with some hackneyed happy-ever-after ending where the hero throws
himself into the heroine's arms as he realises he's fallen in love with
her! And I've heard all the lectures I need to from Anne.'
She flinched at his scorn; she hadn't expected her
criticism to suddenly transform him into a man who could love again,
she wasn't that naive, but she had hoped that his cynicism wasn't so
deep-rooted that he wouldn't even listen when someone was concerned
about him.
'Because
she
cares for
you—'
'And what's your angle, Merlyn?' he jeered softly. 'Or do
I really need to ask!'
It was useless trying to reason with this man, she didn't
even know why she felt the compunction to try. And yet she felt as if
she had let down Suzie's memory in some way by not being able to reach
Rand through the barrier of his bitterness.
'Anne's waiting,' she said abruptly. 'I hope you don't
mind if I leave my car here until I can arrange to have it picked up.
I—I hope you realise Anne knew nothing about—about
the things you're accusing me of?' She looked at him anxiously, having
done enough damage without ruining his relationship with his
sister-in-law too.
Grey eyes looked at her coldly. 'Anne could never be
involved in anything that sordid, I'm well aware that it was all your
own idea.'
He was meaning to be insulting, and he was succeeding more
effectively than he could guess. The last thing she would ever be
involved in would be sleeping with anyone to get herself a role
Similar Books
