“Chad...please...don’t do this to me!” About the Author Title Page CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN Copyright

“Chad...please...don’t do this to me!”

His mouth possessed the soft contours of her lips with lingering passion.

“I can feel the desire, Bethany, the need for more. Why the persistent denial?”

“I just know it would be a mistake.”

“A mistake?”

“I can’t handle it....”

“Handle what? Handle the fact that there is

something good waiting to happen between us?

Handle the fact that you’re a woman and I’m a man?”

Laura Martin lives in a small Gloucestershire village in England with her husband, two young children and a lively sheepdog! Laura has a great love of interior design and, together with her husband, has recently completed the renovation of their Victorian cottage. Her hobbies include gardening, the theater, music and reading, and she finds great pleasure and inspiration from walking daily in the beautiful countryside around her home.

A Stranger’s Love
Laura Martin

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CHAPTER ONE

BETHANY wasn’t sure exactly how long she had slept, but instinct told her it had been too long even before she opened her eyes. The rock was no longer warm now, no longer welcoming. She shifted her position a little and tried to regain the feeling of sleepy security. She was tired, far too tired to wake up. The previous night had been long and arduous—defending her chickens against the cunning fox that prowled their coop was rapidly becoming an obsession; Bethany simply couldn’t afford to allow any more to escape down his greedy throat, family or no family, and she had barely got any sleep at all...

Lazily she stretched out her hand and felt a fine wetness feathering across the tanned skin of her bare arm. Immediately the first stirring of real fear prickled at her consciousness. Bethany sat up and stared, her clear green eyes wide with a mixture of amazement and horror. It surely couldn’t have happened! She surely couldn’t have allowed herself to be so stupid!

She had. The sea, still blue, still beautiful, was lapping hungrily around the large circular rock on all sides.

It was a secluded spot. The beach, no more than a minuscule patch of sand at this time of day, protected by craggy grey rocks that towered high above the sea, was always empty. No cars could traverse the narrow paths, few people dared to trespass across acres of fields that proclaimed immediate prosecution. It was a tiny piece of paradise and ever since Bethany had discovered it, ever since she had crossed the strip of land which belonged to the big empty house and bordered her own far more modest smallholding to negotiate the steep, difficult climb down, she had been in seventh heaven...

But not now. Bethany scrambled to her feet and gazed at the tartan blanket she had been lying on in disbelief, watching as the salty water encroached, soaking into its fringed woollen edges.

What on earth should she do? Bethany closed her eyes for a second in absolute despair and then opened them swiftly again. She had to think quickly. This rock, the last in a craggy chain now hidden by the swirling, heaving waters, was large but it wasn’t that large.

She spun around wildly, her long blonde ponytail whipping at her shoulders. The sea looked dreadfully deep. Should she risk it? A ten-metre swimming badge hardly gave her the confidence to strike out in a daring bid for the shore. But what choice did she have?

Bethany wrapped the thick white towel that had been her pillow close around her skimpily clad body. ‘Calm down,’ she whispered to herself. ‘Don’t lose your head. Just calm down and think sensibly.’

She tilted her head and shouted. Over and over, her eyes glued to the cliff path up above, trying not to allow the thought that it was just hopeless, that she was simply putting off the inevitable...

After twenty minutes her voice had weakened and her body had become cold and weary. The evening sun had dipped low over the horizon and lost all of its warmth. Ten more tries she promised herself; after that she knew she would have to enter the sea whether she liked it or not.

And then, on the ninth call, with the salt water lapping around her ankles and the tartan rug lost for good, an apparition appeared.

She blinked several times, afraid that she was hallucinating. But no, the figure seemed real enough, more than real. Even from here she could feel the vitality, could sense the command, the presence of the man.

He had already assessed the situation. She watched with bated breath as the athletic figure traversed the cliff path with consummate ease, standing on the small strip of sand just below the craggy rock-face, legs a little apart, dark head tilted back, looking at her. Then he cupped his hands to his mouth and she heard his voice, strong and deep, heavy with a sarcasm that seemed to make a complete mockery of the terror Bethany was experiencing. ‘Don’t tell me—you can’t swim!’

Bethany released a breath. He was no apparition. She would never have conjured up such an arrogant member of the male species to be her knight in shining armour. Besides, knights didn’t wear cut-off jeans with frayed edges, or dark, dark sunglasses that were at this very moment being tossed aside on to the shingle at his feet.

‘I can—just about!’ Bethany’s voice was barely heard, taut and strained with emotion as she watched her rescuer plunge confidently into the water and swim out with easy, efficient strokes towards the rock that was now rapidly disappearing beneath the sea.

His deeply tanned, muscular chest glistened as he heaved himself out beside her. Water streamed through his short dark hair and he smoothed it back easily from his face with one large, capable hand.

‘What’s your name?’

‘B-Bethany. Bethany Jones.’

‘Well, Bethany Jones, you’re lucky I was passing,’ he informed her laconically. ‘This is a pretty empty spot, isn’t it? I’m Chad, by the way,’ he added carelessly. ‘Chad Alington. How long have you been here?’

‘I’m... I’m not sure.’ Bethany gulped a breath, avoiding the thought that the name suited this dark, dynamic individual rather well, and glanced around at the swirling sea. ‘I was very tired and I fell asleep...and the tide... well, it just seemed to come in so quickly.’

‘Yeah, it has a habit of doing that,’ he drawled. ‘In and out, in and out, all day long.’ He threw her a withering look. ‘I suppose it’s never occurred to you to check the times of high tide?’

‘Look, it wasn’t that! I knew the tide was coming in!’ Bethany retorted, angry at this man’s sneering tone. ‘But I fell asleep—not just a light doze, a real deep... Hey! What do you think you’re doing?’

He had snatched the towel from around Bethany’s shoulders and tossed it away. ‘Well, come on! Get in!’ His voice was deep and rough with impatience. ‘You’re obviously cold.’ His dark brown eyes surveyed her body briefly, the firm corners of his mouth curving a little in mocking amusement as Bethany instinctively wrapped her arms protectively around her suddenly far too skimpy bikini. ‘I don’t think we’ve got a great deal of time for modesty, Miss Jones,’ he pointed out coolly. ‘The wind’s getting up and the sea is becoming choppier all the time. You do want to head back for the shore, I take it?’

‘Of course I do!’ Bethany snapped, confused by the arrogant brusqueness of the man. ‘But I’m really not a very good swimmer——’

‘Look, are you going to get in or not?’ he asked impatiently. ‘Because frankly I’ve got better things to do with my time than hang about here chatting! The sea is becoming rougher, and not only that, if we leave it much longer the path back up towards the cliff will become completely cut off.’

‘But... but... I can’t! It’s not that easy for met’ Bethany protested frantically. ‘I’ve just told you, I’m not much of a swimmer and the sea’s so strong. I’ll get caught up in the current or smashed up against the other rocks. Can’t... can’t you call the rescue services or something?’ she added, staring hopefully into the handsome face, noticing despite everything how sensationally attractive her short-tempered, totally unsympathetic rescuer was.

‘You mean you fancied a full-scale airlift? A couple of Sea King helicopters, that sort of thing?’ The firm, sensuous mouth twisted derisively. ‘Just because you were stupid enough to allow yourself to fall asleep? And I suppose you fancy a little bit of media coverage while you’re at it?’ he continued sarcastically. ‘Front-page spread of the local rag? Or perhaps that isn’t good enough, perhaps national coverage is more your style?’

Bethany pursed her lips and glared into the disapproving features. ‘There’s no need to be so unkind!’ she snapped. ‘You don’t know how long I’ve been stuck here, calling and calling, waiting for somebody to come——’

‘Well, I’m here now!’ He interrupted bluntly, not affected in the slightest by her valiant struggle to hold back the tears. ‘So you can stop getting hysterical and start listening.’

Bethany felt fierce anger rising. She couldn’t believe this man! How could he be so horrible to her? Mocking her, making her feel as though she had a brain the size of a pea... ‘I’m not sure I want to listen to someone as... as insensitive as you!’ she replied impulsively. ‘I think I’d rather drown than give your over-sized ego the satisfaction of rescuing me!’

He shrugged nonchalantly. ‘Suit yourself! I’ll swim back on my own.’ He dived back into the water. ‘See you around! Maybe.’

Bethany watched in absolute horror as he began swimming back towards the shore. ‘Wait!’ she yelled furiously. ‘Come back! What do you think you’re doing?’ She glanced down at the small patch of rock at her feet and then threw a bewildered look at Chad Alington’s infuriating figure. He surely wasn’t going to leave her here—not really! No one would do that, would they? She called again, frantically this time, as the belief that maybe this man was capable of that brand of callousness took a hold. There was certainly no hesitation in his strokes, no sign that he had even heard her calling... ‘I’m sorry!’ Bethany yelled, as a last resort. ‘I didn’t mean what I said. Please...please come back!’

He took his time, circling slowly, and then, with a sigh of relief, Bethany saw that he was returning to the rock.

‘That...that was a mean thing to do.’ Her voice was unsteady, her eyes full of reproach.

‘You said you didn’t want me to rescue you,’ he replied without the least sign of remorse. ‘There was no way I was going to risk taking an unwilling female back to shore.’ His mouth curved fluidly. ‘All that struggling and screaming—very tiresome. So, are you going to get in or are we to have a little more dithering and indecisiveness first?’

You arrogant swine! Bethany thought grimly as she lowered herself into the chilly, unwelcoming brine.

‘I’ll take you back to shore,’ he announced steadily. ‘All you have to do is relax and rely on me. What you are not to do is start struggling like an idiot as soon as some water goes over your face, or you’ll drown us both. Got it?’ Bethany bit down on her bottom lip and nodded, noting despairingly how easy it was for him to tread water—she had never, ever been able to do that properly. ‘Now, lie on your back and kick with your feet a little... yes, that’s fine. I’m going to put my hand under your chin like this...see? Good—just relax and stay like that.’

It was far, far easier than she had imagined. What had terrified her so much was simply not a problem now that Chad Alington had taken charge. His strong supporting hand never left her body and despite the fear and tension of the situation and the fact that she was totally, totally dependent on this arrogant disconcerting stranger, Bethany found, amazingly, that she was able to do as he had instructed and relax.

The sea had eaten up all of the beach now. After what felt like eternity, but was in fact less than five minutes, Bethany felt the delight of firm shingle beneath her feet and, with a gasp of relief, waded thankfully through the water towards the small ledge of rock which would lead them both to safety.

‘Here, take my hand.’ He wasn’t even out of breath. Bethany glanced upwards as she felt her fingers clasped with absolute authority, and thanked heaven that, despite his foul personality, her rescuer was someone as strong and capable as this man.

Bethany, panting from the exertion of the steep climb, snatched her hand from Chad Alington’s grasp as soon as they reached the top of the cliff.

She knew she should feel elated, or at the very least relieved and eternally grateful to him, now that the danger had subsided, but different emotions were taking the place of panic, fear and despair. Embarrassment and an awareness of herself in relation to this stunning member of the opposite sex for one. She was far too scantily clad; she had been keen to soak up as many of the sun’s rays as possible and her bikini consisted of three floral triangles of cloth which covered little except the bare minimum.

Bethany saw the dark eyes flick towards her body and rest there in slow arrogant appraisal, a lazy smile transforming the firm straight mouth. ‘I think you need a little adjustment,’ Chad drawled with unhurried ease.

‘Pardon?’ She frowned, thrown into flustered confusion by the lingering gaze that made her body burn. ‘What do you——?’

‘The sea has rearranged your clothing for you, Bethany,’ Chad delivered conversationally. ‘I’m enjoying the view, but I think maybe you would prefer it if a little more was left to the imagination.’

Bethany felt the heated flush rise from her neck and dropped her head, struggling clumsily to reposition her bikini top more decently. She had climbed all the way up the path practically topless, she thought with a pang of despair. No wonder he had been smiling!

‘I’ll be all right now!’ she replied stiffly, throwing him as frosty a look as she could muster, trying to cover her tall, slim body ineffectually with her arms.

‘Where do you live?’ He glanced around casually, not in the least perturbed, it seemed, by Bethany’s angry demeanour. ‘That large house is the only place for miles around, isn’t it?’ He indicated the grey stone building away towards the right. ‘I understood that the beach is a part of that property.’

‘Y-Yes.’ Bethany cast her eyes towards the imposing, grey-turreted edifice. ‘But I don’t live there,’ she explained a trifle stiffly. ‘It’s empty—has been for several years.’

‘Ah, I see, so you just make use of the beach.’ Dark brown eyes rested impassively on Bethany’s face.

His tone was without emphasis but Bethany knew, she just knew, that he was trying to make a point. ‘Yes,’ she retorted snappily, striving without much success to keep her temper in check. ‘But I don’t know why you’re looking at me like that! I’m not a criminal, you know! There’s no crime in——’

Dark brows lifted slightly. ‘Trespassing?’

‘I don’t do any harm,’ Bethany replied tightly. ‘Just——’

‘Just fall asleep and get stranded on rocks in the middle of the sea!’ he delivered with infuriating mockery. ‘Not an everyday occurrence, I trust?’

‘I’ve explained about that!’ Bethany replied swiftly. ‘There’s no need to talk to me as if I’m a total idiot!’

‘So it seems prosecution holds no fear for you, then?’

‘What?’ Bethany queried shortly. ‘Look,’ she continued, reading the undercurrent of mocking amusement correctly, ‘I’ve just told you the place is empty! And anyway I don’t see why I shouldn’t use the beach. It’s a crying shame to let such beauty go to waste, and as all I have to do is cut across a few metres of rough ground...’ She halted abruptly, aware that she sounded overtly defensive. ‘I don’t do any harm!’ she added, annoyed with herself for letting this infuriating man get under her skin.

‘Of course you don’t!’ He was winding her up. She saw his mouth curve into a smile and refused to acknowledge the effect it had on her. ‘So what happens when somebody finally buys the place?’ he asked. ‘Your little jaunts will have to stop then, won’t they?’

‘Buy the prison?’ Bethany saw his brows draw down in query. ‘That’s what I call it,’ she informed him hurriedly. ‘It looks as if it was built with the sole purpose of keeping people incarcerated, don’t you think? I shouldn’t imagine anyone in their right mind would buy that! Even if they were mad enough to like the depressing façade, they couldn’t be fool enough to take on such a crumbling wreck. It may look structurally OK from the outside, but inside it’s a mess.’

She saw his interested gaze and blushed madly again.

‘You know that for a fact? How?’

‘Well...well, I’ve had a bit of a look around,’ she admitted reluctantly, realising that nerves had made her gabble and consequently blurt out far too much. ‘Most of the main windows are boarded up, but there’s a small pantry window around the back that’s open——’

‘So, breaking and entering as well as trespassing!’ Chad shook his head in mocking astonishment. ‘You really don’t have any respect for the law at all, do you, Bethany Jones!’

She blushed again, much to her own annoyance, and wondered why she was even bothering to have this conversation with so infuriating a man. ‘I have to go!’ she muttered stiffly, turning away. ‘It’s getting late.’

‘Where exactly?’ His voice was blunt. A strong hand had reached out.

Bethany looked down at the tanned fingers which lightly clasped her arm and then into the arrogant face. ‘Would you mind letting go of me?’ she retorted stiffly.

‘There’s no need to react as though I’m molesting you,’ Chad informed her steadily. ‘I just want to know where you live.’

“That’s...my business!’

His gaze wandered with critical deliberation over her semi-naked body and Bethany felt the by now familiar surge of heat. ‘You surely aren’t going to walk back into town looking like that!’

‘And what if I am?’ Bethany enquired unsteadily, jerking her arm out of contact with his hand. ‘I don’t see that that’s any concern of yours!’

‘Look, lady, quit the play-acting!’ Chad drawled lazily. ‘You forfeited the right to act all high and mighty when you clung to that rock in the middle of the ocean and begged for rescue——’

‘I did not beg!’ Bethany retorted vehemently, glaring furiously at the relaxed handsome features.

‘No?’ He raised a dark brow and managed with that one expression to convey derisive disbelief. ‘Funny. I distinctly remember a pathetic wail carrying across the water.’ He threw her a challenging look. ‘Wasn’t that you?’

‘There’s no need to be sarcastic!’ Bethany retorted, eyes flashing furiously.

‘And there’s no need for you to act like a dense child!’ Chad commented smoothly. ‘You know damn well that you’re not exactly dressed for jaunting along the byways and highways—even rural Devon has its dangers! That outfit may be fine for the beach but it’s absolutely guaranteed to give you trouble with every red-blooded male between here and town. Good God, woman! Have you looked in a mirror lately?’ he asked, shaking his head disbelievingly. ‘You’re blonde and you’re beautiful. Don’t disappoint me and act like a bimbo to boot! Hardly a week passes without some report in the papers of women abducted, raped or——’

‘OK! OK! I get the picture!’ Bethany snapped, aware that this man’s references to her physical attributes had shockingly given her a little surge of pleasure. ‘I can do without the lecture, thank you very much!’ She hesitated a fraction. ‘I’m...I’m fully aware of how disgustingly men can behave! And despite what you so clearly would like to believe, I am not totally stupid! So there’s no need for you to concern yourself. I can take care of myself perfectly well, thank you!’

‘And there was I imagining I’d just rescued you from a rock in the middle of the sea!’ Chad drawled with perfect and infuriating timing. ‘How mistaken can a man be?’

‘That was different and you know it!’ Bethany blazed.

The firm mouth curved with derision. ‘How?’

‘Because...because...’ She floundered badly, hating the fact that she felt foolish and inarticulate in front of this assured, arrogant man. ‘Oh, I live over there!’ she replied with breathless irritation. She raised a hand and pointed towards a simple wooden shack that nestled in a slight hollow and was almost completely hidden by a clump of sturdy oak trees. ‘Well, go on then!’ she added sharply, as Chad surveyed the building impassively for several silent seconds. ‘Say it!’

The dark brows drew together. ‘Say what, exactly?’ His voice was cool, his gaze steady on Bethany’s flushed face.

‘ “But it’s a hovel!” or “You’re kidding me, surely? You mean to say you actually live in a place like that?”’ She was a good mimic and each line held a perfect imitation of the various voices that had uttered the phrases over the past eighteen months. ‘Everyone thinks the same,’ she informed him briskly. ‘So you may as well come right out and say what you’re thinking, like all the rest!’

She began striding towards her tumble-down home, regretting the loss of her well-worn and much loved sandals, that had disappeared into the sea along with the rest of her sunbathing equipment, as her soles came into contact with the rough, hard-baked earth of the mud track.

‘Is it a hovel?’

‘I don’t think so.’ He had fallen into step alongside. Bethany had hoped desperately that this far too attractive, far too controlled man would somehow just disappear and leave her in peace; she didn’t want strangers upsetting her equilibrium, she didn’t want this man from another world making her feel self-conscious and inadequate all over again. She had been through that once and it had not been a pleasurable experience.

Bethany threw Chad a glance that bristled animosity. ‘I think it’s perfectly habitable.’

‘You live here permanently?’

They were through the gate now, crossing Bethany’s intensively worked front garden with its neat rows of vegetables. ‘Does it look like a holiday cottage?’ she asked waspishly, turning to face him. ‘Look, I’m damp and I’m chilly. Would you mind?’

‘Would I mind what?’ Chad crossed his arms across his damp, sculptured, bronzed chest and surveyed Bethany with a casual gaze.

‘Leaving!’ Bethany enunciated clearly, knowing full well his density was deliberate. ‘If you don’t mind!’

‘So this is the thanks I get for saving your life, is it?’ he enquired, a faint smile touching his lips. ‘You’re not a very grateful girl, are you?’

A frisson of something approaching fear scorched its way up her spine. ‘What...what do you mean?’ Bethany’s voice was taut suddenly. It had been eighteen months since she had heard that phrase. Eighteen long months. She stiffened, unaware of what Chad was saying any more, gripping the heavy knob of the cabin door until her knuckles whitened, remembering... Grateful! How many times had Philip cursed her for not being grateful? A hundred? A thousand times? She was his wife and there were certain wifely duties that were expected. How dared she refuse him? How dared she cower in the corner looking frightened! And after all that he had done for her too! Didn’t she have a lifestyle that a thousand women would die for? Didn’t she want for nothing?

‘P-please...!’ There was a faint note of desperation in Bethany’s voice. Stupid, stupid memories! She shouldn’t be thinking about all that now. She raised her face and implored, with wide, luminous green eyes, ‘Don’t... don’t talk like that...’

‘What’s the matter?’ The deep voice was sharp, but not like Philip’s; his had been higher, the vowels twisted in that strange manner that signified someone from the upper classes. When he had shouted her nerves had jangled at the sound of irate instability, her body trembling because she could anticipate only too well what would be coming next...

Bethany felt the firm grip of Chad’s hands on her shoulders. ‘Hey! Are you with me? What is it? Don’t you feel well?’

She shook her head and tried to drag her thoughts back from the past. This voice was strong and resonant. It wasn’t Philip. She must not think of him; that part of her life was all gone...gone. He couldn’t hurt her any more...

Bethany inhaled a deep breath and looked up into Chad’s face. She was acting like a fool...The first man to come anywhere near her since moving out here and she was acting like a complete idiot! ‘If you would just... just go!’ She thought she had regained control but, to her shame, hot tears stung her eyes and with a small, strangled sob she wrenched herself from Chad’s grasp, fumbled with the door-catch and flung herself inside the cabin.

‘I can’t leave you like this.’ He moved into the clean, spartan room, practically filling the small space with his tall, broad frame, and looked at Bethany’s tense face, a perplexed frown creasing his forehead. ‘Was it something I said?’

Bethany shook her head and brushed the tears wildly from her cheeks with the back of her hand. It was, of course, but if she said as much, tried to explain... ‘Look, please...!’ She gulped back a sob and placed a trembling hand over her eyes. ‘It’s not you...please just go... I’ll be fine...fine...’ Her voice trailed away as a vision, sharp and real enough to make her frown, flew into her head. Philip with his hand raised in anger. Philip with that alcoholic leer that always, always made her cringe... Why was she allowing the thoughts to invade now? Why?

‘You look far from fine to me!’ Chad commented, surveying her huddled form with a critical eye. He moved towards her, his gaze narrowing sharply as Bethany shrank back from his outstretched hands. ‘Hey, come on!’ His voice was as reassuring as the hand that gently stroked the fine damp strands of hair away from Bethany’s face. ‘There’s nothing to be afraid of! I’m not going to hurt you, for heaven’s sake.’ Bethany opened her mouth to speak but there were no words. She closed her eyes, her body rigid with confusion and shaky mistrust. ‘Don’t make me feel bad,’ Chad murmured, ‘I’m not always such a swine.’

‘It...it doesn’t matter.’ Bethany pressed a clenched fist to her mouth and worked hard at preventing an embarrassing flood of tears from flowing down her cheeks.

‘But it does.’ Chad placed firm hands on Bethany’s arms and turned her gently towards his strong, magnificent torso. ‘You really must not pay any heed to my rough, brusque outer shell. My name comes from the Welsh, meaning battle—maybe that’s why I come on so strong sometimes. Beneath it all I’m as weak and gentle as a kitten—honestly! Ah! That’s better!’ He tilted Bethany’s face towards his and looked approvingly at the small half-smile that had sprung automatically to her lips. ‘Does that mean I’m forgiven?’ he enquired smoothly, shockingly slipping his arms around her waist, drawing her close towards the rugged physique. ‘Can I leave you with my conscience absolutely clear?’

Bethany nodded, staring up into the compelling face in silence. She felt strange. She wasn’t sure what was happening, but the thought of this man leaving her alone left her with an empty, hollow feeling inside.

‘You...saved my life.’ Bethany struggled to breathe, searching frantically through her mind for something else to say, something trivial and mundane that would break this...this ridiculous spell. ‘I haven’t even thanked you.’

‘Don’t mention it.’ His voice, when it finally came, was slightly rough, husky suddenly. Dark eyes glimmered down at her, transfixing Bethany with their magnetic force. ‘This is all the thanks I need...’ He lowered his head and his mouth brushed hers without warning, moving slowly and surely over her parted lips in a kiss that was pure expert seduction. ‘I didn’t mean to make you cry,’ he murmured gently, raising his head after a moment, looking down into Bethany’s stunned face. ‘I was angry when I rescued you from the sea. A foolish argument with someone else. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.’

‘It...it doesn’t matter...’ Her voice was barely audible as she gazed into the stunningly handsome face. She swallowed, amazement stalling her expression. ‘You...you kissed me.’

His mouth curved into an attractive smile at the sheer wonderment in Bethany’s voice. ‘I’m glad you noticed. Would you like me to do it again?’

It had felt good, so good...warm...real...

‘Bethany?’ Chad’s voice was smooth and deep, a husky growl that sent shivers of awareness down her spine. ‘If you keep looking at me like that,’ he murmured warningly, ‘with those desperately beautiful green eyes, that make me want to believe a million impossible things, then I may not be totally responsible for my actions. Bethany!’ His voice was stronger, urgent suddenly. She felt the warmth of his breath on her face, the surge of power through his hands as they dragged her even closer against his hard, rugged length. ‘Do you understand what I’m saying?’ he asked sharply. One hand tilted her chin to prevent her from lowering her head. ‘Are you listening, Bethany?’

She felt as if she were in a dream. Her heart was pounding, her mind barely comprehending the words that were spoken with such dynamic force. Feelings she had never experienced before were stirring inside her. The emptiness, the loneliness—they didn’t seem to be there any more. How could it be? How could this man make her feel this way?

‘Chad...!’ His name was a scorch of emotion on her lips, no sooner spoken than crushed by the erotic pressure of his mouth.

She waited for pain, revulsion, sickness to rise up and overwhelm her, and when there was none, only passion and a deep frantic longing that leaped out of nowhere, shocking her with its intensity, Bethany sagged like a helpless invalid against the raw male strength, gripped the bronzed skin with a feverish touch that only served to heighten the electricity that sparked between them and opened her mouth wider to accept the totally dominant mouth.

‘God, you’re so beautiful!’ She felt herself lifted after many, many minutes, her legs swung from beneath her by potent masculine arms. Chad carried her across the room to the rug that lay in front of the warming black stove, laid her gently back on to the striped rainbow rug, his mouth all the while continuing to consume her blazing skin, continuing to touch her with relentless, uncompromising passion. ‘This is crazy! Absolutely crazy!’ He spoke between kisses, his lips warm and moist against the soft skin of her throat, the tender places of her neck, his hands roaming and touching in a way that Bethany had never dreamed of. ‘You must know what you’re doing to me!’

‘Y-yes.’ Oh, God! What was wrong with her? She had forgotten how to breathe, how to move...

‘Chad...!’ Her voice was husky with tension. She couldn’t even begin to understand what was going on, how or why she found herself now in this position with...with a man who oozed vitality and sexuality, and Bethany gasped in shock as she experienced the scorch of bare flesh against bare flesh, felt his hands, warm and firm, holding her dose, cradling her body, moving it against his own as if it were the most precious thing in the world.

When had she ever been held like this? When had she ever experienced such exhilaration... such overwhelming need to be held and loved? Not until now, not until she found herself in the arms of this man, in the arms of a stranger...

She flinched. Through the heat of desire the realisation of what she was doing bit into her with all its dreadful force. What was happening to her? What was she thinking of?

‘I can’t!’ Bethany felt Chad’s body stiffen beside her, his hands cease their knowledgeable journey over her skin. She flicked open her dark lashes and found him breathing heavily, his brown eyes narrowed, scrutinising her face with an intense expression. ‘No!’ Bethany shook her head and closed her eyes in anguish. ‘This...this is crazy!’

‘You think I don’t know that?’ He raised himself up on one elbow and studied Bethany’s trembling features with an unflinching gaze. ‘But that doesn’t mean it’s wrong,’ he murmured, ‘does it?’

‘Yes, it does!’ Bethany replied wildly. ‘Of course it does! It has to be!’

He reached out to touch her again, but Bethany, shamed by her own lack of self-control, afraid of the power of his touch, hit out wildly, catching the carved profile with the edge of her loosely clenched fist.

‘No more!’ Chad’s large hand snaked out and gripped her wrist as her hand proceeded to strike out with erratic force. His dark eyes smouldered ominously. ‘I think I’ve got the message.’

He rose fluidly, gazing at Bethany with an expression that was beyond her comprehension. She had expected fury, anger, a slap in return maybe, all the old familiar reactions, but not this control, not this smouldering tension.

She gazed into the rugged planes of Chad’s face, her eyes drawn to the reddened place high up on his cheekbone where her fist had landed. ‘You think I deserved this?’ he enquired, gesturing to his face, a grim curve twisting his mouth as Bethany scrambled hastily to her feet.

‘Y-yes!’ He didn’t; she knew that. But admitting as much to this man would be too humiliating for words.

‘Really?’ His gaze was impassive: straight and direct. She saw what he thought of her answer, what he thought of her. ‘OK, if lying about it makes you feel better...’ He lifted his broad shoulders in a shrug. ‘I’ll even apologise—then you’ll really be able to salve your conscience. We can pretend that I took unfair advantage. A lie, of course, because you wanted me as much as I wanted you.’

‘Don’t say that!’ Bethany’s voice vibrated with smouldering tension. ‘Get out! Get out of my house now!’

She turned then, with glistening eyes, and ran towards the doorway that led to her tiny, functional bedroom and flicked the catch firmly behind her.

I wanted him. I wanted him. The words repeated themselves endlessly in her mind. Over and over.

With trembling fingers she peeled the damp bikini from her body and rummaged like an automaton in the small chest of drawers beside her bed for something—anything—to wear. She dragged on a pair of loose jeans and buttoned up a crisp, cotton shirt.

‘I still want him,’ Bethany whispered frantically, disbelievingly. He had touched her and the ache of longing wouldn’t go away.

It was a long while before she finally dragged up enough courage to open the door of her room. When she emerged, she saw that Chad Alington had gone.

CHAPTER TWO

SHE walked, trance-like, to the wooden rocking-chair by the stove and slumped down into it, closing her eyes against the memory of his touch, the feelings of desire he had so easily aroused. She couldn’t bear to think about it. The taste of his mouth against her own, firm and demanding, yet with a fierce, sweet intensity...

Over and over. So many thoughts confusing her. She should be feeling ashamed, relieved that she had had the good sense to stop things before they had gone too far. Why then did she feel so...so empty, so unfulfilled ...so incredibly lonely all of a sudden?

With a despairing gesture Bethany rose from the rocking-chair and, grabbing her old coat from a peg by the door, snatched up her canvas trainers and went outside.

A beautiful full moon glimmered in the night sky. Bethany, keeping her mind on the mundane, wrapped the long coat close around her slender frame and picked her way through the vegetable garden towards the small adjacent field. The goats and chickens were fine. She flicked the catch on the coop and stood up, taking in a deep breath of the fresh sea air, rubbing the back of her aching neck. It had been a long day. Maybe all she needed was a good night’s sleep. Maybe everything would seem better in the morning...maybe, just maybe, she would find enough good sense to forget all about Chad Alington...

The yellow beam of light, like a beacon on the cliff-top, stopped her in her tracks. Bethany leaned her arms on the top rail of the fence and gazed towards the dark, imposing outline of the old Victorian edifice. Why hadn’t she noticed it before? she wondered. Who could it be? Surely not squatters? The place was so far off the beaten track... Vandals, then?

She began to feel just a trifle uneasy. Living out here alone had been one of the hardest things to get used to, after so many months of being stifled in busy bustling cities, surrounded by people she didn’t know who professed to be bosom friends, suffocated by servants, intimidated by Philip...It had taken her a good long while to get used to the emptiness, the often wild, windswept loneliness of the place, especially in winter. There had been no automatic adjustment. It had taken months before she had lain peacefully in her bed at nights, without listening out for any small sign and imagining the worst...

She opened the cabin door and picked up her air-rifle from its usual place. She wouldn’t get any sleep tonight, not until she knew what was going on up there. She’d just have a quick look. The old place was a bit of an eyesore, but she had become attached to it over the months and she wouldn’t want anyone doing anything really destructive to it.

Bethany stumbled and dropped her rifle on to the ground. She crouched down on all fours, her breath catching in her throat after the steep climb, and listened. Silence, just the waves crashing on the shore far below, the occasional screech of an owl. Bethany fumbled frantically on the ground for her rifle and thanked heaven, as she gripped it tightly in her hands, that the moonlight was strong enough to see by. She craned her neck up at the light which was coming from one of the rounded turrets and gulped a breath. She knew her way around inside well enough. She would be cautious, just find out what was going on...

The stairs in this part of the building wound around at a tight angle, and with every step Bethany took she became more and more nervous.

Clutching her rifle, Bethany moved onwards and upwards. There was a door ahead. It wasn’t properly shut. Light, not as bright as she had first supposed, was streaming out on to the landing, helping to guide her way. She heard a noise, a muffled sound that sent prickles of alarm shivering up and down her spine. This was where he...they...whoever had chosen to hole up—the most habitable part of the prison. I must stop calling it that! Bethany thought desperately, inching forward so that she could peer around the partly opened door, it sounds so dreadful...

Her imagination had forced her into expecting any number of desperate sights: several Mafia-types torturing their prisoner, perhaps; a solitary tramp with a bottle of methylated spirits in one hand and a knife in the other, leaning menacingly over some poor defenceless woman; a million other equally horrendous scenes had been conjured up by Bethany’s vivid imagination—but not this, certainly never this.

She stared, paralysed by a shock that didn’t have its roots in horror or fear, but in a burning, indignant mortification.

It didn’t take more than a swift glance to assess what was going on, what was about to go on: rugs and cushions were strewn about the floor, a picnic hamper nestled in the corner of the room along with a couple of kerosene lamps and several bottles of liquid refreshment.

She had known from the very first moment that this would be Chad’s favourite occupation. She had sensed that uncompromising sexual quality the very first time she had set eyes on him. Why now did she feel so let down, so disheartened, such a fool? She should have been prepared. She should have followed her instincts and stayed in her cabin...

Bethany’s gaze fixed hypnotically on the two bodies. Chad was whispering something in the woman’s ear as they lay entwined together on the rugs and she was gazing up into his face and laughing happily as his strong, masculine hands travelled sensually over the sheer, clinging fabric of her dress...

Bethany, feeling like a voyeuse, turned sharply and began tiptoeing back down the staircase, desperate to get right away before she was discovered. Oh, what an idiot she would look now if he knew she was here! Gangs of men and abductors, indeed! She had been reading too many thrillers, that was her trouble!

Haste and embarrassment made her clumsy. Somehow she managed to bang the butt of the rifle on the wall. It wasn’t much of a noise, just a scrape really. Bethany cursed silently and listened; clearly the seduction had reached a quiet stage. The image of the two of them stretched out on the cushions, kissing with passion and hunger, flashed unwanted into her mind. She frowned. Damn! Why on earth had she been so stupid?

‘Who’s there?’

Bethany held her breath, swivelling wide green eyes to the top of the landing. Chad appeared, his muscular frame illuminated magnificently by the light from the room, dressed in faded jeans and a denim shirt that had been dragged impatiently from the waistband of his trousers and was doing an inadequate job of hiding the broad tanned chest.

Bethany closed her eyes and pressed herself flat against the wall. There was every chance that he wouldn’t see her at all; the bottom half of the winding staircase was in darkness, and unless Chad bothered to investigate further she would be all right; she would be able to escape unseen. After all, Bethany reasoned, praying desperately, he did have other, far more interesting things to attend to. The state of his clothes, clearly showed the proceedings had moved on a stage. Surely the model-type was enough to keep him occupied?

It seemed not. Chad disappeared into the room, reappeared with one of the lamps and began descending the worn stairs with a tread that was firm and intimidating in the extreme.

‘Well, well! What do we have here?’

Bethany flicked open her eyes and stared speechless as the firm mouth twisted into a mocking smile. ‘Bethany Jones, trespasser, no less!’ Chad held the lamp high above Bethany’s head and surveyed her with cool detachment. ‘Just passing?’ he drawled smoothly. ‘Or did you come to borrow a cup of sugar?’

‘Chad! Who is it, darling?’

He turned his head and shouted back up the stairs. ‘Just someone I met earlier this evening, Theo, dropped by for a visit—nothing for you to worry about. Oh, no!’ Chad swiftly grabbed hold of Bethany’s arm to prevent her from scuttling back down the staircase. ‘You don’t escape that easily, my girl! I’d like to know what you’re doing here—or do you consider that too presumptuous a question?’

Bethany’s gaze shifted towards the landing. His dishevelled partner had appeared, her wild black hair all messed up and the buttons of her dress partly undone, allowing more than a glimpse of a frothy black lace bra.

Chad followed Bethany’s gaze. ‘Make yourself decent, Theo,’ he drawled lazily. ‘I’m bringing our visitor up.’

‘You’re doing no such thing!’ Bethany hissed, glaring at the rugged features and trying desperately to drag her arm free from its hold. ‘You can’t make me enter your...your harem!’

Chad’s mouth twitched for a moment and then his eyes lighted on Bethany’s expression and his jaw tightened ominously. ‘Just watch me!’ he growled.

‘Let go of my arm!’ Bethany cried tightly. ‘You can’t do this! I’m going back home.’

‘After coming all this way?’ Chad enquired with mocking concern. ‘In the dark too, and on such a blustery night as this? Oh, no, I couldn’t allow that! Come on! Up the stairs and into my harem, as you inaccurately call it. As you’ve no doubt seen, it’s a little more hospitable up there. You can take your coat off. I can even offer you a glass of wine.’ His mouth curved provocatively. ‘We could really turn it into a party—I’m perfectly willing if you are!’

‘I don’t want any of your kind of hospitality and I most certainly do not want a glass of wine!’ Bethany snapped. She felt hot and flustered and extremely foolish, and the thought of standing before Chad and his woman trying to explain why she had walked half a mile along the cliff path in what was practically the middle of the night didn’t bear thinking about.

‘Don’t argue with me, Bethany,’ Chad replied conversationally, ‘And there’s no need to look quite so alarmed either. Group sex really isn’t my style.’ His eyes gleamed suggestively. ‘I prefer more of a one to one situation, more along the lines of our experience earlier this evening.’ He raised a hand and tilted her chin so that she had no choice but to look straight into his eyes. ‘You know, you really should have hung in there, Bethany,’ Chad advised, with a coolness that shocked her almost as much as the reference to polygamous activities. ‘We could have had a pretty good time together.’

‘You seemed to be having a pretty good time just a moment ago!’ Bethany retorted bitterly, green eyes flashing. ‘Don’t let me spoil your fun!’

‘I don’t know quite why I’m bothering to explain,’ Chad murmured, ‘but I’ll do it anyway. Theo’s an old friend——’

‘Oh, please!’ Bethany released an angry breath. ‘Spare me the sordid details!’ She summoned up enough courage to glare at the handsome face. ‘Look, I hate to disappoint you,’ she continued with heavy sarcasm, ‘but I have been around! It may suit you to take me for an absolute innocent, but——’

‘You reacted like an innocent this afternoon. In fact you were extremely sweet,’ Chad cut in smoothly, completely throwing Bethany off balance with a voice that was pure intimacy. ‘Very sweet indeed—up until that moment when, for some reason, you decided that beating the life out of me was your best course of action.’

‘Don’t...exaggerate!’ Bethany retorted unsteadily. ‘And anyway, I came to my senses, that’s all! Look, I’d prefer not to talk about that...particular incident! I was in shock. I’d just had a nasty experience——’

‘Really?’ Dark eyes gleamed down at her. Bethany felt a lurch of excitement as Chad leaned towards her. She could smell the musky scent of his aftershave, could feel the warmth of his breath on her cheek. ‘I’m...I’m talking about finding myself stranded in the middle of the sea!’ she retorted confusedly.

‘So you’re willing to admit that our experience wasn’t nasty, then?’ Chad enquired, watching her with amusement as she looked at him in dismay. ‘That’s something, I suppose. You know, Bethany, after I left your cabin I found myself wishing I’d pressed home my advantage further. Looking at you now I still can’t work out why I was quite so...’ He hesitated, his dark brown eyes lingering intently on Bethany’s flushed face. ‘So chivalrous.’

‘Chivalrous!’ Bethany snapped herself out of the trance-like state that Chad had so easily induced with unbelieving venom in her voice. ‘What the hell would you know about being chivalrous? You... you took outrageous advantage of me! I wasn’t thinking straight.... I was upset and...and——’

‘Chad! What are you doing down there?’ The plaintive wail floated down from above. Clearly Theo was becoming impatient.

‘Now let me get the hell out of here!’ Bethany demanded furiously, trying to drag free from his hold. ‘Theo’s obviously desperate for your body——’

‘Oh, she has her moments,’ Chad drawled, ‘but then don’t we all?’ he added, fixing Bethany with dark, mocking eyes. ‘Oh, of course, I’m sorry!’ he murmured silkily. ‘I forgot. You don’t want me to refer to your rather passionate mistake earlier this evening, do you?’

‘You...you arrogant swine!’ Bethany hissed, hating the fact that he could refer to their moment together with such off-hand amusement. ‘You really can’t accept the fact that I didn’t want you!’

‘Bethany, you may be sweet but, as you’ve already informed me, you aren’t innocent!’ Chad responded with lazy provocation. ‘We both know what could, what would have taken place between us had I elected to stay in your cabin any longer.’ His eyes glinted fire, daring her to deny what they both knew to be the truth. ‘Now come with me! I suddenly find that I’m not in the mood for any more of your childish bluster. If you will insist on mooching about in this highly irregular manner then you have to be prepared to face the consequences. I told you trespassing would get you into trouble——’

‘Me? Trespassing? How can you stand there and say that? At least I’m not making a party of it!’ Bethany cried indignantly as Chad determinedly led her up the stairs. ‘I roused your interest in this place earlier this afternoon, didn’t I?’ she continued. ‘And you decided to see what it was like for yourself——’

‘What the hell is this?’

They were in the room now. Bethany glanced swiftly at Theo, who was lounging attractively on one of the cushions with an expression on her face that could have soured milk, and then looked mulishly back at Chad. ‘It’s a gun. What does it look like?’ she snapped, snatching his hand from her arm and gripping the barrel which was at her side a little more tightly.

‘And dare I ask what you thought you were doing, dressed in a coat that is at least ten sizes too big, prowling around with an air-rifle?’ Chad asked irritably. ‘Looking for bandits, perhaps?’

Bethany felt herself blush; a deep cerise travelled up from the base of her throat and engulfed her face swiftly and absolutely. ‘I saw the light. I thought...’ She hesitated.

‘You thought what?’ Chad’s stunning eyes glinted down at her. Bethany tried to avert her gaze from the broad expanse of tanned chest revealed by his partly unbuttoned shirt and failed miserably. ‘Come on, Bethany,’ he chided fiercely, ‘you’ll have to do better than that!’

‘I told you. I saw the light,’ Bethany answered tightly, ‘and then when I was at the bottom of the stairs I heard... well, I heard a noise and I thought——’

‘Oh, Chad, darling! She was coming to save me!’ Theo cut in with an affected little laugh. ‘How very bravel’

Bethany flushed a shade deeper and threw darling Theo a furious look that would have turned anyone with any sense to stone. Empty-headed bimbo! she cursed silently.

‘Is that right?’ Chad demanded, his brows drawing together into a fierce frown. ‘You weren’t really creeping around here with the idea that you could save somebody with that...that pea-shooter!’

‘Look! I saw the light from my place,’ Bethany retorted. ‘I wanted to make sure everything was all right. It could have been vandals. How was I to know it was you indulging in...in...?’ She struggled to put a description to the scene she had first witnessed. The vision of Chad, strong and masculine, lying on the floor with Theo flashed into her mind and wouldn’t go away.

‘What we were or were not doing is not the point in question and you know it!’ Chad replied tersely. He placed both hands on his hips and stood directly in front of her, the denim shirt straining tautly across his shoulders, the hard expanse of tanned chest more visible than ever. ‘The fact remains that you thought there was real danger here...’ He shook his head in frowning disbelief. ‘You’re not honestly telling me you were foolish enough to imagine that you could cope with some sort of dangerous situation!’

‘Why not?’ Bethany retorted defensively. ‘I had a gun!’

‘You had an air-rifle,’ Chad corrected. ‘It’s not quite the same thing! And besides, even if you were in possession of a twelve-bore, that doesn’t mean you can just go around the countryside taking the law into your own hands. If you were so concerned, why didn’t you phone the police?’

‘Because the nearest phone is three miles away,’ Bethany retorted, ‘that’s why!’

‘You’ve got a truck,’ Chad sighed impatiently. ‘I saw it this afternoon. Wouldn’t that have been a better idea?’

‘Possibly,’ Bethany conceded frostily, ‘if it were in working order.’

‘For goodness’ sake!’ Chad cut in savagely, his face a picture of disbelief. ‘You aren’t telling me that you’re practically stranded out here, miles from anywhere——?’

‘So what if I am?’ Bethany responded swiftly. ‘That’s no business of yours, is it? Anyway,’ she continued, ‘I couldn’t just turn around and go back without at least trying to do something! Pretend I’d never seen anything? What sort of a person would that make me?’

Chad raised a dark brow and threw her a derisive look. ‘A sensible one, perhaps?’

Theo tittered stupidly in the corner and Bethany turned with furious exasperation towards the door. ‘That’s it!’ she cried. ‘I didn’t come here to be insulted and made a fool of! Don’t let me disturb your...your activities a moment longer. I’ll let myself out.’

‘Through the pantry window, I suppose.’

Bethany turned, tight-lipped, towards Chad. ‘Yes, if you must know,’ she gritted. ‘The same way as you so obviously got in.’

‘She thinks I climbed through a grubby window in this dress!’ Theo gurgled, looking down at her sleek designer label. ‘Oh, Chad! The girl is priceless! Where did you find her?’

‘Actually, Bethany, we used the front door,’ Chad informed her evenly, ignoring the high-pitched laughter from behind. ‘Perhaps you’d like to do the same.’

Bethany frowned. ‘The front...? But it’s locked securely. How did you...?’

‘Ever heard of keys?’ Theo called over, giggling. ‘You know, those little metal things. They’re a new invention, actually quite useful——’

‘That’s. enough!’ Chad’s voice was sharp, immediately silencing Theo’s sarcastic voice. ‘Bethany’s not an idiot.’

Oh, I am! Bethany thought desperately as the pieces of the puzzle began to fit themselves together. I am!

‘You own this place?’ Her voice was flat. She wondered why she hadn’t thought of it before.

‘Yes, that’s right,’ Chad replied. His mouth curled into an amused smile. The deep brown eyes glinted ominously. ‘The final arrangements came through last week. You and I are neighbours now, Bethany. How do you feel about that?’

CHAPTER THREE

‘I’LL accompany you back.’

‘There’s no need.’ Bethany turned away. Her head ached with tension; the strain of keeping herself together in front of Chad was beginning to tell badly. This man was her neighbour? ‘I’m...I’m perfectly capable of returning on my own, thank you,’ she added with a halfhearted attempt at coolness.

‘I’m sure you are,’ Chad replied curtly. ‘But it’s not a particularly hospitable night; the wind has risen badly and the path back to your place is rather too near the cliff-edge for my liking. I’m taking you back to the cabin, whether you like it or not.’

‘Oh, Chad, she’ll be all right!’ Theo interposed irritably. ‘Just look at her! She’s dressed for all weathers, isn’t she? And she was the one who ventured out in the stupid dark anyway! What’s the problem about letting her go back on her own if that’s what she wants?’

‘Be quiet, Theo!’ Chad drawled carelessly. ‘I’ll drive Bethany back in the car—it won’t take more than a few minutes. You can clear this place up. It’s time we were getting back to the hotel anyway.’

‘Getting back!’ Theo rose swiftly and came over, draping her arms around Chad’s neck. ‘But Chad, darling, we were...’ She hesitated and glanced furiously across at Bethany. ‘We were having a pretty good time until she came along and ruined it. There’s no need for either of us to go anywhere.’

‘Look, I’m tired.’ Chad kissed Theo abstractedly on the cheek and unwound her arms from his neck. ‘It’s been a long day and you told me yourself that you’ve got to get back to London early in the morning. Now just give me the keys——’

‘Like hell!’ Theo’s shrill voice held an inordinate amount of outrage as she flounced back across the room. ‘There is no way I’m staying here while——’

‘Theo, don’t start!’ Chad cut in witheringly. ‘Save your theatrical outbursts for the camera in the morning.’ He held out his hand. ‘Now, you are quite welcome to accompany Bethany and me back along the track to her cabin if you’re afraid of being left alone here——’

“Well, how incredibly gallant of you!’ Theo burst out angrily. ‘You don’t expect me to waste my time travelling to some shack on the side of a cliff-top do you—with her? What kind of a fool do you take me for?’ Her eyes narrowed with sudden suspicion. ‘You forget I know you from old, Chad Alington! It wouldn’t surprise me if you’ve already made some kind of a move on her! She’s your type, isn’t she? A leggy blonde? Haven’t you had more of those in your bed than any other——?’

‘That’s enough!’ Chad’s mouth tightened ominously. ‘You’re making a spectacle of yourself! Now, you may do as you like, Theo, stay or come with us, but either way I’m taking Bethany back home. Are you going to hand over the keys or not?’

Theo wasn’t sure what to do. Bethany, disturbed by the venomous accusations, watched in embarrassed fascination as indecision crossed her carefully painted features. ‘Damn you!’ she gritted shakily. ‘If you’re so keen to waste your time on this...this country bumpkin, then do it! But it’s my car—we elected to leave yours back at the hotel, remember?—and I’ll be damned if I’ll let you use it to transport another of your conquests about!’ She tossed her raven-black head dramatically. ‘I won’t be treated like this! I’m going back to the hotel!’

If Theo had expected some kind of emotional response, she was going to be sorely disappointed, Bethany thought. Chad’s gaze rested indifferently on Theo’s face. ‘OK, if that’s how you want it,’ he drawled, unaffected by her scowl of animosity. He shrugged and watched impassively as she marched over to the door in her impossibly high heels. ‘I’ll see you when I see you, Theo,’ he called as she thumped down the stairs. ‘Don’t drive too fast, will you?’

‘If you expect me to be in any way impressed——’ Bethany began frostily, as Chad followed her down the staircase a moment after they had heard the predictable screech of burning rubber on the lane outside. ‘You shouldn’t let her drive, she’s been drinking——’

‘No, she hasn’t.’ Chad’s voice held a hint of amusement.

‘Oh, come on!’ Bethany spun around to face him, her green eyes narrowing with dislike. ‘It’s not in the least bit funny! I saw the bottles of wine. Heard what she said. I’m not a fool, whatever you may think!’

‘Meaning, I suppose,’ Chad drawled, ‘that you think I plied dear, innocent Theo with drink just so I could get my wicked way with her!’

Bethany’s lips pursed grimly. ‘You said it!’

‘Yes, and you thought it!’ Chad shot back. ‘Your opinion of me isn’t particularly high, is it?’

Unconsciously her mind swung back to the cabin, the rug, the pressure of Chad’s mouth as it scorched her lips... the scene—a prelude to lovemaking if ever there was one—she had unwittingly stumbled upon this evening... Oh, God! What was it about this man? she thought angrily. Did every woman fall like an idiot at his feet? ‘Can you give me one good reason why it should be?’ Bethany enquired frostily. ‘And don’t remind me about saving my life!’ she added caustically, thrusting away the treacherous thoughts. ‘Because I’m honestly beginning to wonder if it wouldn’t have been better if you’d left me stranded out there on the rock! I’m sure I would have been able to get back under my own steam...eventually. Anyway,’ Bethany continued sharply, aware that her lie about saving herself hadn’t sounded the least bit convincing, ‘that’s not the point! Theo’s whole demeanour was that of someone who had been drinking and you let her walk out of here——’

‘She hadn’t touched a drop!’ Chad’s voice was sharp. ‘Will you stop ranting on about drinking and driving, Bethany! Theo’s an actress; she’s got an early call in the morning. Whatever else she may do, she takes her career very seriously indeed and alcohol is a definite no-no as far as she’s concerned, especially on the eve of a big job.’

Bethany frowned. She had supposed the reference to leggy blondes to be just a wild accusation made in a fit of alcoholic rage. If Theo had been sober...The picture of Chad in bed with any number of beautiful women sprang unasked for into her mind. ‘But she acted as though she’d had a few...’ Bethany began, thrusting away the vision, sickened by the fact that she could so nearly have joined their number.

Chad inhaled a breath and shrugged impatiently. ‘Theo’s always like that. It’s just her way. The old seductress routine maybe, I don’t know——’

‘Oh, come on!’ Bethany felt anger surge at his indifferent response. ‘You don’t expect me to believe that it was she who brought you here?’ she delivered with disbelieving venom. ‘That you were the innocent party being led astray! You upset her! You used her!’ Bethany accused wildly. The need to be perverse was overwhelming suddenly. She hated Chad Alington for causing this emotional turbulence that seemed to have risen out of nowhere. She had spent months and months trying to regain her equilibrium, trying to forget about her past life with Philip, and now here she was, here he was, stirring up her well-ordered thoughts and responses.

‘Your concern for Theo’s welfare is extremely touching,’ Chad replied tightly. ‘But, Bethany, the woman is as hard as nails! Surely you worked that out for yourself! She can be good fun, but she can also be quite a bitch when she wants to be. Tonight’s performance is not unusual by any means, believe me!’

‘Oh, isn’t that just convenient!’ Bethany snapped. ‘She can take care of herself, so that absolves you from all blame! My God! You men really are all the same! You just take what you want and never a thought for anyone else’s feelings!’

‘Both Theo and I are adults, well over the age of consent!’ Chad thundered. ‘We see each other from time to time on a casual basis—an arrangement that suits her as much as it does me.’ He reached out a hand and dragged Bethany to a halt on the bottom-most tread. ‘Do you have to be so damned naive?’ His eyes flashed to the smooth pale face in front of him. ‘Theo can take care of herself. Didn’t she prove that tonight? After all, I’m the one who’s been stranded out here. So save your sympathy—she wouldn’t thank you for it!’

‘Don’t patronise me!’ Bethany, fighting for self-control, pulled her arm free from his hold and glared furiously up into Chad’s angular face.

‘You’re upset because of what Theo said, aren’t you?’ he murmured, with a sigh of exasperation. ‘Can’t you see she just used that reference to women in my bed to cause trouble?’

‘I suppose you’re going to tell me now that there isn’t a grain of truth in it!’ Bethany responded frostily. ‘What was the seduction routine at my cabin this afternoon, if it wasn’t just another in a long line of calculated operations? Well, come on!’ she demanded shakily. ‘Lie to me! After all, I’m so incredibly naive! I’m bound to fall for any yarn you care to spin! Go on! Tell me what Theo said wasn’t true!’ She was shaking with emotion. This arrogant, autocratic man thought he knew it all, had already decided she was a silly little slip of a girl who had no idea about the real world...real life...

‘Would there be any point?’ Chad enquired bitingly. ‘It seems to me that whatever I say is only going to incense you more.’

‘Damned right it is!’ Bethany replied instantly. ‘Hell! You men are all the same——!’

‘Bethany, be quiet!’ His voice was deeply scathing, bored almost. ‘I’m becoming sick of that clichéd phrase! You’re talking absolute rubbish! Stop using this fit of temper as a shield to hide behind because you can’t handle the fact that we almost made love——’

‘How dare you?’ She couldn’t believe he was actually saying this to her. ‘How dare you stand there and presume certain things that are in no way true——?’

‘They’re true,’ Chad cut in tersely. ‘You wouldn’t be reacting this way if they weren’t. What happened this afternoon came about because we both wanted it, and you know it. You’re no woman of the world, Bethany, whatever you may like me to believe.’ His gaze was sharp and direct. ‘OK, at this particular moment you’re not being particularly sweet, but you are young and you are——’

‘Don’t you dare call me innocent!’ Bethany turned from him, all the old familiar scenes whirring around in her brain, making her want to be sick. Philip, in those few short months of married life, had rid her of all innocence the very 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.

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