Stormy Challenge by Stephanie James, Jayne Ann Krentz Page B

pull away but feeling no great interest in the impending kiss. She viewed his mouth almost clinically.
    "By starting over . . ." He kissed her slowly, lingeringly, with all the old expertise.
    And Leya felt nothing at all except distaste. She stood very still, her arms still resting on the railing and waited for him to finish. How could she ever have been even mildly excited by his embrace, she wondered. But she knew the answer to that. It came as soon as Alex's arms went around her waist. Alex's kiss meant nothing now because she'd been exposed to Court Tremayne's lovemaking. It was Court her body craved, not Alex or any other man.
    The realization was stunning and the problem it presented seemed overwhelming. But she would have to deal with it later. At the moment, it was Alex Harlow who held her and invited her with his caresses to restart an old romance. And it didn't seem quite fair that he should escape scot-free for the way he had treated her a year ago. He had made a fool of her and it seemed only appropriate that he should suffer the same experience. The possibility of revenge made Leya's eyes glitter with a hard platinum light.
    "Do you want me back, Alex?" she asked dreamily, mouth curving softly as he lifted his head. "Is that the truth?"
    He looked down into her uptilted face and she knew he saw only what he wanted to see there. He was convinced he had only to lift his finger and she would fall back into his arms.
    "I think we would do very well together, Leya, my sweet," he whispered, his hands pressing her waist. She felt the beginnings of male arousal in him and was pleased.
    "This time we would start from scratch with no other woman involved. Yes, I want you back. Tonight. Come with me, Leya. I'll take you out to dinner and we can sort everything out between us."
    "That sounds very pleasant, except for one thing," she murmured, her laughter threatening to well up and overflow.
    "What's that?" he prodded persuasively, eyes gleaming.
    "My fiancé." Leya dropped the small bombshell with no compunction whatsoever, glorying in the shock it had caused. "The man I'm with tonight. I'm in love, Alex, with a man who makes your kisses seem like cold dishwater. Looking at you now I can't even imagine what I ever thought I saw in you!"
    "What the hell are you talking about?" he blazed, his hands falling away from her waist as if they had been burned. The blue eyes narrowed angrily.
    "You heard the lady," said a hard, cold voice behind them.
    Leya swung a momentarily startled glance over Alex's shouider, her eyes colliding with Court's as he walked toward them. How long had he been standing in the shadows? she wondered frantically. What would he do? She prayed he would hold up his end of the deception, take the role he'd been assigned, and not ruin her small revenge.
    "You two are engaged?" Alex demanded, stepping away from Leya and turning to face Court, who kept
    coming until he was close enough to slide an arm around Leya's waist.
    "It was supposed to be something of a secret until we were ready to announce it, but I gather she couldn't resist telling you." Court turned his head to glance down at Leya as she stood tensely in the circle of his arm. He smiled with all the possessive warmth of a real fiancé, and she realized abruptly he was going to help her. Relief flowed through her veins, and confidence reheated her nervously cold body.
    "Why didn't you say something earlier, Leya?" Alex snapped, his anger flaming as he caught sight of the laughter in her sparkling green eyes.
    "I'm sorry, Alex," she apologized without any sign of contrition. "But you have to admit the opportunity was simply too good to pass up. If you could have seen the look on your face!"
    "It was all a joke? Letting me kiss you like that?" he blazed, incensed.
    "I'm afraid so. Why should I be interested in you after all this time, when I'm quite happily engaged to marry another man? Let's face it, Alex, we didn't exactly share an undying love!" Leya