Dusky Rose (20 page)

"I'm glad you loosened your hair." Then he handed her a large earthenware mug. "Here, take some of this, it will warm your insides. It's the famous Lattimer Toddy."

Laura put the hairbrush down beside her and gratefully accepted the cup from David. She took a sip of the steaming liquid and gasped, "What on earth is in here?! It's more than coffee, I can tell you that. You know I can't drink liquor!"

David laughed. "Drink it. It will warm you up. You don't have to worry about me seducing you, although one might say I had the right, since we are married. But you have my word that I won't bother you. The liquor will help keep you warm and let you sleep more easily." He settled himself comfortably in front of the fire. Just then, the lights went out. "Damn, I was afraid of this. The rainwater must have knocked out one of the underground transformers, and our own power generator isn't functioning yet. O.K., finish your drink and get into bed. I doubt that the fireplace will provide enough heat to keep the room warm."

Laura placed her empty cup on the table and walked toward the bed. She slid under the fluffy softness of the goose down comforter and luxuriated as she stretched her body along the silky sheets. Emitting a sigh of absolute contentment, she looked up to see David's dark eyes gazing down at her. Pulling the comforter tightly up to her chin, she sat up in bed. "Where will you spend the night?"

David laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not going to force my attentions on you, although, I must say, that bed looks very inviting."

Laura started to slip out of the bed. "Here, I have no right to take your bed from you. I'll just take this quilt and cuddle up in that chair by the fire. I'll be perfectly comfortable."

David's dark eyes grew coldly furious. "Stay put, you'll do nothing of the sort! Have you forgotten that we're married? California is a community property state, making that bed just as much yours as it is mine and since you're not exactly willing to share with me, you can go ahead and keep it all." Then he took a blanket from the closet and settled himself on the sofa near the fire. Laura nestled under the comforter and closed her eyes.

Sometime later, she was awakened by a dazzling shaft of white light that blazed into the room. The accompanying roar of thunder was almost drowned out by the terrified scream that tore from Laura's lips. She heard swift footsteps and then she felt herself encircled by strong, comforting arms.

"Shh, it's nothing. Just some thunder and lightning. But you're safe here. I won't let anything hurt you."

Laura clung to David as he held her tightly in his arms. She raised her own arms, slipped them around his neck, and nestled her head against his chest. "Don't leave me, I'm so afraid." She tightened her grip on his neck as she sought the safety of his protective chest and the comforting warmth of his sinewy arms.

David tenderly brushed her hair with his hand. "It's all right," he said in a low husky voice. "I have no intention of leaving you, now or ever. Now, get back under the blankets. You're shivering with cold." He held the covers open for her and gently maneuvered her under them while he slid in beside her. Then he drew the comforter over them both, enclosing them in a warm cocoon of silky softness.

Laura moved closer to him, curling herself against the muscular strength of his powerful body. Her arms continued to embrace his neck while her face rested against his rapidly beating heart. She snuggled contentedly against him as he continued to stroke her hair, comforting her as if she were a frightened child until she dozed into a peaceful slumber.

Laura awoke the next morning as the lazy gray light of dawn came beaming through the rain spattered window. She stirred uneasily, struggling against the heavy weight that was bearing down across her waist. Turning her head to the side, she looked into David's sleeping face and recalled the events of the past evening, when she had clung to him, seeking comfort in the raging storm. She longed to reach out and place her hand against his cheek and nestle herself once more in the comfort of his arms. But a burning shame for the weakness her body had betrayed the previous night prevented her from doing any of these things. She knew that if she remained in his bed surrounded by the musky scent of his male virility she would succumb to the raging demands of her treacherous body, so she attempted to free herself from the imprisonment of his arm without disturbing him.

A tightening of his grip as she sought to release herself made her look quickly into his face. No longer were his eyes shrouded in the safety of sleep. Now they were gazing at her with unconcealed desire. Laura's body stiffened as she tried to release herself from the bed and get her feet onto the floor. David's hand gripped her elbow and dragged her taut body into the circle of his arms, pressing her full length against the straining desire of his own lean body. His mouth descended upon hers, assaulting it brutally as he moved his body over hers, his sheer masculine strength overwhelming her. There was no tenderness in his kiss, none of the comfort of the night before, only the same desire that gleamed in the smoky darkness of his eyes.

It was this that brought Laura back to her senses. She moved desperately beneath his imprisoning body, twisting her head from side to side as she sought to free her mouth from the painful demands he was inflicting upon her. Her voice reverberated in the silent room. "No, no, let me go! I hate you! You're hurting me!"

David's arms tensed about her, then loosened, leaving her free to slide from the bed. She ran into the bathroom and locked the door, crying frantically as she looked wildly about for her clothing which she quickly donned. She brushed her hair back, securing it with a rubberband she found in the vanity drawer. Then, fortified against David's advances by the protective shield of her clothing and severe hair style, she sat on the edge of the marble tub, wondering how she could leave this room and escape without having to face him. She was embarrassed by the thought that she had nearly given in to his temptation. His whole attitude toward her made it abundantly clear that he harbored no love or affection for her; his feelings were purely those of a virile man for a woman whose body he desired, while she was hopelessly caught in the whirlpool of love.

David's voice thundered against the bolted door. "Laura, come out. You can't stay in there for the rest of your life. I promise I won't come near you. I just want to talk to you."

Laura stiffened her resolve, unwilling to chance a physical encounter with him. "You promised you wouldn't touch me last night and I saw how you kept your word. I wouldn't trust you as far as I could throw you. I'm not coming out until you leave."

"Cut it out, Laura. What did you expect when I woke up to find you in my arms, all soft and warm from a cozy night's sleep? It's daylight now and we're both wide awake. I promise you I won't come within ten feet of you. Now come out here and stop acting like a sniveling infant!"

Laura tentatively opened the door, peering out cautiously until she saw David standing across the room, staring out the window. The distance between them seemed to provide her with a measure of safety and she had half decided to bolt from the room when he turned, caught sight of her and strode toward her, grasping her firmly by the elbow.

"Sit down! You're not going anywhere until we get this situation straightened out once and for all!"

"There's nothing to straighten out. You've made your intentions perfectly clear on several occasions and I am no longer going to be a party to them. I'm leaving you and I'm filing for a divorce. I don't think that even you are cruel enough to hurt Midge and Steven, and if you should do anything to harm them, I'll expose this whole rotten mess to the press. That should do wonders for your corporate image, Mr. D. Jonathan Lattimer. I'm not afraid of you anymore. You can't hurt me." Laura knew she was lying, for he was hurting her more than he would ever know, simply because he wouldn't, or couldn't, love her. But she knew that if she ever showed any sign of affection toward him, this arrogant man would only laugh and then use her own weakness as a new instrument of torture. She looked into his eyes, daring him to challenge her, hoping against hope that he would say something that would give her the right to fall into his arms and declare her love for him. But instead she met the cold, steely stare of the man who had the power to topple corporate boardrooms.

"Sit down, Laura, and listen carefully to what I have to say. You don't have to get a divorce. You're still as pure as the day I first met you in the lobby, where you were talking to your plants. I never laid a hand on you… No, I suppose that's not quite true. I held you in my arms on our wedding night. I longed for the feel of you beneath my hands and I held you close to me, hoping to be there when you awoke. Much as I wanted you, I hadn't sunk so low that I would take advantage of a sleeping woman. I guess I do have some moral standards, regardless of what you may think of me. But I couldn't be there when you awoke. There was a fire in our Dearborn chemical factory and I was called into the office. I spent a hectic day dealing with injured men and destroyed property and looked forward to coming home to your welcoming arms." He smiled grimly and there was a strange, bright look in his eyes. "But we both know what I found waiting for me. In any case, Laura, I know when I'm beaten. I want nothing more to do with you. You're perfectly right, I have no intention of harming Midge and Steven. They're fine people and I like them too much to do anything to hurt them." He took a piece of paper from his pocket. "Here, go see this man. He'll take care of the annulment. Now take the Porsche and get out of here. I'll have Dan pick me up later. It's time we put an end to this farce of a marriage once and for all." He strode out into the music room, slamming the door behind him.

Laura's eyes stung with the burning tears she was holding back. She remembered the anger and hostility in David's eyes and cringed as she headed down the road to the Porsche, where it was still parked after the storm. Turning for one last look at the magnificent home that would soon belong to Amanda Tate, she was jolted out of her reverie by the sight of the lonely figure standing at the music room window. David looked so alone that she longed to run back to him and fling herself into his arms, but she knew it was not her love he wanted. Amanda Tate was destined to be mistress of this house and of its owner's heart.

She started the Porsche and turned it around in the narrow driveway, avoiding the fallen cypress and heading for the gates. Her mind was a complete muddle. She had gotten the freedom she so desperately wanted but what would she do with it now that it was hers? No annulment papers would ever release her from the prison her love for David had constructed around her heart. But because she loved him, she would give him his freedom so that he could marry Amanda Tate. As for herself, there was not much she could do. The plant shop was sold and even if it wasn't, she had no further desire to remain in San Francisco. The haunting memories the city would always evoke were too unpleasant for her to live with. She would go back to Carmel and live among the peaceful memories of her youth. She could only hope that Aunt Estelle wouldn't ask too many questions about the break-up of her marriage.