costs.
But his hand seemed to scorch her skin and when they reached the top and came out on to a small grassy area
she was glad to move/away on the pretext of examining a notice-board which asked them to protect and enjoy,
and not destroy.
This is the track down to Mansion House,' he told her. 'If we go across here we might see a wallaby. They quite
often come out to graze.'
He walked, panther-quiet, across the grass, made his way between the bushy, fragrant branches of manuka and
kanuka, holding them back so that she was not swished by them. After a few seconds he took her hand again,
held up a finger in an admonition to silence and slowly, drawing her behind him, made his way to the edge of
another grassy clearing, this time completely surrounded by bushes.
And there were the wallabies, two of them, small creatures like a cross-between an opossum and a rabbit, one
eating while the other kept eyes and ears on the alert. Miraculously they were not disturbed; Linnet held her
breath as the feeding one stood up, revealing a tiny head poking from her bulging pouch.
In all her years in Australia she had come no closer to these beautiful, primitive creatures than at the zoo, and
now, in New Zealand of all places, she was so close to them that one unwary movement would have sent them
scampering off for shelter.
Without the slightest fear they moved across the clearing in the gathering dimness while she stood as still as the
man beside her, clutching his hand without realising it.
Then, from below, a dog barked, and they were gone, leaving behind only a reverberating thump, thump,
thump, as those strong back legs hit the ground.
'That was marvellous!' Scarcely aware of what she was doing, she turned to Justin, half laughing with sheer
delight. 'Thank you so much for bringing me."
'My pleasure,'-he said coolly, then pulled her close with the hand she had just dropped, while the other splayed
across the back of her head, keeping it still.
Linnet met the cold irony of his glance, found that her heart was beaming with threatening intensity in her ears.
Her whole being screamed out at this violation, but she knew that it would be useless to struggle. Justin would
enjoy subduing her, just as he was enjoying her indecision.
'You disappoint me,' she said, trying to infuse the right amount of scorn into her tones.
'Really?' He smiled without humour. 'Because I'm as ready as any other man to accept your invitation? You
must think I'm made of ice, Eiluned. You've been pleasantly provocative all evening; I don't like disappointing
anyone.'
'I have not been provocative!' She was angry at his calm assumption, furious with herself for behaving in such a
manner that he could misunderstand it.
'No?’ He smiled again, lowered his head so that his mouth rested on her forehead and spoke quietly against the
skin. 'You have, as you damned well know, The restlessness, the lowered voice, the eagerness to come up here
with me—the trip on the path. I'd be a fool not to have realised what you want.'
'You're an arrogant, conceited, oversexed fool!' she flung back at him, horrified to find that her voice was
trembling. 'You asked for a truce and like a fool I thought you meant it.'
He laughed. 'My dear girl, so I did. This is a very pleasant bonus.'
Gritting her teeth, to hide the fear that his self-control gave her she retorted, 'I am not your dear girl! Will you
please let me go? I will not be treated like a—like a flirtatious moron!'
'Why aren't you struggling?'
'Oh!' She stamped her foot in rage, trying to believe that it was only anger which made her tremble. "You'd like
that, wouldn't you, so that you could prove just how strong you are. Will you let me go? You've spoilt every’
thing!'
'In that case—' he murmured, lilting her chin with fingers which allowed no resistance, '—I might as well blot
my copybook properly.'
The kiss was devastation, a relentless attack on her mouth and sensibilities, the
But his hand seemed to scorch her skin and when they reached the top and came out on to a small grassy area
she was glad to move/away on the pretext of examining a notice-board which asked them to protect and enjoy,
and not destroy.
This is the track down to Mansion House,' he told her. 'If we go across here we might see a wallaby. They quite
often come out to graze.'
He walked, panther-quiet, across the grass, made his way between the bushy, fragrant branches of manuka and
kanuka, holding them back so that she was not swished by them. After a few seconds he took her hand again,
held up a finger in an admonition to silence and slowly, drawing her behind him, made his way to the edge of
another grassy clearing, this time completely surrounded by bushes.
And there were the wallabies, two of them, small creatures like a cross-between an opossum and a rabbit, one
eating while the other kept eyes and ears on the alert. Miraculously they were not disturbed; Linnet held her
breath as the feeding one stood up, revealing a tiny head poking from her bulging pouch.
In all her years in Australia she had come no closer to these beautiful, primitive creatures than at the zoo, and
now, in New Zealand of all places, she was so close to them that one unwary movement would have sent them
scampering off for shelter.
Without the slightest fear they moved across the clearing in the gathering dimness while she stood as still as the
man beside her, clutching his hand without realising it.
Then, from below, a dog barked, and they were gone, leaving behind only a reverberating thump, thump,
thump, as those strong back legs hit the ground.
'That was marvellous!' Scarcely aware of what she was doing, she turned to Justin, half laughing with sheer
delight. 'Thank you so much for bringing me."
'My pleasure,'-he said coolly, then pulled her close with the hand she had just dropped, while the other splayed
across the back of her head, keeping it still.
Linnet met the cold irony of his glance, found that her heart was beaming with threatening intensity in her ears.
Her whole being screamed out at this violation, but she knew that it would be useless to struggle. Justin would
enjoy subduing her, just as he was enjoying her indecision.
'You disappoint me,' she said, trying to infuse the right amount of scorn into her tones.
'Really?' He smiled without humour. 'Because I'm as ready as any other man to accept your invitation? You
must think I'm made of ice, Eiluned. You've been pleasantly provocative all evening; I don't like disappointing
anyone.'
'I have not been provocative!' She was angry at his calm assumption, furious with herself for behaving in such a
manner that he could misunderstand it.
'No?’ He smiled again, lowered his head so that his mouth rested on her forehead and spoke quietly against the
skin. 'You have, as you damned well know, The restlessness, the lowered voice, the eagerness to come up here
with me—the trip on the path. I'd be a fool not to have realised what you want.'
'You're an arrogant, conceited, oversexed fool!' she flung back at him, horrified to find that her voice was
trembling. 'You asked for a truce and like a fool I thought you meant it.'
He laughed. 'My dear girl, so I did. This is a very pleasant bonus.'
Gritting her teeth, to hide the fear that his self-control gave her she retorted, 'I am not your dear girl! Will you
please let me go? I will not be treated like a—like a flirtatious moron!'
'Why aren't you struggling?'
'Oh!' She stamped her foot in rage, trying to believe that it was only anger which made her tremble. "You'd like
that, wouldn't you, so that you could prove just how strong you are. Will you let me go? You've spoilt every’
thing!'
'In that case—' he murmured, lilting her chin with fingers which allowed no resistance, '—I might as well blot
my copybook properly.'
The kiss was devastation, a relentless attack on her mouth and sensibilities, the
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