Fear Of Love

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She hurriedly wiped the tears away from her cheeks as someone knocked on the door. ‘Come in,’ she said huskily.

Dominic entered the room. ‘Are you all right?’ he asked softly.

Perhaps if he hadn’t been so gentle with her she would have been all right, but the sympathetic look in his eyes was her undoing. ‘Oh, Dominic,’ she cried, ‘I feel—I feel so degraded!’

He sat down beside her, pulling her into his arms to cradle her head on his shoulder. ‘Hey, come on. What’s happened to the little firebrand I’m used to?’

Alexandra gulped down the tears. ‘She seems to have disappeared.’

‘For the moment,’ he teased.

She shook in his arms. ‘It was all so horrible! If you hadn’t come along he would—he would have—–’

‘He just got carried away with the moment, Alex,’ he said gently. ‘I spoke to him after you left, I drove him home, actually. He couldn’t help himself—you have to expect that when you put temptation in his way.’

‘But I—I didn’t,’ she denied indignantly. ‘At least, not intentionally.’

Dominic chuckled. ‘I’ve got news for you. You don’t need to do it intentionally.’

She pushed away from him, a new panic entering her eyes. ‘Please, I—–’

‘Calm down, Alexandra,’ he ordered sternly. ‘I’m the last person you should fear those sort of attentions from. We can’t stand each other, remember?’

She gave a shaky smile. ‘I’m sorry, my nerves are all shot to pieces. I just didn’t expect that sort of behaviour from Roger. I thought he loved me.’

Dominic stood up. ‘You really are an innocent, Alex. It’s because he believes himself to be in love with you that things got out of hand. At his age you don’t have a lot of control, when you get old and ancient like me it takes a little more than a beautiful face and a youthful body to turn you on. And he’s very sorry it happened, he did nothing but apologise all the way back to his home. He’s suffering, Alex, if that makes you feel any better.’

‘It doesn’t.’

‘I realise he’s frightened you,’ Dominic said gravely. ‘And I realise that what I witnessed tonight had never happened before. You were really upset about it.’

‘It was awful!’ She couldn’t meet his eyes.

‘Oh, surely not awful, Alex? After all, if the two of you were married, as you’d wanted to be, you would be on a much more intimate footing.’

‘Yes, I know, but it—it wouldn’t be the same!’

‘Of course it would,’ he contradicted. ‘Exactly the same. Do you love Roger?’

‘You know I do,’ she said resentfully.

‘And you’ve never been tempted to go to bed with him?’

She blushed scarlet. ‘Never.’

‘Then you don’t love him,’ he stated calmly, reaching for the doorhandle.

‘How can you say that?’ She stood up. ‘How can you possibly know how I feel about him? You couldn’t tell that on such short acquaintance.’

Dominic opened the door. ‘I wouldn’t even need to see him to tell you how you feel about him, the fact that you don’t want to sleep with him is enough.’

‘I didn’t say—–’

‘You said you’ve never been tempted to, which amounts to the same thing. It’s almost time for dinner, I’ll see you later.’ He stopped his exit, reaching in his trousers pocket. ‘You might as well have your key to the house—after what you’ve just told me I don’t think I have any reason to suspect you of meeting Young there.’

‘You—–’ she began.

‘I’ll see you at dinner, Alex.’

‘I don’t think I want any.’

Dominic shrugged. ‘Please yourself.’

Her breakfast was doubly welcome the next morning after she had stubbornly refused to go down for dinner the evening before. But at least Dominic wasn’t there to witness the enormous meal she ate—that would have been too humiliating.

Gail already looked rested when she visited her that afternoon, a healthy blush to her cheeks. Alexandra put the flowers she had bought her sister on the locker beside the bed, and bent to kiss her cheek. ‘You look wonderful.’

Gail blushed. ‘Possibly because Trevor has just left.’

Alexandra laughed. ‘I see. Say no more. Well, I want you to know that everything is all right back at the house. I went over there yesterday.’

Gail sighed her relief. ‘I suddenly thought of the mess I’d left everything in just as I was falling asleep last night. Of course when I told Trevor he said not to worry about it. Typical male! He doesn’t seem to realise that you can’t just suddenly up and leave a house.’

‘Well, now you don’t have to worry about it, it’s all been taken care of.’

‘How are you settling down, living with Dominic?’ Gail looked at her interestedly.

Alexandra flushed with feeling. ‘Don’t put it like that, Gail,’ she said abruptly. ‘I’m only a guest in his house, a guest he would rather not see too much of.’

‘That wasn’t what he said this morning.’

‘This morning?’ she looked sharply at her sister. ‘He’s already been to see you?’

‘Mm, he came in about eleven. He brought the roses. Didn’t he tell you he’d been here?’

Alexandra avoided her eyes. ‘I—I haven’t seen him today.’

Gail raised her eyebrows. ‘You didn’t have lunch together?’

‘Nor breakfast either. Dominic’s very busy,’ she added hastily. ‘He has his work to do. He has to go up to London Wednesday and Thursday.’

‘Oh yes. He stays overnight, doesn’t he?’

So he could be with his mistress for the night! ‘Yes. They’re lovely flowers that he brought you.’ Alexandra changed the subject.

‘They come from the garden at his house. It’s a lovely house, isn’t it?’

‘Very nice. I could quite get used to being waited on,’ she teased.

‘Don’t get too used to it,’ Gail laughed. ‘There’ll be plenty to do once I get home with the baby. I wish it could be soon,’ she added wistfully. ‘I’m getting a little tired of being this size.’

‘That’s why you’re in here, so that you can rest.’

‘Mm, but the baby isn’t resting, he’s more active than ever.’

‘You’re sure it’s a he, then?’ Alexandra teased.

Her sister laughed. ‘It had better be, or Trevor and Dominic will never forgive me! They both want it to be a boy.’

‘Surely it has nothing to do with Dominic,’ Alexandra said sharply.

‘He will be its uncle,’ Gail pointed out gently.

Alexandra gave a harsh laugh. ‘Well, I’ll be its aunty, but I haven’t put in a claim for a girl.’

‘Would you like it to be a girl?’

‘I don’t mind what it is.’

‘Neither do I. And Dominic will love the baby no matter what it is, we all will. We’re just fed up waiting.’

A nurse put her head round the side of the door. ‘Time for your nap, Mrs Tempest,’ she said with a smile.

‘Can’t my sister stay a little while longer?’ Gail asked pleadingly.

‘I’m afraid not. You’ve had far too many visitors today already, and I’m sure Dr Tempest will be in again later.’ The nurse disappeared again.

Alexandra stood up. ‘The nurse is right, Gail—you must rest.’

‘I’m not an invalid, and I feel such a fraud taking up this bed.’

‘You’ll do as you’re told,’ her husband told her sternly as he came into the room. ‘Hello, love,’ he greeted Alexandra. ‘How’s my big brother treating you?’

‘Oh, fine,’ she answered shortly. ‘How are your bachelor quarters?’

He grimaced. ‘Don’t ask me!’

Gail giggled. ‘His feet were cold all night.’

Alexandra laughed, and kissed her sister goodbye. ‘I’ll be in to see you tomorrow. Is there anything you want me to bring in?’

‘I’ve made a list out somewhere,’ she looked about on the locker. ‘Ah, here it is,’ she checked down the list. ‘There’s quite a lot there, but as I’m going to be stuck in here for weeks I might as well have my knitting and sewing, otherwise Junior won’t have any clothes to wear when he arrives.’

‘Oh, I’m sure we could manage to find him a few things,’ Alexandra teased.

‘I’ll have those things anyway, it will give me something to do.’

‘I nearly forgot,’ Alexandra looked through her handbag. ‘I picked up some books for you this morning.’

‘Oh lovely,’ Gail smiled her thanks.

‘Right, well, I’ll be on my way.’

‘Can you tell Dominic I’ll call him tonight?’ Trevor requested of her. ‘I’m not sure what time.’

‘I’ll tell him.’ If she saw him! So far today she hadn’t set eyes on him. ‘See you both tomorrow.’

She went straight into the lounge when she reached the house, coming to an abrupt halt as she found her host sitting in there reading the newspaper. ‘Hello,’ she said curtly.

‘Hi.’ He didn’t put down the newspaper.

‘I understand you went to see Gail this morning.’

He nodded absently. ‘That’s right.’

‘I thought you were taking me with you when you went.’

Dominic slowly lowered the newspaper, his eyes sliding insolently over her as she stood a few feet away from him.

Alexandra shifted uncomfortably as his gaze rested on her slender hips in the skin-tight denims before slowly travelling up to her breasts clearly visible in the thin woollen sun-top she wore. His look was blatantly sexual and her cheeks coloured hotly at the question in his eyes.

‘I didn’t think you wanted to go anywhere with me,’ he said finally.

Alexandra dragged her eyes away from the sensuality of his mobile mouth. ‘I don’t, at least, not particularly. But I’m sure Gail thought it odd.’

He frowned. ‘You haven’t been worrying her again?’ The intimacy of his mood was dispelled as impatience took over.

‘No, I haven’t,’ she answered with her old fight. ‘But I didn’t tell her what a charming host you’re being either.’

‘Can I help it if I can’t get used to the idea of having an adolescent in my house twenty-four hours a day?’ he mocked. ‘I’m not used to having females around me day and night, this is basically a male household.’

‘I’m so sorry,’ she said sarcastically, dropping into an armchair. ‘I was under the impression that women were a primary factor in your life.’

‘When you’re a woman I’ll tell you about it,’ he told her dryly. ‘If you can be shocked by that tame scene I interrupted last night you’d be a hospital case if I went into all the details of just how important women are to me. But I want a woman about only when I want—well, use your imagination a little. Having a female in my home just to look at is a new experience.’