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.Now she was likea sleek, purring cat, replete after catching her quarry.She gave the impression she never wished to strayanother inch from Henry's side.There were more surprises in store, apart from Ruby.Startled, Alex glanced across the room to see aparticularly beautiful woman coming through the door.This charming apparition was looking straight atChase.Alex noticed the surprise on his face, but her own eyes were blank as he glanced at her sharply.She was glad she had managed to appear indifferent as his gaze lingered on her for only a momentbefore returning to the new arrival.The woman made a beeline for him, after congratulating Ruby andHenry.Alex wasn't near enough to catch her name.`Hello, darling! Aren't you pleased to see me?' As if in no doubt that he would be, the vision placed bothhands on Chase's shoulders and kissed him warmly on the mouth.Nor did she hurry.Lightly he held herfile:///E|/My%20Library/books/ROMANCE/margaret%20pargeter/1981%20%20captivity%20TXT/captivity.txt (38 of 89)09/05/2010 11:05:45file:///E|/My%20Library/books/ROMANCE/margaret%20pargeter/1981%20%20captivity%20TXT/captivity.txtby the waist, kissing her back, giving every appearance of thoroughly enjoying himself.`Oh, Chase!' the woman gushed, `I have missed you.In fact I missed you so much, I took up Mary'sinvitation to visit.The play in New.York folded up and it's three weeks yet before I start filming again.'Alex went suddenly cold.This must be Chase's girlfriend? Ex-girlfriend, hadn't he said, but this womanwas enticing enough to rekindle any man's interest.Seductively lovely and charming, she hung onChase's arm, glowing up at him.Uncertainly, Alex turned away.Later she saw them talking closelytogether.Davina Wilde had her hand on Chase's muscular thigh, and she didn't keep it still.A peculiarsickness rose in Alex's throat.Davina was making no attempt to disguise what she was after!When Chase went out, after midnight, to see Davina off, Alex slipped up to bed.Outside her bedroomdoor she met Ruby.The other girl paused, her eyes sharp on Alex's pale face.`I wondered why Chase wasn't in a hurry to getback to the big city.What do you think of Davina?'Feeling she was being got at, Alex suggested evenly, `He must have been surprised to see her.'`I can't think why he should be.' Ruby smiled knowingly.`It was all over the air this morning.I'm surethat's why he made it his business to be here.'In her room, Alex found she was trembling, and hated Chase Marshall afresh that he could affect herlike this.The feelings he had aroused in her so far hadn't been comfortable, but this sense of desolationwas the worst yet.It made her all the more determined to escape as soon as she could.The next day she returned with Chase to Coolabra where preparations for the engagement party, properwere already under way.Miss Marshall had everything under control, but was obviously in need of help.Alex, having spent the last hour or so enduring Chase's light but taunting conversation, was glad of thechance to forget it.Why should it matter to her what he had been up to the night before? Why should hebe so interested in her reactions? The fact that she wasn't sophisticated enough to listen to his occasionalremarks about women and sex without blushing had appeared to amuse him.Why, Alex wonderedangrily, when he apparently had never done without sex himself, was he so dryly critical of the womenwho supplied it?When Miss Marshall almost begged for her assistance, Alex was only too willing to give it.Anythingwould be better than just sitting around the house thinking of Chase, with a mind too eager toconcentrate on his dark attraction! She threw herself at the task of helping Miss Marshall unstintedly, inorder to alleviate the peculiar restlessness that invaded her.If Chase had set out deliberately to arousedormant feelings, she decided bitterly, he shouldn't have the satisfaction of knowing how well he hadsucceeded.`I hope you aren't wearing yourself out?' he said, when, a few nights before the party , he came acrossher by the pool.The swimming pool was beautiful, in keeping with everything else around the stationhomestead, but he eyed both it and Alex grimly.`Should you be swimming alone when you're tired?'Alex didn't see why not.She had just been in the pool and felt better for it.Glancing at the water, shesaw it was still, and wished her heart would be, when he approached her.As she put her hand over itnervously, the beat quickened even more as his eyes rested on her uneasy fingers.She was aware, fromthe way his eyes glinted, that he knew very well what she was trying to hide.Quickly she reached for her towelling jacket, uncaring that mockery now joined the interest in his gazeas she slipped into it.This accomplished, she sat back with what she hoped was dignity on the luxuriouslounger where she had been lying.`I am a little tired,' she admitted, `but then so is everyone.All exceptyou,' she added, resigned to his energy, which never diminished.She was just beginning to fully realisefile:///E|/My%20Library/books/ROMANCE/margaret%20pargeter/1981%20%20captivity%20TXT/captivity [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]