A Rogue And A Pirate

‘Probably because you are,’ Caitlin mocked. ‘Give me a call about the car, Paul,’ she added warmly. ‘Ready, Rogan?’ she prompted tauntingly.

‘Sure,’ he nodded, unlocking the car door for her before climbing in beside her, lifting a hand in parting to the other man as he walked away to get his tow-truck. ‘Where to now?’ Rogan prompted as they reached the hotel exit.

‘It will be simpler if I just direct you as we approach the correct roads,’ she evaded, secretly wondering what on earth had prompted her to accept this lift home from a complete stranger. Bravado and vengeance, she finally decided. Bravado because Rogan McCord obviously thought he had the upper hand, vengeance because after the drive he would have to her home, with no return for his trouble once they got there, she doubted he would harass a woman the way he had her for some time to come. She decided the latter was well worth the uncertainty of trusting him at all!

After twenty minutes of driving, Caitlin could see he was starting to frown, five minutes later he began to scowl, five minutes after that he began to glower.

‘Shouldn’t be long now,’ she told him cheerfully, rubbing salt into the wound.

‘Really?’ he answered with barely concealed impatience, increasing the car’s speed.

Caitlin grinned to herself, she had deliberately directed him to her home by the longest route possible, had even added a few detours to make it even longer. She was enjoying herself immensely.

‘Do you work in London?’ Rogan finally grated after another fifteen minutes’ driving.

She nodded. ‘I’m a nursery teacher.’

‘It’s a long trip to make each day.’

‘Is it?’ she widened innocently surprised eyes. ‘I hadn’t noticed.’

He shot her a look that was clearly sceptical, and Caitlin smiled back at him sweetly.

‘Here we are,’ she said a few minutes later, pointing to the entrance to the driveway that led to her home.

Rogan frowned, looking about him intently. ‘I’m sure we’ve already been past here once tonight.’

She was glad of the darkness to hide her guilty blush. ‘Don’t be silly,’ she dismissed briskly. ‘Just park in front of the house,’ she directed. ‘It’s a loop driveway so you can drive straight out again,’ she added with satisfaction.

He parked the car in front of the huge oak doors, glancing up at the elegant Georgian-style house. ‘Are you sure you aren’t married?’ he drawled. ‘I’m sure you can’t live here all alone.’

‘I don’t,’ she confirmed. ‘I live here with my parents. I’d love to invite you in,’ she added with obvious insincerity, ‘but it is late.’ Because of all the detours they had taken! ‘And I wouldn’t like to disturb Mummy and Daddy.’

Rogan looked at the house again. ‘I should think you could lose a person for a month in there and not hear their cries for help!’

‘Mummy and Daddy are very light sleepers,’ she taunted.

‘Both of them?’ he said drily.

‘Yes.’ She smiled her triumph. ‘Thank you so much for driving me home, it was very kind of you.’

He turned in his seat, his arm coming to rest behind her shoulders. ‘Kindness didn’t come into it,’ he drawled.

‘I know,’ she taunted, turning to open the door.

‘Not so fast.’ Rogan caught hold of her arm, pulling her towards him.

‘What——?’ Her question was never finished as his taunting mouth came down on hers.

Her head rested back on his arm as he leant over her, lost in the confines of his arms—and the magic of his lips. His shoulders felt smoothly powerful beneath her hands, his mouth moving against hers with insistent passion. He smelt of spicy soap and limes, his body warm as his shirt-covered chest pressed against her throbbing breasts.

His mouth became gently probing as he sensed her confused acquiescence, his lips moving moistly across her cheek as he told her how beautiful she was, how desirable, how much she excited him. Caitlin could feel herself being seduced by his verbal lovemaking, his green eyes piercing in the illumination from the lights beside the house doors, holding her captive as his mouth lowered to hers again.

They tasted, licked, nibbled, finally coming together with fierce passion, Rogan’s hands restless on her body, at last lingering on the up-thrust of her breast.

Caitlin gasped as he sought, and found, the pointed tip, caressing softly, until the nipple firmed and throbbed for closer contact.

‘I want to see you naked, Caity,’ he told her gruffly as one of his hands moved to the zip on her gown. ‘Naked and wanton!’

She felt hot, feverish—she was making love with a complete stranger!

‘No!’ She pulled out of his arms, her expression one of panic as he reached for her again. ‘Let me go,’ she instructed coldly.

Puzzlement darkened his eyes at her vehemence, but he sat back in his own seat, his hands held up defensively. ‘I’ve never tried to force a woman,’ he assured her raggedly.

She knew he had never needed to, that his brand of lovemaking could become addictive. ‘I know that,’ she conceded shakily, shaking back the fiery swathe of her hair. ‘I—it was a mistake, that’s all.’

Rogan shook his head, his eyes steely. ‘I don’t make mistakes, Caity. I want you. And a minute ago you wanted me too——’

‘No,’ she denied heatedly.’ I told you, it was a mistake. I have to go in now.’ She swallowed hard, wishing she had found the strength to go in earlier, much earlier.

He gave an abrupt inclination of his head. ‘I’ll be seeing you——’

‘No,’ she told him sharply, haltingly turning to look at him, realising how wrong she had been to let him know where her home was. He could cause so much trouble for her if he chose to! ‘I don’t want to see you again.’

‘I’m afraid that’s impossible.’ He shook his head. ‘You see, I——’

‘You aren’t listening to me! Can’t you take no for an answer?’ she snapped impatiently.

‘You weren’t saying no to me a few minutes ago,’ he shrugged.

‘Well, I’m saying it now,’ Caitlin rasped. ‘I don’t want to see you ever again, Mr McCord. Do I make myself clear?’

‘Very,’ he drawled, very relaxed as he sat back in his seat watching her.

‘Good.’ Her eyes flashed before she stepped out on to the gravel driveway. ‘Once again, thank you for the lift home.’

‘Believe me, it was my pleasure,’ he mocked. ‘All of it.’

She slammed the door in his face, standing on the top step to watch the car—and Rogan McCord!—go out of the driveway before turning to enter the house.

As she had known they would be, her parents were still in the lounge, both of them night people, enjoying a game of chess together as she entered the room. They looked so endearingly familiar, her father so big and strong, her mother so small and feminine, that for a moment she was able to banish the madness she had known in Rogan McCord’s arms as she returned their warm smiles.

When her mother smiled she didn’t look much older than Caitlin, her hair as red as her daughter’s despite her fifty years, her face beautiful and unlined. ‘Did you have a nice evening, darling?’

‘Not particularly.’ She went on to tell them of the disappointing time she had had—omitting the part about Rogan McCord. That had been disturbing, not disappointing!

‘What a shame,’ her mother sympathised.

‘Damned thoughtless, I call it,’ her father bit out, he was a big bluff man of fifty-five, his hair having been iron-grey for as long as Caitlin could remember. Her brother Brian was hoping his brown hair would go the same colour so that he could look as distinguished as their father. ‘Gayle could have called you,’ he added with a frown.

Exactly what she had thought! ‘I think I’ll get off to bed now; I have a hectic day tomorrow.’

‘Of course, dear.’ Her mother smiled her sweetly serene smile.

The conversation with her parents had helped calm her a little, and she held off thoughts of Rogan McCord while she showered and changed for bed, although once she lay in the darkness he wouldn’t be banished as easily; warm green eyes haunting her mind, that firmly sensuous mouth that could wreak such havoc with her senses, making her behave in a way she hadn’t believed she was capable of.

She turned over with a sob, her breathing coming to a ragged halt as the moonlight gleamed on the white dress that hung outside her wardrobe. A wedding-dress. Her wedding-dress.

CHAPTER TWO

IT had been a long and tiring day, her last at work for some time; she and Graham were going away for a two-week honeymoon after their wedding. But at least these two weeks with her new group of children for the year had helped cement a relationship that she hoped the children would remember until she returned. And by that time her name would have changed from O’Rourke to Simond-Smith. It was quite a mouthful for small children, but Graham’s family wouldn’t hear of using just Simond or Smith.

The last few weeks had been so hectic, but the weekend would see the culmination of all their plans. Saturday was her wedding day to Graham.

Caitlin had tried so hard not to think of Rogan McCord today, but it was difficult not to remember her wanton response to the man. She had wanted him to go on kissing and caressing her. Who knew where it might have ended if she hadn’t come to her senses! She had blushed profusely at lunch-time when Paul Raymond had delivered her car to the school and asked if she had got home all right.

After that thoughts of Rogan had been impossible to put from her mind, and the last thing she felt like facing tonight was a family dinner party. But her mother had made the arrangements weeks ago, and she couldn’t disappoint her. Besides, she needed this time with Graham, to sort out her feelings for him. God, it was a bit late in the day to start having doubts about their marriage now! But the disturbing memory of her response to Rogan McCord wouldn’t go away.

‘You look lovely, darling,’ her mother complimented, entering Caitlin’s bedroom after a brief knock.

She knew the black of her dress set off the fire of her hair, although that had been subdued to a burnished bronze by the loosely swept-up hair-style that left several loose tendrils framing the oval of her face. ‘So do you.’ She put her arm companionably through the crook of her mother’s, several inches taller than the tiny woman at her side.

‘Brian and Beth have arrived, but Graham rang a short time ago to say he would be slightly late; he’s been delayed at the office,’ she frowned. ‘He and his parents should be here soon, though.’

Why did Graham have to be late tonight of all nights, when she needed to see him so badly!

‘—your father was sure you wouldn’t mind,’ her mother was saying.

‘I’m sorry, Mummy.’ She shook her head with a guilty grimace. ‘I wasn’t listening.’

Her mother gave her an indulgent smile. ‘Thinking about Saturday?’

‘Yes,’ she confirmed shakily.

Her mother squeezed her arm. ‘You’re going to be a beautiful bride.’

What woman wouldn’t in the gown that had cost a small fortune? Oh God, if only she had never met Rogan McCord!

‘I was just explaining earlier that—well, you can see for yourself now,’ her mother said brightly as they entered the lounge.

‘See what for myself?’ She frowned her puzzlement. ‘Mummy, what——.’

‘I think your mother was just trying to tell you that I’m their guest,’ cut in an arrogantly mocking voice that she had hoped never to hear again!

All the colour drained from her cheeks as she turned to face her tormentor. Rogan was wearing a black dinner-suit and snowy white shirt tonight, but even those trappings of civilisation couldn’t disguise his rakish, rather than polished, attraction.

What was he doing here? How had he managed to wangle an invitation to a family dinner from her father? By the look of the half empty glass in his hand he had been here for some time!

Before she could make any comment to his mocking statement Rogan put out his hand. ‘I’m Rogan McCord,’ he introduced himself unnecessarily. ‘A business associate of your father’s,’ he added derisively.

He wasn’t going to give her away to her family! Why wasn’t he?

A business associate of her father’s, he said. Since when? Today, perhaps? She looked at him suspiciously.

‘Poor Rogan has been staying at a hotel the last few days,’ her father put in sympathetically. ‘I wouldn’t hear of that continuing once he told me; I insisted he stay on here until our business is concluded.’

The two of them made that elegantly expensive hotel sound like the next thing up from a hovel! And she still didn’t know how long this ‘business association’ had been going on.

Rogan was the one to answer that question. ‘It was originally planned for me to see your father next week,’ he explained. ‘But I wound my business up in Germany much quicker than I expected to and came straight over.’ His gaze levelled on her coldly. ‘I had no idea I would be intruding on such an intimate family occasion.’

‘You aren’t intruding,’ her father dismissed. ‘We’re glad to have you.’

‘Miss O’Rourke?’ Rogan prompted, his gaze fixed firmly on her flushed face.

‘Any friend of my father’s is most welcome,’ she assured flatly.

‘He’s just invited me to attend the wedding, too,’ he continued remorselessly. ‘Saturday, isn’t it?’

Oh God, now he must believe her to have been a panicked bride last night when she had responded to him so easily! ‘Yes,’ she rasped. ‘Please do come, Mr McCord,’ she regained some of her usual poise. ‘We’re hoping it will be a memorable occasion.’

‘I’m sure it will be.’ He gave an inclination of his head.

‘Excuse me,’ she said abruptly. ‘I have to say hello to my brother and his wife.’

Saying hello to Brian and Beth took all of two minutes, by which time Rogan was ensconced on one of the sofas with her mother, the two of them deep in conversation. Surely he wouldn’t—? No … Would he?

‘What do you think of him, then, little sister?’ Brian mused at her side, following her gaze as she watched Rogan charming their mother.

She sipped the dry sherry her father had brought over to her before answering, knowing how astute her brother could be at times. ‘I don’t really know much about him,’ she shrugged uninterestedly.

Brian, tall and whipcord-thin, raised his brows over laughing blue eyes. ‘You’ve never heard of Rogan McCord?’

Obviously not in the way her brother meant! ‘Should I have done?’ She sounded bored.

‘He’s a big shot in the real estate business,’ Brian drawled. ‘Although I think this is the first time he’s ever ventured across the Atlantic.’

‘And what lured him?’ she asked.

‘Dad, of course, and a partnership in a hotel chain they’re both interested in,’ Brian chuckled. ‘The two of them met while Dad was in the States a few months ago. Of course your head has been too filled with wedding plans to be interested in the dry old family business, otherwise you would probably have heard all about him.’

Caitlin deliberately took the time to sip her sherry, not wanting her brother to see just how curious she was about the man who had been able to talk her father into a partnership in anything. ‘Tell me now,’ she invited softly, her eyes narrowing as Rogan made her mother giggle like a schoolgirl. Her mother never giggled!

‘Self-made man—they’re always the toughest kind,’ her brother said matter-of-factly. ‘He’s made a bundle over the years in property speculation.’

‘That doesn’t tell me anything about the man except that he’s clever and shrewd,’ she bit out. And she needed to know all there was to know about Rogan McCord, needed all the ammunition she could get.

‘Sister dearest, you shouldn’t want to know any more about the man; you’re getting married on Saturday.’

‘Brian!’ his wife admonished as Caitlin blushed. Beth was a tiny blonde woman with warm brown eyes and a bubbly personality. ‘Caity was merely interested. I must say I’m a little curious myself,’ she added pointedly.

‘Elizabeth O’Rourke, behave yourself!’ her husband scowled.

Beth chuckled. ‘I never realised what a jealous husband I was getting when I married a reformed rake!’

Caitlin shared in the humour at her brother’s expense. Brian hadn’t just been wild in his youth, he had been untameable, always smashing up his cars, their father always warning that this would be the last time—before he replaced the car yet again. Caitlin smiled as she remembered the parties Brian used to go to that lasted weeks rather than a single evening. And the women——! Even Brian had stopped counting them.

And then he had met Caitlin’s school friend Beth. He seemed to change overnight, sure that a sweetly beautiful girl like Beth wouldn’t want a hell-raiser in her life. The month after they first met, Beth being eighteen to his twenty-seven, they had been married. Three years later they were happier than ever, and Caitlin’s nephew, three-month-old Matthew, had completed that happiness.

Brian was a changed man, had joined their father in his considerable business interests as his assistant, and was now the successor their father had always wanted him to be. Caitlin didn’t doubt that Brian was also a more contented man.

‘You knew exactly what you were getting when you married me,’ Brian said drily in answer to his wife’s taunt. ‘You realised the night I asked you to marry me and your old friend Jake asked you to dance and then held you too close for my liking.’

‘Poor Jake saw stars for hours after you hit him!’ Beth looked at her husband with indulgent affection.

‘He was lucky to be able to see at all with that black eye,’ Caitlin chuckled. ‘I didn’t appreciate having my date walking around looking like a panda all night because my brother acted like a caveman!’

‘You told me you didn’t like him that much, anyway,’ Brian dismissed. ‘You were just looking for a chance to get away from him.’

‘I could hardly walk out on him after you’d hit him!’ she pointed out drily.

‘He should have kept his hands to himself,’ Brian glowered at the memory.

‘He did, you were the one that didn’t,’ Beth scolded. ‘And stop changing the subject——’

‘Me?’ he said incredulously. ‘You were the one——’

‘He’s just trying to avoid telling us about Rogan McCord,’ Beth told Caitlin knowingly.

‘What’s to tell?’ Brian dismissed impatiently. ‘He’s in his mid-thirties—and handsome as the devil!’

Beth smiled at her husband’s disgruntled expression. ‘So are you, darling.’

He sighed. ‘You’re just trying to humour me now.’

‘Then stop acting like a baby,’ ordered Beth. ‘Is he married?’

‘Rogan?’ he frowned. ‘I don’t know why either of you should be interested in his marital status. You——’

‘Brian!’ Beth prompted firmly.

‘No, he isn’t married,’ he told them irritably. ‘Really, Beth, I don’t know why——’

‘Good evening.’

Caitlin turned sharply at the sound of that husky interruption, blue eyes clashing with green. She hadn’t noticed Rogan leaving her mother’s side as she and Beth engaged in one of their favourite pastimes, that of winding Brian up, but Rogan was standing all too close. She swallowed hard. ‘Mr McCord,’ she nodded, giving Beth and Brian an accusing look as they crossed the room to join her parents.

‘I believe Rogan will do,’ he drawled. ‘And of course, you’re Caitlin.’

She stiffened. ‘Yes.’

‘I told you we would meet again,’ he told her challengingly.

Her eyes widened. ‘You knew who I was all the time!’

‘Not all the time, no,’ he rasped. ‘But as soon as I heard your name, yes. Your father told me about his beautiful daughter Caity when he was in the States earlier this year. He was quite right about your beauty.’

‘Thank you,’ she accepted tensely.

‘He did forget to mention, however,’ he continued slowly, ‘that you’re also wilful, spoilt—and a liar.’

‘How dare you!’ she gasped.

‘How dare I?’ He raised dark brows, his mouth thinning angrily. ‘The drive that took us all of an hour last night took a mere twenty minutes this evening. Of course I knew that at the time, but I thought I’d let you have your little bit of fun——’

‘You——’

‘Don’t add obscene language to your list of faults,’ he bit out caustically. ‘You were enjoying yourself,’ he shrugged. ‘And so I thought, what the hell? That takes care of wilful and spoilt,’ he rasped. ‘And tonight when I arrived your father told me he and your mother were just having a small family dinner party in honour of their daughter’s wedding on Saturday. I thought he must have two daughters, but no, he told me there’s only his Caity!’ He looked at her disgustedly.

‘So?’ she challenged defiantly.

‘So,’ he was so close the warmth of his breath stirred the feathered fringe above her eyes, ‘where was your engagement ring last night?’

‘I’m not engaged,’ she snapped. ‘My family doesn’t believe in them.’ Mainly because they never knew their partners long enough to bother with them!

‘You didn’t act like a woman about to be married in five days!’

‘I didn’t act?’ she repeated incredulously. ‘You were the one who kissed me,’ she hissed.

‘And you kissed me right back!’

A guilty flush darkened her cheeks at the truth of that. ‘You took me by surprise——’

‘For fifteen minutes!’ he derided harshly.

‘Rogan, please,’ she looked about them awkwardly, very conscious of where they were, and of her family in the room, even if he wasn’t.

‘Take me outside to look at the garden. Or something,’ he instructed hardly, his eyes narrowed.

‘No, I——’

‘You would rather we continued with our conversation here?’ he mocked tautly.

Brian and Beth were still talking with her parents on the other side of the lounge, but it was only a matter of time before they became curious about the intensity of the conversation between two supposed strangers. ‘All right,’ she agreed irritably. ‘But Graham and his parents will be arriving in a few minutes.’ She hoped!

‘The man you’re going to marry?’ Rogan prompted.

‘Yes,’ she confirmed defensively.

‘I pity the poor bastard,’ Rogan rasped as he accompanied her out on to the terrace that overlooked the gardens. ‘God knows how you’re going to behave after the two of you are married!’

‘Will you keep your voice down?’ She turned on him as soon as he had closed the door behind them, the September evening was warm, the sun not having gone down yet. ‘Must I remind you that you were the one who kept following me last night,’ she snapped agitatedly.

‘All you had to do was calmly tell me you were getting married in five days’ time; why didn’t you?’

She had asked herself the same question all day, and not found a single answer. ‘I don’t know,’ she admitted heavily.

‘Caity——’

‘Please don’t.’ She moved away from him as he would have enfolded her in his arms. ‘I’m not proud of what happened last night, but I—I’ll learn to live with it.’

‘Why?’ His eyes were narrowed to emerald slits, his hair taking on a blue-black sheen in the sunlight.

‘Because I did respond to you,’ she acknowledged gruffly. ‘And I shouldn’t have done.’

‘Caity——’

‘Let’s go back inside.’ Once again she avoided his arms. ‘I heard a car just now; it must be Graham and his parents.’ She deliberately evaded looking at him as he politely held the door open for her to enter.

The Simond-Smiths were just being shown into the lounge as the two of them entered from the garden, and Caitlin’s eyes lit up as she saw Graham, reassured by his boyish smile, moving forward to receive his kiss before acknowledging his parents, Joanna and Peter, and his sister-in-law, Gayle.

Gayle kissed her on the cheek. ‘I really am so sorry about last night. I was helping Graham with some research for his book, and it completely slipped my mind that I’d arranged to meet you.’

The other woman had telephoned her first thing this morning to apologise for the oversight, and once she had heard the reason she had forgiven Gayle for the lapse; the book Graham was writing on the Vikings was absorbing stuff. An accountant by profession, in partnership with his father, Graham had a passion for Viking history.