Lifelong Affair (13 page)

'Nothing
about
Alex is stupid, Mrs Hammond,' she snapped. 'And I intend making a success of
the marriage, no matter whose suggestion it was initially.'

'You don't love my son
-
'

'I
  
care
  
for
  
him,
  
which
  
is
  
just
  
as
  
important.'
Morgan's eyes blazed.
 
'Alex is a
fine man, I'll be proud to be his wife.' 'Over my dead body!' Her mouth
twisted. 'If necessary,' she drawled.
   
-

I will not have you as a member of my family
        
'

'I'm
not too thrilled about having you as one of mine,' Morgan traded insult for
insult. 'But we don't have a choice when it comes to in-laws,' she snapped.
'Now if you wouldn't mind, I would like to get dressed.'

'But
I do mind. I'll never accept you as my daughter-in-law, Morgan.'

'Contrary
to your beliefs, Mrs Hammond, your acceptance is not important to me.' She
looked coldly at the other woman. 'Not at all.'

'You'll
regret this, Morgan!' the other woman almost shouted, losing her usual
composure completely.

'I
don't think so.'

'You'll
be no happier here than Glenna was!'

'Oh,
I think I will. You see, I know from the first how destructive you are. You
even lie to achieve your objective.'

'You're
talking about the night Alex spent in London?' Rita Hammond scorned.

You
know I am,' Morgan derided. 'I'll never fall for your lies again. Alex
was
working, and you knew
damn well he was.'

'Did
I?'

'Yes!'
she bit out tautly.

'Did
he tell you it was work?'

'Yes.
And I'm more inclined to believe him than I am you.'

'Then
you're a fool!'

'No,
I just happen to trust the man who's going to be my husband,' Morgan said
calmly.

'You're
both insane!' Rita Hammond was very flushed in her anger. 'No marriage can work
in these circumstances.'

'This
one will,' Morgan said with certainty.

'I'll
remind you that you said that when you can't take any more and leave,' the
other woman scorned, going to the door.

'That
will never happen,' Morgan said softy as Rita Hammond left.

The
scene had been no worse than she had expected, in fact it hadn't been as bad.
She had thought there might be some vitriolic comments made about Glenna at the
same time, but the other woman had managed to restrain herself. No doubt
pointed little barbs would continue during her married life with Alex. But she
would ignore them, would ignore the woman who made them too.

'Why
didn't you tell me?'

She turned with a start, very conscious of the sheerness
of her nightgown, sure that Alex could see every inch of her body through the
silky material. 'Tell you what?' Without undue haste she pulled on the matching
neglige, knowing the two thicknesses afforded her a little more covering.

'About
my mother's lying interference.' He came into her bedroom and closed the door,
dressed for the office in a brown three-piece suit and cream shirt.

She
shrugged, conscious of her lack of make-up, of her ruffled hair that she hadn't
had a chance to brush yet. 'I didn't want to cause unnecessary friction between
the two of you.'

'Unnecessary?'
he echoed curtly. 'It wasn't unnecessary! My mother is positively
vindictive. If she ever does anything like that again I want you to tell me
immediately.'

"Yes,
Alex.'

He
smiled ruefully. 'And don't put on that demure act with me. After the things
you just told my mother I'll never believe it.'

Morgan
looked at him uncertainly. 'How much did you hear?'

'All
of it,' he said grimly. 'I was on my way to say goodbye to you when I saw my
mother come into your room. After your first defence of me I couldn't help
listening to the rest of the conversation. You sound very sure that our
marriage is going to work, Morgan,' he frowned.

'I
am sure.' She moved into his arms. 'It just requires complete honesty on both
sides.

He
tapped her playfully on the nose. 'And that includes telling me about any other
bitchiness like this from my family. I have no doubt Janet will side with my
mother, she'll probably try to stick in a few knives too.'

Morgan
shook her head. 'It won't matter to me. All I want is you—and Courtney.'

His
brows rose. 'In that order?'

She
frowned. 'I couldn't make that choice. I already think of Courtney as my child,
and you as his father. No woman should be made to choose between her child and
her husband.'

Alex
shook his head. 'I admired your directness from the start,' he murmured. 'But
when it has to do with me I get a little nervous.'

She
ran a caressing hand down his cheek, enjoying being in his arms after the stiff
way they had parted last night. 'You'll get used to it.'

'I
doubt it,' he retorted dryly. 'Kiss me goodbye, I have to get to work.'

She
needed no further encouragement, standing on tiptoe to mould her mouth against
his, kissing him with all the fervour she was capable of, feeling his lips part
as she continued the assault, his arms tightening about her as he became the
one doing the kissing.

'Ah,
Morgan . . .!' he groaned against her throat minutes later. 'You shouldn't have
said no last night.' 'No,' she agreed shakily.

His
lips parted hers again, demanding her full response. She still clung to him as
he put her away from him, her eyes a deep smoky green, her lips swollen from
his kisses. 'I'll come back for you this afternoon,' he told her briskly,
pushing his tousled hair back with impatient fingers. 'Take you to the
airport.'

'There's
no need,' she smiled. 'I'd like to.'

'I'm
beginning to realise I dislike goodbyes,' she grimaced.

'You
didn't give that impression just now,' he mocked.

She
shook her head.
'Public
goodbyes,' she said pointedly. 'I'd rather you met me at
the airport when I come back. If you have time,' she added hastily. 'What a
conscientous wife you're going to make!'

I°
                     

Alex
gave a teasing smile. Til make time. You're sure about this afternoon?' 'Very,'
she nodded.

Morgan
meant what she said about goodbyes, she did hate them, and although she wasn't
exactly saying goodbye to her parents for ever she would be a married woman
when she saw them next, would no longer be just their daughter but Alex's wife
and Courtney's mother too.

She
was kept very busy at the studio that first week of her return. The filming of
Power
Trap
was
nearing its end now for this season, everyone working flat out. She went to see
her parents the following weekend, knowing that she had to actually face them
with the news of her marriage to Alex.

'You
don't know the man,' her father frowned. 'How can you marry him?'

'I
want to,' she answered simply.

'Is
it because of Court?' he demanded gruffly. 'Because I won't have you
sacrificing yourself, not even for my grandson's sake.'

Morgan
knew what this cost her father, how he wanted to grab at this chance to hold on
to Courtney with both hands. But he held back, unsure of her reasons. 'It is
partly for him,' she admitted truthfully. 'I won't deny that. But it's mainly
for myself.'

'Do
you love Alex?' her father growled.

'I
----
'

'Do
you, Morgan?' her mother put in softly.

What
did love mean? Wanting to be with one person. Wanting to feel his arms about
you, to hold him in return. Wanting only that person's happiness, even at the expense
of her own feelings. She wanted all that with Alex. Did that mean she
loved
him?

'Morgan?'
her mother prompted.

She
swallowed convulsively at the discovery she had just made about herself. She
didn't just want Alex physically, she wanted him in every way a woman in love
could want the man of her choice. 'Yes, she answered confidently. 'Yes,
 
love him.' There could be no doubting
the sincerity of her words.

She
loved Alex Hammond, loved him and hadn't even known that she did. This was
something she just couldn't tell him; she knew his opinion of love, of its
destruction.

And
yet when she saw him waiting at the airport a week later she couldn't hold back
her feelings, and ran into his arms, her face raised for his kiss as he caught
her to him.

It
had been a long week, longing to get back to him and yet having to see her
contract through to the end. Her single telephone call the night before telling
him of her arrival time had been very unsatisfactory, their stilted
conversation telling her that they weren't only apart in miles. The softening
towards her Alex had shown on that last morning had been replaced by cold
suspicion; a telephone line was not the way to bridge the gulf.

But
she had no restraint as she came through Customs and spotted him waiting for
her; she threw herself into his arms. 'Oh, I missed you!' she groaned.

'I—Courtney's
been pining for you,' he told her gruffly.

She
wouldn't expect too much from him too soon. 'That's nice,' she smiled. 'Kiss
me, Alex,' she encouraged throatily.

'Here?'
He looked about them self-consciously.

'Yes,
here!' She looked up at him appealingly.

With
a muffled groan he bent his head to kiss her, and went on kissing her, on and
on, as if he never wanted to stop either.

CHAPTER
SIX

At
last Alex broke the contact, breathing raggedly as he
looked down at her. 'Let's get out of here,' he rasped as he realised several
people were openly staring at them.

Morgan
put her arm through the crook of his. 'It's good to be back,' she gave him a
glowing smile.

He
smiled back at her, although the warmth didn't quite reach his eyes, the
wariness was still in them. 'We can talk on the drive.'

She
sat in the car while her luggage was loaded in the trunk of the car. 'I closed
up my apartment,' she told Alex as he got in beside her. 'That's why there's so
much,' she excused. 'Was it hard to leave?'

'Not
at all,' she said happily as they drove through the long tunnel that took
traffic in and out of Heathrow airport. How could it possibly be difficult to
leave Los Angeles when she was going to be with the man she loved? She was
nervous, of course she was, but she was also elated at the thought of becoming
Alex's wife.

'Not
even Sam?' His tone was hard. She still felt guilty about Sam. They had become
good friends the last few months, and she knew that eventually they might have
drifted into a good marriage. But Joanie had been the love of Sam's life, and
her death had left him devastated; Morgan could only ever have been second best
to him. Her affection for Sam had been genuine, but her love for Alex was all
consuming. Saying goodbye to Sam, telling him she
was actually going to
marry the man who had shown her the 'agony and the ecstasy' of love had been
very hard indeed, especially as she knew she was the first woman Sam had taken
out seriously since his wife died.

'I
can see it was,' Alex rasped. 'You must have cared tor him more than you
realised.'

'No, I
----
'

'How
did your parents react to the fact that you're going to marry me?' he bit out
grimly.

'They're very pleased. Alex, about Sam
        
'

'You
owe me no explanations,' he dismissed coldly.

'Why
are you so stubborn!' She was finding that loving this man didn't make her any
less impatient with his cold arrogance. 'I was very fond of Sam, but I didn't
love him. I'd become a—a sort of prop, after his wife died.'

Alex
glanced at her. 'I didn't realise he'd been married.'

'Why
should you?' she dismissed. 'I told you little or nothing about him. A lot of
what I felt for him was pity, I think. He seemed so lost after Joanie died.'

This
seemed to displease Alex even more, for his mouth tightened ominously. 'Your
parents?' he prompted hardly.

'Were
surprised. But they were very pleased when I explained
  
to
 
them
  
that
         
'
  
she
  
broke
  
off,
  
her happiness at
seeing Alex again loosening her tongue too much.