A Past Revenge (14 page)

Nick looked puzzled by her reaction. 'Danielle,
they're only sheets—
'

'Black silk
ones,' she said with distaste, pulling her gown up to re-zip it.

'All right,' he flushed his anger. 'I'll take the damned things off the bed.' He began to pull at them.

She shook her head. 'It's too late for that.'

His eyes glittered with fury as he glared across the bed at her, his dark hair ruffled to disorder, his shirt unbuttoned almost to his waist to reveal the curling dark hair against his chest. 'You're the most complicated woman I know,' he snapped.

'I'm sorry.'

'Like hell you are! God, I don't know a thing about you. You won't let me near you!'

She looked down contemptuously at the rumpled bed. 'Not like that I won't.' She turned and left the room, knowing he followed her back into the lounge.

'I can't reach you any other way!' he rasped. 'Even you can't control that response for long.'

'Even me?' she echoed softly, looking at him coldly.

'You're like ice the rest of the time,' he told her grimly. 'Do you ever intend to let me make love to you?' His eyes were narrowed.

'It isn't a question of allowing it—
'

'Do you?' he persisted darkly.

She shrugged. 'Perhaps not.'

A pulse jerked in his jaw. 'Then why the hell are you going out with me?'

Danielle looked at him with emotionless eyes. 'All right,' she said softly. 'I won't see you again.'

Nick watched in dazed disbelief as she picked up her clutch-bag and quietly left. But he made no attempt to stop her.

She was shaking badly by the time she reached the pavement and hailed a taxi. This time she really may have pushed him too far! If she had then the torture of the past few weeks had all been for nothing.

The next week brought no word from Nick, although the gossips reported that he had a new woman in his life, a sweet young actress whom Danielle felt would be utterly cowed by him in a matter of days rather than weeks. The news of his new mistress was a great disappointment to her, and halfway through the second week after she had walked out on him she decided to take the holiday she had been promising herself for months, flying out to Florida to laze in the sun for a couple of weeks and think out her future, decide what she was going to do about Nick. As she saw it she had only two alternatives, she either left things as they were between them or she did the equivalent of crawling back to him. Neither was acceptable to her.

She was in no hurry to return to London, lingering another week on the palm-edged beaches,
her eyes opening wide as she came back from a swim in the clear blue water one afternoon to find Lewis stretched out on a beach towel next to hers, his body very white in the blue swimming trunks against the tan she had acquired the last two and a half weeks.

'Is there anything wrong?' She picked up a towel to dry her hair, her black bikini slicked to the slender curves of her body.

He moved up to lean back on his elbows. 'Not from where I'm lying,' he grinned.

'Lewis
—
'

'Nothing is wrong,' he cried defensively. 'You seemed very vague about when you were coming back when you telephoned me the other day, so I've come out here to make sure you go back in the next couple of days.' He looked up appreciatively at the clear blue sky. 'Although I might stretch it into a week,' he added lazily. 'It was raining when I left England.'

Danielle sat down cross-legged next to him on her towel. 'What's the rush?' she frowned.

'I
have a couple of commissions lined up for you,' he shrugged.

'Is that all it is?' she asked with a casualness she was far from feeling.

He gave her a sideways glance. 'What else could there be?'

She turned away to hide her disappointment. 'Nothing. Did you happen to see my parents before they left?'

He nodded. 'They sent their love.'

She bit her lip, choosing her next words carefully. 'Have you seen anything of Nick lately?'

'Nick?'

'Andracas,' she enlarged tightly, having the distinct impression Lewis was playing with her.

'Oh that Nick,' he nodded again. 'Yes, I've seen him, a couple of times, in fact.'

'And?'

'He seemed fine,' Lewis shrugged. 'Oh.'

'Physically, that is,' he added ruefully. 'His temper could do with a bit of improving, though. Do you know, he threatened to punch me on the nose unless I told him where you were?' He feigned surprise.

Danielle felt a surge of hope, her earlier disappointment forgotten. 'He did?'

'Yes. Strange that,' Lewis mocked. 'Of course I didn't tell him.'

'Oh,' her disappointment returned, although she looked at him suspiciously as he continued to look unperturbed. 'You don't exactly have the look of someone who has recently been hit.' His handsome face looked as clean-cut as it usually did.

'Of course not,' he smiled. 'I'm not stupid. I told him I couldn't possibly break a confidence, but that I would let you know he wanted to see you.'

'What did he say to that?'

Lewis grimaced. 'I wouldn't offend the delicacy of a lady by repeating his answer,' he said dryly. 'But he did warn me that if anyone, including you, were to learn through me that he had been looking for you that I could be in serious trouble. I have no idea what he could have meant, do you?' he mocked.

Danielle couldn't help but smile. 'You're taking this very well, I know that.'

'What else can I do?' he shrugged. 'My priority must lie with you. After
all,'
he grimaced. 'Andracas can only beat me to a pulp, you pay my wages.'

She laughed softly. 'My hero!'

'Seriously, Danielle,' he sobered suddenly. 'What's going on between you two?'

'Not a lot at the moment,' she told him truthfully, although it sounded as if Nick had had a change of heart about that.

'The last I heard he was going out with Jemima
Street. Then suddenly that was all over, and
—
'

'It is?' she queried sharply.

Lewis nodded. 'He found her a part in one of the plays he's promoting as her pay-off. Not bad for spending a few weeks in his bed.'

'You're becoming cynical, Lewis,' she derided.

'I know,' he sighed. 'That's what happens when you have your life threatened by one of the most powerful men in the world! So what is going on?'

She shrugged. 'I think I shall have to go back to London to find that out.' Although her hopes had been raised tremendously the last few minutes. If Nick were looking for her it could only be for one reason. 'But I think we'll stay on here a few more days,' she told Lewis firmly. 'Your tan could do with improving.'

He raised blond brows. 'What tan?'

'Exactly,' she laughed, handing him her sun-tan lotion.

In the end they stayed on a further three days, Lewis finally deciding he valued his life as well as his pay-cheque. But one thing Danielle could have done without was the reporters at the airport, ignoring their probing questions as she and Lewis climbed into a taxi.

When she saw the picture of them together in the evening newspaper later that day she wished they had answered the questions, then perhaps they wouldn't have had to invent their story!

'Danielle Smith and friend arriving from Miami', the caption read. The two of them looked tanned and fit, if a little tired after their flight, Danielle's hair bleached almost white in places from the strong sun.

She spent the evening with her parents, telling them all about her holiday and catching up on all their news. All of them avoided mentioning Nick, although her parents must have been aware of the fact that the two of them were no longer seeing each other.

She recognised the silver Ferrari parked outside her home as she parked her car just after ten, needing an early night after her long day. Nick's unexpected presence here didn't seem to indicate that she was going to get one.

He got out of his car as soon as he saw her, walking towards the building, swinging her round to face him. 'Is he the father?' he demanded fiercely.

The last month had changed Nick considerably, his face harsher than ever, his body looking leaner, despite what Lewis said to the contrary. She knew Nick's body intimately, and he had lost weight the last four weeks.

But his accusations hadn't changed, and she bristled angrily. 'If you're talking about Lewis, then the answer is no,' she snapped. 'You might be surprised by the answer.'

'Tell me.'

Temper flared in her flashing green eyes. 'Your arrogance is no less acceptable to me now than it was before,' she shook off his hand. 'I don't have to tell you
anything.'

Once again he made no effort to stop her as she walked away, and this time Danielle had a feeling he wouldn't show any sign of weakening towards her.

She didn't know what to do. Nick was a proud man, it had taken a lot for him to come to her tonight, even if his main emotion had been anger. She doubted he would be back. Which left it up to her to be the one to make the first move. It was something she didn't like doing any more than he did.

She tried telephoning his apartment, and when she received no answer there she tried the house. A woman answered when the call was put through to the lounge.

'Who's calling?' the woman wanted to know when Danielle asked for Nick.

'I
—Just a friend,' she evaded answering directly.
'But if he's busy
—
'

'Oh he isn't busy,' the woman derided. 'Just a moment, please.'

'Yes?' Nick rasped when he finally came on the line, his voice slightly slurred, giving Danielle the impression that when the woman had said he 'wasn't busy' in that tone she had really meant he was slightly drunk!

'It's Danielle,' she told him quickly. 'But I seem to have caught you at a bad momen
t
'

'Don't hang up,' he ordered harshly. 'It's only my niece. Carly, get the hell out of here,' he seemed to turn away from the receiver. 'This call is private.'

Carly! Danielle almost dropped the receiver in her shock. She had been speaking to
Carly Daniels,
Nick's niece that she had been to finishing school with, not some woman he had picked up to spend the rest of the night with as she had at first assumed. But she hadn't recognised the other woman's voice, so there was little chance of Carly recognising hers. Nevertheless, it made things difficult to know that the other woman was in London.

'Danielle, are you still there?' his voice had softened, obviously alone now.

'Yes.'

'God, you don't know how good it is to hear your voice,' he said huskily, all traces of the slur gone now. 'What happened earlier, I was out of line.'

'And I should have been more reasonable,' she sighed, relieved it was going so well between them. 'But you should know by now how the newspapers distort things.'

'You have been in Florida with Vaughn, I checked.'

She bit back her indignation that he should dare to probe into her private affairs like that. 'Then you must also know that we stayed in separate hotels,' her voice was taut. 'I'm sure you and Miss Street didn't even stay in separate
rooms,'
she added sharply.

'Danielle
—
'

'I didn't call you to argue with you again, Nick,' she cut in firmly. 'I wanted to invite you over to dinner tomorrow evening. I thought we could talk, calmly,' she added pointedly.

'I'd love to....'

'But,' she finished dryly. 'If it isn't convenient for you then let's take a rain-check on the idea. You call me and let me know when you're free,' her voice was brittle, wondering if she were too late, if he had found a replacement for Jemima Street already. She hadn't thought of that.

'It isn't that at all—Hell, what time tomorrow?' he bit out impatiently.

'About seven-thirty?'

'I'll be there,' he told her grimly.

As it turned out they didn't speak much at all before or during the meal, Nick more reserved than she had ever seen him, the epitome of the polite dinner guest, even bringing the wine and a red rose for the centre of the table. Danielle eyed him warily; it was almost like waiting for the ice to break beneath you. Because she knew it would sooner or later.

'Lewis mentioned when we were on holiday that you wanted to see me,' she opened the conversation once they returned to the lounge with their brandies, hoping Lewis would forgive her for disclosing this confidence.

Nick's eyes narrowed. 'I simply wondered where you had disappeared to, that was all.'

That wasn't all, and they both knew it.
'I
just took my holiday that was cancelled when I did Miss McDonald's portrait. I'm surprised you noticed my absence with Miss Street to keep you company,' she added mockingly.

'You know damn well I was only seeing her because you wouldn't go out with me,' he rasped.

'It wasn't a question of not going out with you, you were demanding more than I wanted to give.'

They both fell silent after her outburst, Danielle stubbornly so, Nick seeming to be searching for the right words to say.