Burning Obsession. Carole Mortimer

he derided.

      ‘No,’ Kelly agreed reluctantly.

      Jordan sighed his impatience with her. ‘Let’s go in and see him now. You can think about this other business later.’

      Think about it! She wouldn’t be able to do anything else. The last two days of knowing Jordan was here had been bad enough, if she had to actually put on a show of living with him, of loving him, she didn’t think she would be able to cope with it. The whole idea of it was ridiculous!

      And yet what other solution could there be? At least Jordan was willing to be co-operative, which he didn’t have to be. After all, it couldn’t be all that convenient for him to suddenly, to all intents and purposes, become a husband again. Janet Amery was just one of the women he would have to explain this strange occurrence to; there could be numerous others. Knowing Jordan there would be.

      ‘Don’t think about it now,’ he ordered tersely as he looked down at her and saw her pensive expression. ‘Try and look the ecstatic bride,’ he added derisively.

      Her eyes flashed violet. ‘I’m trying to remember what it was like to be naïve about you!’ she snapped insultingly. ‘And I can’t think how I could have been taken in by you.’

      ‘I can tell you that in one word, Kelly—sex,’ he scorned.

      She gasped. ‘That’s a lie!’

      ‘You enjoyed being made love to,’ his gaze ran slowly over her body, his mouth quirked in a humourless smile. ‘And I enjoyed making love to you.’

      Her eyes sparkled, her mouth set in an angry line. ‘For a time,’ she nodded. ‘Until I bored you. I can’t think why you married me.’

      ‘Can’t you?’ he drawled, casually flicking her dark hair back from her cheek.

      ‘No!’ she snapped, flinching away from his long sensitive fingers.

      ‘For a very good reason, Kelly.’ He strode out of the office.

      She hurriedly followed him, her short legs having trouble keeping pace with his much longer ones. She looked up at him questioningly. ‘What was the reason?’

      Jordan suddenly stopped dead, causing several other people in the corridor to give them curious looks. ‘Now listen, Kelly,’ his voice was harsh. ‘The time to ask for these explanations was before you walked out on me and our marriage. I certainly don’t intend having a postmortem on it now.’

      ‘Why have you never divorced me, Jordan?’

      ‘Why?’ he laughed softly, unpleasantly. ‘Quite simply you’ve proved a valuable deterrent.’

      ‘Deterrent …?’

      ‘To any other woman who thought she might like to be my wife,’ he explained tauntingly. ‘Now smile, my love,’ he drawled mockingly. ‘We’re going in to see your father.’

      ‘But——’

      ‘Smile, Kelly!’

      She did so with extreme difficulty, resenting the way he deliberately laced his fingers through hers, the smile of intimacy he gave her as they went into the hospital room.

      Her father was very pale, although he brightened somewhat as they came in. ‘Did you enjoy Barbados?’ his eyes twinkled merrily.

      Kelly’s blush was perfectly genuine. ‘It was very nice,’ she told him in a stilted voice.

      Jordan’s fingers tightened painfully on hers before he released her hand, putting his arm about her shoulders and pulling her against his side. ‘Kelly’s shy,’ he told her father. ‘In actual fact we hardly left our villa,’ he smiled down at her, a warning in his eyes.