A Stranger's Love. Laura Martin

first chance he had got—how could she ever forget that? ‘How can you be so...so cruel?’

      ‘Bethany!’ Chad caught hold of her and turned her to face him, his eyes scouring her frantic face. ‘Cruel? What is all this, for heaven’s sake? What’s wrong with you?’

      ‘Wrong with me?’ Bethany forced a choking kind of laugh. Given half a chance, she thought, I could quite easily become hysterical. ‘Oh, nothing much! Certainly nothing for the likes of you to worry about——’

      ‘Bethany, I get the distinct impression that I’m missing something here—missing something important. Care to quit raising your voice and tell me about it?’

      ‘Stop treating me like an idiot!’ She glared up into the handsome face, disturbed by the seemingly sincere expression. ‘You don’t honestly expect me to trust someone like you, do you?’ He was confusing her and it wasn’t fair. How could he be so arrogant and blunt one minute and full of perceptive persuasion the next? ‘I don’t even want you to take me back home!’ She had forced her voice to sound scathing, derisive. Better that than weak and full of uncertainty, surely?

      ‘Right!’ He moved with lightning speed and in one swift movement had lifted Bethany right off her feet. ‘That suits me just fine!’

      ‘What...what do you think you’re doing?’ she cried shakily. ‘Put me down at once! Are you listening to me? Put me down, damn you!’ Bethany struggled, but with difficulty; her waxed coat was bulky and awkward. The air-rifle fell to the floor with a clatter as she did her best to break free from Chad’s firm hold. ‘You’re mad!’ she cried furiously, trying to push away from the solid, broad frame. ‘Absolutely mad! I didn’t mean I didn’t want to go home at all!’ she screeched. ‘Stop this at once! Stop treating me like an idiot, will you?’

      ‘Stop behaving like one, then!’ They were back upstairs in an instant. Chad pushed the door open with his shoulder and re-entered the room. ‘Welcome once again to my harem,’ he drawled provokingly, setting her without too much finesse on to one of the large, soft floor cushions. ‘Now take your coat off!’

      Bethany gazed nervously up into Chad’s face. ‘Wh-what?’

      ‘You heard.’ He bent down beside her and began, with competent fingers, to slip the coat from Bethany’s shoulders. ‘How can you ever begin to feel comfortable in this thing?’ His mouth curled seductively and Bethany shivered as his hands brushed lightly against the thin fabric of her shirt.

      ‘Don’t, Chad!’ Her voice was faint; it took every ounce of control to keep her expression calm.

      ‘Don’t what?’ He threw her an innocent look, but his tone held a hint of savage male. ‘After all, isn’t this what you expect of me, Bethany? Aren’t I just the complete bastard? Taking what I want left, right and centre, without a thought for anyone else?’

      ‘I’m...I’m not Theo!’ She tried to drag her coat back over her shoulders, but met the resistance of Chad’s long tanned fingers at her shoulders, was aware as their hands touched of the by now familiar lurch in the pit of her stomach. Bethany took a breath and averted her gaze from the attractive mouth that seemed to be only inches away from her own. ‘She...she might have been more than happy at being brought here and seduced by you, but if you think——!’

      ‘Me? Think?’ His voice held a sarcastic edge. ‘Are you sure that that’s possible? After all, I am a man. All I’m capable of is using and abusing, isn’t that what you’ve concluded? Well?’ he demanded grimly, fixing her with a cold, metallic gaze. ‘That’s your opinion, isn’t it, Bethany? We’re all after one thing and one thing alone.’

      ‘Stop it!’ Bethany moistened her lips. She didn’t need this. She didn’t want Chad this close, delving into her thoughts and her hang-ups. So she didn’t have a very good opinion of men. Could anyone blame her for that after living with Philip for so many months? She risked a glance at Chad’s face. This man did, evidently. ‘Will...will you please let me up?’ Bethany whispered shakily. ‘You’re right. This afternoon...’ She hesitated, desperate to form the words coherently, desperate that he should believe the truth. ‘I’m...I’m not like that... What I mean is...what happened...what nearly happened ...I’m not the sort of girl who...who——’

      ‘But downstairs you were so keen to reject the innocent little girl image,’ Chad cut in bluntly. ‘What am I to believe, Bethany? How come you give off so many conflicting signals?’

      She frowned, conscious of his body, strong and full of male vibrancy so close to hers. ‘Do...do I?’

      ‘You really aren’t aware of it?’ Chad watched her for a long moment, his eyes studying the trembling features with impassive, cold eyes. Then he took a deep breath and the grim line of his mouth softened slightly. ‘You’ve jumped to conclusions, Bethany——’ his breath was warm on her face ‘—about a lot of things. I’m not a sex maniac. As I told you, it’s just not my style. I don’t go around seducing every woman I set eyes on. Why won’t you believe that what happened in your cabin wasn’t an everyday occurrence? It took me as much by surprise as it did you.’ He won the battle of wills, that had never been a real contest, and finally removed the coat from Bethany’s body, reached for her hands, his thumbs careful and gentle as they traced a delicate circular pattern over the lightly tanned skin. ‘Why won’t you tell me what all this anger is really about?’

      Bethany looked into the rugged face with wide nervous eyes. He was being gentle again, speaking in tones that smouldered with intensity. She wished his convincing charade didn’t affect her so. He almost had her wanting to tell him about the marriage that had been a misery from foolish beginning to pathetic end, about Philip’s drinking and abuse, about the humiliation and the broken dreams...

      She surveyed the handsome face with an expression that bordered on the curious. Was she ready to fool herself, to hurt herself all over again? Hadn’t she learned her lesson the hard way? Surely she wasn’t so stupid as to allow herself to be tricked a second time? This sincere approach had to be a game, didn’t it? Simply a different, a clever way of achieving the very same end.