Freedom to Love Read online

  A tall man with deep red hair and laughing blue eyes detached himself from several people standing outside and made his way towards the man standing confidently at Katy’s side.

  ‘Adam!’ He shook his friend’s hand with unconcealed pleasure. ‘Glad you could get back so quickly.’ His accent was distinctly Canadian.

  Adam grinned at him. ‘I always like to finish what I start. God protect me from jealous women!’ He grimaced.

  Jud turned to look pointedly at Katy. ‘This isn’t—’

  Adam laughed. ‘Good God, no!’

  ‘In that case… I’m Jud Turner,’ he introduced himself to Katy.

  She couldn’t help returning the open friendliness of this man. ‘Katy Harris,’ she divulged shyly, still wondering what Adam Wild had meant by his remark about ‘jealous women’. Jud Turner obviously knew the answer because he hadn’t questioned the remark. She turned to Adam Wild, her smile instantly fading. ‘Thank you for your—help,’ she said reluctantly, politeness calling for some acknowledgement of the assistance he had given her. ‘If you’ll both excuse me, I have to join my sister.’

  Adam nodded. ‘Take care, Katy,’ he advised with ill-concealed humour. He took another of his cards out of the breast pocket of his denim shirt. ‘Don’t tear this one up,’ he warned. ‘Call me when you get back to London.’ He put the card in exactly the same place as he had the first one.

  Katy’s cheeks flamed, and she would have liked to have slapped that taunting smile off his face. Instead she removed the card and with one last glance in Adam Wild’s direction she walked off, her head held high.

  ‘Pretty girl,’ she heard Jud Turner remark.

  ‘Passable,’ Adam Wild drawled. ‘It wasn’t her face I was interested in.’

  ‘It never is,’ his friend returned.

  Katy heard the two men laugh together and anger flared within her. So she was just a body to Adam Wild, just a faceless piece of flesh and bones that he thought photographable. God, she hated him!

  CHAPTER TWO

  GEMMA and Gerald were waiting outside the airport building. Well, at least they hadn’t gone on to the hotel without her!

  ‘Do hurry up, Katy,’ her sister snapped. ‘We’ve been waiting ages for you.’

  She didn’t think five minutes constituted ‘ages’, but she wasn’t going to start an argument in the middle of Calgary airport. ‘Mr Wild was just helping—’

  Gemma sighed, interrupting her. ‘You’ve been talking to him again!’ It was almost an accusation.

  ‘Did you take him up on his offer?’ Gerald wanted to know.

  Katy gave him a contemptuous glare, wondering how she could have let herself in for two weeks of this unbearable man’s company. She would just have to try and keep out of his way as much as possible, otherwise there were going to be a few heated arguments before the end of this holiday.

  ‘Don’t be silly, Gerald,’ Gemma giggled as she held on to his arm. ‘Katy’s too much of a prude to take her clothes off for any man.’

  Hot colour flooded Katy’s cheeks, and out of the corner of her eyes she saw Adam Wild and Jud Turner leaving the airport, their avid conversation showing that she had long been forgotten. ‘There’s a time and place for everything,’ she told them stiffly. ‘And in front of a camera, before a complete stranger, is neither the time or the place.’

  ‘Oh, we know the right place,’ Gemma gazed up adoringly at Gerald. ‘Don’t we, darling?’

  ‘You bet!’ he grinned down at her.

  Katy was feeling decidedly in the way. Surely they weren’t going to behave like this all the holiday, making her feel completely unwanted. ‘Shall we get a taxi?’ she suggested brightly.

  She sat quietly in the corner during the drive to the hotel, finding it strange being driven on the right-hand side of the road. The landscape was very flat from the airport to the hotel they were booked into overnight, and Katy felt misgivings for the beautiful scenery she had expected to see. But perhaps it changed when you got a few miles out of Calgary; the scenery around Heathrow wasn’t exactly encouraging either.

  The hotel was quietly comfortable, its decor like one of the older hotels in London rather than the modernness she had expected. But Katy preferred it, looking about her admiringly while Gerald went to the reception to see about their rooms. The hotel and camper had all been arranged through an agency in England, and so far it all seemed to be running smoothly. The people who hired out the camper insisted that anyone from abroad spent one night in a hotel in order to get over the long flight out here. It seemed a sensible idea to Katy.

  ‘Ready?’ Gerald was dangling the keys in front of them, summoning the lift. ‘We’re on the seventh floor and you’re on the tenth, Katy,’ he told her.

  She followed them dazedly into the lift. ‘I—You—’

  He spluttered with laughter. ‘I do believe our Katy thought she was to share a room with you, Gemma,’ he grinned down at his fiancé.

  ‘Did you?’ Gemma snuggled into Gerald’s arms. Katy’s pale face gave her her answer. ‘Do grow up, Katy,’ she scorned. ‘Gerald and I have been sleeping together for almost two years now, and we certainly don’t intend to sleep apart here. The single room was always intended for you.’

  This was getting worse and worse. Katy had had an idea that Gerald and her sister had slept together in the past, but to use her as a shield like this was deplorable. Not that she was the prude her sister had accused her of being; she just didn’t like being used to dupe her parents. Her father had even helped pay her airfare, saying the experience of seeing Canada would be good for her. Poor innocent Mum and Dad, they could have had no idea of Gemma and Gerald’s plans.

  ‘See you later,’ said Gemma as the lift stopped at the seventh floor and she and Gerald stepped out. ‘Come down about seven and we’ll all go down to dinner together.’

  ‘I think I’ll eat in my room and then get an early night.’ Katy ignored Gerald’s self-satisfied smile, her anger almost at exploding point.

  Gemma sighed. ‘You aren’t going to sulk, are you?’

  ‘Certainly not,’ she said stiffly, pressing the button for her own floor. ‘I’ll see you in the morning,’ she had time to say before the doors closed.

  Really, this was just too much! She had always thought Gerald a louse, but she had expected better of Gemma. She was helping to make an absolute fool of her, and Katy wished it were possible for her to go home. But it wasn’t, and it was a childish thought. She would just have to weather this out and hope that the two weeks went quickly. But she felt lonely already.

  Her room was pleasant, having quite a nice view over the towering buildings of Calgary. It was a well-laid-out room, not big, but with everything she could possibly need, including an adjoining bathroom. There was a single bed against one wall, a small table and chairs near the window, an armchair in front of the colour television set that stood on half the desk. Yes, it was all very comfortable, but right now all Katy wanted to do was fall asleep.

  It seemed no sooner had her head touched the soft downy pillow than she was asleep, a dreamless sleep that didn’t seem to have refreshed her at all when she woke a few hours later. It was five o’clock here, which meant it was twelve o’clock at night in England, and her body didn’t seem to have caught up with her, leaving her feeling slightly numb.

  She switched on the television, but the vast choice of channels threw her. She was used to only three at home, with a fourth one in the making, and here she seemed to have twelve channels. Not all of them were showing something, but there was enough to make the choice difficult.

  She lay down on the bed to study the room-service menu, determined not to see her sister and Gerald until she felt more able to face the situation they had put her in. A sandwich would do fine, she could always have something else later if she felt like it. And a pot of tea. How she would love a pot of tea!

  The order phoned down, and the possibility of a slight wait according to the girl on the switchboard, Katy dec
ided to have a refreshing shower. Maybe then she would start to feel more human. It was certainly turning out to be a long day; the seven-hour time difference had thrown her completely.

  What was Adam Wild doing now? No doubt he and his friend had looked up a couple of the female friends Adam Wild claimed to have here, and were now enjoying themselves. She sorted through her handbag, taking out the card he had given her. It was just his name and telephone number, printed starkly in bold black letters. No frills or fancy lettering for this man. She would keep the card, keep it as a memento of her meeting with the famous Adam Wild.

  Katy lay back again, once again seeing that hard cynical face, the mocking blue eyes, the lean sensual body. Many women must have known the possession of that body, and yet none of them had ever possessed the man, and she doubted any woman ever would. Adam Wild had the look of the eternal bachelor.

  She pushed him to the back of her mind as her sandwich arrived, wishing now that she had thought to dress, conscious of the young boy’s gaze roaming over her robe-covered body. The tea was very welcome, the club sandwich she had ordered a meal in itself. Goodness, she had never seen such a sandwich, tomato, bacon, thick slices of beef, all layered between several slices of bread.

  A quiz programme came on the television, and she sat and watched it as she ate, not bothering to dress now. It was already seven-thirty, and she would be going to bed in a moment.

  She jumped nervously as the telephone rang, knowing it must be Gemma and Gerald. She had only just begun to relax, and could well do without their taunting. ‘Yes?’ she spoke coldly into the receiver.

  ‘Katy?’

  Her heart fluttered at the sound of that deep husky voice with the sexual undertones. Adam Wild! She would recognise his voice anywhere. ‘Yes?’ she asked suspiciously.

  ‘Adam here,’ she could almost hear the humour in his voice. ‘Adam Wild,’ he supplied unnecessarily. And he knew it was unnecessary, damn him. ‘Come down and have dinner with me,’ he invited.

  ‘You’re in the hotel?’ She couldn’t contain her surprise.

  ‘In reception,’ he confirmed. ‘I just saw your sister and her boy-friend going in to dinner, so I know you’re alone.’

  ‘Taking pity on me once again, Mr Wild?’ she snapped angrily.

  ‘And if I am?’

  ‘It isn’t necessary,’ she told him distantly. ‘I’ve already eaten. I’m just about to go to bed.’ A slight exaggeration, but it wouldn’t be too long before she went back to bed, she felt very tired.

  He gave a husky laugh. ‘If that’s an invitation, I accept.’

  ‘It wasn’t,’ Katy snapped. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me…’

  ‘Is that any way to treat me, Katy Harris?’ His voice had hardened.

  ‘When you’ve just invited yourself into my bed it is. What happened to your friend?’

  ‘Jud? He had business elsewhere.’

  ‘Look, I’m sorry, Mr Wild, but—’

  ‘If you don’t come down, Katy,’ he interrupted softly, ‘I’m likely to come up there. Do you want that?’

  ‘No!’

  ‘Well?’

  ‘All right,’ she said crossly. ‘You go ahead and have your dinner and I’ll meet you in—say, an hour.’

  ‘Fine,’ he agreed briskly. ‘Don’t be late,’ he warned before ringing off.

  She wouldn’t dare, not with the threat of him coming to her room. How had he found her? More to the point, why had he found her?

  She dressed with care, wearing one of the only two dresses she had brought with her, deciding that denims and tops were more practical for the type of holiday they were on. But as they were staying two nights at this hotel, once this evening and once on the eve of their departure, she had brought two dresses with her. Thank goodness she had; she had the feeling Adam Wild expected sophistication from his companions.

  Her dress was chocolate brown, below knee-length, with a fitted bodice and pencil-thin shirt, with a slit up one side of the skirt so that she could walk without hindrance. It was quite a daring dress, very figure-hugging, but the other one was even more so, the bodice on that one consisting of a thin wisp of material held up by two very thin shoulder-straps. At least the brown dress covered her body, even if it did outline every curve!

  Her hair she brushed loosely down her back, completely straight, held back from her face by two thin slides at her temples. Her make-up was light, just a light touch of brown eyeshadow and mascara, with a peach lip-gloss on her mouth. She felt satisfied with the result, feeling cool and self-assured.

  That coolness and assurance disappeared as soon as Adam Wild’s warm gaze slid over her with slow assessment, reducing her to the blushing young girl that she really was. He had changed from the disreputable denims and shirt, and was now wearing navy blue trousers and a light blue silk shirt that fitted tautly across his broad shoulders. He looked very lithe and attractive, emitting an aura of male dominance that made Katy feel protected and resentful at one and the same time.

  He took her arm in a firm grasp. ‘Drink?’

  ‘Thank you,’ she accepted gracefully.

  He left her seated in one of the corner booths of the lounge-bar, going up to get their drinks. Katy couldn’t see Gemma and Gerald anywhere in the room, so her gaze strayed back to Adam Wild as he chatted easily with the bartender. He was very self-assured, the lazy charm he displayed shielding a much more steely nature. Those warm blue eyes could harden with cruel anger, the relaxed body tense with fury. He had reached the top in a profession that was highly competitive, and he hadn’t done it by sitting back and taking it easy.

  ‘Thank you,’ she accepted the Martini he put in front of her.

  He relaxed back on the padded bench-seat next to her, his arm across the back of the seat and almost touching her. ‘You’re doing very well so far,’ he said with amusement.

  She gave him a sharp look. ‘In what way?’

  He shrugged, his expression amused. ‘You haven’t fallen over anything yet, not in my sight anyway, and the hotel still looks pretty much intact.’

  Katy bristled angrily. ‘Do you have to keep bringing up a few trifling mistakes I made on the plane? I can assure you I’m not usually so accident-prone.’

  ‘I believe you,’ he scorned.

  ‘Tell me, Mr Wild,’ she said sweetly, ‘did you call me out of boredom or did you just lose your little black book for Canada?’

  ‘Well, I certainly didn’t lose my little black book,’ he drawled infuriatingly.

  ‘Thank you!’

  He grinned. ‘You asked for that one, Katy. Actually, the explanation is much more simple. I was neither bored nor bereft of my “little black book”. I just happened to see your sister, put two and two together, and decided that there was no point in both of us being alone tonight.’

  ‘I see.’ Katy smoothed her dress down over her knees, then wished she hadn’t as she realised she had drawn Adam’s attention to the thigh-length slit up the side. Her cheeks warmed with colour as he made no effort to hide his interest.

  ‘You have nice legs, too,’ he remarked bluntly.

  ‘Nice legs, shame about the face,’ Katy taunted.

  He took her remark seriously, seemingly giving each feature careful consideration. ‘Nice face,’ he corrected.

  ‘But you’ve seen better,’ she said dryly.

  ‘Yes,’ he agreed with cruel honesty.

  She bent forward to pick up her drink. ‘You—Oh, lord!’ she broke off as the glass slipped out of her hand and the liquid flowed all over Adam Wild’s trousers before the glass smashed on the floor at his feet. ‘Oh no!’ She looked at him in horror.

  After an initial look of surprise a look of resignation passed over his features. ‘I knew it was too good to last,’ he groaned, mopping up the surplus Martini with a napkin.

  ‘I couldn’t help it,’ Katy snapped. ‘It just—’

  His eyes went heavenwards. ‘Where have I heard this before? Why is it it’s never your fault? I d
idn’t see anyone around when you dropped that little lot.’

  Katy passed him another napkin. ’You were.’

  ‘So now it’s my fault. Ugh!’ he grimaced at the stickiness of his trousers. ‘When you do something you really do it well!’

  ‘Yes.’ She stood up. ‘I’ll get someone to clean up the glass.’

  ‘Don’t bother.’ He stood up too. ‘I’ll tell the barman. Then you can help me get cleaned up.’

  ‘Oh, but—’ He had already walked away, leaving her no choice but to wait for him outside.

  He joined her within minutes. ‘Let’s go to your room,’ he growled, the drink stained into the left side of his trousers.

  Katy stopped in her tracks. ’My room? But—’

  ‘It has to be your room,’ he said in exasperation. ‘I don’t happen to be staying here.’

  ‘But—’

  He pushed her into the lift. ‘You seem to have got stuck on that word. Which floor?’

  ‘Tenth. But—I mean,’ she amended at his scathing look, ‘if you aren’t staying here why are you in the hotel?’

  ‘Don’t worry,’ he scorned, ‘I’m not following you. It just so happens that they serve a good steak here. The fact that you’re staying in this hotel was merely a coincidence.’

  ‘I’m sure it was.’ She couldn’t imagine him deliberately setting out to find any woman, they would always have to do the running where this man was concerned. ‘I’m really sorry about your trousers.’ Her look was rueful.

  ‘So am I,’ he said tersely. ‘Unless you can get this Martini out you’ve just ruined a third of my wardrobe. I came away with two pairs of denims and these trousers,’ he explained. ‘And I didn’t intend shopping for new clothes while I’m here.’

  ‘It should sponge out.’ She hoped! ‘It was just an accident. I—’

  ‘Accidents seem to follow you around.’ They stepped out on to the tenth floor. ‘Which room?’

  Katy really had no choice. His trousers would have to be sponged before the liquid dried in and left a stain. ‘This way.’ She sounded disgruntled—and she was! To sponge his trousers he would have to take them off!