Sensual Encounter

She turned away. Jared was much more observant than she had given him credit for; she hadn’t realised he had noticed that patch of slightly paler skin on her wedding finger. But that hadn’t been from wearing Richard’s ring, she had accepted that for the first time tonight.

‘Well, is he?’

She spun round quickly as she realised how close Jared was standing, and stepped back with a frown. ‘No, he isn’t, and no, we didn’t! My reasons for being at the hotel are none of your business—–’

‘Then why did you remove his ring?’ Jared pursued relentlessly. ‘Taking the week off, were you? Having a little affair on the side?’

‘No, I wasn’t!’ Her eyes flashed her indignation. ‘Richard and I weren’t engaged then.’

Jared clasped her hand, turning it over to look at the thick platinum band. ‘No,’ he acknowledged softly. ‘The mark on your finger was thinner than this ring could have made.’ He looked up at her with a frown. ‘You wore another man’s ring here?’

She snatched her hand away, glaring at him. ‘I don’t have to tell you anything!’

He whistled softly through his even white teeth. ‘It was another man. Katharine Mary, you surprise me.’

‘Why?’ Her tone was bitter at the gentle mockery in the deliberately Irish lilt to his voice as he said her name.

‘You don’t appear to be an indecisive woman, in fact the opposite, and here you are changing fiancés like you would a blouse!’

Kate eyed him with suspicion, but his expression remained deliberately bland. ‘Are you laughing at me?’ she asked slowly.

He grinned suddenly, one of those wide boyish grins that gave him such a rakish air. ‘Whatever gave you that idea?’

Her anger boiled up to gigantic proportions. ‘What’s so funny about my previous fiancé turning out to be a louse, and the fact that Richard is one of the most powerful and richest men in London?’

‘It’s an inside joke,’ Jared taunted lightly. ‘You wouldn’t get it at all.’

‘I don’t!’ she snapped.

He shrugged. ‘I told you you wouldn’t.’

Kate gave an impatient sigh. ‘Will you just get out of here,’ she said wearily, ‘and take your Irish wit with you.’

‘Oh, I’m not Irish,’ he ignored her first request. ‘My father was, but I’m strictly English.’

‘In that case you spend little enough time here!’ she derided his need to travel.

He nodded. ‘I intend changing all that. In fact, I could just decide to settle in one place.’

‘I’m sure the social services will be relieved!’

‘Hm?’ Jared looked puzzled.

‘They’ll have a permanent address to send your dole money to!’

A smile quirked the firmness of his lips. ‘Again you surprise me, Katharine Mary. You were a little abrupt when we first met, but I don’t remember you being downright nasty.’

She met his gaze in challenge. ‘Well, now you know. And stop calling me Katharine Mary; my name is Kate.’

‘To your friends,’ he acknowledged. ‘I wasn’t sure I still came in that category.’

‘You don’t,’ she told him crossly. ‘But I haven’t been called Katharine since I was at school.’

‘I think I prefer it,’ he said thoughtfully.

She gave him a saccharine-sweet smile. ‘Isn’t it a pity your preferences don’t interest me!’

He gave a wry laugh. ‘I once told you I like your quick mind,’ he grimaced. ‘But I can tell you now that it’s starting to wear a bit thin, with those snide remarks of yours. Perhaps I prefer women without intelligence after all.’

‘I’m glad to hear it,’ she scorned. ‘I’m sure you’ve had a lot of experience with them. Now if you wouldn’t mind, we’ve been talking for over an hour; I’d like to get to bed.’

‘Good idea,’ he nodded cheerfully.

‘Well?’ she prompted as he made no effort to go.

Jared looked puzzled. ‘Well what?’

‘Shouldn’t you be going somewhere too?’ she said exasperatedly.

‘Oh, don’t mind me,’ he grinned blandly. ‘I’m not sleepy yet. I had a nap on the sofa while you were out—my body clock is still out, you see.’

She didn’t give a damn if he hadn’t slept for days, she just wanted to get some sleep herself! ‘I don’t think I’m getting through to you, Jared,’ she sighed tautly. ‘I want you to leave now—go,’ she spoke slowly, clearly, so that there should be no more misunderstandings. ‘I want to go to bed.’

‘Go?’ he repeated in a puzzled voice. ‘But where would I go at three o’clock in the morning?’

‘I really don’t give a damn where you go, I just want you to leave!’

He shook his head. ‘I can’t.’

‘Can’t?’

‘Nope,’ he confirmed lightly. ‘I don’t have any money, you see. The job in Canada didn’t turn out to be the success I thought it would be, I only just had enough money to get myself back to dear old England.’

‘I’ll lend you some money to—–’ He was shaking his head before Kate had even completed her suggestion! ‘No?’ she rasped tightly.

He continued to shake his head. ‘I never take money from a woman.’

‘But if I insist …’

‘I still couldn’t do it.’ He pursed his lips thoughtfully. ‘Besides, what respectable hotel would appreciate my turning up for a room this time of the morning?’

‘London doesn’t stand on ceremony, you know that. It’s a city of transients.’

‘Maybe,’ he conceded. ‘But I’m really quite comfortable where I am.’

And she was far from being comfortable! Jared couldn’t possibly stay in her flat overnight. What if Richard should find out?

‘I’ll leave first thing in the morning, I promise,’ Jared seemed to be reading her thoughts. ‘You have a spare bedroom, just let me stay here tonight.’

She was beginning to feel too tired to argue any more, with the thought of her full day at the agency looming in front of her. ‘All right,’ she agreed tautly. ‘But you stay in the spare room, and you leave first thing in the morning,’ she warningly echoed his words.

‘Of course.’ He somehow contrived to look hurt. ‘Didn’t I just say I would?’

‘What you say and what you do are two different things,’ she bit out.

His eyes darkened, the laughter fading from them for a few minutes. ‘Not me, Katharine Mary,’ he told her softly. ‘I always mean what I say, and I always do it too.’

‘A man of his word, hmm?’ she sneered with bitterness.

The humour still didn’t return. ‘I’m sorry you’ve been hurt, my Katharine,’ his voice almost caressed. ‘And one day I’d like to hear about the man who did the hurting. Although I realise that right now,’ he taunted at the rebellion in her face, ‘you would rather tell me to go to hell for daring to intrude into your private pain.’

‘You realise right,’ she rasped harshly. ‘You’ll find clean linen in the cupboard in the spare-room,’ she added tiredly. ‘I trust you know how to make a bed?’

He grinned. ‘I already have.’

Kate gave a disbelieving frown, marching over to open the door to her spare bedroom. The bed was neatly made up, the top covers turned back invitingly. She turned to Jared with blazing eyes. ‘You were very confident!’

‘Not really,’ he shook his head. ‘I just know my Katharine Mary.’

‘You don’t know me. And I’m not your anything!’

He shrugged. ‘I think the answer to both those statements is, not yet.’

‘Not ever!’

He sighed. ‘Please yourself.’

‘I intend to!’

‘And I intend pleasing myself too,’ he looked at her in challenge. ‘And being with you pleases me more than anything else. You really shouldn’t have run out on me like you did.’

‘I didn’t run out on you,’ she denied. ‘It was time to leave the hotel, so I left.’

‘While I was making a telephone call!’

‘We had nothing more to say to one another, we’d already said goodbye.’

‘Strange,’ Jared drawled, ‘I don’t remember that. I remember asking you to go to North America with me.’

‘And I thought you would understand my answer,’ she scorned.

‘Maybe I did,’ he nodded. ‘But the Rourkes have never been known to give up.’

For a social drop-out that was a very strange statement! Jared seemed to read her thoughts once again, for his mouth twisted wryly.

‘Maybe I just need the right woman to help me settle down,’ he said lightly.

Kate’s head went back. ‘Well, don’t look at me!’

‘Was I?’ he teased.

‘You know you were,’ she dismissed abruptly. ‘But I’m going to marry Richard next month.’

‘Of course you are,’ Jared nodded.

‘Jared?’

He turned, his brows raised in innocent query. ‘Hm?’

Kate sighed, putting up a weary hand to her forehead, unconsciously using her left hand, the diamond there sparkling brightly, unknowingly provoking the man standing opposite her.

‘Don’t worry, me darlin’,’ once again he spoke with an Irish brogue, pulling her towards him, ‘I’m sure the best man will win.’

‘Jared, there is no contest—–’

‘Ssh, Katharine Mary,’ he spoke into her hair. ‘You’re too tired tonight to think straight.’ He kissed her chastely on the forehead.

‘There’s nothing to think about!’ She pulled away from him, glaring her anger. ‘I want you gone from here before I get up in the morning, do you understand?’

Jared looked unperturbed by her vehemence. ‘Perfectly. Now don’t frown like that,’ he advised. ‘It’ll give you wrinkles.’

With one last exasperated glare she turned and slammed into her bedroom, gritting her teeth to stop herself going back to confront him again as she heard him mutter something about waking the neighbours. They were her neighbours, damn it, and she would wake them if she wanted to!

Heavens, she was being ridiculous now! Of course she didn’t want to wake the neighbours.

What had she done to bring that tormentor back into her life? It hadn’t been her doing at all, if it hadn’t been for Brian she would never have been at that hotel in the first place!

She and Brian had met at art college five years ago, and liked each other immediately, spending most of their time together, Kate often cooking for them both in her room. They had fallen into the habit of meeting most evenings, eating a meal together and then spending the rest of the time talking or listening to music. They had been halcyon days, when the future was only as far as tomorrow, and there was still the present to enjoy.

When their college days were over Kate went to work for an advertising agency, not being good enough to become a professional artist herself, but knowing that Brian was. She hadn’t minded helping to support him as he struggled to make a name for himself, hadn’t cared at all that they rarely went out, or that the engagement ring he had given her on her twenty-first birthday still hadn’t been given the accompanying plain gold band even three years later. She understood and respected the fact that Brian wanted to be established in his art before committing himself to marriage.

The time hadn’t passed slowly for her. Her own career had progressed very satisfactorily along the path she had chosen, her father helping her out financially when the chance of running her own agency came along. At the time she had considered the longer hours, the hard work, all worthwhile, the money she made after paying her father back his loan helping Brian with his career. She hadn’t realised that he resented the fact that she spent less time with him, less time taking care of him, and that he would seek out someone else who could give him the attention he needed.

Coral Simpkins was a rich young widow who had bought one of Brian’s paintings from the gallery he submitted them to, her curiosity about the artist making her seek him out. It had been only the first of many meetings, Kate found out months later. Brian had suddenly changed, often being curt with her, and the time between their meetings becoming farther and farther apart. At first she hadn’t even noticed that, secure in their love for each other, deeply involved in the advertising agency that had become so much a part of her life. But the night she had finished early at the agency and gone round to surprise Brian had been the night she got her surprise!

She had the key to Brian’s flat and she let herself in as she usually did, carrying the bottle of wine she had bought to celebrate the success of another contract acquired for her agency. The only light on in the flat had been the one in the studio, but then that wasn’t unusual. Brian often worked in there for days at a time without a break. But he hadn’t been working that night, and neither had the blonde woman in his arms!

It had been a humiliating as well as a painful experience for Kate, especially as Coral Simpkins felt no awkwardness about the situation. The older woman simply got up from the camp-bed Brian kept in there, pulling on his robe to light a cigarette, looking at Kate insultingly through the smoke.

One thing Coral Simpkins didn’t lack was confidence—and she didn’t lack Brian at the end of the exchange either. Kate did!

Sorry, Brian said. It just happened, he said. We’re in love, he said. We’re going to be married, he said!

Something had died inside her that night, something precious that she felt sure she would never find again. And she didn’t want to find it, not if it meant being disillusioned and hurt by a man she had known and loved for five years. A sensible marriage, with no illusions, to a man who was too sophisticated himself to want a clinging wife, was what she planned for her future, a man who could give her the same power over her own life that he had over his. Richard fitted that role perfectly.

She moved restlessly to get ready for bed, impatient with herself for wasting all this time thinking about Brian when she should have been sleeping. And she had been wasting her time, as she had for her five years with him, knew now that he was only interested in what a woman could do for him. And Coral Simpkins—Linton, now—had already done more for him in the two months they had been married than Kate ever could, Brian’s first exhibition being held at a prominent gallery in London. Needless to say, Kate hadn’t attended.

A knock sounded on her bedroom door, and she turned sharply, her robe held up in front of her defensively.

Jared came into the room. ‘I heard you moving about, so I knew you weren’t asleep. I’m just about to make some cocoa, would you like some?’

She stared at him in astonishment. ‘It’s three-thirty in the morning!’

‘I know,’ he nodded, not looking in the least tired himself. ‘I thought you’d be asleep by now.’

‘I—–’ she shrugged dismissively, evading his searching gaze. ‘I’m just about to go to bed now. But help yourself to the cocoa.’

‘Thanks,’ he accepted lightly, turning to go. ‘By the way,’ his eyes gleamed with mischief, ‘your reflection in the mirror behind you makes the robe superfluous.’

Kate spun round to see herself perfectly reflected in the mirror on her dressing-table, knowing her naked back must have been clearly exposed to Jared as he spoke to her. She turned back to him indignantly, only to find him gone, and sat down heavily on the bed, wondering what had possessed her to let him stay. And yet she had the feeling she hadn’t made that decision, that he had made the choice himself. Jared Rourke might be everything that she considered irresponsible, but he seemed to somehow bring things round to his advantage. Well, he would be gone tomorrow, and with luck she would never have to see him again.

The ribbon that had secured her hair while she slept had come loose some time during the night, the long red tresses tangled about her face as she pushed them away impatiently, desperately trying to remember what was causing the feeling of oppression that had been with her as soon as her alarm woke her.

Jared! Of course. Would he have left as they had agreed he should? There was only one way to find out.

She got out of bed, pulling on her robe over her nightgown, quickly brushing the tangles from her hair before going out into the lounge. Jared lay asleep on the sofa, the radio still playing softly where he had fallen asleep with it on. Kate moved to switch it off, watching Jared to see if there were any sign of movement, but there was none. He was still fully dressed, only his short leather jacket removed to reveal the blue sweat-shirt, the long length of his legs stretched over the end of the sofa, too long to fit on it comfortably. He was going to ache all over when he woke up!

When he woke up! That was the problem; he was still here, and he should have been on his way by now. Ben would only have to casually mention to Richard that her ‘brother’ was staying with her and that would be that. Richard might like to think of himself as sophisticated, but Kate doubted if he would accept another man—a man he would know wasn’t her brother!—spending the night with her when they had just become engaged.

‘Jared!’ She deliberately knocked his legs from the arm of the sofa, feeling a moment of regret but knowing the soft approach wouldn’t work with this man. Hadn’t he somehow persuaded her to let him stay in the first place against her better judgment!

‘What—Huh? What’s happening …?’ He came awake with a start, blinking up at her with bloodshot eyes, that and the dark overnight growth of beard on his chin giving him an unkempt look. ‘Kate …?’ He blinked his recognition of her, sitting up. to run his long fingers through his hair, its dark thickness falling back into its casually windswept style. ‘I’d only just fallen asleep,’ he looked up to complain.

‘Well, now you can go and sleep somewhere else,’ she told him without sympathy. ‘I’ll be leaving for work in a few minutes and I don’t intend that you should still be here when I go.’

‘Afraid I might make off with your jewellery?’ he mocked.

‘Most of what I own isn’t worth much,’ she assured him. ‘The only piece worth having I’m keeping right here,’ she held up her left hand.

‘You are?’ he taunted.

‘Yes,’ she bit out. ‘Now get your things together and leave. It’s first thing in the morning, and you made me a promise to be gone then.’

He sat back, looking perfectly relaxed, the sweat-shirt pulled tautly across his chest. ‘My morning won’t begin until about midnight.’

‘The deal was my morning—–’

‘I don’t think that was specified—–’

‘My morning, Jared,’ she repeated firmly. ‘Now I’m going to take a shower and get ready for work. That gives you about twenty minutes.’ She went into the bathroom and closed the door, turning the key in the lock for good measure; she didn’t trust Jared an inch.

When she came out of the bathroom she could smell coffee being percolated, the fresh aroma filling the flat. Oh well, she had given him twenty minutes, it was up to him how he filled that time. As long as he was gone at the end of it she didn’t mind.

Her silky underwear lay in matching sets in her top drawer, the soft lacy bras and panties that she liked to feel against her skin.

‘Wear the black,’ remarked a husky voice behind her. ‘I always liked you in black.’

She spun round, clutching her robe together over her nakedness. ‘Always, Jared?’ she mocked to hide her confusion. ‘Two days isn’t exactly a lifetime.’

He had been leaning against the door-frame, now he moved away from it to walk slowly towards her, his gaze mesmerising. ‘It depends who you spend those two days with.’

Kate took a step backwards at the determined glint in his eyes. ‘Will you stop this, Jared?’ She made her tone sound light. ‘We both know we mean nothing to each other.’

‘We don’t?’ He was stalking her now, like a cat stalks its prey.

‘No—–’

‘You mean something to me, Katharine Mary,’ he told her softly, very close now, recently washed and shaved, his hair brushed back damply, his shoes and socks back in place.

She moistened her lips. ‘I—I do?’

‘Yes.’ He took her into his arms, moulding her to him to gently claim her lips with his, kissing her with drugging hunger. ‘I want you, my darling,’ he muttered raggedly against her throat. ‘I want you all the time. I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind for the last three months. How could I settle to a job in North America when you were all I could think about?’ His mouth claimed hers once again, deepening the caress with probing warmth.

‘No!’ Kate wrenched away from him, fastening the belt of her robe with shaking hands. ‘I’m going to marry Richard!’

Jared thrust his hands into his denims pockets, his shoulders hunched over. ‘I don’t happen to agree with you,’ he challenged.

She frowned, swallowing hard as he continued to meet her gaze. The steel was back in his face, and once again she had the fleeting impression that he would make a formidable adversary, although the feeling was only fleeting, instantly dispelled as he grinned once again.

‘You see,’ he said slowly but clearly, ‘I intend marrying you myself.’

CHAPTER THREE

KATE searched the rugged face for signs of madness; there could surely be no other explanation for the outrageous statement he had just made. He just stared straight back at her with clear blue eyes, looking surprisingly boyish despite his thirty-four years.

And why shouldn’t he look boyish—the man had probably never taken on a responsibility in the whole of those years! And she wasn’t about to take on being any man’s meal ticket again, even if this one was a charming rogue.

‘Do you usually imbibe this time of the morning?’ she scorned, turning away.

‘Look at me, Kate. Look at me!’ Jared repeated harshly as he received no response.

She turned back to him slowly, hardly recognising the ‘charming rogue’ in this rigid-jawed man. ‘I’m looking at you,’ she snapped as he made no effort to speak to her.

‘And I’m looking at you,’ he nodded. ‘Not all men are the same as your first fiancé, Kate. Whatever he did to you, I would never do the same.’

‘How can you be so sure when you don’t even know what he did?’ she derided.

‘Because I would never do anything to hurt you,’ he explained simply.

Her mouth twisted. ‘No man will ever be in a position to hurt me again.’

‘I just told you—–’

‘Especially someone like you,’ she continued with contempt. ‘I’ve already had a sample of men like you,’ she dismissed scornfully, ‘and I don’t want it again.’

‘Men like me?’ Jared prompted softly, his stance challenging.

‘Yes!’ Her eyes flashed deeply gold. ‘You drift around the world living from day to day, never giving of yourself but always taking from others. Well, I have nothing to give. I already gave—too damned much,’ she added bitterly.

‘I want to marry you, Kate,’ he bit out tautly.

‘And how do you intend to support me?’ Her mouth turned back with scorn. ‘Or didn’t that enter into the plan of things? Of course it didn’t,’ she derided. ‘You like an independent woman—now I realise why. I don’t intend marrying you, Jared. I met you at a time when I was feeling vulnerable, bruised, in need of someone to help me through a difficult experience in my life. But as far as I’m concerned that’s all there was to it. I’m sorry if you read more into it than what there was.’

‘Are you?’ he rasped.

She sighed heavily. ‘Look, Jared, at the time I needed you. You had a sleeping partner for a couple of days and I managed to sort out my life, that’s all there was to it,’ she dismissed again. ‘We didn’t make any vows or lasting commitments to each other. It was a physical interlude, nothing else.’ And it was an interlude that would probably haunt her for the rest of her life, completely out of character for her, although she wasn’t going to tell him that; better that he continued to think of her as a sophisticate.

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