Savage Interlude

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Matt looked down at the two girls at his side. ‘Get lost, girls,’ he laughed at their pouting looks. ‘I’ll find you both again later, I haven’t forgotten your promises. But it must be business before pleasure. We’ll go to my study, Damien.’

Damien looked at her with those startling green eyes. ‘Kate?’ he caught her attention. ‘Will you be all right here for a few minutes?’

She looked hurriedly away from Matt Strange’s taunting face, not particularly wanting to be left alone here but not wanting to say so in the face of such mockery. ‘I’ll be fine. Why shouldn’t I be?’

He nodded distantly. ‘Indeed.’

Kate was regretting her obstinacy several minutes later, standing on the edge of the crowd, knowing she didn’t fit in here. She usually managed to avoid parties of this kind, only occasionally attending one with James. She had never realised quite how nervous she felt about these people, all of them drinking and smoking too much. She had even had a couple of drinks herself in an effort not to look quite so much like an outsider, and she was beginning to wish she hadn’t now; the alcohol had gone straight to her head.

‘Kate!’

She blinked rapidly to clear the smoke from her eyes. ‘Nigel!’ her eyes lit up with pleasure. ‘How nice to see you.’ He would never know how much! She had just about been ready to run, feeling totally out of it standing here.

He looked around nervously, an often shy, fast-speaking individual who had become quite a good friend the last few weeks, she had hoped perhaps more than a friend. Until her brother had interfered! ‘Is James here?’ He had obviously been thinking along the same lines as herself.

She laughed naturally, suddenly feeling more relaxed. ‘Anyone would think we were a double act. You’re the third person to ask that this evening.’

‘Well, let’s face it, you hardly ever go anywhere without him,’ he laughed shortly. ‘So how did you get here?’

Kate was just about to answer him when she felt an arm slide about her waist and pull her close against another human being, distinctly muscular and male. ‘She came with me,’ Damien Savage answered for her.

She watched Nigel’s instant recognition, resenting the way he smiled ingratiatingly at the other man. And she had thought herself almost in love with him—how could she, when he didn’t even seem to mind that possessive arm about her waist! Well, she minded, she minded very much.

‘Mr Savage,’ Nigel gushed. ‘How nice to meet you.’

‘Likewise,’ drawled the older man, his American accent more noticeable. ‘Are you ready to leave, honey?’

She watched Nigel’s face for any reaction to Damien’s implied intimacy between them—and found none. Obviously her growing affection for this man had not been returned. ‘Ready,’ she answered in a soft pliant voice, her anger towards Nigel making her feel more friendly towards Damien.

‘Do you have to go?’ Nigel looked disappointed. ‘I’ve wanted to meet you for so long, Mr Savage, and it’s—–’

‘I’m ready, Damien,’ she said firmly.

‘Okay, Kate. Some other time.’ He smiled coolly at Nigel before taking Kate’s hand and leading her out of the house. He turned to her in the confines of the car. ‘Who was that?’ He accelerated out of the driveway.

‘Nigel Humphries,’ she answered shortly.

‘A friend of yours?’

‘I believed so.’

‘But not any more?’

‘I don’t think so.’ Not if he couldn’t feel normal jealousy. ‘He’s an actor,’ she supplied, suddenly realising just what a good one he was. He had really had her thinking his interest was solely in her, but she knew now she had just been a way of getting to James.

‘I’ve seen him in a couple of small roles. I didn’t like you talking to him, Kate. I didn’t like it at all.’

Kate was too busy panicking to answer him. He had driven past James’ apartment yet again. He was taking her to his home!

CHAPTER THREE (#ulink_93d710ef-ebb2-5688-a309-75e5cad3f818)

BUT of course he was; they had to pick up her case yet. Kate felt herself relax again, cursing herself for her stupidity. She shouldn’t suspect all his motives like this, she was getting a positive complex about the man. She must get herself out of this near-hysterical state, laugh a little, act more naturally. As he had said earlier, he wasn’t suddenly going to leap on her. She was just being silly, blowing everything up out of proportion because of his reputation.

Back in his apartment again she wasn’t so sure. He seemed in no hurry to leave again, offering her a drink and helping himself to a whisky at her refusal. She had already downed the two Martini and lemonades during his ten-minute absence at the party, finding herself drinking them quickly because she was nervous, out of her depth without James at her side. Consequently the rapidity of the drinks had made her feel slightly merry; another drink would probably push her over the borderline between merry and just plain drunk. Alcohol had never been one of her strong points, and already Damien Savage didn’t look quite such an ogre to her. He looked handsome and exciting—most of all exciting.

‘Was Matt Strange annoyed about not being given the part?’ she asked steadily. Oh goodness, it must have been the night air that had made her feel like this; two drinks didn’t normally make her feel so—so much like laughing and singing at the same time. She made an effort to look serious, feeling a humorous twitch to her lips. Whatever was the matter with her!

‘No.’ Damien moved to turn out the main lights, leaving the room illuminated by just three side-lamps. It was definitely more cosy this way— and more dangerous. Kate felt her trepidation grow as he came to sit beside her on the sofa, his thigh only inches away from her own.

She licked her lips. ‘He—he wasn’t?’

‘Nope.’ He moved closer, their thighs almost touching now, his arm across her shoulders. He had discarded the velvet jacket and unbuttoned several of the top buttons of his shirt in the heat of the apartment.

Kate shifted uneasily under the sensuous look in his mesmerising eyes. ‘Er—why wasn’t he?’ Goodness, he was close, and she did feel so strangely lightheaded.

‘One simple reason.’ His voice had lowered seductively. Damien wound one long strand of her hair about his fingers, making it impossible for her to move. Not that she wanted to, she was quite enjoying being this close to him, feeling his warm breath softly caressing her cheek.

‘Why was that?’ She licked her lips again, fascinated by the deep cleft in his chin.

‘I offered him the other leading role,’ he gave an amused smile.

That pierced her fogged-up brain. ‘The—the other leading role?’

‘Mm.’ He bent his head to caress her throat slowly with firm passionate lips. ‘There are two male leads.’

Those lips were causing strange fluttering sensations in her body, but it was a pleasant feeling, one she didn’t want to stop. This was Damien Savage, the man she had fantasised about at the great age of thirteen, before her devotion had passed on to someone she had believed to be more attractive. She had been wrong; no one could be more attractive than Damien, or more sexually exciting.

But at thirteen she hadn’t known of such things, and as she grew older she had felt her devotion turn to embarrassed dislike, her mind accepting that it was ridiculous to fantasise about men she was never likely to meet, and With the arrogance of youth she had dismissed him from her mind. But now she had met him, only to find her fantasies more than coming true.

He was kissing her as she had once imagined he would, but it wasn’t at all like she thought it would be. It was more, so very, very much more. It was exciting and frightening at the same time, his lips a very pleasurable sensation on her bare shoulders.

‘Damien, I—–’ She fought for control of her senses; she mustn’t let who he was colour her judgment. But it wasn’t who he was that was affecting her, but what he was doing to her. ‘Damien, please!’

He raised his head slightly. ‘Yes?’ His eyes were half-closed with emotion. He ran a hand through the hair at the side of her face, and gentle caressing fingers down her flushed cheeks. ‘Such wide innocent brown eyes. They promise so much and yet withhold much more.’

‘A-about the film,’ she forced herself to sanity. ‘James won’t be very happy about working with Matt Strange.’ She pushed back her tousled hair and sat up straight on the sofa, making an effort to move hint further away from her.

Damien scowled, not relinquishing his hold on her. ‘I couldn’t give a damn about James’ happiness. He either works with Matt or he doesn’t do the movie at all, the choice is his. But I should think the fact that I intend taking you away from him would bother him more than working with Matt Strange.’

‘But you can’t—I mean, why should you—–’

His lips returned to the softness of her perfumed throat. ‘Because I’m going to take you away from him any way I can. You’re going to come and live with me, Kate.’

She moved against those probing lips, his tongue licking flames along the sensitive cord in her neck. ‘I’m not, you know,’ her words were fevered, her mind fogging once again. ‘My home is with James. He takes care of me.’

‘I’ll take care of you,’ he promised huskily, his mouth travelling slowly towards her waiting lips. ‘Much better care of you than James ever could.’

‘No, no …’ Her protests didn’t sound very firm and she knew Damien was aware of it, felt rather than saw his smile of triumph. That should have been her moment to stop him, the moment she should have stopped that mocking, arrogant mouth taking possession of hers.

But she didn’t, she allowed his firm mouth to part and claim her own, gave herself up to the pleasure he evoked. She had been kissed before, she wasn’t completely innocent, but she had never been kissed in quite this way before. His lips teased and deepened the kiss, teased and deepened it until she moaned against him, her body moving to meet his, begging for more than he was giving.

When the onslaught finally came she wasn’t prepared for it, her body relaxed from his hands upon her fevered skin. Suddenly she wasn’t sitting any more but stretched out lengthwise on the sofa, Damien’s long lean length close against her. Her hands were up around his shoulders, touching his warm skin inside his now fully unbuttoned shirt. Her eyes were closed, her throat bared to the warmth of his lips.

‘Oh, Damien,’ she breathed, knowing she would regret this later but for the moment not giving a damn. ‘You go to my head,’ she admitted softly.

His green eyes smouldered down at her. ‘I don’t think I’m solely to blame for that. How much have you had to drink?’

She touched that fascinating dimple in his chin, something she had felt tempted to do ever since she had seen him for the first time yesterday. ‘I only had two,’ she answered vaguely.

‘At Matt’s?’ he asked sharply.

Kate pouted up at him, admiring his lean tough body in the close-fitting shirt and trousers. ‘Mm,’ her tongue slowly moistened her lips. ‘Is it important?’

He groaned in his throat, burying his face in her hair. ‘Not right at this moment. God, you’re lovely!’ He looked down at her. ‘I wish you wouldn’t do that.’ His eyes were tortured.

She looked up at him innocently. ‘Do what, Damien?’

‘Lick your lips like that.’ His mouth briefly covered hers. ‘It’s very provocative.’

‘She smiled happily. ‘Is it?’

He smiled too. ‘You’ve definitely had too much to drink. And I’m not sure I’m up to this sudden change. A little while ago you would have fought like a she-cat not to be in my arms.’

Her look was one of pure challenge. ‘What’s the matter, aren’t you interested now that I’m no longer fighting you? Are you one of these men who enjoy the chase but not the capture?’

‘You silly child, I want you, whether you fight me or not. I must say I prefer you soft and pliant in my arms, but if it has to be a fight then a fight it will be. Victory can be very sweet.’

‘You’re sure you’ll win then?’

‘Oh, undoubtedly,’ he confirmed softly.

Kate laughed slightly. ‘You’re very arrogant, Damien. A veritable devil, in fact.’

‘Mm, are you complaining?’

‘I—–’ her voice faltered, her head began to swim. ‘I feel strange, Damien.’ Her voice sounded faint to her ears. What on earth was wrong with her?

He raised his head to look down at her suddenly pale face. ‘Oh no,’ he swore angrily, shaking her roughly. ‘Those drinks, what were they?’ He sat up, looking down at her anxiously.

Her mind didn’t seem to be functioning. She ran a hand over her aching temple. ‘I—er—I can’t remember.’ Her eyes were wide with distress.

His grip tightened on her forearms. ‘Come on, Kate, think. Answer me!’

‘I—It—Martini and lemonade—I think,’ she added lamely, starting to feel sick now.

‘Oh, hell!’ His mouth tightened. ‘And was Jerry Saunders in charge of the bar? A stocky man with long dark hair and wearing glasses,’ he explained at her puzzled look.

‘I—I think so.’ Her eyes just wouldn’t focus, Damien’s features were taking on a hazy shape that didn’t seem to make sense.

‘God, I could kill him! The stupid—–! Just wait until I see him again, I’m likely to do him some physical damage.’

‘I don’t understand, Damien. I—I want to go home. I feel ill.’

‘But you aren’t going home, especially not in this state.’ His hand smoothed back her hair. ‘You’re staying here tonight, with me.’