Authors: Shirley Wine
Piper shook her head and gripped Victoria's hands.
"No, it's not Logan." Her mouth crimped and she frowned. "I'm never talking to him again."
"Why? What's happened?"
"You knew Logan was engaged?" Piper bit her lower lip.
Suddenly, several things made sense. "To Melanie Croft?"
Piper nodded, her green eyes filling with tears. "She broke it off with him when she became ill."
"And?"
"He asked me to marry him, wanted to give me a ring and all tonight." A tear escaped and rolled down Piper's cheek. "I flat out refused. No way was I going to flaunt an engagement ring in front of Melanie."
"That's just plain cruel." Victoria inhaled sharply.
Is that why Logan asked me to marry him?
Anger did a slow burn, so many things made sense. Why had she never seen this cruel, manipulative streak in Logan?
"Was that why Muriel asked Melanie to speak tonight?"
"Nothing that woman does would surprise me." Piper caught Victoria's hands, shaking her head. "Muriel's really got her knife into you. I heard them."
Victoria's heart missed a beat and then raced at a frantic pace. What had Piper overheard? Why had she come here and what had upset her so badly?
"I don't understand. What did you hear?"
"Muriel insists you've got some hold over Keir."
"What sort of hold?" Panic clawed at Victoria. Had Logan told his mother about Connor?
"I didn't catch it all but Caine was really angry. You know how quiet he gets."
Victoria didn't, but could easily imagine it.
"From what I overheard, Caine told Muriel her sick scheme had gone far enough. If she didn't put a stop to it, he would."
"That makes no sense." Victoria stared at Piper shaking her head. "Why would Caine interfere?"
"I don't know." Piper chewed on her lower lip. "But if you ask me, something's really off in this house."
"You feel it too?" Victoria walked across to the dresser and started removing her jewelry, carefully replacing each treasured piece back in her jewelry box. She pulled the pins from her hair, letting it tumble down over her shoulders and massaged her scalp.
"You need to ask after that scene at dinner?"
Victoria picked up a brush and brushed out her hair, then with the familiarity of long practice, braided it.
"Muriel tried to bribe me to leave this afternoon." Victoria's gaze met Piper's in the mirror. "Gave me a check for ten grand."
"Ouch!"
Victoria laughed. "She was really upset when I ripped it up."
"I'll bet." Piper nibbled on a fingernail. "What I don't understand is why Muriel's so keen on Keir's engagement to Davina. From what I can gather, it's the only thing he's ever done that's won her approval."
"Perhaps that's why?"
Piper gave a rude snort. "He doesn't give a fig what his step-mama thinks. Why don't you fight for Keir, Victoria? Go to him. You two generate enough heat to start a wild-fire."
"Maybe. But what we had was over long ago?" Victoria shrugged trying for nonchalance.
Piper put her hand over her mouth, trying to stifle her giggles.
"What's so funny?"
"Who're you trying to kid? I saw you two this morning, kissing in the rhododendron dell. You were all but ripping each other's clothes off."
Heat coursed through Victoria's body. Good grief. Had anyone else seen them?
"And I saw his jealous outburst when you came inside." Piper gave her a cheeky grin. "Keir wanted to rip Logan's throat out, just for having and arm around your shoulders."
And wasn't that the truth? And when Keir learned about Connor, he would be furious with her deception.
"There's more involved than you know, Piper," Victoria said quietly, almost to herself. "If I go to Keir, it will only compound my problems."
Piper gripped her shoulders, saying vehemently, "I doubt if Davina has your scruples."
"You think she'll go to him?" Jealousy knifed through Victoria in hot bursts.
"After you showed up her petty spite earlier? I'll bet anything you like Davina's already showered, perfumed and ready to lay her perfect head on Keir's pillow. And she won't hesitate to play the pregnancy trump card."
Confusion twisted the brick in Victoria's belly. She covered her hot cheeks with trembling hands.
"I can't do that."
"Do you love him?"
The blunt question ripped at Victoria's composure. As she looked at Piper, she knew it was futile to deny it.
She did love Keir.
With a hopeless shrug, she spread her hands in a helpless gesture. In two days Victoria's predictable, if somewhat boring life had become so very complicated.
"Okay, your choice." Piper shrugged. "I know if I loved a man as much as you love Keir, I'd fight a she-devil herself for him. Sorry if I got it wrong."
Piper was gone as quickly and silently as she’d come, leaving Victoria in turmoil.
Utterly dejected, ripped apart with jealousy, Victoria went into the bathroom and creamed off her makeup¸ in preparation for bed.
The thought of Keir and Davina sleeping together ate into her like acid.
She ached for Keir.
And, thinking of him married to Davina, growing more and more embittered as the years passed, became a physical pain.
Through the wall she heard the rush of water and knew he was showering in preparation for bed.
If I loved a man as much as you love Keir, I'd fight a she-devil herself for him.
Piper's whispered words became a fiery temptation.
Keir didn't love Davina.
Did she dare go to his bed, fight for them both?
And Connor.
Just imagining the hurt Davina could inflict on her darling little boy was like a spur, roweling into tender flesh. If she could prevent that woman harming her son, she would do it.
And to hell with the consequences!
Chapter Ten
M
oving swiftly, not allowing time for cold feet, Victoria opened her door and slipped along the corridor then opened Keir's door and peeped inside.
He was nowhere in sight.
Heart thundering, she tore off her clothes, dropping them on the chair where his clothes lay discarded.
She grabbed the black silk pajama top lying on the turned down king size bed and shrugged it on.
It was huge.
It sagged over one shoulder and revealed an expanse of creamy breast and the valley between them.
Moving swiftly, she extinguished all the lights except for the soft lamp burning on the far side of the bed. She turned down the covers and laid the pajama pants on top of the other pillow.
The water stopped.
Victoria slipped into the bed, thunderous heartbeats drowning out every other sound.
Apprehension coiled her innards into such a tight knot, she was afraid she'd throw up.
She tore at her hair, undoing the braid, and raked trembling fingers through it until lay around her shoulders in a long silken shawl.
Keir emerged from the bathroom.
A cloud of steam billowed around him along with the familiar minty scent of his toiletries. Water beaded his broad tanned shoulders, a small towel draped around narrow hips.
He was so blatantly masculine.
Moisture clung to the hair on his chest, the muscles in his torso rippled as he moved. With another towel, he dried his hair.
The soft light created shadows on the hard planes of his face. He looked so gorgeous Victoria was glad she was sitting down or her knees would have given out.
Desire made her weak.
The small towel draped around his hips accentuated the broad expanse of shoulders, the hard muscularity of his long thighs, the matted dark hair clinging wetly.
Keir wasn't one to spend hours in a male beauty salon until he was as smooth and hairless as a woman.
And Victoria appreciated his rough-hewn masculinity.
He walked into the room, and was halfway to the dresser before he saw her. He stopped dead.
"What the hell!"
The words had barely left his lips when the door opened.
Davina, like an ethereal dream in an ivory silk and lace gown and matching negligee, stepped into the softly lit room.
"Keir, darling, you never said you were expecting Davina?" Victoria's voice shook with emotion.
She was, quite literally, terrified of his reaction.
"My God!" Davina's cultured accent disintegrated into a vulgar screech. "Muriel said you were here to trap Keir. Next you'll claim you're pregnant."
Been there, done that!
For one horrified moment, Victoria thought she'd actually said the words.
Keir threw the towel he was using to dry his hair onto the floor, stalked into the center of the room, and stood with his arms folded across his massive chest.
Victoria nearly let loose a laugh at Davina's expression, but one glance at Keir and her laughter died.
Arms crossed, stance rigid, his muscles bulged. Angry, proud and striking, he made the heart of her femininity hot and wet.
"What the hell's going on?" Kier looked from Victoria to Davina struggling to control his shock and anger.
As if staying at Darkhaven wasn't enough to deal with, he was now pitchforked into a situation that threatened to turn very nasty, very quickly.
The beginnings of a headache pounded behind his temples.
This visit to his father's home had turned up one bewildering surprise after another.
The very last thing he wanted to deal with was a cat fight.
That Victoria had come to his bed was no real surprise. They'd been on the verge of combusting more than once this weekend.
But Davina here in his room, past midnight—
He shook his head in disbelief. So much for all her protestations she would ensure they would both lead their own lives. And what about all her carefully laid out stipulations?
Why am I not surprised? After Katrina, you'd think I would have learned that all women lie to suit their own ends.
Davina's eyes glittered blue in her flushed face. Her breast rose and fell with each rapid breath. "What’s that slut doing in your bed?"
Somehow, he dragged his gaze from Victoria perched in his bed, regarding him with the same hypnotized gaze he imagined a terrified rabbit would give a wolf.
And well she might. And I actually thought she was different?
Wearing his pajama jacket, she looked more like a waif dressed in an older sister's cast offs than a femme fatale. If that was her intention, she fell way short of the mark.
Couldn't Davina see Victoria was afraid of his reaction? When she reached for her hair brush, he could see her hand shaking from here.
"Really, Davina. Isn’t it obvious?"
His amused response had her turning on him, breathing fire.
"I won't have it?"
Victoria picked up the hair brush and began brushing her hair.
God, she's one wanton witch,
and just watching her, turned him on. He clamped down on his rising libido.
"Have what? Keir's fabulous body?"
His glanced at Victoria, frowning. What was she about?
"You wanton little trollop!"
Davina's screech threatened to burst his ear drums. He stared at her, astonished. Was this the gracious woman who'd greeted the visitors at Darkhaven a few hours earlier?
"Keir's such an amazing lover, Davina."
Victoria was pouring oil on a fire
.
Was this her intention?
"How dare you?"
He could almost see steam come out Davina's ears as she advanced toward the bed. Victoria watched her, never moving a muscle.
He couldn't help laughing.
This situation was little short of farcical. He hadn't had a woman in his bed since he'd left his ex-wife.
Now, here were two of them, jockeying for position. "How charming. A cat fight. Have at it. It's the best entertainment, hands down, this weekend."
It was the wrong thing to say, Davina turned on him like a spitting she-cat. "Is that all you can say?"
"Who's fighting? I'm merely reclaiming what’s rightfully mine." Victoria shrugged and the outsize pajama jacket slipped off her shoulder. He caught the gleam of a white breast through the veil of hair.