attractive, though, isn't he?' Liza mused. 'I
wish he had seen me first—I wouldn't care who he thought he
was in love with as long as it was me he wanted.'
From what Rand had said, it wouldn't have made any
difference whom he had seen first, it was Merlyn he wanted, Merlyn who
had reawakened his sexual hunger. 'You're welcome to encourage him if
you want to,' she invited flatly. 'I don't have exclusive rights on
him.'
'Maybe we had better stop talking about him and worry
about what Christopher is going to say to you,' Liza grimaced. 'He
didn't seem too pleased when he asked where you were earlier and I told
him you were lying down for a while.'
Merlyn blushed at the way her friend had avoided telling a
lie, Liza having drawn her own conclusions about the reason for Rand's
visit to her room—correct ones, as it happened. 'What did he
say?' she frowned.
'I don't know, I beat a hasty retreat back to my room once
I'd told him you would be over later,' Liza admitted ruefully. 'I
decided there was safety in numbers!'
Christopher was in the oval-shaped pool when they arrived,
indulging in a game of handball with some of the other crew members.
Merlyn and Liza sat down unobtrusively behind a potted plant that
almost managed to conceal them from view, ordering a couple of
pinacoladas from the pool waiter.
Liza nibbled at some of the fruit arranged decorously
around the glass rim. 'Maybe he will have cooled off by the time he
gets out,' she said hopefully.
Merlyn's expression was sceptical. 'Maybe Mount St Helens
is inactive,' she laughed hollowly.
'Hm,' her friend grimaced. 'I've heard they have similar
temperaments!'
Merlyn smiled at her friend's attempt at a joke, although
perhaps as that explosive temper of Christopher's was going to be
directed at her maybe it wasn't so funny. 'As far as I know it was only
a request that I join him by the pool, not an order.'
Liza broke off sipping her chilled drink through the
brightly coloured straw. 'With him it's the same thing! I've worked
with him before, remember?'
Merlyn vividly recalled the swearing and cursing that had
gone on during that three-month period Liza had worked with Christopher
just over a year ago; according to her friend, at the time he was a
mixture of Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan combined, with a little bit
of the Devil thrown in. 'You seem to have come back for more.'
'Because he's brilliant!' Liza scoffed the need to explain
her presence here. 'And he's just climbed out of the pool and is coming
our way,' she added softly, shooting Merlyn a nervous glance.
She smiled. 'You're welcome to make your escape while you
can.'
'Now would I do that to a friend?'
'Yes,' she laughed.
'You're right,' Liza nodded sorrowfully. 'But I don't have the time,' she managed to mutter before
Christopher appeared at the side of their table. Liza, very wisely,
buried her nose in her drink, keeping her gaze averted.
'How nice of you to finally join us, Merlyn,' Christopher
greeted her with heavy sarcasm.
A face to face encounter with the reputed Drake temper
wasn't something Merlyn relished after what had just happened with
Rand. She had put on a brave face in front of Liza, was sure her friend
hadn't guessed just how devastated she really felt about the time she
had spent in Rand's arms; they were both adults, and they lived in a
society where physical relationships out of marriage were accepted as
the norm rather than the exception.
But inside, where it counted, she was a mass of confusing,
conflicting emotions. And Rand seemed to know at least some of that
conflict, wanting her in spite of himself, hating himself for the need
but driven by an inner hunger. It was a hunger she more than matched.
'Merlyn!' Christopher snapped at her lack of attention to
his justified anger.
'Sorry.' She managed to look suitably contrite, aware that
they were attracting considerable attention from other members of the
crew as they sensed Christopher was going to have one of his
wish he had seen me first—I wouldn't care who he thought he
was in love with as long as it was me he wanted.'
From what Rand had said, it wouldn't have made any
difference whom he had seen first, it was Merlyn he wanted, Merlyn who
had reawakened his sexual hunger. 'You're welcome to encourage him if
you want to,' she invited flatly. 'I don't have exclusive rights on
him.'
'Maybe we had better stop talking about him and worry
about what Christopher is going to say to you,' Liza grimaced. 'He
didn't seem too pleased when he asked where you were earlier and I told
him you were lying down for a while.'
Merlyn blushed at the way her friend had avoided telling a
lie, Liza having drawn her own conclusions about the reason for Rand's
visit to her room—correct ones, as it happened. 'What did he
say?' she frowned.
'I don't know, I beat a hasty retreat back to my room once
I'd told him you would be over later,' Liza admitted ruefully. 'I
decided there was safety in numbers!'
Christopher was in the oval-shaped pool when they arrived,
indulging in a game of handball with some of the other crew members.
Merlyn and Liza sat down unobtrusively behind a potted plant that
almost managed to conceal them from view, ordering a couple of
pinacoladas from the pool waiter.
Liza nibbled at some of the fruit arranged decorously
around the glass rim. 'Maybe he will have cooled off by the time he
gets out,' she said hopefully.
Merlyn's expression was sceptical. 'Maybe Mount St Helens
is inactive,' she laughed hollowly.
'Hm,' her friend grimaced. 'I've heard they have similar
temperaments!'
Merlyn smiled at her friend's attempt at a joke, although
perhaps as that explosive temper of Christopher's was going to be
directed at her maybe it wasn't so funny. 'As far as I know it was only
a request that I join him by the pool, not an order.'
Liza broke off sipping her chilled drink through the
brightly coloured straw. 'With him it's the same thing! I've worked
with him before, remember?'
Merlyn vividly recalled the swearing and cursing that had
gone on during that three-month period Liza had worked with Christopher
just over a year ago; according to her friend, at the time he was a
mixture of Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan combined, with a little bit
of the Devil thrown in. 'You seem to have come back for more.'
'Because he's brilliant!' Liza scoffed the need to explain
her presence here. 'And he's just climbed out of the pool and is coming
our way,' she added softly, shooting Merlyn a nervous glance.
She smiled. 'You're welcome to make your escape while you
can.'
'Now would I do that to a friend?'
'Yes,' she laughed.
'You're right,' Liza nodded sorrowfully. 'But I don't have the time,' she managed to mutter before
Christopher appeared at the side of their table. Liza, very wisely,
buried her nose in her drink, keeping her gaze averted.
'How nice of you to finally join us, Merlyn,' Christopher
greeted her with heavy sarcasm.
A face to face encounter with the reputed Drake temper
wasn't something Merlyn relished after what had just happened with
Rand. She had put on a brave face in front of Liza, was sure her friend
hadn't guessed just how devastated she really felt about the time she
had spent in Rand's arms; they were both adults, and they lived in a
society where physical relationships out of marriage were accepted as
the norm rather than the exception.
But inside, where it counted, she was a mass of confusing,
conflicting emotions. And Rand seemed to know at least some of that
conflict, wanting her in spite of himself, hating himself for the need
but driven by an inner hunger. It was a hunger she more than matched.
'Merlyn!' Christopher snapped at her lack of attention to
his justified anger.
'Sorry.' She managed to look suitably contrite, aware that
they were attracting considerable attention from other members of the
crew as they sensed Christopher was going to have one of his
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