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SILK WICKEDNESS 36
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๋ฐ์ดํธ:
2023-03-19 14:39:45
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YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES)ย ย ย SILK WICKEDNESS 37
One could hardly storm out and slam the door. She said, โNight, everybody,โ and smiled apologetically when her aunt said, โGoing up already?โ She managed another smile when her uncle made a crack about the younger generation having no stamina, and escaped.Room five at Weeping Ash Inn was half the size of her Muscat room but just as comfortable, in a rose-sprigged, English way.Bloody Ryan! If only I could go home now.It was out of the question. The do proper wasnโt until the following night, and sheโd never, ever be forgiven.Twenty minutes after sheโd gone up, there was a tap at the door. โClaud, are you asleep?โโYes, so shove off.โHe rattled the door anyway. โClaud, let me in.โโBugger off!โโ If you donโt let me in, Iโll go and get a pass key. โ He sounded positively injured. โI have every right to know why you want me willyless after I just gave you a sodding great cheque.โโIโve earned a sodding great cheque, after what you put me through. Now get lost!โThe old, mischievous
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2023-03-19YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES)ย ย ย SILK WICKEDNESS 38
Another volunteer was painting the ceiling. โSteve, I feel really dreadful -I think itโs paint fumes on top of this cold. Iโve got to go home. Will you clear up my paint and stuff? Iโve nearly finished that wall.*He frowned at her from the ladder. โAre you all right to drive?โโFine. Iโll be back tomorrow if I feel better. Tell Julie Iโm really sorry.โShe was out in seconds and into the shiny new Peugeot sheโd indulged in. Parked right next to it was a Range Rover, just like the one theyโd used in Muscat, but black.With tears spilling onto her cheeks, she accelerated over the gravel drive and escaped.You fool. Couldnโt you have stayed, just to see him? Acted your brains out?Like this ? She glanced at her face in the rear view mirror. With a red nose and paint on my face? Dressed like a sack of manky old King Edwards ?It was the first sunny day for ages, and the world and his wife and kids were out. It took her ages to get home. Kate and Paul were out, househunting, and only Port
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2023-03-19YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES)ย ย ย SILK WICKEDNESS 39
If you actually needed an excuse to come to Barbados , Claudia thought, as she collected two rum punches from the bar, a wedding isn't a bad one.The tree frogs were just beginning to tune up as she padded back through the gardens to the beach. Guy was sitting in the sand, gazing out at the placid Caribbean, where the dying sun cast liquid gold on the water.โIf Kate gets through the next two days without murdering her mother, itโll be a miracle,โ she said as she sat beside him. โTheyโve had another row. Kate simply cannot share a room with Paul the night before the wedding. Itโs bad luck. Sheโs insisting that I move in with Kate and you move in with Paul for the night.โโFine,โ he said absently.Not for the first time in the past few days, she gave him a searching look. Sheโd thought she was imagining it at first, but it had steadily got more noticeable. It had started even before theyโd got on the plane - a certain preoccupation, as if something were on his mind.Hesitantly she aske
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2023-03-19YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES)ย ย ย SILK WICKEDNESS 40
She drew them before getting dressed in a little jade silk top that showed just enough cleavage. Her legs werenโt brown enough to flash, however, so she teamed it with a pair of cream linen trousers.He was acting like mad, but not quite well enough. โYou look gorgeous,โ he said, almost as if he meant it, and slid an arm around her waist. โI can see Iโm going to have trouble with that Italian guy tonight. It might even come to a punch-up.โAnything you can do, I can do better . . .โDear me,โ she said reprovingly. โIf youโre going to get all horrendously possessive, I might have to think again about this relationship.โShe longed with desperation for him to say roughly, โHow can I help being possessive? Donโt you know how I feel about you?โDream on, Claudia.His only reply was a tense, โIโm sorry - I didnโt mean it literally. If youโre ready, letโs go.โAll through dinner, in the open air dining room with just a roof to keep the odd tropical shower off, she acted her brains out, laug
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2023-03-19YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES)ย ย ย SILK WICKEDNESS 41
His face was a picture of almost comical despair. โIt was the most monumental piece of arrogance - I don't know what the hell came over me. I fixed everything, even down to something blue. I did everything but ask you first.'For the first time in her life, Claudia all but fainted.A couple of minutes later, when it had sunk in and she was in his arms and they had kissed and she had confessed her ghastly fears and they'd both laughed and cried, Planet Earth called her back.Oh, God. How can I bear to disappoint him now ?โGuy, I want to - more than anything,' she said unsteadily. โBut I can't. Not like this. If I deprive my mother of the second biggest day of her life, sheโll never, ever forgive me.'His eyes were glinting like the waters theyโd sailed the morning before - fathoms-deep Caribbean blue, with the sun on it. โIs that your only objection?'โYes, but - โโThen forget it.' He brushed her forehead with his lips.โI have a magic wand in my back pocket.'โ โ โ For the rest of t
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2023-03-19YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES)ย ย ย HER SECRET 1
SYNOPSIS 'Are you sure itโs all right?โ he asked.At first, she wondered why this powerful man who so easily brought her to melting point would balk at entering her room. Then she realized that though sheโd once loved him in every possible way, sheโd never admitted him into her world.Until now ... hiding something as pure as the love theyโd shared had been her biggest mistake she realizes. Sheโd been proud to be with him and she should have walked at his side openly.Turning to him and smiling, Sierra began systematically shedding her clothes. โPlease Matt,โ she told him, โcome into my room ...โCHAPTER 1Matt Rollins looked up just in time to see an aged white Volvo creeping up the country road, its bright exterior a stark contrast against the darkening Texas sky. As the vehicle crested the horizon, his troubled blue eyes intensified to match the color of his denim shirt.What now? he thought irritably. Hadnโt he coped with enough headaches for one day? He knew this car. Heโd seen
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2023-03-19YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES)ย ย ย HER SECRET 2
A searing pull in his loins told him he wanted her physically as much as ever. God, she was as addictive and as poisonous as nicotine.But he had standards and pride. And, as heโd told Leeann, Widow Davenport certainly hadnโt driven all the way out here looking for a good time.โYou look classy,โ he noted without enthusiasm.Sierra folded her arms across her chest to ward off the cold. Her nipples tightened, and she wasnโt sure the plummeting temperature was totally to blame.She cast him a hard, appraising look. โYou look like a scruffy old prospector whoโs been on the trail a few months too long.โA tiny gleam flickered in his eyes, the comers of his mouth curling slightly. Raising one hand, he rubbed his grizzled jaw. Sheโd always been straightforward with a wicked sense of humor.But he wasnโt playing games today. โYou didnโt come here to discuss my grooming,โ he countered.When he met her glance, he knew something about her had changed, aside from the new hairstyle and the sophis
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2023-03-19YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES)ย ย ย HER SECRET 3
Sierraโs eyes burned but remained dry. His reference to the abandonment sheโd known in his arms pricked her nerves. She didnโt need to hear his reminder of it. Now, she knew what sheโd feared all these years was true. Heโd left town believing her a whore.But she refused to show how deeply that troubled her. Sheโd shed all her tears for Matt and for herself years ago. Sheโd done what she had to.โIt wasnโt like that. I wasnโt sleeping with him.โโI guess you might as well have been. Youโd already made up your mind to marry him. Was it some kind of game I didnโt know the rules to? You and Ben moved with a fast crowd. Was it a dare, the thrill of venturing into forbidden territory?โโI was never that flighty, and you know it.โโWell, whatever I did, I took it serious. If you were just looking for entertainment, you shouldhave been straight with me. Hell, I would have accommodated you.โโSeriously enough to make it clear you were passing time until you saved enough money to leave town?
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2023-03-19
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YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES)ย ย ย INTIMATE STRANGERS 23
โGโday Kerrien, my darling girl, had a nice time?โ She was nodding and smiling encouragingly but Kerrien could say nothing. โLovely day, thank you. Itโs good of you to feed me again,โ she added. โCome on in. Make yourself at home,โ she urged. โMust use the bathroom, if I may,โ Kerrien asked. Brett shoved his mother out of the room and Kerrien could hear the whispered voices rising and falling. โFor heavenโs sake boy, do I get the champagne out or not?'*I donโt know Mum, she hasnโt given me an answer yet.โ Kerrien listened in growing discomfort. She was beginning to feel coerced, trapped. If she said yes, it was going to be for all the wrong reasons. If she said no, she might just be acting foolishly out of some misplaced sense of romanticism. She went slowly back to the family room, where Brett was waiting for her. โDo I get my answer yet?โ he asked. The blue eyes were shuttered and she could read nothing from them. โYes Brett, yes I will marry you.โ She wondered why she didn
YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES)ย ย ย INTIMATE STRANGERS 22
Sleep was impossible and Kerrien paced her room for much of the night. Ashton was evidently going through some personal crisis which seemed to exclude both herself and the children. What was he talking about with her and Brett? News? Excited? He could only think that they were getting engaged. She wondered where he had got that idea. It was the very last thing she would have wanted him to think, when all the time she desperately wanted jum. She also wished that his future with Martine was less certain. Double wedding indeed! Ashton said little the next morning before rushing off to work. She caught him staring at her a couple of times, as if looking for some clue in her face. If he believed something special had recently happened to her, he did not voice his thoughts. โI wonโt be home for lunch and donโt wait dinner for me tonight. I may be out. Have you decided when youโre going out at the weekend?โ he asked. โSaturday, if thatโs OK,โ she replied. โI'll organize things before I go
YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES)ย ย ย INTIMATE STRANGERS 21
โI havenโt felt this way about anyone before,โ Brett said. She drew a quick gulp of air and her reeling senses came back to earth. โAnd youโve had plenty to choose from, I suppose.โ The harsh words hit him like a slap across the face. โIโve never tried to pretend anything different,โ he defended, a hurt expression in his eyes. โLook, you may be innocent or try to give the impression of being innocent but I know a true response when I feel it. Yes, OK, call it experience. Tell me, do you intend going through your entire life celibate and end up a sour spinster?โ โI think I'd better go,โ she said, bristling at his accusation. โKerrien, Iโm sorry! I didnโt mean it. I want you Kerrien, on whatever terms you insist on making. Think about it. I can offer you everything youโve always wanted.โ His face looked almost child-like in its pleading, like Ben or Jodie begging for just a few minutes longer, before going to bed. She almost smiled at the thought. They may want to stay up longer, Br
YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES)ย ย ย INTIMATE STRANGERS 20
โI thought you had something vital to tell me,โ Ashton said at lunch. โSomething that couldnโt wait a moment longer.โ โPerhaps Iโve got things in perspective a little better,โ Kerrien replied, twisting her fingers together in her anxiety. โWhat I have to talk about is important but something has come up that I must deal with and quickly. I have to see Brett and the sooner the better.โ He stared at her, peering into her eyes as if he could read something in them, as if he could somehow see into her mind to know what she was thinking. She was an enigma to him. One minute bursting with some news she needed to discuss urgently with him and the next, planning an evening out with her boy-friend. He had no doubt as to the reason for her sudden need to meet Brett. She had to give him an answer to the vital question and having made her decision, she obviously couldnโt wait to tell him. โLook, I know it isnโt really my evening off but things have been hectic lately and I am still owed some t
YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES)ย ย ย INTIMATE STRANGERS 19
Kerrien sipped a cup of hot chocolate in the cafeteria, her hands wrapped round the comforting mug. She hoped that Kate and her friend didnโt have the same idea. Kerrien had no prejudices about peopleโs right to choose their sexual partners but somehow, Kateโs whole attitude to life suddenly seemed to have become clearer. All these nasty, sometimes spiteful . remarks were probably made because Kate didnโt know how to cope with the cards that life had dealt her. She did genuinely seem fond of the children but perhaps felt that Ashton would be less than understanding if he knew that his sister loved another woman. It took some getting used to but Kerrien was convinced that she was not mistaken. The way the two women had looked at and spoken to each other showed quite clearly that they shared a deep relationship. It may also explain why Kate was so resentful of Kerrien. Her easy going manner with people was something of a contrast with Kateโs own more restrained nature. She wondered if
YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES)ย ย ย INTIMATE STRANGERS 18
โSo what do you say Kerrien? Will you stay with us, for as long as you can?โ His deep, soft eyes were pleading with her. She felt again that urge to wrap her arms round him and hug him better but she knew that any physical contact with him would spell disaster to her own strength of purpose. โThink of the children,โ he added, knowing this was his trurmp card. She genuinely loved them and would never let them suffer. Besides, it would mean that she would still be around in his life and that meant a great deal more than he cared to admit. โI need to think about it. Iโll stay for a while, certainly. At least until you have made whatever arrangements you plan to make. Donโt worry.โ Her heart was near breaking as she spoke. She desperately wanted to be gone once Martine was living here. She couldnโt bear to see the other woman doing all the things she wanted to be doing, having the exclusive love of the wonderful man she herself loved so much. If he should ever find out how she felt, she
YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES)ย ย ย INTIMATE STRANGERS 17
Once Ashton had left for work, Kerrien decided that she simply couldnโt face another evening staying at home. She dialled Brettโs number and swallowing her stubborn pride, asked if he was free that evening. She was taking a slight risk that she wouldnโt have to babysit but as she hadnโt taken any time off for ages, it was not unreasonable to expect a free evening. His response was very positive. If he had made other plans, it was not obvious. He suggested a movie and then a meal out. It sounded exactly what she needed to take her mind off things here. When Kate eventually turned up, sometime after eleven, Kerrien had started the lunch preparations. She made some coffee for them both. Kate seemed edgy and moody. Things were evidently not going as well as she would have liked. But, she obviously controlled her wandering thoughts and agreed to mind the children for the evening, if Ashton was out. The woman seemed subdued and uncommunicative, so Kerrien left her alone and went to play wi
YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES)ย ย ย INTIMATE STRANGERS 16
The next few days were difficult. Kate bad only one topic of conversation โ the wedding โ and seemed totally unaware of the discomfort of those around her. The children were silent and withdrawn, reminiscent of the time when Kerrien had first arrived in Australia. Kerrien herself was thoroughly sick of hearing about the fabulous designer wedding dress Martine was planning, and whether Ben should be dressed in green or cream velvet. Either was equally revolting, or so Kerrien thought and she instinctively knew that Ben would agree! 'I think you should start looking around for another job,โ Kate suggested brightly one morning. 'I see. Your idea or Ashtonโs?โ Kerrien asked. โIt must be obvious even to you that this situation canโt go on. Once theyโre married, I expect they will be starting a new family and Martine is sure to want someone of her own choice, to look after the new baby as well as Ashtonโs two. Besides, Ben will be at school and you surely wouldnโt want to be hanging arou
YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES)ย ย ย INTIMATE STRANGERS 15
It was nearly lunch-time when Kerrien returned from her trip to drop Brett home. A quick hallo to Margaret and a coffee before she had left, made her later than she intended. Sheโd then taken a couple of wrong turnings, her mind pre-occupied. The journey took longer and longer, it seemed. There was strange feeling of unreality about everything, as if she was in the middle some sort of dream that would end when she awoke. The house was quiet and Ashtonโs car was missing from its usual place. He must have gone to work, even though sheโd thought he wasnโt on duty this weekend. Perhaps he had gone out โ to be with his fiancรฉe she thought miserably. She had to keep experimenting with the words, so that she would get used to it. How could he want to marry someone who was so negative towards those two lovely children? It was obvious to anyone with half a mind, that Martine couldnโt care less about them. It was equally clear that the children also felt the same way about their fatherโs fiancรฉ
