Jenna shuddered and closed her eyes, not wanting to see the contempt in his when he realised that she had been lost from the moment he’d first touched her. She waited in trepidation for him to release her with a disparaging comment, and her heart leapt when, instead, his lips brushed over hers once more, the pressure stronger this time, stirring her response.
Her lips parted. She couldn’t have stopped her response even if she had wanted. Her mind and body were at war and her body was the runaway victor. The tentative slide of her tongue was the tinder that set the fire ablaze, and he groaned low in his throat as sanity succumbed to the flames of a passion that had been building inexorably all week. His hand slid the length of her jaw to cup her nape, forcing her head up so that he could take her mouth in a devastating assault that racked her, his tongue probing between her lips, demanding entry and forcing her to accept a level of eroticism that was beyond anything she had ever known.
When at last he lifted his head he stared down at her, his eyes glittering like twin sapphires, but there was no warmth in their depths and Jenna shivered, suddenly feeling chilled to the bone.
‘Chris is a fool. If you were my wife I wouldn’t trust to leave you alone for a day, let alone an entire weekend.’
His words were like a slap in the face, and she flung open the car door, desperate to get away from him. ‘Save the sympathy for my husband, Alex. The only fool is me. I knew I should have caught the train. I would have been far safer travelling alone on the underground than accepting a lift from you.’
She had turned her key in the lock and opened the front door before she heard his car furiously roar away, and in the recesses of her mind she appreciated the degree of care for her well-being that had made him wait until she was safely inside.
She was too wound up to sleep and paced the house, reliving the moments in his arms and haranguing herself for her pathetic weakness where Alex Morrell was concerned. Why had he kissed her? Had she made her fascination for him so obvious that he’d decided to take advantage of the fact that her husband was away, sure that she would be a willing partner for the night? He might be spoilt for choice of female company, but what man would turn down a one-night stand with a woman whose married status, he believed, would mean she would make no further demands on him?
It was almost one in the morning when she forced herself to get ready for bed. In a few hours Maisie would be home, and she needed to be bright and happy for her daughter. She had responsibilities, a child to bring up without the support of a father, and there was no place in her life or bed for Alex.
As she doused the bedside lamp the phone rang, its strident sound making her jump, and she fumbled in the dark to answer it.
‘Alex?’ She could think of no one else who would ring her at that hour, but the silence on the line filled her with dread, and the hoarse breathing, which in the light of day she could have mocked, sounded ominously threatening. ‘Go to hell, you sick idiot,’ she yelled, before she slammed down the receiver and burst into tears.
CHAPTER FOUR
JENNA returned to work on Monday morning, safe in the knowledge that Alex was in France and she was spared having to face him for a couple of days. She had spent the weekend tearing herself to shreds over the way she had responded to his kiss, and was dreading seeing him again, certain that she would be subjected to his particular brand of cruel sarcasm.
The day dragged, and by five o’clock she was forced to admit that she missed him. Even worse, she was counting the hours until he returned—which must make her some sort of masochist, she thought despairingly.
‘Alex has just called to say he won’t be coming back this week,’ Margaret announced. ‘Apparently the weather on the Riviera is wonderful. Although, between you and me, I think he’s met up with an old girlfriend. He sounded…’ Margaret gave a conspiratorial chuckle ‘…tired, but the break will do him good. I’ll just have to reschedule his diary.’
Good for him, Jenna thought as she trudged through the rain to the station, trying to ignore the sick jealousy that burned in the pit of her stomach. It was none of her business what he got up to, she reminded herself. He could be enjoying himself with the entire French ladies’ rugby team for all she cared, and at least while he was away she didn’t have to worry about him breathing down her neck. Alex was an attractive, virile man; of course he had lovers—dozens of them, probably, and, just like Lee, he was doubtless unable to remain faithful to any of them.
On Friday morning she raced into the office, fifteen minutes late and cursing public transport, and collided with a familiar figure, her heartbeat accelerating as she found herself in Alex’s arms.