Dark Paradise (8 page)

But bear it she did, helped by the fact that he made no further attempt to touch her after that brief caress. The stewardess brought magazines, and she read them as well as one of the paperbacks she'd brought with her. Meals were served, and although she wasn't hungry, she made herself eat, telling herself that she needed to keep her strength up. Matt read too, mostly files he took from his bag, bulging with typewritten sheets and press cuttings. He smiled at her occasionally, and asked if she was all right, and they chatted over the food, but apart from that she could have been travelling alone, she discovered with relief.

At last, inevitably, she fell asleep, wandering through a confusion of small troubled dreams until she heard Matt's voice telling her it was time to fasten her seatbelt again.

She opened her eyes slowly and reluctantly, and found to her horror that she had slipped sideways as she slept, and that her head was on his shoulder and she was being supported by his arm round her, She almost shot upright, stammering something, feeling colour blaze in her cheeks. She couldn't cope with the seatbelt and he leaned across and fastened it for her, giving her a sardonic look as he did so.

No doubt he was wondering why she was making so much fuss about a doze on an aircraft when tonight she would be sharing his bed, Kate thought with a touch of hysteria.

She stumbled down the steps of the plane into warm darkness.

'Take it easy.' His hand was on her arm steadying her, and she wanted to scream, 'Don't touch me!'

She felt weird, disorientated and close to cracking as she waited for their luggage to be retrieved.

'Come on.' Matt joined her carrying the cases. 'There's a taxi waiting.'

She gave him a startled look. 'A taxi—is that what you call the plane?'

'No,' he said. 'I mean a taxi—a thing with four wheels and a driver. We're spending the night here and taking the morning plane to St Antoine.'

Kate stared at him. She'd been counting on the extra journey, however long it took, to eat into the night, postponing the first inevitable confrontation between them.

She drew a breath. 'You didn't tell me.'

He shrugged. 'You didn't ask. Does it matter?' He studied her, frowning. 'And even if we'd been booked to fly on tonight, I think I'd have postponed. You look like hell.'

'Thank you,' she said between her teeth, and he laughed.

'That's more like it! Can you make it to the taxi or shall I carry you and come back for the bags?'

'No.' She gave him a muted glare, hardly bothering to pretend any more.

She sat gazing out of the taxi window into the darkness, eaten up by tension. She'd hoped for a long journey, but it was only a short one. They were stopping in front of a long, low building festooned with lights. A man with grizzled hair, wearing white jeans and a striped tee-shirt, was opening the car door and helping her out, welcoming her to some hotel whose name she didn't catch.

As she stepped into the air-conditioned foyer, she was aware of a wide expanse of tiled floor and greenery everywhere.

The receptionist was smiling widely. 'Welcome back, Mr Lincoln. Too bad you're not staying longer this time.' His grin encompassed Kate too. 'Good evening, madame.'

A pen was put into her hand and she signed a registration card. The receptionist handed Matt a key and a bellhop appeared from nowhere, hoisting up their cases. He was smiling too. Everyone was smiling except her, and she felt totally and utterly frozen, because she'd just grasped the significance of that single key.

She'd taken it for granted that they would be occupying separate rooms, at least for appearances' sake. She'd counted on it.

'No lift,' said Matt. 'But there's only one flight of stairs. Think you can manage it?'

She said faintly, 'No—I don't—I can't…'

His voice was soft, 'Yes, you can, darling,' but there was a note in it that made her shiver. Dazed, Kate looked at him, her eyes widening as they met his.

He wasn't smiling either. His blue eyes were like chips of steel, his mouth hard and set.

He said, 'Let's go up to our room, my sweet. I can't wait to be alone with you.'

And his hand closed like a vice on her arm, urging her up the stairs in front of him.

It was a large room, and the biggest thing in it was the bed. It dominated everything else, and Kate had the feeling that wherever she stood, even if she turned her back, she would still catch sight of it from the corner of her eye.

There were other things to notice too. Flowers everywhere, for instance, and a basket of fruit, and champagne on ice.

She thought, it's like a bridal suite,' and had to quell the nervous laugh rising up in her throat, because there was nothing to laugh at. She'd got herself into this impossible situation, and now, somehow, she had to get out of it again.

She walked over to the windows which opened on to a balcony. The night air was warm and still. In the distance she could hear the faint sound of music—a drumbeat—and farther off what might have been the sound of the sea.

Behind her, she heard Matt tip the bellboy, and tell him they didn't want to be disturbed. She heard his cheerful 'Goodnight' and the closing of the door, and she waited, a strange aching trembling spreading through the pit of her stomach.

Matt said softly, 'Alone at last.'

Kate turned slowly and faced him, her arms folded defensively across her diaphragm. There were marks on her wrist where his fingers had gripped her, she noticed with a kind of astonishment.

He took off the beautifully cut lightweight jacket he had been wearing and tossed it on to the bed, then began to loosen his tie. The blue eyes held hers enigmatically.

He said, 'You're very quiet, darling. Tired after the flight? Then an early night's just what you need.'

Her lips parted helplessly, but she couldn't think of anything to say, although speech was essential and growing more so by the second.

Matt said, unbuttoning his shirt, 'I need a shower. Do you want to use the bathroom first?'

'No—yes—I mean…' Kate floundered to a halt.

The dark brows lifted interrogatively. 'Yes, what exactly do you mean?'

She swallowed, 'I didn't expect—this.' She gestured around her.

'Don't you like the room?'

'I—I expected one of my own.'

'You did?' He shook his head slowly. 'That wasn't in the deal.'

Her lips felt dry, and she moistened them with the tip of her tongue. 'About that…'

'Yes?' His shirt joined his jacket and tie on the bed. Hands on hips, he watched her. His mouth was smiling, but his eyes held the same steely coldness which had startled her down in the foyer. 'What about it?'

Kate lifted her chin. 'I think you know already,' she said.

'That you intend to renege on our bargain?' His voice was cool and contemptuous. 'Yes, of course I know. You could hardly have made your intentions more obvious.'

'Oh?' She looked at him warily. 'I don't know how…'

'Your performance so far hasn't been particularly impressive,' he said evenly. 'Or did you think I was so eaten up with my own sexual conceit that I would simply accept it at its face value? No, darling, you didn't fool me for a moment. I knew quite well I was being set up, and why.'

It annoyed her to think he had found her so transparent, but she didn't see how else she could have behaved.

'Then we know where we stand,' she said. She held out her hand. 'If you'll give me my case, I'll go down to the desk and see about another room.'

'Save yourself a trip,' he said. 'There are no other rooms.'

'Oh,' Kate said uncertainly. She paused. 'But there'll be other hotels.'

'Plenty of them,' he agreed. 'But you're going nowhere—at least not tonight. Tomorrow you're flying to St Antoine with me, just as we arranged.'

She said hotly, 'I'll do nothing of the sort! You must be mad if you think…'

'You haven't the least idea what I think,' Matt Lincoln said with icy emphasis. 'All you did was make some wild assumptions, and I decided to let you.' He walked towards her, and Kate shrank. He noticed the swift, instinctive movement and his face hardened, but he made no attempt to touch her as she had been dreading. There was a chair near the window, made from bamboo and deeply cushioned, and he dragged it forward. 'Sit,' he told her briefly. 'And listen.'

'I'd rather stand,' Kate said defiantly.

'I'm not interested in your preferences,' he said flatly. 'Sit!'

There was something in his face which prompted obedience. Kate sat, glaring at him.

He gave her a faint smile. 'You've learned your first lesson, darling. And now I'll tell you why you're here, and why you're staying, and it has nothing to do with my unbridled lust for your undoubtedly delectable body.'

The note in his voice made her cringe inwardly. She wanted to tell him she wasn't going to remain there and be insulted, but it sounded absurd, a comedy line, and this wasn't funny at all. She'd never felt less like laughing in her life, and this whole humiliating situation was entirely of her own creation, which made it even worse.

He said, 'I'm going to St Antoine to work, but it's not a thing I want generally known. So—you're my cover story. For anyone who wants to know, I'm in St Antoine to enjoy the sun, and a romantic interlude with my new lady.' He paused. 'That's your role, and I expect you to be rather more convincing in it than you've been so far.'

She stared at him, her eyes widening. 'You expect me to pretend that—that I'm in love with you?' she demanded huskily.

His mouth twisted mockingly. 'I think that's straining credibility, don't you? A state of mutual physical enrapturement might be easier to aim for, perhaps.'

Kate swallowed. 'I'm glad you think so.'

He said gently, 'I hope you'll think so too. Play the part as I've written it, and you'll have nothing whatever to fear from me. Is that clear?'

'And if I won't?'

He shrugged, his face hardening again. 'Then we'll play it for real.' His gaze stripped her. 'It would be no hardship, believe me.'

She said hoarsely, 'If you're prepared to use force, how do I know I can trust you?'

'You don't,' he told her laconically. 'Will it reassure you if I say I've never used force with a woman in my life?'

She produced a travesty of a smile. 'Not particularly.' She was remembering that kiss, and knew that he was, too, and the realisation galled her. Her hands were clenched together in her lap. Staring down at her tightly woven fingers, she said, 'Do I really have no choice? What's to stop me walking out of here right now?'

'I am.' He smiled down at her silkily. 'I'm sure you're not penniless, but you wouldn't get far without your passport.'

'My God,' Kate said unevenly. 'You really are a bastard!'

'It's been said before,' he dismissed briefly. He gave her a long steady look. 'And if it comes to it, you're no lady yourself. We made a bargain, even if you had the terms slightly wrong, and you were going to run out on it.' He shook his head reprovingly. 'Welshers aren't nice people.'

Kate said with a snap, 'What would you know about nice people?' She drew a deep breath. 'May I know what this hush-hush job is on St Antoine? As I'm going to be so closely involved with it, I feel I have a right to know.'