Legacy of Desire (21 page)

Moving her head a little she was able to draw him into her mouth, and for the first time tasted the slightly salty clear fluid. She had never done anything like this for Phil, nor had she ever wanted to, but now she wished that she could draw Jay even deeper inside her. Almost without thinking her fingers began to stroke his testicles and she felt them moving and growing. He gave a soft sigh of pleasure then, as she began to run her tongue around the underside of his glans, he pushed her abruptly away.

‘I’ll come too soon,’ he warned her, drawing her upwards onto the bed with him so that they were lying side by side, and she could feel his erection pressing against her lower belly.

Without even waiting to be asked Davina crouched on all fours, easing him slowly inside her and feeling a delicious sensation of fullness as she lowered herself onto his hips. Jay lay quietly for a few moments while Davina rhythmically contracted her internal muscles around him, causing the hot tightness to begin to fill her belly once more. Then he sat up, wrapped his arms
around her and, keeping her in position, swung his feet over the side of the bed.

‘Wrap your arms round my neck,’ he murmured huskily.

Once she was secure he stood up and she clutched him even tighter, wrapping her legs around his back and crossing her ankles. His hands were beneath her buttocks, holding her in place, but she was still grateful when he finally pushed her against the wall of the bedroom. This time he was the one in control, pushing fiercely into her, his fingers digging into her flesh. ‘Tighten yourself about me again,’ he begged her. ‘Milk me until I come.’

Davina was shaking violently with excitement, overwhelmed by it all, and she obeyed gladly. Jay’s breath ing grew shallow and his normally pale complexion flushed as he drew nearer and nearer to orgasm. Davina knew that she too was about to come. She wriggled against him, pushing her hips away from the wall a little in order to stimulate her clitoris against his pubic bone until, at almost exactly the same moment, they both climaxed. Jay shuddered and groaned while Davina uttered tiny ecstatic cries of delight.

She fully expected Jay to put her down the moment it was over but instead he kept his arms about her and, carrying her back to the bed, laid her down gently on the coverlet before sitting next to her. She saw that he was looking at her with an expression of bewilderment on his face. ‘What’s wrong?’ she asked.

‘I don’t understand what it is about you,’ he murmured. ‘Why should you be different?’ Davina sensed that it would be better to say nothing, that he was probably talking to himself. She smiled at him, then closed her eyes as his hands caressed her. Finally, he bent down and kissed her softly on the mouth. ‘You’re incredible,’ he said. ‘But it would never work.’

Davina frowned. ‘What do you mean?’

Abruptly Jay moved away from her and began to dress. ‘That was great. I think I could do with a bite to eat now, how about you?’ he asked brightly.

She blinked in surprise. The change of mood was so extraordinary it was difficult to take in. ‘I’m not hungry.’

‘You sure? There’s nothing I can get you?’

‘Nothing at all.’

‘Guess you’ll want to be going then.’

‘Going?’ she asked stupidly.

‘Yeah, back to your cottage. The game’s over now.’

‘The game?’ For a moment she’d forgotten how the evening had begun, but then the memories came flooding back. ‘I’d forgotten the game,’ she confessed.

‘Is that a fact? You shouldn’t do that, it allows your opponent to win.’

Davina stared at him. ‘Are you my opponent?’

Jay nodded. ‘Of course. I’ve been your opponent from the moment your uncle died.’

‘And that includes tonight?’

‘Sure.’

‘I see.’

‘What the hell else did you think we were? A couple of starry-eyed lovers?’

Davina wanted to cry, but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing how much he’d hurt her because she was certain that this was what he was trying to do. He needed to push her away because he was frightened by the intimacy they’d just shared. ‘No,’ she said smoothly. ‘I never thought that.’

‘Good. Guess that’s your rent paid for the week then.’

‘For the whole week?’

Jay nodded. ‘I’ll be in touch,’ he said abruptly and left the room.

Davina didn’t allow herself to cry until she was back in the safety of her own cottage, lying in her own bed, but then she cried for a long time because she didn’t know what more she could do if she and Jay were ever going to have a proper relationship.

Jay was already eating breakfast the next morning when Pattie walked into the dining room. ‘So, what was it like with her last night?’ she asked.

Jay didn’t want to answer. The last thing he needed right now was to have to discuss Davina with Pattie. He’d got quite enough on his mind. ‘Okay.’ His voice was non-committal.

‘You seemed pretty exhausted by it all. You didn’t even ask if I’d had a good time when I got into bed last night.’

‘Are you complaining?’

Pattie pouted. ‘I guess I feel kind of ignored,’ she admitted.

Jay decided to tell her the truth, but not the whole truth. ‘It was good sex.’

‘Is that all?’

‘Would you clarify what you mean by all?’

Pattie poured herself some coffee, her hand shaking slightly with anger. ‘I hate it when you talk to me as though I’m in the witness box. Why should I clarify “all”? You know perfectly well what I mean.’

‘I don’t.’

‘I mean was it special? Did she drive you wild with desire? Or, more excitingly, did you terrify her?’

‘Why should I want to terrify her?’

‘You tell me,’ retorted Pattie. ‘You seemed intent on frightening her earlier in the evening. I assumed you carried on in the same way once we’d gone.’

‘Then you assumed wrong. We just had sex.’

‘But you never “just have sex”,’ said Pattie. ‘You’re a sensualist, so tell me what it was like.’

‘I haven’t asked you to describe what went on between you, Tanya and Todd, have I?’

‘No.’

‘Then let’s leave it, shall we? I’ve got far more important things on my mind right now than what happened in the bedroom last night.’

Pattie glared at him and he braced himself for further
interrogation but, clearly thinking better of it, Pattie decided to sulk silently instead. That didn’t bother Jay, he was totally unaffected by her moods. What bothered him right now was the way he’d felt the previous evening. He’d had it so meticulously planned and had been certain that he would either despise Davina for going along with his game or, if she’d lost her nerve and left, that his interest in her would have vanished. He’d been totally wrong. She’d stayed, but by staying she’d managed to intrigue him even more.

Far worse in his opinion was the fact that when he was finally alone with her, he’d felt a wave of tenderness sweep over him. This was something totally alien to Jay and even now he couldn’t quite believe it had happened. He was beginning to think that the wretched girl had cast a spell over him. If that was true then at least the telephone call he’d received from America that morning had shown him a way to break the spell. He despised himself for his own weakness; running away was not his usual method of handling things, but in this case it appeared be the only answer.

‘Hi,’ said Tanya, wandering into the room. ‘Looks
like it’s gonna be another great day. Why don’t we take a drive into Oxford and see the sights, Jay?’

‘Sounds like a good idea, but I’m afraid you’ll have to get Todd to take you,’ explained Jay, rising to his feet. ‘I’ve been summoned back to the States.’

‘Oh no,’ groaned Pattie. ‘How long will you be gone?’

‘A week to ten days, maybe longer.’

‘Do you want me to come with you?’

Jay shook his head. ‘There’s no point. I’ll be back here before you notice I’m gone, and I’ll be working day and night in any case so you’d be bored out of your skull.’

‘Does Davina know?’ asked Tanya.

‘What’s it got to do with her?’ The moment he’d spoken Jay realised that his voice was too abrupt and he saw Tanya’s eyes widen for a split second. ‘I only heard myself this morning,’ he continued hastily. ‘I guess she’ll be pleased to have a break from paying the rent.’

‘Are you sure it’s that way round?’ asked Tanya quietly.

‘Meaning?’

‘She means are you sure you’re not glad to have a break from collecting the rent,’ said Pattie sweetly. ‘I don’t think that can be true, Tanya. He’s very secretive about what went on between the pair of them last night. I guess he’ll miss her a hell of a lot.’

‘Davina seems to obsess you,’ said Jay.

‘I don’t think
I’m
the one who’s obsessed with her,’ snapped Pattie. ‘I saw the way you watched her last night. You wanted us all to play with her but then you got jealous, didn’t you? You wanted her to yourself, that’s why you sent us all out of the room.’

Jay felt utterly exhausted. He’d never had to handle emotions before, at least not his own, and he was finding it very tiring. ‘We’ve already been over all this. Just drop it, honey.’

‘When you get back,’ said Pattie slowly, ‘I think maybe you’re going to have to make a few decisions, Jay.’

‘Yeah? About what?’

‘I’d rather not say in front of Tanya.’

‘Your timing’s way off beam, Pattie,’ Jay cautioned her. ‘When I get back we can discuss anything you like. Right now, I’ve gotta focus my mind on my work.’

‘So you’ll be shut in your study all morning?’ Pattie’s displeasure was obvious.

‘Yes,’ agreed Jay, but once he’d left the dining room he walked out through the front door and made his way along the gravel path to Davina’s cottage. When she opened the door to him he noticed that her eyes were red-rimmed and slightly puffy. Remembering the way he’d behaved after they’d made love he felt a twinge of guilt, which he quickly suppressed. Guilt was a waste of time.

The expression on Davina’s face was unfathomable. ‘I thought I’d already paid my rent.’

‘Yeah, you have. I came to tell you I’m going back to the States.’

He was surprised at how disappointed he felt that she showed no great reaction. ‘For good?’ she asked.

‘No. A week, ten days, something like that.’

‘Why are you telling me? Do you want payment now for the time you’re going to be away?’

At that moment Jay admired her more than he’d ever admired any woman. ‘I think that can wait until I get back. It merely seemed polite to tell you.’

‘Fine, you’ve told me, now I know.’

She was making him uncomfortable and he couldn’t understand why. He was always in control, yet even in a courtroom cross-examining a difficult witness he’d never felt this awkward; her attitude wasn’t at all what he’d expected. ‘You’ll be all right?’

She looked as astonished to hear him say the words as he was to hear himself utter them. ‘What’s it to you?’

‘It was a stupid thing to say. If you need anything from the main house then go to Todd. Pattie isn’t exactly well disposed towards you at the moment. She thinks we were alone for too long last night.’

Davina’s reply was swift. ‘I’d rather not talk about last night.’

‘Suits me,’ he said fervently.

Davina started to close the door. ‘Phil’s coming for the weekend tomorrow so I won’t be lonely. Please don’t worry about me,’ she said with mock sweetness.

‘I don’t know why I bothered to come and tell you,’ said Jay, feeling more uncomfortable by the minute.

‘Nor do I. Are you going back to the States for work or play?’

‘Work. I do all my playing here right now, as I’d have thought you’d realised.’

‘I don’t know anything about you,’ said Davina flatly and closed the door in his face.

Back in his study Jay felt totally frustrated. He couldn’t wait to get back to the States, putting England and Davina Fletcher in particular behind him. Work had always been the most important thing in his life. Davina had threatened to change the balance of things but he was certain that once he was the other side of the Atlantic his life would return to normal. All the same, every time he remembered the way she’d clasped her legs round him and he’d thrust into her so vigorously the previous night, he felt himself stir again. His natural honesty forced him to admit to himself that forgetting Davina was going to be more difficult than he was trying to pretend.

‘We can’t do it here!’ exclaimed Phil as Pattie clambered over the passenger seat and onto the back seat of his car.

‘Why not?’ She seemed surprised.

‘Because someone might see us.’

‘This lay-by’s pretty secluded and there isn’t room for another car. What are you worried about?’

‘I can’t do it anyway,’ explained Phil awkwardly. ‘I’ll be seeing Davina in fifteen minutes.’

‘So? You don’t have to tell her about this. You don’t know how much I’ve been longing to see you,’ purred Pattie.

Phil had been longing to see Pattie too, but he wasn’t going to say so. He was too worried about what would happen if she decided to tell Jay.

‘Come on,’ she urged him. ‘Look, I haven’t got anything on under my skirt,’ and she pulled up the microscopic piece of material that he supposed she was referring to. Beneath it she was totally naked. Her long tanned legs were fully exposed to him, as was the soft golden down of her pubic hair. She sprawled on the back seat moving one hand lazily between her slender thighs and her eyes started to glaze. ‘Hurry! Don’t you want me?’

‘Of course I want you.’

‘Then get in the back with me.’

Realising that he wasn’t going to keep Pattie’s interest by remaining thoroughly English and cautious, Phil opened the driver’s door and got into the back. Almost before he’d closed the door behind him her fingers were
fumbling at his belt, unfastening it before pulling down his zipper. Immediately his erection sprang through the opening in his boxer shorts.

Pattie gave a squeal of pleasure. ‘There, I knew you wanted it as much as I did. You look good enough to eat.’ Bending her head she took him into her mouth while at the same time running the fingers of her right hand up and down the stem of his erection until he could feel his testicles drawing up tightly beneath him.