Pagan Lover (14 page)

‘I abducted you, remember. If I’d taken you and then cast you off you’d have been able to have me arrested. As it is, you haven’t any sort of a case against me. Marriage was my only safeguard against finding myself in trouble.’

‘What do you mean—I haven’t any sort of case against you?’

‘You married me willingly. You’re now my wife—’ He threw out his hands. ‘What could you do if, say, you did manage to escape?’

‘I’d still go to the police.’

He shook his head.

‘It would get you nowhere. You promised to marry me, remember? And you did marry me—without a word of protest, without making even the slightest accusation against
me.
’

‘You consider yourself so clever,’ she retorted, ‘but I shall have my revenge one day!’ His eyes hardened.

‘You are still dreaming of escape?’

‘Of course.’

‘Foolish girl. Hasn’t it dawned on you that you are pregnant?’

Her eyes flew to his, crimson colour staining her cheeks.

‘No!’ she cried. ‘No—how can you be sure
...?’
Her voice trailed to silence as his black brows lifted.

‘I wasn’t born yesterday,’ he said with a significant edge of satire to his voice. ‘You’re my prisoner now, Tara—inescapably.’

‘No—I won’t have your child! I don’t want it! I hate you too much!’ She was on the brink of tears, because his assertion had only served to strengthen the first dawning of doubt in her mind, a doubt she had cast away, desperately thrusting it from her consciousness. Fate would not do that to her! It wasn’t fair! She was
not
expecting a child! The tears flowed and she reached for the wrap, seeking in the pocket for a handkerchief. Her hand came away empty and
Leon gave her his. ‘If you knew how much I hate you,’ she quivered after she had dried her eyes, you’d let me go at once!’

Her husband ignored that, accepting his handkerchief from her gingerly after having seen her blow her nose on it. She looked very young, like a child, her eyes still moist, and small sobs rising to her lips. His eyes flickered over her, and it did seem that they had softened slightly. And that nerve in his neck .
..
it was there again, pulsating, out of control. He said after a long silence,

‘If you give me that promise, Tara, then I shall allow you the freedom of this island. As it is, you’re not allowed outside the grounds of the house. Be sensible, child, and give me the promise.’

‘You’ve just said I’m your prisoner now—inescapably,’ she reminded him, ‘so why do you want the promise?’

‘Until the child is born I’m taking no chances. I know you well enough to be sure that you’d never desert our child. I also know you well enough to be sure that if you give me that promise you will keep it. I’ve said so before.’

She remained silent, musing on what he had said. If she could escape before the child was born—

‘I’m not having a child!’, she whispered to herself vehemently. ‘It would ruin my life—David would never want another man’s child, so he would no longer want to marry me!’

Leon
was saying, changing the subject,

‘I must go to
Athens within the next week. I’d take you with me if you’d give me that promise.’ His eyes had a questioning look as he waited—hopefully, it was plain—for her to give him the answer he required. She shook her head and said no, she would not make the promise. ‘You’re the most stubborn woman I have ever met!’ he exclaimed exasperatedly. ‘I
want
to take you with me!’

‘For
one thing
,’
she’ returned with scorn. ‘Can’t you look up one of your old flames and invite her to sleep with you?’

Leon
’s eyes glimmered, like burning embers ready to ignite.

‘Get inside!’ he ordered harshly, rising, as he spoke and jerking her up with him. ‘I’ve had enough! You’ll feel my hand about your hide for what you’ve just said!’ He was dragging her, and because she was so conscious of the gardener’s eyes following them,
Tara refrained from struggling. Her heart was pounding
against
her
ribs, for despite
the repeated
threats
he had made she had felt sure he would never use violence
upon her. She thought of her scanty attire
and every drop of blood drained from her face. He would hurt her—she had had plenty of proof of his savagery when his temper was roused, so she could expect no mercy now. Should she plead? Such cowardly conduct was abhorrent to her, but not more so than the instinctive shrinking from physical punishment, especially at the hands of this fiend.

Once in the bedroom he kicked the door closed, then stood with his broad back to it, his face twisted into evil lines, his eyes blazing with fury. She had run when he released her hand and she was standing with her back to the window, an animal at bay with her merciless predator ready to spring. She suddenly knew she must plead, for all courage had been drained from her.

‘
Leon—please—don’t hurt me!’

‘Come here! he thundered, and her, heart began to beat with such violence that she felt it would collapse altogether. She put a hand to it, tears streaming down her face. He gritted his teeth and pointed to the floor in front of him. ‘Here, I said. My God, girl, if you don’t obey me you’ll be sorry!’

 
‘I c-can’t—oh,
Leon, please....’ He said nothing, but continued to point to the spot in front of him. The silence was torture; her forehead was clammy and so were the palms of her hands. ‘I’ll do anything you say—’ She stopped, and although it was the most difficult thing she had ever done in the whole of her life, she humbly apologised for what she had said. The tears continued to flow, created by the terrible fear this man put into her as he stood there, his finger still pointing. Slowly she advanced, gripped in a vice of sheer terror, for he looked as if he were ready to give her more than a beating; he looked ready to murder her, And suddenly it struck her that his fury was out of all
proportion.
He’d admitted
to having pillow-friends, so why
should he be
like
this simply because
she
had mentioned
them?
True,
he would not like it, but this....
She stared into his face after coming to a halt before his towering figure. He had said he respected her more than he had respected any other woman—so could it be possible that he wanted to forget those others? Stunned by the idea,
Tara continued to stare, forgetting that at any moment she might find herself grasped and beaten. If he wanted to forget the others then it meant that he— She cut her thoughts, admitting that
it
was not possible that he was beginning to like her
...
in
that
way. Hadn’t he said several times that he did not believe in love?

‘So you decided, to apologise, eh?’ Although his voice rasped it seemed to have lost some of its vibrancy, and she sensed that his anger was abating. ‘You saved yourself,’ he said, and for a long moment she could only stare, her shredded nerves gradually settling, along with the painful, rabid throbbing of her heart. ‘Yes, you were wise—in fact, it is the wisest thing you have ever done.’ His black eyes roved over her body possessively; she was jerked to him and his mouth was brutal as it crushed hers. She fought for breath, twisting about instinctively, managing at
last to draw her bruised and swollen lips from his. He gave a snarl and forced her head up with a merciless hand beneath her chin. ‘Did I say you’d escaped! The beating, yes—but not my kisses!’ His hand forced her head further back, until she felt a pain in her neck. The dark head was bent, the evil mouth caressed hers before, with the same savage intensity, he crushed hers beneath it.

She wept softly. Unable to fight him any more, she accepted defeat and went limp in his arms. He was the conqueror, her master, and in this moment of pain and despair she owned it
to
herself that she must never again fight against his strength. It exhausted her, it caused the blood to pound in her temples. Why did she do it? The instinct of self-preservation which right down through the ages had brought reprisals to those whose enemies were stronger than they, and it was bringing reprisals to her, as it always did. Pride had made her fight, but her husband had stripped her of all pride a moment ago when she had been forced to apologise to him. ‘I’ll tame you yet,’ he was saying, and now his voice was almost mild. ‘The Greeks don’t tolerate disobedience and ridicule, not even from men, much less from their women. You are “my woman” in this country and as such you will render me total obedience and respect.’ Her head was jerked up again and she was forced to meet his fierce, compelling gaze. ‘Do I make myself clear—wife!’

‘Yes,’ she answered, the gruffness in her voice sounding strange even to her own ears.

‘Yes,
Leon, you make yourself perfectly clear.’

‘Good! Perhaps our lives will be lived a little more peacefully now.’ His hand slid from her chin to her shoulder. The strap of her bikini bra was removed and she felt his hand curl round her breast. He was demonstrating his mastery, daring her to protest, or even to move. She dared not move, even when the other strap was released and she was naked but for the tiny covering lower down. His touch was roughly coercive; he was employing arrogant compulsion to bring her to the very depths of submission, because he knew what the fire of his touch could ignite within her, reducing her resistance to ashes. His other hand slid possessively down her spine, its progress that of slow, compelling temptation. She quivered throughout her entire body, quivered with expectation as every desire was awakened by his hands as they continued to explore. His pagan dominance was reducing her to total subjugation. He ordered her to kiss him and she obeyed, and. when he laughed with taunting mockery she endured the humiliation in silence.

‘You want me,’ he stated, and then made her say it. Cheeks flaming, she did as she was told. His hand was removing the one scant item of clothing and she knew as before that every act was designed to bring right home to her that he was her master. Every drop of blood in her body seemed to be flooding to her heart as he lifted her, with that familiar ease that more than demonstrated his incredible muscular strength. She looked into his ruthless face as he laid her on the bed; there was triumph in his eyes, and taunting satire. He gloated at her weakness, exulted in his own strength.

And suddenly she forgot all her resolutions, even forgot her fear of him. For some power seemed to enter into her, providing her with the strength to spring off the bed and race for the communicating door. She passed through it, slamming it in his face. But in her wild fumbling with the key, which she had known was, on his side of the door, she lost precious seconds. With a moan of despair she fell backwards as the door was pushed towards her.
Leon caught her, miraculously, before she touched the floor, his arm a steel hawser encircling her naked body, his mouth cruel against her quivering lips. Her unexpected action had inflamed him and he showed no mercy when, a few moments later, she as his prisoner, his submissive slave.

CHAPTER NINE

TARA was alone in the garden when Nico was announced by one of her husband’s manservants. Her heart gave a little jerk; she had known instinctively that she and Nico would meet . . . alone.

‘He asked for
Mrs
Leon,’ said Davos in an expressionless voice. ‘Shall I bring him here?’

‘No; show him into the sitting-room and tell him I’ll be there in about five minutes.’

‘Very good, madam.’

She glanced at the gardener and smiled to herself. None of the servants had been told by
Leon to be present if she had a visitor, simply because he had not expected her to have one.

Excitement filled her mind as she changed quickly from the shorts and sun-top she had on, to a pleated linen dress, deep mauve with a narrow band of purple running round the hem. It was one of several that had come up from Margarita a few days ago, beautiful garments all of them, and there was silk underwear too, and a couple of blouses and skirts. She stood looking in the mirror for a moment after applying lip-rouge and perfume. Why had Nico come? As he had asked for her it was feasible, to assume that he knew
Leon was not at home. He rose as she entered the room, his eyes appreciative as they roved her elegantly-clad figure.

‘
Yassoo
, Tara!’ he greeted her, extending both his hands so that she had no option but to put hers into them. ‘I knew
Leon was away from home, so I decided to come and see you. Why didn’t he take you with him?’