Passion from the Past by Carole Mortimer

Author:Carole Mortimer [Mortimer, Carole]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781488080982
Publisher: Harlequin Presents
Published: 1982-05-15T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

LAURA moved to give her brother a hug, stepping back with a puzzled frown when she saw that he and Gideon were still looking at each other warily. It wasn’t like Martin not to like anyone, he didn’t usually have time for such things, being too busy enjoying life to bother with such an emotion. But he certainly wasn’t pleased to see Gideon, and the feeling seemed to be mutual, the ardent lover of a few minutes ago completely erased by harshness.

‘Martin, this is—’

‘I know who he is,’ he rasped in a voice completely unlike his usual friendly tone. ‘What are you doing with my sister, Maitland?’ He pulled Laura to his side, glaring at the other man with dark brown eyes, his dark good looks rakishly attractive, making him very popular with the opposite sex.

‘Martin!’ she gasped, pulling out of his grasp. ‘Martin, you can’t talk to Gideon like that,’ she looked at him pleadingly.

‘Can’t I?’ he said grimly. ‘Oh, I think I can. I asked you a question, Maitland.’

‘One that doesn’t require an answer,’ Gideon drawled a reply, completely at ease and in control. ‘It must be obvious that I’ve just brought Laura home after an evening out together.’

Martin’s mouth twisted angrily. ‘And why are you taking my sister out at all?’

‘Surely that’s obvious too?’ he mocked.

‘It is to me,’ Martin’s eyes glittered furiously. ‘But I doubt it is to Laura.’

Cool grey eyes were turned on her as she looked on in bewilderment. It was strange enough that Martin should come home unexpectedly like this without telling anyone of his plans, but his behaviour towards Gideon, and Gideon’s reaction to it, was even more puzzling.

‘I’m sure Laura knows exactly why I’m taking her out,’ Gideon drawled.

‘I doubt it,’ Martin snapped.

‘But you do?’ he returned coolly.

‘Yes, I do! And I won’t let you do it, Maitland. I won’t let you hurt Laura the way you hurt—’

‘That’s the past, Jamieson,’ Gideon cut in coldly, an angry sheen to his slate-grey eyes. ‘And I wasn’t the one who did the hurting.’

Laura still didn’t know what was going on, and she thought it was about time that she did. ‘Martin—’

‘Stay out of this, Laura,’ her brother didn’t even look at her. ‘This has nothing to do with you.’

‘On the contrary,’ Gideon corrected harshly, ‘I think it has everything to do with Laura.’

‘Only because you made it so,’ Martin accused.

‘No,’ Gideon shook his head. ‘You’re making it so. Laura has no need to know about the past.’

‘She does when it’s the only reason you’ve been taking her out. Well, I won’t let you hurt my sister,’ Martin snarled. ‘When I went to America I made it clear that you would hear no more from me. You’re the one who’s dragged the past out into the open. And this time I’m not going to take it, not when you’ve involved Laura.’

‘Martin, please—’

‘I think he’s right, Laura,’ Gideon told her softly. ‘For the moment it would be better if you stayed out of this. Your brother seems to have an inflated opinion of his importance—’

‘Not inflated, Maitland.

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