Love's Duel by Carole Mortimer

Author:Carole Mortimer [Mortimer, Carole]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781488032707
Publisher: Harlequin Presents
Published: 1981-08-25T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

‘WHAT did he want?’ Giles stormed later, after all the guests had left, leaving the two of them alone in the sitting-room. ‘What did he say to you?’ he demanded to know. ‘Tell me, damn you!’ He shook her hard.

‘I—I’m trying to tell you,’ she quavered, feeling dizzy as he continued to shake her. ‘He was just congratulating me on my engagement to you,’ she told him evasively.

‘It didn’t take him ten minutes to say that. I want to know, Leonie,’ he ordered grimly. ‘What did he say?’

She sought desperately about in her mind for a feasible excuse. She couldn’t tell him the truth. He wouldn’t believe her anyway, not when Jeremy had been so charming the rest of the evening, giving no indication that he had more or less threatened her.

‘If you must know, he made a pass at me!’ she told Giles now.

He stopped shaking her, his gaze searching her face with thorough intensity. ‘Is that the truth?’ he asked slowly.

‘Yes,’ she nodded eagerly, feeling she could be forgiven this small exaggeration. ‘Yes, it’s true.’

Giles smiled. ‘How ironic!’

‘Yes. Why did you do it, Giles? Why announce our engagement?’

‘Why?’ he rasped. ‘Because I’m not letting you marry anyone else but me, that’s why.’

‘Anyone else…?’ she echoed dazedly.

‘I heard you on the telephone to Philip Trent! Good God, girl, you more or less proposed to him! And he accepted. But he isn’t getting you,’ his face was a livid mask of anger. ‘I want you and this time around I’m going to have you, even if I do have to marry you first. You sell yourself very high these days,’ he sneered insultingly. ‘At one time anyone could have you for the price of a dinner and some wine. Well, I’m upping my bid. I’m sure you realise that as my wife you’ll be infinitely more comfortable than you would be married to Philip Trent.’

‘But Phil wasn’t proposing to me,’ she protested. ‘He—’

‘I’m well aware that you brought up the suggestion of marriage,’ he said disgustedly. ‘But materially I can give you more than he can.’

‘And in other ways?’

His mouth twisted. ‘In other ways too! Tell me Leonie,’ he pulled her hard against him, ‘Whose lovemaking do you prefer, his or mine?’ He made no attempt to touch her other than with the hard length of his body, his hands and lips were denied to her. ‘Well?’ he demanded as she remained silent.

He must be able to feel the way she quivered against him, must know what effect he had on her. ‘You don’t need me to answer that.’ her eyes were on a level with the cleft in his chin, his jaw unyielding. ‘You already know the answer.’

‘I want to hear you say it.’

‘Why? So you can mock me some more? she said angrily. ‘Well, I’ll marry you, Giles. But the price just went up.’ She met his furious gaze unflinchingly.

He flung her away from him as if the touch of her revolted him. ‘What more do you want?’ he rasped harshly.

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