‘A child…’ she cut in furiously at the insult. ‘Wrong, Sebastian! That was an eighteenth birthday that we just celebrated—it makes me an adult,’ she told him aloofly, trying to keep the pain from her voice. She tried so hard to make him see her as a grown-up, but it always failed. Now she was forcing the issue, but it seemed to make no difference.
‘Then behave like one,’ he responded coolly.
‘I am!’ Kate defended herself. ‘I’m doing what I want.’ She took hold of her suitcase, again determined to leave. Yet a crack of pain was beginning to break her heart.
‘And no one matters,’ he said brusquely, before adding in a softer tone, ‘Not even me?’
Her eyes had flown to his at his words. She silently willed him to say more—to beg her not to leave, to tell her that he loved her—but he didn’t, and she wanted to hurt him as he smashed her dreams.
‘You least of all, Sebastian,’ she ground out. ‘If I ever see you again, it will be too soon.’ Her face was distorted with pain and anger, her eyes fiery bright, and she turned away. Even as she opened the door she hoped he would say something—anything—even her name on his lips would have been enough—but he remained silent. She could feel the heat of his stare on her back but she refused to turn to say a final farewell. A tear plumped at the corner of her eyes as she closed the door behind her…
‘I haven’t had time for any lunch, so if you don’t mind…’ Sebastian began as he swung into the car park of a small country inn without waiting for a reply. His voice brought Kate sharply back to the present and she knew he remembered too what she had said to him all that time ago.
‘No, not at all,’ agreed Kate; she hadn’t wanted to admit it but her nerves were on edge, because it was the first time she had been in a car since her accident. Though she had every confidence in Sebastian’s driving, she was still glad of a little respite. It took her several moments to gain control of her unsteady limbs when she got out of the car and Sebastian offered no assistance—not that she would have accepted any, she thought angrily as she struggled to keep up with him. His long strides were eating up the distance in the car park.
‘Sit near there,’ he ordered, pointing her over to a snug corner next to a blazing log fire. ‘You’ll have something to eat.’ It was an order, not a request, and Kate, too weary to argue, sank gratefully into the chair by the grate.
‘I’ll order coffee; it will help keep me awake,’ he said as he removed his jacket and flung it carelessly over the back of a chair.
‘That’s fine,’ smiled Kate, trying not to look at him, but already she knew she was fighting a losing battle. She was still totally aware of his masculinity. As she had noted in the hospital, the shirt he wore fitted to perfection around his muscular chest, drawing attention to a dark shadow of hair. He strode off to the bar with a smooth, confident air. Kate’s eyes followed him, drawn hypnotically by the lithe movements of his body. She sighed; she had thought she was over him, that it was all in the past, but now she was no longer so sure. The heat of the fire warmed her chilled bones and she began to relax, despite the tense atmosphere.
‘Are you enjoying your meal?’ he asked later as he raised his glass to his mouth, his strong fingers encircling the stem. ‘By the look of you, a decent meal is something you haven’t had for some time.’
‘I’ve been having a perfectly adequate diet,’ she reported back through clenched teeth, almost hating how much she was enjoying the food; it made her feel slightly guilty. She knew she shouldn’t, that it was pointless always to consider the problems of others, but she couldn’t help it. She had been lucky finding a job through a local paper. She had worked for eighteen months, making her way up from office junior to the more senior post of co-ordinator. She worked for a Third World charity, and fighting hunger was now so important to her that it spilled out into her personal life, making her frugal. Sebastian shrugged, indifferent to her mood, neither annoyed nor amused by it.
‘So you say,’ he replied smoothly. His voice held a satisfied tone. ‘But it hardly looks like it,’ he added tauntingly.
Kate’s temper was bubbling up inside her, like a volcano waiting to erupt. He knew exactly how to upset her. Even after all this time, he seemed to take a delight in annoying her! She kept looking firmly at him, refusing to allow him to dismiss her as if she were still a child. She confronted him squarely—she was an adult now. But he was unperturbed by her anger. He studied her carefully, then the citrus smell of his aromatic aftershave filled her nostrils as he moved closer to her.
‘You look tired, Kate,’ he said almost softly, and the sound of her name on his lips was touched with a sudden intimacy. ‘I think we’d best hit the road again. I want you home as soon as possible.’ She immediately detected the hidden message in his voice. There was something amiss, some problem he was not telling her.
‘What is it, Sebastian? What’s going on?’ she demanded, her voice hoarse as sudden emotion gripped her.
‘Not now, Kate, not here.’ His voice held a finality that worried her even more.
‘I want to know now,’ she demanded again, troubled by his expression, her heart beating rapidly inside her, like a trapped bird.
‘I’m tired, Kate, and so are you,’ he told her firmly, brooking no argument.
‘I want to know now!’ Kate persisted, knowing that she sounded like a petulant child.
‘I’m not prepared to discuss anything at the moment,’ he told her, taking her arm, his fingers biting into her soft flesh. He escorted her out of the pub, his grip increasing as they went back to the car. Kate would have objected, but she suddenly didn’t feel very well. She swayed slightly against him as the bitter wind seared through her fragile body.
‘Kate—Kate, what is it?’ He mumbled a curse as his arms wrapped around her swaying body, encircling her slender waist to steady her. Kate moaned slightly and pressed her fingers on her damp forehead. She had become over-excited and now she was paying for it.
‘My head hurts,’ she whispered softly. The painkillers were wearing off and now her whole body ached. She felt exhausted, her eyes already closing as he pushed her gently into the car. He pulled her seatbelt across her, his hand accidentally brushing across her breast, and, for a second, he paused, his body stiffening. Then he closed the buckle with a snap.
‘It’s all right, I’ll soon have you home, and then Dr Russell can check you over. There’s nothing to worry about. The hospital said you were fine. You’ve just taken a bad knock,’ he assured her briskly. He sounded confident, as usual, but Kate caught the flicker of doubt that flamed briefly in his eyes.
Kate closed her eyes and could remember nothing after that; it was all a hazy dream. Reality had become distorted through a veil of pain and shock.
‘Sebastian,’ she said, his name escaping through her dry, thinly parted lips in a hushed murmur. She desperately tried to focus on him, but her eyes ached and that dull pain throbbed incessantly in her head.
‘Kate! Kate!’ She heard the sound of his voice calling her name, far away in the distance, and she struggled to nod in response. She wanted to drift again, to fall back into the heavy sleep where she felt no pain. Here she felt like a trapped animal. She sensed that she was now in a room, and Sebastian was waiting and watching her every move. The events of the day slowly came back to her; she must have fainted. She certainly only had vague flitting pictures of what had gone before, yet she remembered immediately that something was wrong.
‘Do you want a drink?’ Sebastian’s voice was soft, gentler than she remembered it, but the strength of his hands as they wrapped around her shoulders, raising her from the soft pillow, were the same. Strong, hard and muscular, lifting her with an ease that told her of his strength. The cold rim of a glass touched her dry lips and she drank thirstily of the water that was offered to her. She rested back on the pillow, forcing her lids open.