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‘I know.’ She’d relaxed a little now. ‘I read about you on the Internet. Didn’t you used to work at the Stock Exchange, or somewhere?’
‘It was a merchant bank, actually.’
‘Whatever.’ Rosa shrugged, glad of the return to reality. ‘I imagine you had a fairly good salary. Then you made a lot of money with your first book and bought your own castle. How difficult was that?’
Liam pushed himself to his feet. ‘If that’s what you want to think,’ he said, turning to shuffle the papers on his desk. ‘Which reminds me, I have work to do.’
Rosa felt ashamed now. It wasn’t anything to do with her how he lived his life. ‘Look,’ she said, taking a step towards him, ‘I’ll admit I know nothing about you, really.
And—and if you say you know how it feels to face real evil, then I believe you. But—’
‘But you don’t believe me,’ said Liam sharply, swinging around again, and Rosa was uneasily aware that there was barely a hand’s breadth between them now. ‘You’re humouring me, Miss Chantry, and I don’t like it. I don’t need your endorsement.’
Rosa licked her dry lips. ‘I was only being polite,’ she protested. ‘It’s not my fault if you’re touchy about the veracity of your books.’
‘Touchy about the veracity—’ Liam gazed at her angrily. ‘You haven’t the first idea what you’re talking about.’ He dragged a calming breath into his lungs and tried to speak naturally. ‘Let’s just say I have had some firsthand knowledge of evil. But I’d rather not discuss it. Okay?’
Rosa lifted her shoulders. ‘I had no idea.’
‘Why should you?’ Liam wasn’t at all sure he liked the look of sympathy in her eyes any better than the disbelief he’d seen before. ‘Forget it. I have.’
Though he doubted he ever would.
Rosa hesitated. ‘I didn’t mean to suggest your books weren’t believable,’ she persisted, laying a reckless hand on his sleeve. ‘I’m sorry if I’ve offended you.’
Offended me?
Liam expelled a strangled breath. Although he was wearing a warm sweatshirt, he could feel the touch of her fingers clear through to his skin. The muscles in his arm tightened almost instinctively, the tendons heating and expanding much like those other muscles between his legs.
‘It’s not important,’ he muttered harshly, concentrating on anything but the feminine scent of her skin. But then he lifted his lids and encountered those anxious brown eyes, and he felt as if he was drowning in their soft depths.
Hardly aware of what he was doing, he lifted his hand and brushed his thumb across her parted lips. Moisture that had gathered there clung to the pad, and he didn’t think before bringing his thumb to his mouth to taste her.
For her part, Rosa was almost paralysed by his actions. She’d never dreamt that an innocent attempt to comfort him might have such a disturbing result. Her whole body felt hot and trembly now, and she was aware of him in a way that she hadn’t been before. Or was she only kidding herself? She’d been aware of him right from the start.
When her tongue emerged to circle her lips it was because they’d suddenly gone dry, not to absorb any lingering trace of his scent. Although she did. She heard him suck in a breath and wondered what he was thinking. Dear God, this wasn’t meant to happen. But she knew that Colin had never made her feel anything like this.
When he spoke, however, his tone was harsh. ‘I shouldn’t have done that,’ he said shortly. ‘I’m sorry.’
Now it was Rosa’s turn to take a gulp of much-needed oxygen. ‘It—doesn’t matter,’ she said, glancing behind him at the telephone. ‘Um—’ She had to calm down, she told herself. ‘I was wondering if—’
But that was as far as she got. ‘It does matter,’ he said, raking back his dark hair with a frustrated hand. ‘For God’s sake, you must think I’m desperate for a woman!’
Liam saw the way his words affected her almost before he’d finished speaking. The fact that he’d been trying to reassure himself that his emotions weren’t involved here was no excuse. He realised, belatedly, that what he’d said could be taken two ways, and he wasn’t at all surprised when she turned on him.
‘I’m sure you’re not,’ she retorted stiffly, wrapping her arms tightly across her slim body so that her small breasts were pushed upward in an unknowingly provocative way. ‘And I’m not that desperate for a man, either.’
Liam suppressed a groan. Didn’t she realise he hadn’t intended to offend her? Evidently not. He scowled. Now it was up to him to defuse the situation he’d created, and one look at her face convinced him that it wouldn’t be easy.
‘Look,’ he said persuasively, ‘that wasn’t intended as an insult. On the contrary. I wouldn’t like you to think I expected any payment for my hospitality, that’s all.’
Rosa gave him a disbelieving look. ‘We both know what you meant, Mr Jameson,’ she said tightly. ‘I’m not a fool. You don’t have to tell me I’m not the type of woman someone like you would find appealing.’
Liam felt a twinge of indignation. Despite the warning voice of his conscience, which was telling him not to continue with this, he resented the contempt he’d heard in her voice. Who the hell did she think she was, making uninformed judgements about him? She didn’t know him. She knew nothing about him or his tastes in women. Yet she was implying he was some moron who could only think with his sex.
The fact that that was what he had been doing was not something Liam chose to consider at that moment. ‘Be careful, Miss Chantry,’ he said unpleasantly. ‘I’ll begin to think you were disappointed that I stopped when I did.’
‘How dare you?’
Rosa didn’t think she had ever felt so furious. Her hand balled into a fist almost automatically, connecting with the hard muscles of his stomach before she had time to reconsider. She suspected she’d hurt herself more than she hurt him, but it didn’t matter. He had no right to ridicule her. Not when, for a heart-stopping moment, he’d made her feel so good.
Liam was surprised at the fierceness of her attack. ‘You need to control that temper of yours, Miss Chantry,’ he panted, annoyed at his shortness of breath. ‘What the hell’s the matter with you? What did I say to warrant that response?’
‘You know what you said, Mr Jameson.’ Rosa was trembling, but she refused to back down.
‘Yeah?’ Some evil demon was urging him on. ‘And wasn’t it true?’
Rosa stared at him, wondering how she could ever have been attracted to this man. ‘You have a much inflated opinion of yourself, Mr Jameson,’ she said icily, keeping her voice down with an effort. It would have been so much more satisfying to shout at him. ‘If I allowed myself, just for a moment, to give in to you, it was simply because I felt sorry for you. I mean, it can’t be much fun living here on your own, with only your female staff for diversion.’
The outrage Liam felt at being unknowingly but callously reminded of Kayla’s defection brought a crippling wave of anger sweeping over him. Forgetting that he’d been in the wrong here, that her insults were just a counterattack to his sarcasm, he grasped her wrists and twisted them behind her back. ‘You’re just a mine of bitterness, aren’t you, Miss Chantry?’ he chided scathingly. ‘It’s no wonder you’ve never been married. No decent man would put up with a spiteful bitch like you.’
Rosa gulped, the instinct to correct his bald assumption overwhelmed by the alarm she felt at finding herself locked in his savage embrace. She tried to break free, but with his hot breath almost stifling her, and his thigh wedged aggressively between her legs, she was helpless. They were both breathing rapidly, and for several seconds a silent battle ensued.
But it wasn’t really a battle, Rosa acknowledged weakly. She was at his mercy and he knew it. Though, strangely, he didn’t appear to appreciate his good fortune. On the contrary, when his eyes encountered hers, she saw they were filled with a mixture of confusion and regret.
‘Hell,’ he said harshly. ‘This was not meant to happen.’
‘So let me go,’ said Rosa a little breathlessly, not entirely immune to the appeal of those green eyes no matter what he’d said.
This close, she could also see that silvery scar she’d noticed earlier. She quivered in spite of herself. How had he really got that?
‘Yeah, I should,’ he agreed, distracting her, his gaze dwelling on her mouth with an intensity that felt practically physical. ‘But you know what?’ He shifted against her and she was almost sure she could feel him hardening. ‘I don’t want to. Now, isn’t that the damnedest thing?’
A knot twisted in Liam’s stomach as he watched her reaction to his admission. Had she any idea that a wave of heat and need was drumming through him, making what had begun as a desire to punish her into an insane urge to show her what she was missing? He could feel her trembling, even though she was doing her best to hold herself away from him, and the breasts he’d admired earlier were now surprisingly urgent against her woollen sweater.
‘Please,’ Rosa said unsteadily, probably hoping to appeal to his better judgement. But Liam only heard what she said as if from a distance. He’d captured both her wrists in one grip now, and brought his free hand round to rub his knuckles against one of those button-hard nipples. He felt her shuddering recoil with a pleasurable rush of blood to his groin.
God, she was responsive, he thought incredulously, wondering how long it had been since she’d had a man. If she’d ever had one, he appended, though he didn’t quite believe she was a virgin.
Nevertheless, he wished he’d met her in other circumstances—wished he hadn’t antagonised her by being cruel about her unmarried state. Because he was attracted to her, no matter how he might deny it. She wasn’t beautiful, of course, but she had a fey charm that appealed to the romantic in him. And there was no denying that he could imagine, only too easily, all that glorious hair spread over the pillow on his bed.
Rosa’s legs were beginning to feel as if they wouldn’t support her weight for much longer. Liam had turned his attention to her other breast now, covering it with his hand so that the hard peak butted against his palm. The sensation it caused made her feel dizzy, though not as dizzy as getting naked with him would feel, she thought crazily.
Wetness pooled between her legs and she was disconcerted. What was wrong with her? She’d always known, even when Colin was making passionate love to her, that some part of her had stood apart and watched what was going on with a certain objectivity.
But she couldn’t be objective with Liam. When he looked at her as he was looking at her now, she couldn’t even think straight, let alone anything else. She felt weak, possessed, consumed by needs she’d hardly known existed, so that when he bent his head towards her, her lips parted instinctively for his kiss.
However, although his mouth skimmed the curve of her neck, and the roughness of his jaw grazed her cheek, he didn’t kiss her. Well, not on the mouth, anyway. With a feeling of dismay she felt his sudden withdrawal. He let go of her wrists and she stumbled, hardly aware she’d been relying on his support until it was taken away from her.
Then, as she struggled to regain her balance, he turned his back on her and leant on his desk.
CHAPTER SIX (#ulink_521cfe8c-b1b7-55e5-99b4-0fce571b58ec)
LIAM, MEANWHILE, was hoping she hadn’t realised why he’d had to turn away from her. Letting her go hadn’t been easy, and his body still wouldn’t accept what his mind was telling it to do. Instincts as old at time were demanding satisfaction, but, although the temptation was great, common sense insisted that he had to take control.
Dammit, he reminded himself, apart from the fact that he hardly knew the woman, did he really want to expose himself to ridicule again? Yet when she’d been in his arms, when he’d been breathing her scent, feeling her slim body moving against his, it had been all too easy to delude himself that this might work. All the pheromones in his body had responded to her and he’d so much wanted to bury himself inside her. To find out if she was as tight there as he imagined she would be.
Which, he acknowledged grimly, was crazy. Did he want her to go away from here and tell all her friends what a monster he was? A monster who couldn’t keep his pants zipped, he thought bitterly. Yeah, the tabloids would have a field-day with that one.
Of course eventually he had to look behind him. Without the slightly unsteady sound of her breathing he wouldn’t have known she was still there. But she was, and she deserved some explanation. Though what he was going to say he wasn’t sure.
After checking himself to make sure there was no embarrassing bulge in his pants, he turned to face her again. Her face was still flushed, he noticed, giving her an unexpected beauty, but she was doing her best to behave as if he hadn’t just made a complete prat of himself. God, he thought, he didn’t need this. He had a book to write, for pity’s sake.
Rosa steeled herself as he turned. If he intended to blame her for what had happened, she had her answer ready. She hadn’t asked him to touch her, and he’d had no right to treat her with so little respect. Heavens, he still thought she’d never been married. Goodness knew what he might have done if he’d known the truth.
If only there was some way to get away from here. If she had a car, for instance—or the use of a phone—she wouldn’t have had to stand there like a fool, waiting for him to remember he had a guest. As it was, she was dependent on him for a phone, both to ring for transport and to call her mother. She disliked being beholden to him for anything after what had happened.
Liam sighed. This was a new experience for him, and he didn’t like it. He didn’t like it one bit. When he needed a woman, he found one who knew what she was doing. He’d never brought any woman here before, never done anything to violate the atmosphere of his home.
Until now.
Swallowing his pride, he said stiffly, ‘I know you’re not going to believe me, but I don’t do this sort of thing—’
He would have continued, but Rosa broke in before he could say anything else. ‘You’re right,’ she said tersely. ‘I don’t believe you, Mr Jameson. I may be naïve, but you can’t tell me you’ve never taken advantage of a woman before.’
‘Dammit!’ Liam caught his breath. ‘I didn’t take advantage of you,’ he exclaimed impatiently. ‘If I had, you’d know it, and you don’t.’ He paused. ‘And call me Liam, for God’s sake. You don’t know how ridiculous you sound, calling me Mr Jameson after what just happened. You may still be a virgin, but I’m not.’
That was unforgivable, but he’d had it with trying to humour her. And it wasn’t as if she hadn’t played some part in the affair. Some part in his downfall, he amended grimly. He wasn’t going to forget this in a long time.
‘Oh, I’m sure everything about me seems ridiculous to you,’ Rosa retorted, stung by his unfair criticism. ‘But for your information I have been married, Mr Jameson. I divorced my ex-husband over three years ago.’
Liam stared blankly at her. ‘You’ve been married?’ he echoed disbelievingly.
‘For five years,’ she agreed, glad she’d been able to shock him at last.
‘You don’t look old enough.’
‘Well, I am. I’m thirty-two, Mr Jameson. Quite old enough, I assure you.’
Liam was surprised. And disgruntled. He’d put her down as being no more than twenty-five. But he was most disturbed by the way this news affected him. If he’d known how old she really was, and that she’d been married…
But he mustn’t go there. Wasn’t it enough that he’d made a bloody fool of himself and created an awkward situation for himself into the bargain?
‘Look,’ he said, tight-lipped, ‘let’s agree that we’ve both made some mistakes here. I shouldn’t have grabbed you, I admit it. But you shouldn’t have made me so mad that I forgot what I was doing.’
Rosa wanted to argue that she hadn’t been the one who’d brought her here, that if he’d been honest right from the beginning none of this would have happened. But a reluctant awareness that she hadn’t exactly put up much of a fight kept her silent, and when she finally spoke it was to say, ‘Would it be all right if I used your phone, then?’
Liam knew a most inappropriate desire to laugh. Her words were so unexpected, so prosaic, as if all they’d been doing for the past half-hour was discussing the weather. But he had the sense to realise that humour would definitely not go down very well at this moment, and with a careless lift of his shoulders he said, ‘Why not?’
‘Thanks.’ Rosa hoped she sounded sincere. ‘I just want to ring my mother again.’
Liam arched dark brows. ‘And tell her your sister’s not here?’
‘Yes.’
‘Okay.’ He nodded towards the desk where the phone was situated. ‘Be my guest.’
Rosa hesitated for a moment, feeling awkward now. ‘Um—perhaps I could ring for a taxi at the same time?’ she ventured. ‘What was it you called that man?’
‘McAllister?’
Rosa nodded.
‘No need.’ Liam started for the door, trying to hide the fact that his leg was protesting at the sudden activity. ‘Sam’s driving over to the village later this morning. You can go with him.’
Rosa wasn’t sure she wanted that. Sam Devlin hadn’t exactly welcomed her here. ‘If it’s just the same to you, I’ll call McAllister,’ she murmured, wishing she didn’t have to ask. ‘I don’t want to put anyone out.’
Liam paused now, half turning to face her, his brows drawing together above those piercing green eyes. ‘What’s Sam been saying to you?’
‘Oh—nothing.’ And it was true. ‘I’d just—prefer to make my own arrangements.’
Liam regarded her broodingly. ‘So you don’t want any advice on where to stay?’
‘Well—yes.’ Rosa hadn’t thought of that. ‘That would be useful.’
‘Okay.’ Liam reached for the door. ‘I’ll have Sam give you an address.’ He pulled the door open, trying not to drag his foot as he moved into the aperture. ‘Take your time. There’s no hurry.’
‘Oh, but—’
‘Yes?’
His response was clipped, and Rosa, who had been about to ask if he’d injured his leg, changed her mind. ‘You—haven’t given me Mr McAllister’s number,’ she said, with sudden inspiration, and Liam frowned.
‘I can’t remember it off-hand. I’ll have Sam give you that, too. After you’ve rung your mother.’
And wasn’t Sam going to wonder why she’d refused to drive back to the village with him? But, ‘Okay,’ she said weakly. ‘Thanks.’
‘No problem.’ Liam was eager now to put this unfortunate interlude behind him. ‘Have a good trip back.’
‘Oh—’ Once again, Rosa detained him. ‘I mean—I will see you again before I leave?’
It had been an inane question, bearing in mind that he’d just wished her a good trip, but, conversely, now that the time had come, Rosa was curiously loath to leave him.
Liam sighed, leaning heavily on the door for support. ‘You’re not going to tell me you’ll be sorry to go, are you?’ he asked flatly. ‘Because, quite frankly, I’d find that hard to believe.’
Rosa met his mocking gaze defensively. Then, to her dismay, she found herself saying, ‘I suppose you’ll be glad to see the back of me?’
Liam took an audible gulp of air. How was he supposed to answer that?
