Lilian Peake - Stranger Passing By

‘Jet lag,’ she put in, ‘not hangover.’

His eyes opened slowly, his gaze mocking. ‘So many sides to the beautiful Crystal Rose. Chauffeur, minder, good Samaritan, political agitator—’

‘No!’

‘You mean, you’re not beautiful?’ Deliberately misunderstanding, Brent lifted his arms, resting his head on them. With an eyebrow arched, long legs stretched out, appreciation glinted in the faintly lustful gaze as it sketched her outline, which her thin cotton belted wrap did little to hide.

‘No—I mean, yes. What I mean is—’ An exasperated sigh came from the depths of her. ‘Will you please stop referring to my defence of my colleagues’ jobs this evening as evidence that I’m a revolutionary at heart? All I wanted was to safeguard their means of livelihood—people like Maureen Hilson, who’s got an invalid mother to look after.’

‘Caring as well as compassionate. I must look out your private file and make sure all these attributes are noted down.’

‘What use will that be, Mr Akerman, when in a few weeks, along with all the others, I’ll be an ex -employee of yours?’

‘Mm.’ Those dark eyes sketched a more intimate outline, shading in the curves and inlets like an artist sketching a particularly attractive piece of coastline. ‘Play your cards right, Miss Rose, and—’

‘ Goodnight , Mr Akerman.’ She swung to the door. ‘Better luck with sleeping for the time that’s left.’

He was on his feet and grabbing her before she had finished the sentence, and she hit the sofa beside him with a bump.

‘I’m a stranger in a strange land, Miss Rose,’ he declared softly. ‘I’m shy.’ His eyes held as many glints as the chandelier. ‘I need reassurance—yours, as my hostess.’ Laughter lurked as he whispered against her ear, making it tingle unbearably, ‘I need my hand held, Crystal Rose.’

He took hers in a caressing hold, but loosely, so that all her hand needed to do was slip away from his. But it didn’t. Perversely it stayed right there, liking so much the feel of his palm against its back, the strength of the long fingers that pushed their way between its own.

He then proceeded to unfasten his shirt buttons, placing her hand against his chest.

‘Feel the way my heart’s fluttering, Miss Rose,’ he said huskily, ‘it’s jumping with sheer nerves at finding itself in the middle of the night in a stranger’s house.’

There was the roughness of chest hair softening the hard breadth and sinew of him, but no sign of a quivering beat, only the vigorous hammering of the healthy heart of a jungle hunter in hot pursuit of its prey. The intimate contact of her hand against his flesh was electric, making her own heart flutter and dance in the most disconcerting way.

Her eyes collided with his, and to her consternation they could not tear themselves free. Laughter persisted in that grey gaze, mixed in with a predatory gleam, and a hint of very masculine desire. Not a sign of the shyness he professed to feel, but how could she have even begun to believe his outrageous statement?

‘If I really believed you meant what you said about being shy, Mr Akerman,’ she commented, ‘I’d believe anything.’

She had meant it to come out with scorn laced with sarcasm, but she heard the catch in her throat, the quick intake of her own breath. He was having the same mind-blowing effect on her as he’d had from the moment she had set eyes on him.

Holding her gaze, he slid his hands to her shoulders, and before she was aware of his intention he had pulled her round and into his arms. Every particle of her knew she shouldn’t be there, but her cheek had ignored all the warning signals and had taken the liberty of nestling cosily against the wall of his chest.

His arms held her loosely, but Crystal was certain that if she tried to escape they would clamp her to him without mercy.

‘That’s better, Miss Rose,’ he sighed against her hair, ‘much better. You’re doing a great job of reassuring this timid guest of yours that his hostess won’t bite him.’

Crystal laughed, then pulled back her head and searched his face. His mouth twitched and, flushing deeply, she disentangled herself from him. Yes, she had been right about the intended double meaning.

‘That’s not my way, Mr Akerman,’ she declared, winding her wrap more closely around her.

He closed his eyes, legs outstretched, arms folded. Crystal gathered up the scattered cushions and placed them in a pile.

A shiver caught up with her, telling her how cool a night it was. She switched on the imitation coal fire that stood in the grate, then crept out to find a blanket, gently spreading it over him. Crouching down, she eyed his shoes. Dared she unlace them and ease them off? With her hand light as a butterfly on his knee, she scanned his features, and her heart turned over at the intensely unhappy expression on his handsome face.

She wanted to throw her arms round him to comfort him, easing the pain he was undoubtedly feeling. She wanted to offer him sympathy, ease away his sadness, soothe him with her warmth, her love ...

Horrified by her thoughts, she made to rise, when a hand rested on hers on his knee. Mortified that he had known all along that her hand was there, she began to snatch hers away, when his hold tightened and he pulled her round and on to the sofa again.

His arm settled around her, and although she knew she should move away not a single nerve or bone in her body tensed to follow her mind’s instructions.

His fingers tipped her chin and the glow from the electric fire lit her features, while his, to her chagrin, remained in shadow.

‘When you looked at me, what were your thoughts?’ he queried huskily.

So he’d seen her looking at him! And she had thought the light was so subdued and his eyes closed so tightly that her scrutiny of his face would have been a total secret.

‘You looked so unhappy, Mr Akerman,’ she answered softly, straining without success to read his expression, ‘that I—’

‘You wanted to apply first aid?’ He shook his head. ‘My emotions, my feelings—they’re beyond repair. Forget them. I follow my male instincts these days; my emotions, where the act of love is concerned, are in cold store, and there they’ll stay.’ Why, Crystal wondered, had her heart just sunk like a stone? ‘And you, Miss Rose,’ his slow kiss was a mere tantalising brush of the lips, ‘look pale and tired and in need of sleep. Put your arm across my shoulders.’

Too weary now to disobey, she did as he had told her. His arm enclosed her and her cheek found itself nestling once more against soft masculine fuzz, while a rhythmic drum beat reassuringly beneath her ear.

As her eyes closed she told herself that OK, so she shouldn’t really be there, that she should remind herself of who he was and draw away, but for once she disregarded her powerful conscience and nestled even closer to the man in whose arms she was drifting into a beautiful sleep.

* * *

She found the note next morning. Sunlight shining in through her bedroom window surprised her awake.

That’s strange, she thought, I must have forgotten to close the curtains last night. Then it all came back. No strong arms held her, no gently breathing chest supported her head. She was back in her own bed.

Since she remembered nothing about climbing the stairs, and she wasn’t given to sleep-walking, there was only one way she could have got there, and that was in the arms of the person who had pulled the cover over her.

Brent Akerman, removing her wrap and—she looked down at herself—seeing far more than her outline beneath the lightweight fabric of her nightdress? She blushed at the thought. But maybe she had dreamed that Brent had held her close in the small hours?