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‘You’re too old to play coy games, Shanna,’ he said impatiently. ‘The man wants you, and you know it.’
‘I also know he isn’t going to have me!’ Her eyes flashed deeply green.
‘Shanna——’
‘Henry, I think we should talk,’ she watched his flushed face warily. ‘I don’t like the way you’ve suddenly become involved with that man.’
‘That’s business, Shanna——’
‘But what business? When did Rick Dalmont become interested in the world of newspaper publishing?’
‘He isn’t——’
‘Then what business are you involved in with him?’ she frowned.
‘We can’t talk about it here, Shanna,’ he avoided. ‘This is a party. And you know Janice doesn’t like business discussed at her parties.’
She sighed. ‘Tomorrow, then?’
‘Sunday? Mm, come to lunch,’ he added. ‘Peter and Susan will like that.’
Her expression softened at the mention of her nephew and niece. And she had a feeling she was being manipulated once again, and this time by her own brother; Henry knew how fond of Peter and Susan she was.
‘We’ll talk about Rick Dalmont before lunch.’ She didn’t let him even think he had got away with the distraction. ‘I’ll come over about twelve.’
He grimaced. ‘Fine.’
She smiled at his lack of enthusiasm. ‘You got into this, Henry,’ she drawled at his discomfort. ‘Now you can explain it to me.’
‘Shanna——’
She touched his cheek mockingly. ‘Tomorrow, Henry. And I shall expect a full explanation.’
‘But——’
‘A full explanation,’ she repeated determinedly.
‘I’m beginning to wonder who’s the eldest in this family,’ he muttered before moving away to join his wife, as a couple of the guests were taking their leave.
‘A good question,’ drawled an amused voice from behind her, an unmistakable voice of honey and gravel. Shanna spun round, wondering just how long Rick Dalmont had been listening to her conversation with her brother.
‘You really shouldn’t pressurise Henry, honey,’ he mocked. ‘Now me, you wouldn’t have to pressurise at all.’
‘I told you——’
‘You wouldn’t even have to be persuasive,’ he cut in softly. ‘Let me take you home and I’ll tell you all.’
She stiffened at the intimate warmth of his gaze. ‘I have my car here.’
He shrugged his broad shoulders. ‘Then you drive me home—I came by cab.’
‘I’d rather not,’ she refused distantly.
Anger flashed in the dark eyes. ‘No wonder your husband turned to other women!’ he rasped.
Shanna went deathly pale. ‘What did you say?’
‘When a man is frozen out of his own bed it’s inevitable that he’ll turn to other women for physical satisfaction,’ he scorned.
‘Are you saying that’s what Perry did?’
‘It’s public knowledge,’ he shrugged again.
‘Is it?’
‘Was he still sleeping with you before he died?’
‘Our sleeping arrangements have nothing to do with—Oh!’ she gave a painful gasp as her wrist was grasped and her arm twisted up behind her back, her body brought dangerously close to the hard-muscled flesh of Rick Dalmont. ‘Let me go,’ she ordered between gritted teeth.
‘Smile,’ he instructed curtly, his teeth showing white against his dark complexion. ‘I said smile, damn it,’ he bit out savagely at her lack of response to his order.
She looked about them desperately, amazed that no one could see what this man was doing to her. And then she realised that several people who had come here alone were now in rather close clinches with a man or woman they had met here tonight. Janice would be shocked to know that some of these couples whom she had only just introduced would even be in bed together later tonight.
But not Rick Dalmont and herself. And he was still hurting her, his hold on her arm brutal. ‘How can I smile when you’re breaking my arm?’ she groaned.
He lightened his grip slightly, although the relaxation made her body curve more intimately against him. ‘I’m sorry,’ but he didn’t look very repentant. ‘Now answer my question,’ he ground out.
‘I’ve forgotten what it was,’ she muttered.!
‘Liar!’
She blinked at the vehemence of his tone. ‘I won’t discuss my marriage to Perry with you!’
Rick sighed, releasing her completely at the inflexibility of her tone. ‘Even in the face of danger you choose to defy me.’
‘Danger?’ She raised black brows.
‘So cool,’ he shook his head. ‘It isn’t natural. Your eyes speak of fire, of all you have to give a man——’
‘Not you!’
‘Me,’ his eyes glittered furiously. ‘I’m getting tired of waiting for you, Shanna——’
‘What is it, Mr Dalmont?’ She refused to rub her aching wrist and arm; she wouldn’t show any weakness to this man, ever. ‘Did you think that because I’ve been widowed for the last six months I would fall into your arms like an over-ripe plum? Did you think I would be so sexually frustrated that you would have no trouble at all getting me into bed with you?’ Her voice rose angrily.
‘Maybe you’re sexually cold,’ he dismissed.
‘Oh, that’s usually the next insult!’ she scorned. ‘Then I’m supposed to sleep with you just to prove that I’m not cold at all. I’ve been through it all before, Mr Dalmont. I must say, I’m disappointed in you—I expected more sophistication from you.’
His mouth tightened. ‘Why do you have to fight me?’ he asked quietly, impatiently. ‘I’ve asked you out so many times over the last two weeks that I’ve lost count.’
‘Then give up!’
‘I want you, Shanna,’ he told her forcefully, pinning her to the spot with the intensity of his gaze. ‘And I never give up on something I want as badly as I want you. I’ve left a trail of broken people behind me who could tell you that.’
She had gone very pale, believing his threat. ‘That was business——’
‘Business or personal, it doesn’t matter,’ he shrugged. ‘I always win in the end.’
She had heard of his ruthless business dealings, of the people he had ruined in his desire to add to the Dalmont coffers, but she had never heard of this singlemindedness with a woman before. Although perhaps he had never been turned down before! ‘No,’ she shook her head. ‘Not this time you won’t,’ she told him with quiet conviction.
‘You loved your husband, is that it?’
She couldn’t help flinching at the scorn of his tone. ‘Yes,’ her voice was husky, her head bent.
‘You still love him?’ he grated.
‘Yes.’
‘I don’t believe it!’
Her head went back proudly, her eyes flashing. ‘It’s the truth,’ she snapped.
‘And the parties almost every night, the men who pay you attention—that’s mourning him, is it?’ Rick derided harshly.
‘He wouldn’t want me to stay at home.’
‘I would!’ he bit out fiercely, his eyes jet-black. ‘I’d want you to lock yourself away until you died too.’
His intensity took her breath away, and she swallowed hard. ‘Maybe that’s what I am doing, waiting to die,’ she said softly.
‘At parties every night?’ he scorned.
She looked at him with steady green eyes. ‘Maybe I just don’t want to be alone when I die.’
Rick Dalmont looked as if she had physically hit him, paling slightly beneath his olive complexion. ‘Shanna…?’
She sighed, shaking off his hand. ‘Selina seems anxious for you to return to her side,’ she drawled. ‘I’m sure she’ll be much more—amenable than I could ever be.’
‘I don’t want Selina,’ he rasped.
‘Poor Selina,’ she murmured, her cool façade back in place. ‘She’s very attractive.’
‘She doesn’t have black hair and green eyes.’
‘I’m sure there are thousands of willing women who do.’
‘With emphasis on the willing, hmm?’ he taunted.
‘Exactly.’ She gave him a saccharine-sweet smile.
He shook his head. ‘It’s still you I want, Shanna.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘I really believe you are,’ he frowned at her quiet sincerity.
‘Yes,’ she nodded.
‘I can’t work you out.’ Rick shook his head dazedly.
‘Don’t even try,’ she advised. ‘Just don’t become involved with me——’
‘I want to go to bed with you, not become involved!’
Her smile was genuine this time. ‘And one precludes the other with you?’
‘Yes,’ he bit out tautly at her mockery.
‘Goodnight, Mr Dalmont. We’ll meet again?’ she drawled.
‘You can bet on it!’
‘I’m not usually a betting woman, but I’m sure that if I were I would win that bet.’
‘Little tease!’ he rasped.
Her humour faded as quickly as it had begun. ‘That’s one thing I’m not, Mr Dalmont. I’ve told you bluntly to leave me alone, you’ve chosen not to take that advice. You would be doing us both a favour, and saving yourself a lot of time, if you gave up on me now.’
‘Because you’ll never give in to me?’
‘No.’
He shrugged. ‘I’m not prepared to give up on you yet. I’ll be seeing you, Shanna.’ He ran a fingertip lightly down her cheek, lingering against her mouth, nodding confidently before going over to Henry and Janice to take his leave.
Shanna wasn’t altogether surprised at his departure from the party; he knew there was no point in pursuing her any further tonight, not when she had made her feelings more than plain. And she didn’t want to stay here any longer herself now; the verbal encounter with Rick Dalmont had opened up wounds that she knew would never get the chance to heal.
‘What did you do to him?’ Henry demanded when she joined him. ‘I’ve never known Rick to leave a party at eleven o’clock before!’
She shrugged. ‘There has to be a first time for everything.’
‘Yes, but——’
‘It may have escaped your notice,’ she taunted, ‘but Selina has gone too.’
‘She left with Gary,’ her brother dismissed. ‘She gave up once Rick returned to you. She decided it’s Gary’s lucky night instead.’
‘Bitchy!’ she smiled.
