only taken a few seconds over the gesture but his deeply tender and erotic action had made her unsure of his real motive for marrying her. She felt her knees buckle and his hand reached out to steady her.
‘It’s all right, Amber,’ he soothed. ‘Calm yourself. You can relax. Everything’s fine. You’ve been scratched, you’ve bled a little, but there’s no lasting damage. In a short time you’ll hardly know you’ve been hurt.’
Hardly listening to what he was saying, more interested in how he was saying it, she snatched her hands from his, shaken by the resonating warmth of his husky drawl. As far as she was concerned, everything wasn’t fine. Because in his dark eyes there had been an unmistakable flare of desire. In his mouth too, she thought in confusion as his lips parted over even white teeth.
Her head was spinning, the world whirling. The heat that flared in her body made her want to groan in despair. It was a sure sign that her nausea was returning. The prickling sensation swept relentlessly over her sensitive skin and she began to breathe faster. Much faster. Her lungs seemed empty in seconds.
‘What is it?’ he asked with a worrying tenderness.
‘Let’s get one thing straight,’ she said, trying—and failing—to keep her voice even. ‘I’ve been through hell. I feel terrible. Miserable. I—I—’ Helpless tears filled her eyes and she groaned as her stomach rolled in a final warning. ‘Oh, help!’ she flung at him in panic, and rushed through the archway.
Picking up her skirts, she fled from Jake down the spiral steps, her hair and her veil flying out behind her like a banner. No sound came to her ears other than the harsh rasp of her own breathing and the tap of her satin slippers. Thank heavens, she thought, he’d decided not to follow her.
At last she reached the bottom of the tiny stairs and her feet were on the thickly carpeted landing. Ahead lay the sanctuary of the room which had been put aside for her that day. Getting there—alone—was all she could think of and she heaved open the heavy door with a moan of relief.
Safe at last. Slamming the door shut, she leaned her back against it, panting hard. And then she raced for the bathroom. A few minutes later she emerged, feeling pale and drained, her mass of flaming hair in disarray.
Only to find Jake, sprawled on the bed.
Her eyes widened till they were two huge dark smudges in her white face as he nonchalantly lifted his arms and made a cradle of them behind his head. Her throat dried. She felt too battered by life to cope with him.
‘Not you!’ she groaned rudely.
Amber watched him stretching like a contented cat. His arms were strong and sinewy, his lithe body displayed to full advantage on the oyster silk bedspread. He looked confident and dangerous, the line of his muscular thighs never more blatantly apparent than now, in the supremely masculine pose.
‘Me,’ he agreed implacably. ‘We have to talk, Amber.’
‘Talk?’ she repeated weakly. That was the last thing she was expecting. The crippling weight of nausea and depression flowed through her. ‘I can’t face anything or anyone right now, Jake!’ she muttered, hating herself for sounding so pathetic. But she knew that she was about to snap and wanted to be on her own when it happened. ‘Give me ten minutes. I must be alone.’
‘This can’t wait,’ he insisted. His eyes glittered beneath the thick fringe of black lashes. ‘Bear with me, Amber. I need to know why you ran away from me just now and why you’re so miserable. You seemed perfectly all right until you heard that Leo was leaving—and then you went to pieces. What am I to make of that?’
Amber strolled around the bed, hoping that she looked nonchalant, hoping that she could reach the door and make a graceful exit. And then, she thought, with a flash of her old humour, she’d be able to wail and gnash her teeth and shake as much as she wanted!
‘It wasn’t anything to do with him. If you must know, I ran off because I felt sick. I was scared of throwing up all over your DJ,’ she answered, deciding to be blunt. That might curb any lurking passion! she thought waspishly.
Frowning, he slid his feet to the floor and stood up. ‘When you came back to Castlestowe on the couple of occasions you were on leave from Africa...did you and Leo meet?’ he asked quietly.
‘Of course!’
‘I presume your reunions were...affectionate? You were delighted to see him. You flung yourself into his arms.’
She shifted uncomfortably. ‘Yes. Why not?’ To her surprise, he winced. Hastily she sought to reassure him. ‘I’ve told you, we’re childhood friends. But I—I was going around with Enzo at the time, remember?’ she reminded him, seeing where this was leading.
‘Nevertheless, your emotions were in a turmoil,’ he persisted soberly. ‘When you came home each time, you felt exhausted and in need of a friend’s loving warmth. You needed someone to soothe you, to help you forget the pain and suffering you’d left behind, because the mind can only take so much, can’t it?’
‘Yes! But—’
‘If I recall, Leo was in need of love too.’ Oddly, it sounded as though Jake was forcing himself to talk about her relationship with Leo. Judging by the pinched expression on his face, it wasn’t something he relished. ‘You told me,’ he went on gruffly, ‘that he and Ginny had been divorced and he was deeply unhappy.’
Her eyes darkened. ‘You’re implying I gave him sexual comfort!’
Amber gazed at him in open-mouthed astonishment. She was about to launch into a furious defence of herself when he sucked in a sharp breath and transfixed her with a lethal stare.
‘What I have to know is this,’ he growled, his voice shaking. ‘Is there the remotest chance that your child might be Leo’s?’
Shocked into silence for a moment, she struggled to find her voice. ‘No!’ she cried in horror. ‘How dare you? He loves Ginny. He always has, always will—’
‘You are sure?’ he demanded, his muscles tense with anticipation. ‘Absolutely, totally sure?’
‘I swear on my mother’s memory!’ she said fervently.
Jake’s raised shoulders relaxed and he let out all the air in his lungs as if he’d stored up doubts and uncertainties for a long and stressful time. The lines eased out of his face till he looked like the friendly Jake she knew and liked.
‘Thank you,’ he breathed. ‘Forgive me if I’ve offended you, but I had to ask.’
‘I’m puzzled,’ she said slowly. ‘Why don’t you mind Enzo being the father of my child but dread the thought of it being Leo?’
He frowned and lowered his head. ‘Enzo wouldn’t jeopardise his marriage by putting in a claim to your child,’ he said to his feet. ‘Leo might have done if he’d been the father.’
‘That matters?’
Slowly his head lifted till his veiled eyes met hers. ‘I intend to commit myself to you and your child. I wouldn’t want a legal battle for possession. I’m relieved it’s Enzo who’s the father.’ His normally confident voice sounded shaky. ‘Other than us, only your boss, Mary Smith of Unite, knows the truth. I want it to stay that
