Part Time Marriage (17 page)

`My darling love' he had called her when, at the height of their shared passion, she had met his fire with an unsuspected matching fire of her own. Her desire for him burning out of control, holding him with urgent, wanting hands, she had felt the joy and urgency of his touch, responding with her all as Noah took her to new, and yet more new and staggeringly unexpected pinnacles of rapture.

Tenderly, when passion had been spent, Noah had kissed her face, such tenderness taking the place of the inferno of fire that had consumed them both. `You were bewitching,' he breathed.`An unimaginable delight.'

Elexa lay in the dark looking up at him, still i n the thrall of his lovemaking. `I- never knew i t could be like that,' she whispered. `I-never knew I could be like that.'

He tenderly touched his lips to hers, and she loved his kisses, loved his body on hers.Loved the intimacy of it, the freedom. Noah seemed to like it too.`Sweet enchantress,' he murinured. `But you must get some rest.' And she wasn't sure he did not sound regretful as he moved from her. But intimacy was still there when Noah bade her, `Go to sleep,' and tenderly kissed her breasts, kissed her mouth again, and kept her in the cradle of one arm until she slept. She opened her eyes at some time in the night and felt his body-warmth against her, and everything inside her collapsed in a loving jumble. She loved him so much. Did he perhaps love her a little? Don't be stupid, scoffed common sense. Love was never part of the bargain. She halted on that thought. Neither had to make love when there was not the smallest chance she would become pregnant been part of the bargain. Hope rose-and she gave herself up to the bliss of just lying beside the man she loved.

She fell asleep again, but was awakened by someone knocking on the bedroom door. It was Noah's mother, to tell him he was wanted on the telephone.Some flap or other going on.

He was instantly awake, or perhaps had already been awake, but he had one arm still around Elexa when he called, `I'm on my way,' to his mother.Though he seemed in no hurry to start his day. Sitting up and looking down at his wife, he apologised softly, `Sorry to wake you.'

`Good morning,' she bade him shyly.

`You can blush like that after what you did?' he gently teased. After what she did?He had been the instigator! `I-er-your phone call's waiting.'

He sighed heavily,then grinned at her, but, unconscious of his nakedness, got out of bed, his back to her. Instinctively she closed her eyes, but he was her husband and last night she had enjoyed his body to the full. It seemed ridiculous to start being modest now. Elexa opened her eyes again. She loved the tall, long length of him as he found his clothes and shrugged into them.

She thought he would go without another word, but he came back and sat on the edge of the bed. `All right?' he asked, looking into her velvety brown eyes.

Never better. `All right,' she answered.

`That's my girl,' he said, and bent and kissed her, followed that kiss with a gentle smile-and then went to take his phone call.

Elexa stayed where she was after he had gone. She didn't want to get up. Perhaps Noah would come back. Perhaps he would take her in his arms again.Perhaps... Wondering what Noah had awakened in her that she should want to be in his arms again, to make love with him again, Elexa speedily got out of bed. Her underclothes were strewnAround the bedroom and she quickly gathered them up, grateful that Mrs Peverelle had merely knocked on the door and had not popped her head into the room to tell her son of his urgent phone call.

Elexa was grateful, too, for Noah's thoughtfulness in hanging her dress over a chair, and went to take a quick shower. She was dressed and had just finished tidying her hair when Noah returned.

`Do you always eat breakfast?' he asked, coming to stand behind her, their eyes meeting in the mirror.

`Only in the potato-picking season,' she replied, and absolutely adored him when he kissed the top of her head.

`I have to return to London,' he informed her.

She gathered that meant straight away, and was already on her feet. `Well, grab me a King Edward and let's go,' she responded. Their goodbyes to his parents were hasty. `Come and see us again and stay longer next time,' Ruth Peverelle instructed, giving her a hug. Noah's father gave her a hug too, and as soon as they had said goodbye to Sarah and Lewis, they were on their way.

`Scott must still be in bed,' Elexa murmured as the car sped northwards.

`He didn't stay overnight,' Noah stated, and after an unsmiling moment asked, `You know what to tell him when he rings you at your office?'

She didn't think for a second that Scott Wheeler would do anything of the kind and could not take Noah's question seriously. `Yes, dear,' she said obediently, as any good wife would. She didn't think Noah was going to be amused, but, glancing at him, she saw his lips twitch.

All too soon they arrived at her apartment building. Noah got out of the car with her and, looking down at her, `I'll be in touch,' he said, and as brown eyes stared solemnly back at him he drew her to him and kissed her. He stepped back, his gaze still on her, and she desperately wanted to know what he was thinking. But, without another word, he turned swiftly away and went smartly back to his car. Elexa went home from work on Monday and waited anxiously all evening for the telephone to ring. It did not ring, and Elexa, having been up on high, because of some absurd notion that her time with Noah over the weekend might have meant a little something to him, plummeted down to the depths because all too obviously it hadn't.

Perhaps he was extremelybusy, she excused him, when she awoke on Tuesday. After all he had needed to rush back to London on Sunday.

Reading the newspaper in her lunch hour, Elexa discovered what Sunday's flap had been all about. Some well-known company was attempting to take over one of the companies under the umbrella of the Samara Group and had yesterday received a brief answer for their trouble.

International Chairman, Noah Peverelle, had apparently politely advised them that, in the unlikely event of Foskett and Williams coming on the market, he would personally let them know. In other words, don't hold your breath.

Noah did not telephone her that night either, and Elexa started to become increasingly anxious. Her fertile period had begun yesterday and would end Friday. The very best possible chance she had to conceive his child would be tomorrow, Wednesday. He knew that; she knew that he did. She got up on Wednesday, certain that Noah would ring that day. He had phoned her at work before, so he knew where to get hold of her. She went home that evening with the only personal call she had taken being from Scott Wheeler, who had telephoned to say he was in the area and could he take her to lunch?

Elexa had been feeling so heartsick waiting for Noah to ring that she'd felt like telling Scott she'd love to have lunch with him and could he make it the Montgomery? Two things had been against that. It had only been a very remote possibility that Noah would be lunching there today and, anyway, she had no wish to encourage Scott Wheeler.

So she had given him the answer any respectable married woman would. 'I'm sorry,' she had apologised nicely, `but most of my lunch hours are taken up with business-and those that aren't I reserve for Noah.'

Bad form, Elexa-prim-she mused as she put down the phone. She could have been kinder. On the other hand, Scott had got a nerve. Be it only lunch he'd invited her to, it was still the thin end of the wedge. But, anyhow, she was off men in general at the moment.

Her phone rang when she got in. She made a dive for it. It was her mother! `I thought you must be there. I rang Noah's place first, knowing he was in England, but there was no reply.'

`Noah's a bit busy this week,' Elexa invented off the top of her head.

`I know. He was on television at lunchtime-something fascinating to do with finance. You'll be going over to his place later, I expect?"

'Mmm.'Which wasn't an outright lie. `How are you and Dad?'

Apparently her mother hadn't phoned for anything in particular-it just seemed to her an age since they had lastspoken, and she chatted away for ten or so minutes before saying, `Well, I mustn't keep you. Noah might be trying to get through as we speak.'

Since Noah was not trying to get through, Elexa wondered if she was supposed to ring him. Hang that for a game of marbles! He knew today was the day. If he couldn't ring her, she'd be blessed if she would ring him.

She went to bed that night wondering, since Noah still had her spare keys, if he might let himself in later. Bubbles to that, she thought, and started to get angry. Yet, even angry, she hated herself that, because she loved him so much she couldn't be sure she would definitely tell him to get lost, should he turn up in the middle of the night.

By morning she was feeling defeated. She still loved him, even though she wished that she didn't. She had wondered why she had not told him of her love for him when last Saturday they had made love so fantastically. She now knew why. Noah did not love her. True, she quickly reminded herself, it had never been in their agreement that he should love her. But she had so hoped that their time together last weekend had meant something to him, however small.

But all too clearly it hadn't. If anything, it seemed as if he had gone off her. Ah! Suddenly her breath caught and she felt as if she had received a blow to her heart. A gasp of sound escaped as it all at once came to her that last Saturday's spontaneous lovemaking had taken Noah by surprise. It should not have happened but it had, and, despite his parting 'I'll be in touch'.he obviously would not be. Noah Peverelle, the man she had married, had clearly stated in her hearing that he did not have space for any emotional entanglements. Clearly, when for once their lovemaking had been unplanned, the fact that she had responded so whole heartedly had him running scared.

By the time she was showered and dressed, Elexa was ready to punch his head. After a night spent in torment, frantically worrying if she had given away her feelings for him in those heady unplanned moments, she drove to work looking at everything from another angle. Just a minute, here! Who did he think he was? What right had he not to phone her? Him, with his `My darlinglove' ! It wasn't all her fault, or even half of it. He had been the one to start it! Let him ring now-she knew he was in the country; her mother had seen him on TV.

He did ring. After the dullest weekend Elexa could ever remember, Noah rang her on Monday evening. Her heart leapt the moment she heard his voice, and she promptly forgot every thought she'd had about what she would tell him when and if she ever spoke to him again.

`It occurred to me that perhaps I'm not being entirely fair,' he commented for openers.

`Fair?' she queried carefully; as yet she had no idea what this call was all about, but was well aware that he knew that her fertile time was now over.

`To your parents,' he answered. 'I'm not with you.'

`We've spent time with my parents since our marriage,' he replied-when she had been certain that weekend would never get a mention. `It seems only right, as your mother has suggested we have dinner with them some time, that we spend some time with your parents.'

Good heavens' Feeling very much staggered-and, she had to admit, warmed by this turn of events, Elexa just had to check her hearing. `You want us, you and I, to go to my parents for dinner?"

'I thought if there's a restaurant near to them you'd recommend, maybe we could take them there. I have to be away tomorrow for a few days. But if next Saturday is convenient for you and them...?"

'I'll see what I can arrange,' Elexa said, and, realising she should perhaps have hedged a little, 'I'll give you a call towards the end of the week,' she added, and hastily put the phone down before she might agree to anything else that might be on offer.

Not that he would be suggesting anything else, she scolded herself firmly. It was only his sense of fairness that had him contacting her now.That, and perhaps a thank-you to her for going down to his parents' home the other Saturday... Oh, for goodness' sake, don't start thinking about that time again. Not that it was his lovemaking she dwelt on so much, more their wonderful kind of togetherness, the feel of his strong arm about her as she surfaced from sleep.The... Elexa was in bed that night when, with a start, she all at once thought she had the answer to why Noah hadn't contacted her last week. He wanted a divorce.

She felt as if she had been kicked, winded, when she suddenly saw what all this was about. That Saturday night they had shared at his parents, unplanned, unscheduled, had been a mistake. A mistake that had caused him to reconsider the wisdom of staying married.

Quite plainly, in his re-evaluation of his situation, he had decided to end it before matters became any more entangled. And, she all at once realised, in making that decision he, having this `thing' about fairness, was just evening up the `parental' score. She had dined with his parents; he, in turn, would dine with hers.

Elexa went to work the next day ready to tell Noah Peverelle she had no interest in his `fairness' of mind. There was no way she was going to contact her parents and invite them to dine with them.

That evening, her mother rang, and Elexa found that she didn't have any choice in the matter. `I thought, as Noah has to go away again, that I'd give you a call in case you were feeling lonely,' her mother almost sang, and before Elexa could begin to wonder how her parent had known he was away, she said, `Noah rang me this morning, as you know.' Kaye Aston rattled cheerfully away. `I told him about the Royal Oak Hotel being so good, and he said he'd book it for Saturday.' She chatted on in the same vein, plainly believing that Elexa had known all about Noah's morning phone call. `I'm looking forward to seeing you both again,' she stated happily. 'I'm so looking forward to Saturday.'

What could she say? `So am I,' Elexa replied, and spent some minutes after her mother had rung off intensely disliking Noah Peverelle. It didn't last, of course. She went to bed as deeply in love with him as ever.

`You were going to ring,' he reminded her when he telephoned on Saturday morning-he would never know the effort of will it had cost her not to ring him.