Carole Mortimer - Ice In His Veins

It made her wonder if their mutual friends thought their relationship more intimate than it actually was. Colour flooded her cheeks at the thought. She couldn’t bear for people to think such things about her, no matter how erroneous those thoughts were.

She looked down at her clenched hands. ‘I suppose so,’ she mumbled.

Tim gave her a sharp look. ‘Hey, are you okay?’

She gave him a quick nervous smile, looking hurriedly away from his probing glance. ‘I’m fine,’ she lied.

One of his hands left the steering wheel to cover the nervous movements of hers as she fidgeted with her small black evening bag. ‘I’ve shocked you, haven’t I?’ he guessed with a sigh.

Eden attempted a light laugh, flicking her head back in a careless gesture. ‘Don’t be silly, Tim. I’m not a child who doesn’t know the facts of life.’

‘No, but you are an innocent, no matter how assured you like to act. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.’

‘I’m not upset.’ Her attempt to laugh it off sounded dismal even to her own ears.

‘Shocked, then.’

‘I’m not that either,’ she lied. ‘Good heavens, Tim, this is the twentieth century, and you’re quite old enough to do what you want, with whom you want.’

‘Yes, but——’

‘Let’s drop the subject, Tim,’ she said sharply, uncertain in her own mind why she was so shocked by his disclosure. She was aware that most of her friends freely engaged in sexual relations with their boy-friends. Why should Tim be any different from them, especially with the temptations he must have had? She was being stupid, childish, all the things he accused her of being, and yet she couldn’t stop herself. ‘Where are we going tonight?’ she herself changed the subject.

‘Delanie’s. Claire will be meeting us there later. She and her date are having dinner elsewhere.’ Claire was Tim’s older sister, a hard-headed career woman who had sacrificed any idea of marriage in preference to running the popular woman’s magazine she edited. She had little time for men and Eden was surprised at her having a date this evening. Not that Claire Channing wasn’t beautiful, she was, extremely so, but her intelligence and ambition often frightened away any would-be boy-friends. Besides, no man liked to date a woman who was earning more money than they were.

‘I didn’t realise she had a boy-friend,’ Eden couldn’t hide her curiosity.

Tim grinned. ‘She doesn’t. This is an old friend, someone she’s known for years. Whenever he’s in town she drops everything to go out with him.’

He must be something to affect the supremely confident and hardened Claire in this way. Eden felt a burning curiosity about the man who could make Claire forget her job. She herself liked Claire, had tremendous respect for her, but given the same choice, a career or marriage, Eden felt sure she would choose quite differently. But then Claire was nothing like her.

‘Have I ever met him?’ she asked now.

He shook his head. ‘It must be six months since he was last here. But don’t worry, you’ll like him, most women do. Although I don’t want you to like him too much,’ he added hurriedly. ‘And don’t be bowled over by his charm.’

‘Is that likely?’

‘Oh yes.’

Eden could feel herself starting to relax, the tension starting to leave her body. She laughed huskily, back on a footing with Tim she could cope with. ‘Could I make you jealous, Tim?’ she teased.

‘All too easily. Although I wouldn’t recommend it tonight, Claire is likely to do you an injury if you attempt to steal him away from her.’

‘She likes him that much?’

‘And the rest. She would marry him tomorrow if he asked her.’

‘And will he?’ So there was someone Claire considered more important than her career!

‘Not in a million years,’ Tim said with brutal honesty.

‘Does Claire know that?’

‘Oh, sure. But where he’s concerned she isn’t too proud to accept any crumbs he cares to give her.’

‘You mean…’

Tim laughed softly at her expression. ‘Poor Eden, this is your night for shocks. Yes, I mean they’re lovers.’

‘And yet it’s six months since she last saw him?’ She was dumbfounded.

He nodded. ‘But it could be six years and she’d still go running when he snapped his fingers.’

It didn’t sound like the Claire she knew, the Claire who could handle the advances of any man with chilling hauteur. ‘Doesn’t it bother you?’ she asked.

‘Why should it bother me? Claire’s a big girl, she makes her own decisions.’

‘Yes, but——’

‘I’m not her keeper, Eden. If she chooses to make a fool of herself every time the guy comes to town that’s up to her. She wouldn’t thank me for interfering.’

She could well imagine she wouldn’t. ‘Perhaps not, but——’

‘Wait until you’ve met him, Eden, and see for yourself how she changes in his company. No one could fight that.’

‘You like this man, don’t you,’ she stated with certainty, noting a certain respect when he spoke of the other man.

‘Sure I like him.’ Tim parked the car, turning in his seat to look at her. ‘Have you been put off the Channing family by these blunt revelations? Has it shocked you too much?’

She was a little less sure of her feelings towards him, but she wasn’t going to admit that to him, to show her naïveté any more clearly than she already had. She smiled brightly. ‘Of course not.’

He caressed one of her creamy cheeks with long gentle fingers. ‘I’m glad about that, because I do care for you, Eden, more than for any other girl I’ve ever dated. I wouldn’t like you to think I’d frightened you off me.’

He had a little, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. ‘I’m not easily frightened,’ she said jokingly. ‘Now, shall we go in?’

Tim straightened in his seat before getting out to come round and open her car door for her. He wrapped her jacket more firmly about her by pulling the lapels close together, bending to kiss her lightly on the nose. ‘Don’t go away,’ he ordered huskily, moving to lock the car before coming back to her side, his arm about her shoulders as he held her to his side. ‘I wish Claire wasn’t joining us now, we could have ducked out and gone somewhere to be alone.’

‘With what in mind?’ Her golden eyes were guarded.

‘Now, Eden,’ he rebuked gently. ‘Haven’t I always behaved perfectly with you?’

‘Perfectly,’ she agreed.

‘And I’m not going to behave any differently now. I respect and like you too much. Okay?’

‘Thank you,’ she smiled at him shyly.

‘Mm, now forget the conversation we had in the car. I’m a nice guy, remember?’

‘I remember,’ she laughed.

And she did try to keep that thought in mind during the next hour, tried to get back on the mildly flirtatious footing they had always been on. But something had changed between them, a new awareness there that hadn’t been in their relationship before. But she hid her uncertainty with him well, joining in with his lighthearted bantering with a gaiety she hoped only she knew was forced.

His admission of experience shouldn’t have had this effect on her, she had been out with other boys who she knew had an equal experience. And yet she had been getting very fond of Tim, more than fond, and she didn’t like to think there had been other girls in his life who had shared an intimate knowledge with him.

She felt a certain amount of relief therefore when he announced the arrival of his sister and her escort. He stood up. ‘Try not to show your disapproval,’ he bent down to whisper in her ear.

‘Oh, I wouldn’t!’ she told him indignantly.

He grinned down at her. ‘I know it.’