flickered. ‘It depends what you mean by straight.’
‘Don’t play games with me—’ Christina burst out. She could hear the naked pain in her voice and stopped at once. But it was too late.
She was hurt and she was not skilful enough to disguise it. The pain was easy for anyone to detect, if he had any intelligence at all. And whatever else she suspected about Luc Henri she had no doubts about his intelligence.
That cry shifted the balance of power between them radically. It forced her to admit, in spite of herself, that Luc was more than a stranger, no matter how strongly she resisted it. And that made her suddenly too involved. An unwelcome thought, brutal in its clarity, surfaced out of the warring instincts: if she was involved, she was also vulnerable.
Luc Henri recognised it too, she saw at once. He was not chivalrous enough to pretend that he did not.
‘Well,’ he said on a long, marvelling breath.
Christina writhed inwardly. His satisfaction was blatant. She would have given everything she owned to recall that involuntary cry.
But it was too late.
Trying to retrieve her position, she said desperately, ‘I don’t care who you are or what you’re doing. I just don’t want to be dragged into anything.’
Luc was watching her as if she fascinated him. ‘Don’t you?’ he murmured at last.
Christina stared, not understanding.
‘Care?’ he elucidated.
‘ Oh! ’
Both hands went to her cheeks in pure distress.
‘Don’t hide from me,’ said that quiet voice.
She shook her head, horribly embarrassed.
Luc pulled her hands gently away from her hot face. ‘No, don’t. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Surely you know that, a liberated lady like you?’
The mockery was not unkind but Christina flinched from it.
He went on evenly, ‘Spend the night with me.’
She froze.
‘Neither of us is an innocent. We both know where we’re headed.’ He sounded impatient. ‘Why drag it out? Don’t go back to the damned boat. Forget the captain. I can give you a better time than that.’
Christina found her voice. ‘I’m sure you can.’ It did not sound like her voice at all. She cleared her throat. ‘I mean could.’
His eyes were very dark. ‘No, you mean can.’
She shook her head. She compressed her lips to stop them trembling. For one brief, crazy moment she thought of going away with him—away from the Princess and whoever she might choose to socialise with. Away from the boat, somewhere distant and private where Luc could take her in his arms and… She stopped herself with an effort that was almost physical.
‘No.’ It was all she could manage. It scraped her throat like sandpaper.
He looked incredulous. ‘Are you going to say you’re not that sort of girl?’
That hurt too, but Christina learned fast. She had seen it coming and hid the instinctive flinching more successfully this time. She raised her head and met his eyes squarely.
‘I don’t have to make excuses, Luc,’ she told him quietly. ‘You asked me to spend the night. I said no. End of story.’
He frowned. ‘Why not?’
This was awful. She could not say, Because I want to so much that you could convince me black was white.
She kept her voice steady with a supreme effort. ‘I don’t have to give you reasons either.’
He was unmoved. ‘You do when you kiss me like that.’
The eyes that met hers held a challenge, and this time there was no amusement whatsoever. Christina lifted her chin.
‘All right. Tell me, then. Is Luc Henri your real name?’
He hesitated.
Christina pressed on. ‘And aren’t you as much interested in the Princess Marie Anne as you are in me?’
Luc looked wary and amused in equal measure. ‘I wouldn’t say as much ,’ he drawled.
Christina refused to back down. ‘But if she weren’t here you wouldn’t be here. Would you?’ she flung at him.
He shrugged, looking bored. ‘Maybe.’
‘Don’t lie to me, Luc. You’re following her, aren’t you?’
His eyes
‘Don’t play games with me—’ Christina burst out. She could hear the naked pain in her voice and stopped at once. But it was too late.
She was hurt and she was not skilful enough to disguise it. The pain was easy for anyone to detect, if he had any intelligence at all. And whatever else she suspected about Luc Henri she had no doubts about his intelligence.
That cry shifted the balance of power between them radically. It forced her to admit, in spite of herself, that Luc was more than a stranger, no matter how strongly she resisted it. And that made her suddenly too involved. An unwelcome thought, brutal in its clarity, surfaced out of the warring instincts: if she was involved, she was also vulnerable.
Luc Henri recognised it too, she saw at once. He was not chivalrous enough to pretend that he did not.
‘Well,’ he said on a long, marvelling breath.
Christina writhed inwardly. His satisfaction was blatant. She would have given everything she owned to recall that involuntary cry.
But it was too late.
Trying to retrieve her position, she said desperately, ‘I don’t care who you are or what you’re doing. I just don’t want to be dragged into anything.’
Luc was watching her as if she fascinated him. ‘Don’t you?’ he murmured at last.
Christina stared, not understanding.
‘Care?’ he elucidated.
‘ Oh! ’
Both hands went to her cheeks in pure distress.
‘Don’t hide from me,’ said that quiet voice.
She shook her head, horribly embarrassed.
Luc pulled her hands gently away from her hot face. ‘No, don’t. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Surely you know that, a liberated lady like you?’
The mockery was not unkind but Christina flinched from it.
He went on evenly, ‘Spend the night with me.’
She froze.
‘Neither of us is an innocent. We both know where we’re headed.’ He sounded impatient. ‘Why drag it out? Don’t go back to the damned boat. Forget the captain. I can give you a better time than that.’
Christina found her voice. ‘I’m sure you can.’ It did not sound like her voice at all. She cleared her throat. ‘I mean could.’
His eyes were very dark. ‘No, you mean can.’
She shook her head. She compressed her lips to stop them trembling. For one brief, crazy moment she thought of going away with him—away from the Princess and whoever she might choose to socialise with. Away from the boat, somewhere distant and private where Luc could take her in his arms and… She stopped herself with an effort that was almost physical.
‘No.’ It was all she could manage. It scraped her throat like sandpaper.
He looked incredulous. ‘Are you going to say you’re not that sort of girl?’
That hurt too, but Christina learned fast. She had seen it coming and hid the instinctive flinching more successfully this time. She raised her head and met his eyes squarely.
‘I don’t have to make excuses, Luc,’ she told him quietly. ‘You asked me to spend the night. I said no. End of story.’
He frowned. ‘Why not?’
This was awful. She could not say, Because I want to so much that you could convince me black was white.
She kept her voice steady with a supreme effort. ‘I don’t have to give you reasons either.’
He was unmoved. ‘You do when you kiss me like that.’
The eyes that met hers held a challenge, and this time there was no amusement whatsoever. Christina lifted her chin.
‘All right. Tell me, then. Is Luc Henri your real name?’
He hesitated.
Christina pressed on. ‘And aren’t you as much interested in the Princess Marie Anne as you are in me?’
Luc looked wary and amused in equal measure. ‘I wouldn’t say as much ,’ he drawled.
Christina refused to back down. ‘But if she weren’t here you wouldn’t be here. Would you?’ she flung at him.
He shrugged, looking bored. ‘Maybe.’
‘Don’t lie to me, Luc. You’re following her, aren’t you?’
His eyes
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