DECEIT OF A PAGAN Read online

  He laid her gently back against the cool sheets, dis­carding his silk dressing-gown in one fluid movement, before sliding on to the bed beside her, their bodies fused together in aching desperation. He looked down at her with glazed brilliant blue eyes. 'I want you, Templar,' it was a groan from deep within him. 'I want you!'

  Templar was aware only of his hard body pressed

  against her, not needing his impassioned words to tell

  her of his need of her. His completely male smell in­

  vaded her nostrils and his hair felt damp to her touch,

  evidence of his recent shower. 'Leon, I '

  His face was buried in her scented throat as he rained kisses on her soft smooth skin. 'Do not speak, Templar, only feel. Feel the electricity that exists between us, of the pleasures our bodies could so easily give each other.'

  'But, Leon——' She fought to bring him back to sanity. But her own senses clamoured against such thoughts, as her body arched against the hardness of his, for the moment nothing but their desire seeming important to either of them.

  'Feel, Templar,' he urged.

  She felt. Her whole body was alive to his touch and she shuddered with feeling as one of his hands pushed aside her nightdress to travel slowly up over her body to cup one breast possessively, feeling the nipple rise and flower to his caress. She gasped at the feelings of sensual pleasure this evoked in her body, pushing her­self hard against those probing fingers.

  It was as if a dam had burst between them, Leon shaking with as yet suppressed desire for her and she but a trembling pliant body in his arms. He gently pushed aside the thin strap to her nightgown, and when the material remained adamantly in place his hand momentarily left her breast to hold the scooped neck­line and wrench the nightgown from her body in one sharp tug.

  Templar's eyes widened at her nakedness. 'Oh, please,Leon! No...'

  For a moment his eyes gleamed devilishly down at her before he bent his dark head, his lips claiming the tip of one rosy breast. 'Oh, yes,' he murmured almost inaudibly, his soft warm breath across her breast a sensuous pleasure in itself. 'Oh yes, my darling,' he repeated passionately soft.

  His lips and hands claimed her body once again and she threw back her head in mounting passion. Never before had she felt this increasing sexual excitement, never before had any man touched her body so inti­mately, but there was no thought of refusal on her lips.

  Her hands moved down his chest, over his taut flat stomach to the single button that held on the only piece of clothing that now lay between them. But Leon's hand moved to stop her before she could complete her task. 'Not yet, Templar,' his voice was husky with the emo­tion it took him to speak, all his attention fixed on re­taining control for several minutes longer.

  Her green eyes widened pleadingly. 'Please, Leon!' she begged desperately, but for completely the opposite reason to her last pleading. This time she cried out for his possession of her, for his full taking of her roused body.

  He moved up and away from her, leaning on his elbow to watch her through glazed unfocusing eyes. 'I want to look at you first, to know every inch of this delectable body of yours, not take you at the first rising of passion.' His voice had lowered to a seductive whisper. 'And after I have explored all there is of you to explore I want you to do the same to me. Do you understand, Templar? I want you to be more excited by me than by any other man who has ever possessed you. I want you never to want another man as long as you live. For me to be the only man you can ever re­spond to, wanting to be touched and made love to only by me.'

  Templar felt panic begin to rise inside her. 'You can't mean what you're saying!'

  He gave a throaty triumphant laugh. 'All I am saying is that I intend to make love to you tonight until you can think of no one but me, want no one but me. Is that so difficult to understand?' He himself released the button to his pyjama trousers, shedding them in one unhurried movement, moving back to her side until their naked bodies were so close together they were almost one. Almost...

  For one terribly satisfying moment Templar felt her­self respond to his hard nakedness, found pleasure in the muscled roughness of his skin against her. Then sensibility took over and she fought against him for all she was worth.

  His eyes narrowed as she began to struggle. 'What are you doing now?' he asked sharply. 'Why are you fighting me?'

  'Because—because you're acting like that animal you once accused me of thinking you. An animal!' she spat the word at him, feeling a momentary weakness as he moved away from her. 'You only want me to prove your manhood, to prove how omnipotent you are. Well, you aren't going to do it this way. I want you to get out of my bedroom. Get out now!'

  Leon moved off the bed at once, standing like a Greek god in the golden glow of the lamplight, un­concerned with his own nakedness. His eyes held noth­ing but contempt for her as she still lay in her wanton position amongst the crumpled bedclothes. Her hurried movements to cover herself only increased the con­tempt in that gaze. 'A little late for that, would you not agree?' He didn't have his feelings under control yet, his eyes still that deep blue they always were when he was aroused to passion.

  She looked at him resentfully. 'You started this!'

  'You did not exactly fight me off!'

  'I—I tried.'

  'No, you did not! You call those half-hearted pro­tests fighting me off?'

  Templar sat up, the sheet wrapped around her shoul­ders, her hair a tangled curtain down her back from his fevered touch. 'I didn't ask you in here. No one invited you!'

  He picked up his discarded clothing, not bothering to put it back on. 'Your eyes invite me every time you look at me. I could do no other than respond to that look. Tonight you pushed me too far. I warned you it would happen, but it appears you did not heed that warning. When I came in here to see you you lay there looking at me over the top of that sheet, invitation in every line of your body.'

  'I did not!'

  'Yes, you did.' He ran a tired hand over his eyes. 'I must be mad. God, I have to get out of here!'

  'I wish you would,' she said quietly.

  His eyes were tortured as he looked at her. 'So much for my noble words of the other day! This will happen time and time again if I do not get a control on my desire for you. I will go now. And please try to believe me this time when I say I will try to see it does not happen again.'

  'That's all I ask,' she said brokenly, not even sure if she meant it, but doubting it very much.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Templar felt dazed when she awoke the next morn­ing, almost as if what had happened between Leon and herself had only been a dream. But her nightgown lying ripped to shreds on the floor at the foot of the bed told her that it had been stark reality. Leon had entered her bedroom last night and they had so nearly consum­mated this sham of a marriage.

  She admitted that she had responded wantonly, but what had happened to all that cool control Leon had assured her he possessed? It had been as nothing as soon as he touched her, their senses reeling, their bodies crying out for assuagement.

  She had lain awake long after he had left her, reliving every passionate, nerve-tingling moment, and cursing herself for being a fool. She loved Leon! It was as simple as that. Only it wasn't simple at all. She loved him, and like any normal female in love she wanted him to make love to her day and night until she couldn't even think straight.

  And it had so nearly happened, so nearly been true that it was frightening. That Leon desired her just as desperately was obvious, and that made the situation between them positively explosive. How long could they deny these feelings, how long before they gave in to the senses and not logic? Living together in such close proximity it was going to be pure hell to fight these feelings, but fight them she must.

  The one thing that had brought her to her senses the previous night was Leon's vow to make her forget the other men who had possessed her. It hadn't so much been the fact that the words were insulting—they were no worse than some of
the other things he had called her in the past. No, it was the realisation that possession by Leon would prove possession by no one else, and that couldn't be allowed to happen.

  God, what hell had she created for herself? Why did she have to fall in love with him, why couldn't she have gone on disliking him? It had all been so much easier that way. Now she had to live with him, yearn for him, long for him, and know that it was an impossibility. It was like hell on earth. But it would have to be her own private hell; Leon must never know, never be allowed to even guess at her feelings for him.

  She climbed miserably out of bed, hiding her naked­ness with her silk wrap. These thoughts were all well and good, but right now she had to get herself dressed and go downstairs and face him. And at the moment she wasn't sure she could do it. Perhaps a nice cool shower might relax her, and it might help to wake her up. She had cried so much the night before that her eyes felt as if she had sand under the lids.

  A hurried glance in the bathroom mirror assured her that she looked as bad as she felt. How could she face Leon looking like this?—she looked ghastly. She would just have to hope he didn't look at her too closely.

  A quick shower and some extensive work on her ' make-up and she looked somewhere near presentable. She hesitated about entering the dining-room, but forced herself to do so, only to find the one person she was nervous of meeting conspicuous by his absence. Lucy and the baby were playing on the sand outside the open French doors, but the dining-room itself was empty.

  Lucy looked up and smiled as she noticed her en­trance. 'Good morning, Mrs. Marcose.'

  Templar returned the smile vaguely. 'Lucy, I'm sorry I'm a little late down this morning. Has Keri had her breakfast?'

  'Oh yes, we ate with Mr Marcose quite a long time ago. He thought it best not to disturb you, that perhaps you needed the rest'

  She blushed, hoping Lucy wouldn't be able to guess the reason for her embarrassment. She had lain awake so long the evening before thinking and dreaming of things that could never be that it had been very late when she finally drifted off to" sleep. And she had paid for it by oversleeping this morning, rising two hours later than her normal eight o'clock.

  'Yes, yes, perhaps I did.' She helped herself to a cup of strong black coffee, the thought of food nauseating to her. 'And has Leon—my husband, has he gone down to the beach?'

  The young girl frowned. 'Mr Marcose isn't here. He went out about an hour ago.'

  'Went out?' Her movements were jerky with lack of sleep, her nerves shattered by her recent discovery of love for her husband.

  'Yes.' Lucy picked up the crawling Keri. 'He said that you would know where he had gone.'

  Pain filled Templar's already shadowed eyes. -Is that all the message he left?'

  Lucy was concerned with the struggling baby and so didn't notice her distress. 'He also said he wouldn't be back for dinner, but he said you would probably have already realised that'

  Templar turned away to finish off her coffee. So that was Leon's answer to the total awareness that had sprung up between them, avoidance of her wherever possible. She wished she found it so easy to dismiss him, was able to turn her emotions off so easily. She found it hard enough concentrating on simple every­day things, let alone going off to a business meeting as if everything in her life was as normal as it had been yesterday morning.

  She felt she would never be normal again, never be able to forget her excitement in Leon's arms, her desire to please him. But obviously he felt no such reserve, calmly going off to his meeting as if nothing had hap­pened between them. Her shyness about facing him again hadn't been necessary, at least, not yet. She would still have to face him this evening—when he eventually returned.

  'Your husband told me to look after Keri today, Mrs. Marcose,' Lucy looked at her uncertainly. 'Is that all right with you?’

  At least someone in this household bothered to con­sult her wishes! 'That will be fine,' she nodded agree­ment. 'I—er—I was thinking of going for a walk along the beach anyway.'

  'Very well, Mrs. Marcose. I'll just go and collect Keri's things for the beach.'

  'I'll wait here and walk down with you.'

  She left Keri and Lucy on the beach, strolling in the direction of Neil Adams' villa. It couldn't be that far away, not if he had swum over, and he had said he would see her today, so why shouldn't she be the one to visit him? She felt she needed a change of scenery at the moment, complete removal from anything that re­minded her of Leon.

  Neil Adams' villa was further than she had imagined, at least two miles away. But she knew she had the right place because Neil and several other men were loung­ing on the beach in front of the villa. She felt rather shy about announcing her presence now she was actu­ally here, but after that walk she needed a long cool drink.

  Some of the men were getting ready to go in for a swim and Neil spotted her standing some distance away from them as he too stood up. 'Templar!' He looked pleased to see her. 'Come on over.'

  She was introduced to several of his companions be­fore he took her up to the villa for the much-needed drink. 'You have quite a few friends staying with you,' she remarked, her thirst assuaged by the cool lime juice.

  Neil laughed. 'That isn't all my guests, a couple of the men and three of the girls have gone into Nice shopping. There are twelve of us here altogether,' he revealed.

  It was a large villa and Templar estimated it could house much more than twelve. 'What do you do all day?' she asked.

  He shrugged. 'We swim, sunbathe, snorkel. Actu­ally six of my guests aren't actually here on holiday, they're here to work. Bob over there is the man with the camera, Paul represents the company involved, Sheila is one of the models, and the other three are the girls who have gone shopping.'

  Templar had herself been on a couple of jobs like this, although not in quite such luxurious surroundings. The models must be some of the more popular ones to have landed a job like this one. She had recognised Sheila instantly, a beautiful brunette with blue flashing eyes; she was often on the front of magazines.

  'It sounds as if they're having fun,' she commented.

  'Oh, they are. But I'll be glad of a little peace and quiet. They leave in three days' time. When do you go?’

  She shrugged. 'Leon hasn't said yet. It all depends on him.'

  'Then maybe we'll be able to meet when the crowd have departed. Perhaps you can persuade Leon to come over too?'

  'I don't know. He—he doesn't know we've met.'

  'No,' Neil said thoughtfully, 'I don't suppose he does. Oh well, perhaps I can drop over one day and announce myself. We've never been the best of friends, just acquaintances, but nevertheless I don't think he would be unsociable if I invited him over.'

  Templar, wasn't so sure, Leon could be downright arrogant if he chose to be. 'You can try it,' she agreed. 'I'd love to come.'

  Neil replenished her glass for her. 'Where's the baby today?'

  She smiled gently at thought of Keri. 'She's with a young girl we have to look after her. Being Greek Leon doesn't think I should be with her all the time, they usually employ full-time nannies in their house­holds. I don't actually approve of it myself, but Leon can be very obstinate about these things.'

  He grinned. 'I can imagine. Did you bring a costume with you?'

  'I have it on under my denims and tee-shirt. If you

  could let me use one of your towels?' -

  Neil stood up. 'I'll go and get you one.'

  'Fine.' She removed her top clothing while waiting for him, revealing a minute bikini in a becoming rust colour. Her golden tan was shown to full advantage against its muted colour and her slender curvaceous body looked very attractive in the bright sunshine, her legs long and shapely.

  'Wow!' Neil handed her the gaily flowered towel. ‘You're beautiful!’

  She blushed. 'Do you usually make those sort of re­marks to married ladies?'

  'If they look like you—yes, otherwise—no. What a loss to the modelling world you are. Our
loss is Leon's gain,' he sighed.

  'Yes.'

  He quirked an eyebrow at her. 'You don't sound as if you agree with me.'

  ‘I may do,' she laughed nervously. 'But I'm not sure Leon would.’

  'I'm sure he would,' he disagreed, putting out a hand towards her. 'Come on, let's swim, it's too good a day to waste.'

  And it was. They swam together for half an hour or more before lying on the beach, their conversation just seeming to flow. They had so much in common, often knowing the same people, that they found they had a lot to talk about. So it was no surprise to Templar when she saw it was already five-thirty, time she returned to the villa.

  She put her denims and tee-shirt back on over her

  sun-dried bikini, smiling regretfully at the end of her

  visit, fresh colour in her cheeks and a happy glow to

  her eyes. It had done her good to be with the uncomplicated Neil, but now she had to return to her world of cold politeness with Leon. If only he weren't always so

  chilling towards her! But last night he hadn't been -

  She cut off these thoughts before they could be al­lowed to destroy her again. Last night was over and best forgotten. 'I have to leave now, Neil,' she told him, handing him the towel she had used.

  'Stay to dinner,' he encouraged. 'You refused lunch, so you can't refuse dinner too.'

  Templar laughed at his logic. 'I refused lunch because I wasn't hungry. I have to get back to the villa for dinner.'

  'Will Leon be there?'

  'Well, no, but I- '

  'Then you're staying here,' he said determinedly. I insist.'

  She looked down at her crumpled clothing. 'I can't sit down to dinner dressed like this.'

  Neil sensed her wavering and pushed home his ad­vantage. 'I'll drive you home so you can change. And we don't sit down to dinner here, it's usually cold buf­fet in the lounge. People just wander in and help them­selves throughout the evening.'

  Templar hesitated. This casual way of dining would suit her, she felt shy about meeting too many people formally at one time. And Leon wouldn't be home for dinner. Why shouldn't she stay here, it would be much better than eating alone as she had last night.