After The Loving. Кэрол Мортимер

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СКАЧАТЬ dress completely?’ she suggested drily as the music came to an end.

      Court groaned. ‘I’m afraid she had herself lined up as next in line to share his bed before he met you.’

      And like a vulture the other woman was now circling, waiting for the affair to end, trying to give it a helping hand if she could! And she was certainly going all out to do that at the moment.

      From the first Bryna had found the world of cynicism, bitchiness, and self that Raff inhabited a little overwhelming, although she was hardened to a certain degree herself from her years as a top-class model. But almost every woman she met clearly let her, and Raff, know that they wanted him too, only the fact that he showed no interest in returning their attraction giving her comfort during the last months.

      Until now. Raff had ceased to look bored by Rosemary Chater, in fact as Court and Bryna moved to join the other couple he led the other woman on to the dance floor, seeming to enjoy the way her body instantly melded to every contour of his.

      ‘She can only cause trouble if you let her,’ Court spoke quietly at Bryna’s side, also watching the other couple with narrowed eyes.

      Bryna turned to him with a grateful smile. ‘Then I won’t let her.’

      He raised blond brows. ‘Is it as easy to dismiss as that?’

      Easy? She hated the way the other woman moved against Raff with deliberate seductiveness, but what could she do about it when Raff was enjoying it? She wasn’t a fool, to make a scene about what was, for all the sensuousness of movement, just a dance; she knew that would be the surest way to drive Raff away from her. He hated scenes—he had once told her his wife had caused several before the two of them decided to live together but go their separate ways, to have their own lovers.

      ‘No, it isn’t easy,’ she gave Court a tight smile. ‘Why don’t we go through and help ourselves to some of that lovely supper you’ve laid out in the other room?’ It was almost ten o’clock and she hadn’t eaten anything since lunchtime. So much for the doctor’s confidence that she would maintain a healthy diet!

      ‘Is everything okay between you and Raff?’ Court eyed her curiously as she nibbled uninterestedly on a sandwich.

      Her eyes were overbright as she looked up at him. “’The Queen is dead. Long live the Queen."’ She looked pointedly at Rosemary Chater as she said the latter, too numb to even sound bitter.

      Court looked much older when the boyish humour deserted his face. ‘Are you sure?’

      Her heart was breaking, the tears threatening to cascade down her cheeks—and she was incongruously trying to work out how she could bite into the cold chicken leg she held in her hand, without choking on it! ‘Have you ever known him to behave like that in front of me before?’ She felt sick as she watched Raff nuzzle against the other woman’s silky throat.

      ‘Hell!’ muttered Court furiously as he followed her stricken gaze. ‘I’ll go and break them up——’

      ‘No.’ Her hand on his arm stopped him. ‘Would you please just get my coat and call a taxi to take me home?’

      ‘I’ll take you——’

      ‘This is your party, Court,’ she reminded him huskily, no longer able to look at Raff with the other woman. ‘The host shouldn’t walk out on his guests.’ She tried to sound teasing, but to her dismay she just sounded forlorn.

      Court’s mouth tightened. ‘None of this lot cares about that, half of them wouldn’t even know I’d gone!’

      ‘I’d really rather go on my own, thank you,’ she refused as gently as she could, sure that if she didn’t get out of here soon she was going to make an absolute fool of herself.

      Court looked as if he were about to argue again, but the pleading in her eyes silenced him. Bryna kept her face averted from the couple dancing as she and Court moved through to the entrance hall to collect her coat.

      Raff had done to her what they had always agreed wouldn’t happen, publicly humiliated her by turning to another woman when the two of them had arrived here together.

      Court put his hands warmly on her shoulders as he came to stand in front of her after helping her on with her coat. ‘If you ever need a shoulder to cry on …’ he told her affectionately.

      ‘I know I can call you,’ she gave him a wan smile. ‘You——’

      ‘Where do you think you’re going?’ rasped a harsh voice Bryna recognised only too well.

      She took a second to regain control before turning to face Raff, blinking a little uncertainly as she saw the fury blazing in the depths of his eyes. ‘I was just about to leave——’

      Cool grey eyes turned to Court. ‘You too?’ Raff bit out coldly.

      Court met the challenge in his friend’s gaze unflinchingly. ‘I wanted to go with her, but Bryna insisted I stay here.’

      Raff’s mouth twisted. ‘Running out on me, Bryna?’ he taunted.

      ‘I——’

      ‘Good God, man, what did you expect her to do?’ Court exploded. ‘Tap you on the shoulder while you were making love to Rosemary to tell you she was leaving!’

      ‘I wasn’t making love to her, damn it,’ Raff ground out, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

      ‘Then you were doing a good job of acting as if you were!’ his friend accused heatedly.

      Grey eyes flickered coldly. ‘Bryna?’

      She swallowed hard, not enjoying being the bone of contention between the two friends. ‘I really think it would be best if I left——’

      ‘Then I’m coming with you,’ rasped Raff.

      ‘—and you stayed,’ she finished dully. ‘There’s no point in our both ruining our evening. “The night is still young,” and all that,’ she added brittlely.

      Raff strode purposefully across to grasp her arm in his hand. ‘I said I’m coming with you!’

      ‘Maybe she doesn’t want to go with you?’ Court told him caustically.

      His mouth tightened. ‘She came with me, she’ll leave with me.’

      Bryna frowned up at him. Why was he doing this? Couldn’t he see this was a perfect way out for him, why drag out their parting any longer than they had to? But she could see by the inflexibility of his jaw that he was determined to leave with her.

      ‘Thank you, Court,’ she squeezed his arm reassuringly. ‘Raff will take me home.’

      ‘I’ll call you tomorrow,’ Raff told the other man gratingly.

      ‘Make sure that you do, and that it’s nice and early. Otherwise I’ll be the one to call you,’ Court warned in a controlled voice.

      The heating system in the Jaguar was blasting out hot air, and yet Bryna still felt cold. Why was Raff continuing with this? Unless he was going to СКАЧАТЬ