Cold Fire by Helen Brooks

Author:Helen Brooks
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-06-10T00:00:00+00:00

The first realisation that it was morning, and that the tossing and turning of the long night was finished, was a cool, hard hand on her shoulder. Her eyes snapped wide open at the same time as she started violently. Eight years of waking alone had not conditioned her to such an abrupt start to the day.

‘I am sorry. I startled you?’ As her grey eyes fastened on the cold steel in Jay’s she saw that he didn’t look at all sorry. In fact he looked angry. Very angry.

‘Is anything the matter?’ She half rose in the bed and then sank back down under the covers in an anxious flush as she realised that the thin silk of her nightie was almost transparent. ‘Did you knock?’ she asked crossly.

‘Did I knock?’ He repeated her words with a slightly incredulous scowl darkening his face. ‘No, I did not knock. I have been waiting for...’ he glanced at the heavy gold watch on his brown wrist ‘...exactly twenty minutes. I think it is for me to ask if anything is the matter.’

‘Waiting?’ For a moment she couldn’t bring herself round sufficiently to think, and then as hot colour flooded into her cheeks she realised that he had expected her at the stables.

‘But I thought... with Mateo away... we wouldn’t——’

‘Mateo is a consideration to your accompanying me in the morning?’ Now she saw that she had really made him angry as dull red seared the high cheekbones and turned the green eyes glacial. ‘Why?’

The one word was stark and uncompromising and she didn’t know how to reply. She could hardly say that she didn’t want to be alone with him. She should have said something yesterday, made herself clear, but he had been busy in the day and then had disappeared for the evening. She looked at him helplessly. ‘Well, it’s just that...’

‘Just that?’ He repeated her words in icy mockery and suddenly her temper rose to match his. How dared he barge into her room like this? Surely she was entitled to a little privacy?

‘I don’t think this is the time or place to discuss it,’ she said coldly, and his eyes narrowed, a cruel rawness turning them almost black as he glared down at her, arms crossed.

‘Discuss it? Discuss what?’ he said bitingly. ‘The fact that there might be just a little crack in the oh, so big fence that you have carefully built around yourself? The fence from behind which you peep out at the cruel oppressor who torments you?’

‘I don’t know what you are talking about,’ she said furiously.

‘No? Then why are you so frightened to ride alone with me? Do you really think I am going to drag you from your horse and lay you out on the ground and rape you? Is that what you think, my little English mouse?’

‘I am not a mouse.’ She raised her head proudly as her eyes flashed grey sparks. ‘I just didn’t think you’d want to ride this morning, that’s all.’ She pulled the sheet round her as she sat up, her blonde hair tousled and her body stiff.

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