A dark shadow loomed up and covered her, causing her to cry out. ‘Be quiet, you little fool!’ snapped the now familiar voice of Joel Brent.
‘I—– You startled me!’ she accused, sitting up to see that it was the flames from the fire that had made such a large shadow. Oh God, had he changed his mind about sleeping with her? She wasn’t sure whether her heart leapt in fear or anticipation.
He placed a mug on the table beside her. ‘That’s no reason to scream the place down,’ he told her impatiently. ‘I’ve brought you some cocoa. You seem to be having trouble sleeping. The bed hasn’t stopped creaking for the last fifteen minutes,’ he explained how he had known of her sleeplessness.
‘Sorry,’ she mumbled, aware that she must have been keeping him awake too. She eyed the cocoa suspiciously.
Joel interpreted that look and smiled mockingly. ‘It doesn’t have anything in but a little sugar. I was never into drugs. Not my scene at all,’ he taunted, his arms folded across his sweater-clad chest.
Sabina flushed. ‘I don’t talk like that, so there’s no need to be sarcastic.’
‘I’m so sorry, Miss Smith,’ he said with exaggerated politeness. ‘Put my rude behaviour down to lack of human company. All Satan requires of me is that I feed him, keep him warm, and occasionally give him a bit of love. Not so different from a woman, now I come to think of it.’
She sighed. ‘I’m tired, Mr Brent. I’m not up to this verbal fencing right now.’
‘Then drink your cocoa. Go on, it will help you sleep.’
‘I haven’t drunk cocoa since I was a child.’ She sipped it tentatively, finding she still had a liking for it.
‘And that was such a long time ago,’ he teased softly, taking the empty mug out of her hand and pushing her down on to the pillow before zipping up her sleeping bag.
Sabina gave him a sleepy smile. ‘Thank you—Daddy,’ she did some teasing of her own, thankful that he had stopped sniping at her.
She had thought that too soon. ‘Not me, Sabina,’ he said harshly. ‘Freed may be old enough to be that, but not me. And just to prove it…’ His dark head swooped and his lips claimed hers.
Sabina’s sleepiness instantly left her, her arms going up about his throat, her fingers entwining in the dark hair at his nape. She made no objection as he undid the buttons to her pyjama top, cupping her breast to gently arouse the nipple with his thumb. She instantly felt on fire, her whole body seeming to burn with a sensuality she had never before experienced.
Her neck arched, her head falling back as his mouth moved down to claim her, the first touch of a man’s lips against her breast sending her into a world of wonder, a world where only Joel’s caresses mattered, only his lips and hands on her body seemed important.
And then he was moving away from her, pulling her hands from about his neck. She looked at him with glazed passion-filled eyes. ‘Joel …?’ Her voice ached with her unfulfilment.
‘I told you, I’m not in the mood for you tonight,’ he said cruelly. ‘You’ve been fed, there’s the fire to keep you warm, and now you’ve had your loving.’ He got up from the bed, looking down at her with flinty grey eyes. ‘Now you should fall into as contented a sleep as Satan has.’
Her eyes darkened with pain, his rejection of her cutting into her like a knife. ‘You’re cruel!’ she choked.
‘And you’re a very good actress. I could almost believe you enjoyed my caresses just now.’
‘But I did!’ she defended.
‘Really? And what would you call that, job satisfaction?’
Sabina paled. ‘If you think I responded to you just to try and get a story …’
‘That’s exactly what I think,’ he told her coldly. ‘I wonder if Freed knows how much you enjoy your work?’
‘Get out of here!’ She shook with anger, clutching the gaping front of her pyjama jacket to her. ‘Get out and leave me alone!’ To her shame tears welled up in her eyes.
Joel’s eyes narrowed, his gaze moving slowly over each feature of her face. ‘I think you may have chosen the wrong profession, Sabina. Your acting really is superb. Do you act when Freed makes love to you too? I should think you would have to, I can’t see any woman willingly letting him touch her.’ His mouth turned back in dislike.
The truth of the matter was that although Nicholas was attractive he had never aroused her, in fact the opposite, making her shut her mind off to him as he kissed and fondled her. Perhaps she had always subconsciously known he wasn’t the man for her, a fact that had been proved when she responded mindlessly to Joel’s caresses.
‘I can see you do,’ Joel scorned, his expression contemptuous. ‘Is it worth it?’
She could see it wasn’t now. But at the time she had wanted to please her father, had for once in her life wanted his full approval, and agreeing to marry Nicholas had certainly given her that.
‘Don’t bother to answer.’ Joel moved to the door. ‘And if you still can’t sleep at least lie still. I have work to do tomorrow—today, and I need my sleep even if you don’t.’
Her eyes widened. ‘What work do you do?’
‘Mind your own damned business!’
Once again she was alone, but infinitely sleepier than she had been a few minutes ago. But thoughts of Joel kept flooding into her mind. If he had to shut himself away from the world why on earth had he come to an out-of-the-way place like this, a cottage barely big enough for two people, a place where he had to do everything for himself? A man at the pinnacle of his profession, he had homes in every capital in Europe, a large apartment in New York, a yacht anchored off one of the Greek islands, and each of these homes was more than adequately staffed. And yet here he was, in a one-bedroomed cottage in Scotland.
He could also have had any amount of female company this last year, and yet he had chosen to remain here alone. But he wasn’t alone now, she was here, and she would remain as long as he would let her. Which looked like being some time—she hoped.
Sabina woke once in the night, to feel something warm and soft pressing against her back, body warmth. Had Joel changed his mind and slept in the bed after all? She was almost afraid to turn and look, tensing as she slowly rolled over. Satan stirred beside her, sleepy green eyes suddenly becoming alert as he raised his head to look at her. Sabina moved her hand tentatively out of the sleeping bag, putting it down near the cat, as near as she dared. The black nose moved towards her, the mouth opening to show the viciously sharp teeth, before the rough tongue came out and licked her hand.
‘Why, Satan,’ she laughed softly, ‘you old fraud!’ She tickled him under the chin and he nuzzled his face into her hand, purring as loudly as he had for Joel. Finally the cat settled down again, even closer to her than he had been before. ‘I hope I can make your master like me as easily,’ she murmured before falling asleep again.
It was quite late in the morning when she woke, after nine, and she could hear a strange noise outside. Just as she was about to get up and investigate the noise stopped and she could hear someone, she supposed Joel, moving about downstairs. Satan had gone from the bedroom now, with nothing to show that they had become friends during the night.
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