Heart On Fire Part 18

Claudia was beginning to be frightened, remembering the silence along this corridor--was th anybody else up here on this top floor? Or were tt quite alone? When she looked around the room j now she had noticed a door on the other side--wh, did that lead? To a bedroom?

A wave of burning colour swept up her face, tried to think clearly, to work out what to do, wi Ellis watched her with glinting, narrowed eyes.

"You look as if you need to sit down, before ~ fall down," he drawled, and moved away from door towards the couch.

"Can I get you a drink should have one, you're going to need it. I sugge."

small brandy--that's always good for shock. " Claudia wasn't actually listening to him; she [ her eyes fixed on the door, and, as soon as he, some distance away, she feverishly shot to the d and tried to pull it open. It didn't budge. She tJ again, hearing the useless grinding of the handle. : might have known he wouldn't have walked await hadn't been locked. She turned to stare after I as he walked to a mahogany wall cupboard ~ opened it, got out two fine crystal gla.s.ses, and them out.

"You can't keep me here)." she said, and felt a ( zying sense of d~j(~ vu.

They had been here bef 166 this was a rerun of their first meeting.Was that what had put the idea into his head? Confused and fl.u.s.tered,she shakily said, "What do you want?" which was about the most stupidquestion she could have asked, and Ellis laughed silently, pointingthat out, his eyes moving down over her with sensual, disturbingintimacy.

"You," he said.

CHAPTER TEN.

"AM I supposed to be flattered?" Claudia bitterly asked, tearsstingi~! g her eyes. She knew she had given Ellis the chance to saythat to her, and she was furious with herself, but she was angrier withhim because he had said it.

"Well, I'm not!" she snapped, as he opened his mouth to answer her.

"In fact, I'm insulted. How many other women have heard you talk like that?

It isn't flattering, knowing I'm just the latest in a long line of women you've chased.

Have any of them meant a thing to you? " He looked as if he wanted to interrupt, but she kept talking over him, her face very flushed and angry.

"No, of course they haven't. You think all women are just objects,toys for you to play with when you're in the mood. You think you canjust walk in and grab what you want, and n.o.body will dare say no,because you're so rich and important. Well, you don't scare me, orimpress me. I'm saying no, and I mean it." He stopped smiling andbegan to frown, and she should have stopped there, while she waswinning, but a stab of sudden jealousy made her bite out, "So you cango back to Estelle Harding!"

His grey eyes brightened dangerously.

"Can I? Well, thank you," he said, in the silky voice she mostdistrusted, and she bit down on her inner lip. She had done itagain--betrayed herself.

Oh, she could scream. She just wasn't in his league at this game. She kept betraying herself, letting him get glimpses of her real 167 166 this was a rerun of their first meeting. Was that what had put the idea into his head?

Confused and fl.u.s.tered, she shakily said, "What do you want?" which was about the most stupid question she could have asked, and Ellis laughed silently, pointing that out, his eyes moving down over her with sensual, disturbing intimacy.

"You," he said.

CHAPTER TEN.

"AM I supposed to be flattered?" Claudia bitterly asked, tears stingi~! g her eyes. She knew she had given Ellis the chance to say that to her, and she was furious with herself, but she was angrier with him because he had said it.

"Well, I'm not!" she snapped, as he opened his mouth to answer her.

"In fact, I'm insulted. How many other women have heard you talk like that?

It isn't flattering, knowing I'm just the latest in a long line of women you've chased.

Have any of them meant a thing to you? " He looked as if he wanted to interrupt, but she kept talking over him, her face very flushed and angry.

"No, of course they haven't. You think all women are just objects, toys for you to play with when you're in the mood. You think you can just walk in and grab what you want, and n.o.body will dare say no, because you're so rich and important. Well, you don't scare me, or impress me. I'm saying no, and I mean it." He stopped smiling and began to frown, and she should have stopped there, while she was winning, but a stab of sudden jealousy made her bite out, "So you can go back to Estelle Harding!"

His grey eyes brightened dangerously.

"Can I? Well, thank you," he said, in the silky voice she most distrusted, and she bit down on her inner lip. She had done it again--betrayed herself.

Oh, she could scream. She just wasn't in his league at this game. She kept betraying herself, letting him get glimpses of her real 167 168 feelings, when she should be as cool and controlled as he managed to be.

She drew a sharp breath, lifting her chin and outfacing him, fighting to get back her icy calm.

"That's right, Mr. Lefevre, you can go back to your girlfriend. You can go anywhere, as long as you leave me alone. Obviously, you've gone to a lot of trouble to set up this situation, and I'm sorry to disappoint you, but you've wasted your time, because you aren't going to sweet-talk me into bed, so just unlock that door and let me go home, please."

For a second, she thought Ellis was going to obey her. He stared fixedly at her, his brows level, his mouth tight, and the room reverberated with the tension in them both.

"All right," he slowly said, then turned away and poured a finger of brandy into both gla.s.ses, carried them over to a low mahogany coffee table which stood just in front of the white couch, put down the drinks and sank backwards on to the couch, until he lay full length, his head on one arm, his feet on the one at the far end, his arms behind his head and his long body elegantly draped against the cus.h.i.+ons.

"What are you doing?" Claudia gasped angrily, trying not to watch him, but, like a rabbit trapped by the hypnotic beam of headlights, unable to help it.

Her green eyes darkened with a mixture of pain and desire. The man was the s.e.xiest thing she had ever seen and she wanted him, which was bad enough.

What was worse was that he knew exactly how she felt! His mocking smile told her so; held promise-and teasing and a maddening satisfaction.

"First, we have our drink and talk," he said.

10Y.

"We've got nothing to talk about{' She turned back towards the door.

"Not even my father?" he queried, and she hesitated, frowning. ~ "What about him?" She searched his face with suspicious eyes. What could he possibly want to say to her about his father?

"You haven't changed your mind about his rejoining the corporation, have you?"

"I might have to," he said coolly, and she came towards him, her face scornful.

"What do you mean, might have to? What possible reason can you have to turn him down?"

Ellis shrugged.

"Well, as you won't go to Switzerland to work for him and we can't find another secretary who is anywhere near as good as you, I really can't see how he can cope with the work he wants to do. He can't do it without a secretary, you know that. Another pair of eyes is essential, but it has to be someone he trusts and likes, and that's the problem ."

"Yes, I see that," she said soberly.

"And I'm very sorry, but I really couldn't give up my chance of a career in the theatre. I'm sure I will be able to train someone to do what I do, though, in time."

"No amount of training will make my father like her, whoever she may be{ He was difficult enough with his secretaries, before he went blind, but these days he is impossible, and you know it. But never mind, now that he has begun to write he'll soon forget the corporation."

"Oh, but he has his heart set on going back to work," Claudia said unhappily.

"He is only writing this book because he's bored and restles~ 170 " Is it any good, do you think? " he interrupted, swinging his feet down, sitting up and leaning forward to pick up one of the gla.s.ses.

"It's wonderful," she said with real enthusiasm.

"I'm having a wonderful time working on it with him. I'm sure it is going to be a bestseller when it comes out."

"Really?" he said with apparent disbelief, handing her the gla.s.s.

"Yes, really!" Claudia said impatiently.

"Is your drink OK?" he asked, getting up.

"Yes, thank you," she said looking at her brandy in a vague way, rather surprised to find herself holding it.

Elliswas standing far too close,~ and she was far too aware of his tall, powerful body; she hurriedly' moved sideways, away from him.

His mouth twisted sardonically, he drank some of the amber liquid in his gla.s.s, and then walked back to the drinks cabinet to get a refill.

"Tell me more about my-father's book," he Said, over his shoulder.

"It isn't full of family skeletons? It isn't going to embarra.s.s us all, I hope, is it?"

"Certainly not, I should think you would be proud of him, because it is such a readable, fascinating book." Claudia sat down, talking eagerly, rather relieved that the conversation had turned this way and she could stop being afraid that at any moment Ellis would pounce.

"I told you last time you came to your father's house She broke off, remembering that occasion, the brief flare of happiness, of sympathy between them, until Estelle arrived on the scene and ruined everything. He had been lying to her, cheating her; he had meant to take Estelle to Germany all along even while he was asking her to meet him when he 171 got back. She must not forget again that this was not a man you could trust.

"Told me what?" he asked, turning, his gla.s.s in his hand, to eye her qui~ically.

"What a terrific writer your father is!" she bit out, despising herself because yet again she had begun to forget what he was like.

Ellis only had to smile at her, look into her eyes, for her head to swim and her brains to addle. She was such a fool over him.

"I think you did, yes, although I don't think I was listening properly; there were other things on my mind." He paused, watching her with that intimate, mocking smile.

"You, for instance."

She looked away, her stupid heart turning over and over, and muttered, "Don't start that again!" then drank some of the brandy to give herself something to do with her trembling hands, but taking her eyes off him was another mistake because a second later he was sinking down beside her on the couch, sitting far too close, his long, lean body turned towards her and his thigh touching hers.

Giving a gasp of shock, Claudia almost dropped her gla.s.s, and Ellis deftly took it from her and put it down on the coffee table. He put his own down beside it, and she should have leapt up then and got away, but just as she was thinking of doing that Ellis turned and caught hold of her shoulders.

Her mouth went dry. She looked once into his eyes, then looked down, her lashes fluttering against her hot cheek.

"Don't touch me, I don't want you to touch me," she hoa.r.s.ely whispered.

"You do," he said with utter confidence.

"You want me as much as I want you. We both knew how it was 172 between us the first day we met. It was like a crackle of electricity, wasn't it? From the very start." His hands softly moved down her back, stroking her, gently pus.h.i.+ng her towards him.

"Some things are inevitable, Claudia. We were meant for each other."

She put both hands on his chest, holding him off, her head averted.

"You may jump into bed with people all the time, but I don't!" she muttered, and he laughed softly.

"Good. I'm delighted to hear it. So long as you jump into bed with me."

She was really scared now, shaking violently, because the ache of need inside her was getting worse every minute and she was afraid she was going to give in to him, even though she knew she would never forgive herself if she did.

-"You think your money buys you anything, don't 'you?" she almost shouted at him.

"Well, it won't buy me. Why don't you leave me alone?

Can't you see ? "I can see you, and only you," he said in a thickened voice.

"Nothing else in this world, Claudia."

And then he put a hand to her cheek, so gently that it was like the brush of a leaf, yet she flinched from it as if that light touch burned her skin and hurt more than the worst torture.

"Don't," she pleaded.

"Please, please, don't." But she said the last words against his fingertips as he laid them on her trembling mouth, and she was looking into his eyes and drowning in them.

"I want you so much," he said, and she didn't doubt for an instant that he meant it.

She was fully hypnotised now, under his spell, her green eyes huge and glowing, with the black, dilated 173 pupils in their cent res s.h.i.+ning like polished jet and reflecting his face. Ellis was pale, almost haggard, with desire, his eyes very dark, his breathing quick and rough. He looked at her mouth and his lips parted.