The Passionate Lover - Carole Mortimer

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don't know what happened just now!’ she blushed, knowing exactly what had almost happened. It had been so long for her, so very long, since a man had looked at her the way he had, since she had ached to be touched. But it shouldn't have happened with this man, should never have happened at all. ‘It doesn't mean that I want or expect anything from you—–'

      He gave a harshly humourless laugh. ‘What could you possibly expect from me?'

      ‘I just told you, nothing—–'

      ‘Too damn right I owe you nothing!’ he rasped grimly. ‘I think I should warn you now that I don't react well to blackmail, no matter how charmingly it's presented.'

      Shelby gasped. ‘I didn't—–'

      ‘It sounded suspiciously like it to me.’ He looked at her coldly. ‘I made love to you just now for one reason and one reason only, to prove to you that no matter what opinion you may have of what you're doing I know that any man will do for you. But I don't intend being Kenny's replacement, not in bed or in a monetary way. I realise this set-back with Kenny must have upset your plans somewhat, but it would take more than a little seduction on your part to make me offer you marriage.'

      ‘I didn't seduce you,’ she protested. ‘You were the one who came to my bed!'

      ‘After I found your gaze on me like a caress,’ he scorned. ‘You were begging for me to make love to you.'

      ‘No!'

      ‘Yes,’ he hissed. ‘But little mercenaries like you don't interest me in more than a fleeting capacity.’ His gaze flickered over her contemptuously. ‘I hope I make myself clear?'

      ‘You think of me as a one-night stand,’ she said disgustedly.

      ‘How aptly put,’ he derided with distaste. ‘I knew exactly what you were and what you were after before we even met,’ he added with disgust.

      ‘And that is?’ she prompted stiffly.

      ‘Surely it's obvious?'

      ‘I'd like to hear, nonetheless.'

      He shrugged. ‘After the life you've lived Kenny must have seemed like a heaven-sent opportunity,’ he scorned. ‘He was young and alone, and far from home, an easy conquest for the lonely little widow,’ his mouth twisted, ‘Thank God he came to his senses in time!'

      ‘The life I've lived?’ she prompted an explanation, not understanding what he meant. As far as she knew her life had been nothing out of the ordinary. This man obviously didn't agree with her.

      ‘You're very young to have been left a widow to fend for yourself. I'm sure that when you married your husband you envisaged a long and happy life with him, maybe even contemplated having children,’ he added as if he doubted it.

      ‘Is that so unusual?’ she frowned.

      ‘No,’ Kyle shook his head. ‘But he had the inconvenience to go and die on you.'

      ‘That's a foul thing to say!’ she choked on her anger. ‘I loved my husband very much.'

      ‘The same way you love Kenny?’ he dismissed. ‘That sort of love isn't worth having.'

      ‘And what would you know about any sort of love?’ she accused insultingly.

      His mouth tightened. ‘I know that a year after your husband's death, this man you're supposed to have loved, you were tired of trying to make it alone, of working in a hairdressing salon to support yourself—–'

      ‘I don't just work in the salon, I own it,’ she told him forcefully.

      ‘And I'm sure the profit you make just about covers the cost of your rent and costs!'

      ‘You don't know what you're talking about!'

      ‘I know that you saw Kenny for a fool, a fool who could give you back the life of relative ease you no doubt enjoyed with your husband. But don't take me for the same kind of fool, Shelby, because I can assure you I'm far from being that. Far from it!’ he repeated with feeling.

      She knew that, what she didn't know was where he could have gained such an impression of her. Oh he had all the basic facts right, he just had the conclusions all wrong. And she didn't understand why. ‘Where did you get your information from?’ she asked slowly.

      ‘Some of it from Kenny,’ he shrugged. ‘The rest I pieced together myself.'

      She wondered which parts were which, but was reluctant to ask him in the circumstances. ‘Then we both know where we stand, don't we?’ she said softly.

      ‘Yes!’ he grated.

      ‘Then we may as well go back to sleep,’ she yawned as if to add to her impression of tiredness, whereas in reality she had too much on her mind to fall asleep. ‘And hope we can get out of here tomorrow,’ she added hopefully, needing desperately to talk to Kenny, knowing that only he could supply the answers she needed.

      ‘I wouldn't count on it,’ Kyle muttered roughly.

      ‘Oh but I am,’ she said with heartfelt feeling as she turned on her side towards the wall, remaining that way, determined not to even look at him to see if he had fallen back to sleep.

      Her thoughts were racing, dark unhappy thoughts as she remembered the conversation she had had with Kenny yesterday, a conversation that on reflection seemed to have turned her life about once again. She had thought Kenny understood at the time, that it hadn't mattered to him, but now she wasn't so sure. The facts that his family seemed to have about her, facts only he could have told them, seemed to conflict with reality, making her wonder why he had lied to them.

      Worst of all, she was no longer sure her wandering off in the blizzard had been an accident!

       CHAPTER THREE

      SHE hadn't deliberately set out to deceive anyone, had always intended Kenny to know the truth about her, she just hadn't thought it important enough to mention to him before now. Everything had happened so fast since her arrival in Montana, Kenny's proposal only two days later, and then the frantic wedding preparations, that they had barely had a moment to themselves to talk about anything, let alone something so private.

      But yesterday they had stolen a couple of hours to themselves, and Shelby had chosen that time to tell Kenny about Gavin and her marriage to him. He had listened without a flicker of emotion to all that she had to say, had seemed to treat her the same as he usually did for the rest of the day.

      But he had gone to see Wendy when he had known she was lost, possibly in danger, which didn't speak of a man in love. She didn't even consider the fact that Kyle could have lied to her about that, Kyle Whitney was basically a truthful man, he wouldn't lie to achieve his objective of getting her out of Kenny's life. She seemed to have done that effectively herself! How could she have even guessed that Kenny would react the way that he seemed to have done to what she had told him? Not that it hadn't been important, she knew that it was, but she hadn't thought it would matter to a man like Kenny. Obviously it did.

      Her love for him refused to die completely, wouldn't do that until she had heard the truth from him herself. But it was her pride that hurt her the most right now. She had been reluctant to become involved with Kenny in the first place, had been persuaded into going out with him by his boyish charm. It hurt to now think that boyish charm had all been a pose, that she hadn't been his main interest at all. Because she knew now exactly what had been.

      Did Kyle realise what sort of man his cousin was? Somehow she doubted it, the two men seeming the best of friends. And if she could be fooled by Kenny, after having been suspicious of all entanglements since Gavin's death, then what chance did Kyle have?

      God, she felt so humiliated! She had placed her whole life and happiness in Kenny's hands and he had thrown them back at her as if she meant nothing to her. What sort of man was he, how

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