hate you to be passive,' he jibed, and very near terrified her when, because she was small waisted and the waistband of her trousers gaped a little, he was able to transfer one of his hands inside the band of her trousers. He seemed to like the feel of her belly because, while she was still gasping at this new turn of events, both his hands were all at once inside her trousers, exploring.
She called out in alarm as his too intimate touch caressed her warm belly. `No!' she screamed, as his hands searched lower. `No!' she implored again, in true alarm, and started not to merely tremble but to shake, the whole of her body visibly shuddering.
She knew the instant that her shaking had communicated itself to him, because Leon stilled in his intimate searching-and the next moment he had wrenched his hand from the inside of her trousers and, gripping her arms, had turned her to face him. There was no mockery in his expression as his eyes raked her face, as if to judge if she were play-acting.
Her white face told him that she was not, and he stared at her as if searching for words. Seconds, speechless seconds passed as he continued to stare into her white face. Then he drew a deep and controlling breath. 'I've-terrified you!' he managed at last, his words taut, sounding as if he could hardly believe what, in his anger with her for what she had done, he himself had done. `It's all right,' he told her urgently. 'Shh.' He tried to calm her. `You're all right. It's over. I won't harm you. I promise, you've nothing to fear from me.'
But Varnie was emotionally all over the place and wanted to be by herself. She pulled back from him. `Go,' she said, her voice barely audible.
`You're shaking. You're...'
`I want you to go,' she repeated. `I want you to go.'
He seemed torn about leaving her in the state she was in. 'You'll be all right on your own?' he asked, his eyes on her over-large wounded ones.
`I want to be by myself,' she insisted fixedly.
His hands fell to his sides, though for one most peculiar moment she had the feeling that he wanted to gently touch his lips to hers in a kiss of apology. His head did, in fact, come a fraction nearer. But, as if just then remembering how not many minutes ago he had half frightened the life out of her, he turned abruptly about and went striding from the room. As if to show that she was quite safe, he closed the door after him.
Varnie collapsed into a chair once he had gone, and gradually her shaking started to subside. She knew that what she should be doing was taking out her suitcase, packing and getting out of there. Surely even Johnny wouldn't expect her to stay after this?
But, strangely, something-she knew not what-seemed to be holding her back from taking that course of action. Most curiously, she found that she did not want to leave!
CHAPTER FIVE
How long she stayed sitting there she had no idea. But as she recovered from the shock of Leon's retribution for what she had done Varnie began to doubt that he would have taken her by force-had it got that far.
As far as he knew, though, she was a woman of some experience. Hadn't she after all answered yes when he had asked if she had slept with John Metcalfe? She had deliberately withheld the information that she and Johnny were family and that they had been small children at the time.
Leon still thought her a woman of some experience anyway, yet the moment he had realised that she was going into some kind of trauma from what he was about he had on the instant called a halt.
Varnie knew that, unless she intended to creep out of the house with her suitcase when he wasn't looking, she was going to have to face Leon again some time. But, using delaying tactics, she went and took a shower and changed into fresh trousers, shirt and light sweater. She had been dressed and ready for ten minutes, though, before she summoned up the nerve to leave her room.
She'd expected Leon to be at work in the study. He was not.
She called out in alarm as his too intimate touch caressed her warm belly. `No!' she screamed, as his hands searched lower. `No!' she implored again, in true alarm, and started not to merely tremble but to shake, the whole of her body visibly shuddering.
She knew the instant that her shaking had communicated itself to him, because Leon stilled in his intimate searching-and the next moment he had wrenched his hand from the inside of her trousers and, gripping her arms, had turned her to face him. There was no mockery in his expression as his eyes raked her face, as if to judge if she were play-acting.
Her white face told him that she was not, and he stared at her as if searching for words. Seconds, speechless seconds passed as he continued to stare into her white face. Then he drew a deep and controlling breath. 'I've-terrified you!' he managed at last, his words taut, sounding as if he could hardly believe what, in his anger with her for what she had done, he himself had done. `It's all right,' he told her urgently. 'Shh.' He tried to calm her. `You're all right. It's over. I won't harm you. I promise, you've nothing to fear from me.'
But Varnie was emotionally all over the place and wanted to be by herself. She pulled back from him. `Go,' she said, her voice barely audible.
`You're shaking. You're...'
`I want you to go,' she repeated. `I want you to go.'
He seemed torn about leaving her in the state she was in. 'You'll be all right on your own?' he asked, his eyes on her over-large wounded ones.
`I want to be by myself,' she insisted fixedly.
His hands fell to his sides, though for one most peculiar moment she had the feeling that he wanted to gently touch his lips to hers in a kiss of apology. His head did, in fact, come a fraction nearer. But, as if just then remembering how not many minutes ago he had half frightened the life out of her, he turned abruptly about and went striding from the room. As if to show that she was quite safe, he closed the door after him.
Varnie collapsed into a chair once he had gone, and gradually her shaking started to subside. She knew that what she should be doing was taking out her suitcase, packing and getting out of there. Surely even Johnny wouldn't expect her to stay after this?
But, strangely, something-she knew not what-seemed to be holding her back from taking that course of action. Most curiously, she found that she did not want to leave!
CHAPTER FIVE
How long she stayed sitting there she had no idea. But as she recovered from the shock of Leon's retribution for what she had done Varnie began to doubt that he would have taken her by force-had it got that far.
As far as he knew, though, she was a woman of some experience. Hadn't she after all answered yes when he had asked if she had slept with John Metcalfe? She had deliberately withheld the information that she and Johnny were family and that they had been small children at the time.
Leon still thought her a woman of some experience anyway, yet the moment he had realised that she was going into some kind of trauma from what he was about he had on the instant called a halt.
Varnie knew that, unless she intended to creep out of the house with her suitcase when he wasn't looking, she was going to have to face Leon again some time. But, using delaying tactics, she went and took a shower and changed into fresh trousers, shirt and light sweater. She had been dressed and ready for ten minutes, though, before she summoned up the nerve to leave her room.
She'd expected Leon to be at work in the study. He was not.
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