To Make a Marriage by Carole Mortimer Page B

her?
    â€˜Don’t you think we should let the lovebirds have a little more time to settle their differences?’ he cajoled huskily, the sound of voices outside still audible in the dining-room.
    â€˜Would you please let me go?’ Andie said through gritted teeth.
    She really didn’t like him touching her, Adam accepted heavily. Whereas he—he wanted to touch her, damn it. In fact, he wanted to do a lot more than just touch her!
    Andie’s gaze narrowed glitteringly as she seemed to read at least some of his thoughts from his expression. ‘Don’t even think about it, Adam,’ she warned softly.
    Perhaps it was that warning tone. Or perhaps his patience had been tried too far. Whatever the reason, he did a sight more than just think about it!
    She felt curvaceously desirable, Adam briefly had time to register as he pulled her to him. But only briefly—because as his lips fused with hers he could think of nothing but that. Actually, he couldn’t think at all, could only feel! Andie felt so good to him, her body curved into the hard contours of his, her hands tightly gripping his shoulders.
    Now he knew how a thirsty man in a desert had to feel when offered water. He wanted to drink, and drink, and drink, never wanted this to stop!
    But even as he recognised that, that was exactly what it did, Andie wrenching her mouth away from his, pushing at his chest until he had no choice but to release her.
    She stood removed from him now, her head held back defiantly, her nostrils flaring angrily as she breathed deeply.‘That was a mistake on your part, Adam,’ she said gratingly. ‘And one definitely not to be repeated.’ She pushed the blonde tumble of her hair back from her angrily flushed face.
    Adam would have liked to throw her words back in her face, wished for nothing more than to be able to claim that she had responded. But the truth of the matter was, she hadn’t. For several long—glorious!—seconds she had remained impassive in his arms—rather like a wooden doll?—and then she had begun to fight him.
    He drew in a ragged breath, putting a hand up to a temple that suddenly ached with tension. ‘Are we never going to be friends again, Andie?’ he said dully.
    â€˜Friends!’ she repeated harshly. ‘I’ve always tried to be your friend, Adam, but it obviously isn’t a friend that you want—’
    â€˜Tried?’ he echoed incredulously feeling as if she had just punched him in the solar plexus.
    â€˜Tried,’ she repeated firmly, the coldness of her gaze easily holding his. ‘But I can’t even do that any more, Adam,’ she told him flatly. ‘I suggest that in future we just try to stay out of each other’s way.’
    He swallowed hard, knowing by her implacable expression that she meant exactly what she had just said. But how could he stay away from her—when what he most wanted to do was the exact opposite to that?
    No!
    Much as he might want Andie, he certainly wasn’t what Andie needed in her life.
    â€˜I think you’re right, Andie,’ he said shortly. ‘You are tired and need to go to bed. We can talk about this again tomorrow.’ When he had recovered sufficiently from this talk to be able to deal with the situation logically.
    â€˜My conclusion will be exactly the same, tomorrow orany other day!’ Andie snapped before sweeping from the room, leaving a trail of her heady perfume in her wake.
    Adam almost fell into the chair, putting his hands up to cover his face as he gave a pained groan.
    Andie had always tried to be his friend!
    Until he had ruined even that…?

CHAPTER FOUR
    â€˜J UST how long did you think you could keep the existence of my child from me?’
    Andie flinched at the sound of that angrily accusing voice, but she didn’t open her eyes, or move from her prone position on the sun-lounger on the terrace of her father’s Majorcan