so frightening for him.” She jumped back up from the chair, obviously too restless to sit. “Your family can’t take much more.”
Raoul studied her well-shaped head, marveling at the color of her pale-blond hair. It had an ethereal quality, all the more stunning on such a striking woman. Today she wore it loose from a side part. Of all the styles, he liked it the best.
“I couldn’t agree more.” He moved closer to her. “My brother is more fragile than you know. Whatever goes on between you and your husband is your own business, but if it could hurt Guy, then it becomes mine. Why are you afraid to talk about your husband?” he asked her in a voice she had never heard from him before: soft, gentle.
A nervous hand went to her throat. “Why haven’t you ever talked about your wife?”
Her response exasperated him. “Because this is about Chantelle and Guy, not me. Are you in some kind of trouble?”
“That depends on your definition of the word.”
“You mean Guy’s going to help you.”
She flashed him a warning glance. “I’m afraid that’s none of your business. Unlike you, I meant no offense. In case you didn’t notice, I don’t ask you personal questions.”
“I’ve noticed,” he said sharply, growing more frustrated every second. “What would you like to know?”
He watched her swallow, another telltale sign she was growing more and more uncomfortable. “Nothing.”
Such an innocuous word said so innocuously. “Surely you’ve wondered why I don’t seem to have a household of my own.”
“Not really.”
“That’s a lie.”
She folded her arms against her shapely waist. “Since you’re now reverting to your baser instincts, I guess that’s my cue to ask the ten-million-dollar question.”
He smiled wickedly and her insides lit. “It’s nice to know you put that high a price on the answer.”
She tossed her head, causing her hair to float above her shoulders. “All right, I give up. Why did you and your wife divorce?”
“She lied to me about something I can never forgive her for. All the time we were married I thought she wanted children as much as I did. We planned to have a family, but she never had any intention of getting pregnant.”
Something flickered in the depths of those green orbs. “She did a very cruel thing to you. I’m sorry.”
“Aren’t you going to ask me anything else?” he prodded.
“I don’t need to. A lie says it all, don’t you think?”
If he didn’t miss his guess, that was pain he heard in her voice. “Not all. The follow-up might be. Am I sad about my marriage being over? Am I happy it came to an end?”
Her expression closed. “If you’re sad, then it’s a tragedy. If you’re happy, then it speaks for itself.”
“What about your marriage?” he drilled her, ready to erupt if she didn’t tell him something he could understand.
“You mean am I in a state of bliss, or someplace lower?”
A tight band constricted his breathing. “I think the fact that you’re living under Guy’s roof says a lot.”
“There you go, then.” She smiled. “You have your answer.”
His hands shot to her shoulders. He shook her almost roughly. “Don’t do this, Laura. I’m not asking you these questions out of some twisted desire to torment you. Has your husband been abusive to you?”
She averted her eyes. “Not physically.”
“But there are other ways.”
“That’s true, but I don’t wish to discuss it, Raoul.” Her breathing had grown shallow. “How long have you known my married name was Stillman?”
“Not long.”
Her eyes filled. “Then why didn’t you confront me immediately instead of plunging in the dagger last night?”
He’d only meant to get the truth about her feelings for her husband out in the open, but things were fast escalating out of control. He found himself kneading her upper arms not covered by her blouse. His thumbs smoothed her skin with its golden glow. Her body was warm and fluid. Fragrant.
“Last night still haunts me, so I’ll ask it another way. Is fear of your husband the reason you’ve sought Guy’s help?”
Her lips were only inches apart from his. “After the history between us, why would it possibly matter to you?”
“Because you’re a married woman, and I need to kiss you again or go slowly out of my mind.”
She quivered against him. He felt her warm, sweet breath on his lips as she said, “You’ve already done that on several occasions.”
“Not like this …”
With his conscience nowhere in sight, he covered her mouth hungrily. She’d been a temptation since he’d first seen her in Guy’s living room enamoring all his male guests.
“We mustn’t—” she cried, refusing him entry. Not to be defeated, he kissed his way around her lips, finding every line and curve, lingering on the fuller parts. That brought another small gasp, giving him the entrée he craved. He slid his hands over her back and pulled her into him so he could drink deeply.
She was ready for him, just like last night. Her little moans closed any escape hatch he should have been looking for. Slowly covering every inch of skin, his mouth moved to her throat where the pulse at the base throbbed wildly.
Raoul thought he’d known rapture before, but never like this. “You’re so beautiful, Laura. I ache whenever I think about you, let alone look. I want you.”
She reached up to cup his face before pressing a lingering kiss to his lips. “There’s nothing like it, is there? A fire that burns so hotly you think you can’t live without it.” Her eyes burned with that fire. “But somehow we do.” One more short kiss and she eased out of his arms.
“We don’t have to live without it,” he murmured huskily.
“Yes we do.” She’d already backed away emotionally from him. “Our lives were going in two different directions when we collided. The chemistry’s real, Raoul, but that’s all. I’m still Mrs. Stillman, and I’m here at Guy’s request to try to help Chantelle.”
He felt as if his air supply had just been caught off. “Have you considered that Chantelle might see you as a threat?”
The way she looked at him, he might as well have slapped her. She studied him for a long time. “Your divorce has given you such a cynical view of life, you don’t know what’s real anymore. It’s sad because you’re truly a wonderful person in so many
