Fear Of Love. Кэрол Мортимер

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      ‘It was something to do with me, wasn’t it? Something he said, something about my being too young to marry. Was that it, Gail?’

      ‘We did talk it over with him, yes. And he said he didn’t think it was a good idea. Now calm down, Alexandra,’ Gail pleaded as she saw the angry sparkle in her sister’s eyes. ‘Trevor and I had already discussed it and come to the same conclusion.’

      ‘But Dominic’s disapproval finally convinced you. Don’t deny it,’ Alexandra commanded fiercely. ‘I know how arrogantly autocratic he can be. You probably asked his permission before you went in for this baby you’re expecting too. Well, he’s gone too far this time, interfered in my life once too often. And I’m going to tell him so!’ She marched purposefully to the door.

      Gail looked alarmed. ‘Where are you going?’

      ‘To see the lordly Dominic Tempest, where else?’

      ‘But he’ll probably be here in a moment.’

      Alexandra smiled her satisfaction. ‘He may be. But in the meantime I mean to go in search of him.’

      ‘You aren’t going to cause a scene?’ Gail asked wearily, recognising those bright wings of colour in Alexandra’s cheeks as the start of her fiery temper.

      ‘I didn’t cause this scene, Dominic did. He’s much too fond of making his opinion known. You may have to take it, Gail, he’s your brother-in-law, but he’s nothing to me. I’ve always seen more of him on television than I have around here. I know it’s wicked to think it, but I could almost wish for another disaster to happen just so he would leave again.’

      ‘Alexandra!’

      ‘I said it was wicked. But he’s been here for four weeks now, quite a record, and he’s making me feel claustrophobic. It now seems I have more reason to wish for his departure than I realised. I’ll see you later, Gail.’

      ‘But your lunch is ready,’ her sister cried.

      ‘Suddenly I’m not hungry,’ said Alexandra defiantly.

      Trevor was out in the hallway removing his sheepskin jacket. He looked surprised as Alexandra walked straight past him to the front door. ‘Hey,’ he called. ‘Don’t hard-working doctors deserve a brotherly kiss any more?’

      She hurried back to give him a quick kiss. She did indeed love him as a brother. He had been in her life so long now, he and Gail caring for her since the death of her mother four years ago. Her father had died when she was a very young child and she hardly remembered him, making it easy for Trevor, ten years her senior, to become the steadying male figure in her life. But at the moment she wasn’t in the mood to be steadied. Damn Dominic Tempest and his arrogance!

      ‘I’ll see you later, Trevor.’ She went back to the door.

      ‘But where are you going?’ He looked dazed.

      ‘I have to go out for a while. I shouldn’t be too long.’

      ‘First Dominic and now you,’ he shook his head. ‘I only hope Gail can hold lunch back half an hour or so.’

      ‘Dominic has been delayed?’ she asked casually.

      ‘Mm, something turned up unexpectedly. He’ll be here in about twenty minutes.’

      ‘I’m sure Gail can hold lunch back,’ she gave him a bright smile. ‘I should be back by then too.’

      He shrugged resignedly. ‘Okay.’

      Alexandra revved up her little Mini before accelerating away with a screech of tyres. It was a ten-minute drive to the Tempest mansion, which should give her time to get there before Dominic himself left. The mood she was in it shouldn’t take her ten minutes, more like five.

      Dominic’s car was parked in the forecourt of the house ready for his departure, but there was another car there too, not as impressive as the Ferrari, but nevertheless it put her Mini in the shade. It looked like a Lotus Elan.

      She didn’t have time to confirm this one way or the other because as she got out of her car two people also came out of the house. The man was instantly recognisable as Dominic Tempest, there was no mistaking that powerful physique, the deeply tanned handsome features, and the over-long sun-bleached blond hair. The woman wasn’t known to her, but she did look vaguely familiar as she laughed up at the man at her side.

      So it wasn’t a something that had come up to delay Dominic, but a someone. And she hadn’t just arrived, by the look of the overnight case in her hand. Alexandra watched them unobserved for several minutes, watched in disgust as Dominic bent his head to kiss the woman passionately on the lips, and turned away with even more disgust as the woman pressed herself against him for even closer contact. Alexandra found it distasteful of them to make such a public display of their intimate relationship.

      As the embrace ended Dominic at last seemed to become aware of Alexandra’s presence on the driveway, but he made no attempt to remove the arm of complete possession he had around the woman’s shoulders.

      He walked towards her with that long easy swagger of his, his grey eyes narrowing at her scornful expression. ‘Hello, Alexandra. I’m just on my way, there was no need to send out a search party.’ His voice was deep and just as attractive as the rest of him. He was very tall, well over six foot, with carved granite-like features that always seemed to mock or taunt her. He wore his clothes with a lazy elegance that drew attention to him whether he wore denims or a suit. No, she could never deny that he was an attractive man, but at thirty-four he had cashed in on that attraction, having one ex-wife to his credit already, and goodness knows how many mistresses. ‘I called Trevor and told him I’d been delayed,’ he added.

      She nodded. ‘Yes, I know. He said something had come up.’ She gave the woman at his side a cool look.

      Dominic’s mouth tightened into a thin uncompromising line, the usual sensuousness of that mouth erased by anger. ‘Alexandra, I would like you to meet Sabrina Gilbert. Sabrina, Alexandra Paige, my brother’s sister-in-law.’

      The two women shook hands, Alexandra noting that he gave her no explanation of who Sabrina Gilbert was. Not that she needed to be told, not after the embrace she had witnessed. Besides, Dominic looked as if he had just got out of bed, judging by the look of sleepy satisfaction in his eyes. The whole thing shocked and disgusted her.

      ‘So what are you doing here, Alexandra?’ he asked curtly.

      ‘I wanted to talk to you, alone.’

      He gave a husky laugh. ‘Did it have to be now? I would have been over for lunch in a few minutes. We could have talked then.’

      Her mouth set stubbornly. ‘I said alone.’

      He looked at her sharply. ‘I’m sure we have nothing to say to each other that Gail and Trevor can’t hear.’

      ‘Not to each other, no. But I have some things to say to you I would prefer no one else to hear.’

      ‘Sounds interesting, darling.’ Sabrina Gilbert spoke for the first time, a low husky sound that probably excited men just to hear it. ‘I think I’ll just be on my way and leave you to it.’ СКАЧАТЬ