mouth.
In her struggle, she moved too close to the little brass bed, and suddenly realised it when the back of her knees touched the side of it.
'Let go,' she muttered, wrenching her head backwards, and Laird looked down at her through half- closed eyes, breathing hard.
'I think I hear Patti coming,' Anna lied, and he laughed, his eyes wickedly amused.
'I can only hear your heart beating,' he mocked, watching the heat flowing up her face to her hairline.
'Well, we ought to go down . . . '
'They won't be worried, this is a big house, we could take hours to explore it.' He lifted a hand to her ruffled red-gold hair, sliding his fingers through it gently, combing the strands and letting them fall again. 'Your hair's a fabulous colour,' he murmured. 'Like fire, like candle flames.'
She gave him a quick, disturbed look, remembering that candlelit dinner and what had followed it, and Laird's grey eyes gleamed with enjoyment, the thought flashing between them as if they could read each other's minds, and Anna thought with a pang of misery that she often felt she could read his thoughts, they had a telepathic link, only to be plunged into uncertainty when a shutter went up between them. Laird could shut her out of his mind, but she wasn't quite so sure that she could exclude him from hers. He seemed to know far too much about her.
'I wasn't entirely joking, Anna,' he said suddenly. 'In the car, when I offered you a flat—you really should get out of that filthy little room. It's no fit place for you. I hate seeing you in it. Why don't you let me take care of you?'
Her face turned white. 'No,' she said in a low, hoarse voice.
'I'm trying to be straight with you, Anna,' he said quickly. 'I've told you why I don't believe in marriage, but that doesn't mean you can't trust me to take care of you. I want to look after you, Anna.'
'I can look after myself!' She pushed at his shoulders, frowning angrily. She was afraid he would see how much he had hurt her by the offer; he mustn't realise she was vulnerable to him, he would only take advantage of that.
'You haven't made much of a job of it so far!' he retorted, looking impatient.
'I think I've made a damn good job of it,' Anna said, resenting that. 'I have a roof over my head, just about enough money and a job with an exciting future—lots of people would think I was lucky! And I haven't been reduced to selling myself yet.'
'That wasn't what I meant!' he snapped, his face dark red.
'Wasn't it?'
'No, it damn well wasn't. I'm not trying to buy you. I just suggested that your life might be a lot easier if you let me take care of you. Why shouldn't we live together? Hundreds of other couples do it every day, why shouldn't we?'
'Maybe because they're in love,' Anna said bleakly. 'And we're not!'
He stared at her, his eyes glittering. 'In love? What does that mean, anyway? Wish-fulfilment, fairytale endings, delusion! I thought you had more sense than that. I don't want you making me promises you won't keep, nor will I make them to you—but I'm a rich man and I can do a lot for you. I enjoy being with you, you're good company and I find you physically attractive—isn't that a better basis for living together than a lot of empty words about being in love for ever? At least I'm honest when I tell you what I feel.'
'That's just it,' Anna said bitterly. 'You don't feel anything.'
His mouth went crooked and a gleam came into his eyes. 'Oh, no, you're wrong,' he said huskily, and she trembled at that look, backing away from him, forgetting that the bed was so close. She gave a little wail as the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed, and couldn't regain her balance in time. Laird laughed softly at her startled expression and a second later was on the bed with her, his mouth hunting for hers. Anna didn't have time to think; a wave of instinctive feeling hit her as his kiss parted her mouth, and she went down under it, drowning in passion.
Her eyes shut, she abandoned herself
In her struggle, she moved too close to the little brass bed, and suddenly realised it when the back of her knees touched the side of it.
'Let go,' she muttered, wrenching her head backwards, and Laird looked down at her through half- closed eyes, breathing hard.
'I think I hear Patti coming,' Anna lied, and he laughed, his eyes wickedly amused.
'I can only hear your heart beating,' he mocked, watching the heat flowing up her face to her hairline.
'Well, we ought to go down . . . '
'They won't be worried, this is a big house, we could take hours to explore it.' He lifted a hand to her ruffled red-gold hair, sliding his fingers through it gently, combing the strands and letting them fall again. 'Your hair's a fabulous colour,' he murmured. 'Like fire, like candle flames.'
She gave him a quick, disturbed look, remembering that candlelit dinner and what had followed it, and Laird's grey eyes gleamed with enjoyment, the thought flashing between them as if they could read each other's minds, and Anna thought with a pang of misery that she often felt she could read his thoughts, they had a telepathic link, only to be plunged into uncertainty when a shutter went up between them. Laird could shut her out of his mind, but she wasn't quite so sure that she could exclude him from hers. He seemed to know far too much about her.
'I wasn't entirely joking, Anna,' he said suddenly. 'In the car, when I offered you a flat—you really should get out of that filthy little room. It's no fit place for you. I hate seeing you in it. Why don't you let me take care of you?'
Her face turned white. 'No,' she said in a low, hoarse voice.
'I'm trying to be straight with you, Anna,' he said quickly. 'I've told you why I don't believe in marriage, but that doesn't mean you can't trust me to take care of you. I want to look after you, Anna.'
'I can look after myself!' She pushed at his shoulders, frowning angrily. She was afraid he would see how much he had hurt her by the offer; he mustn't realise she was vulnerable to him, he would only take advantage of that.
'You haven't made much of a job of it so far!' he retorted, looking impatient.
'I think I've made a damn good job of it,' Anna said, resenting that. 'I have a roof over my head, just about enough money and a job with an exciting future—lots of people would think I was lucky! And I haven't been reduced to selling myself yet.'
'That wasn't what I meant!' he snapped, his face dark red.
'Wasn't it?'
'No, it damn well wasn't. I'm not trying to buy you. I just suggested that your life might be a lot easier if you let me take care of you. Why shouldn't we live together? Hundreds of other couples do it every day, why shouldn't we?'
'Maybe because they're in love,' Anna said bleakly. 'And we're not!'
He stared at her, his eyes glittering. 'In love? What does that mean, anyway? Wish-fulfilment, fairytale endings, delusion! I thought you had more sense than that. I don't want you making me promises you won't keep, nor will I make them to you—but I'm a rich man and I can do a lot for you. I enjoy being with you, you're good company and I find you physically attractive—isn't that a better basis for living together than a lot of empty words about being in love for ever? At least I'm honest when I tell you what I feel.'
'That's just it,' Anna said bitterly. 'You don't feel anything.'
His mouth went crooked and a gleam came into his eyes. 'Oh, no, you're wrong,' he said huskily, and she trembled at that look, backing away from him, forgetting that the bed was so close. She gave a little wail as the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed, and couldn't regain her balance in time. Laird laughed softly at her startled expression and a second later was on the bed with her, his mouth hunting for hers. Anna didn't have time to think; a wave of instinctive feeling hit her as his kiss parted her mouth, and she went down under it, drowning in passion.
Her eyes shut, she abandoned herself
Similar Books
