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Authors: Carole Mortimer
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opening the door.'
The muffled swearing on the other side of the door told her that her barb had hit its mark. 'I'll be back, Danielle,' he warned her softly. 'And I don't intend leaving until I have some answers next time.'
She listened to the ascent of the lift as he waited for it, heard it go down again before she returned to her bedroom. Both of them knew that his threat where she was concerned was an idle one, that she didn't, and wouldn't, tell him anything she didn't want to. But Audra may not be so easy to handle....
In the end she slept little, her sleep troubled when she did manage to doze for a while, her appearance heavy-eyed as she lingered over a pot of coffee for her breakfast the next morning. She had lived a relatively peaceful existence the last seven years, and now within days of meeting Nick again he was turning her world upside-down.
When she opened the door to him half an hour later she wasn't exactly overjoyed to see him!
'I told you I would be back," he walked into her apartment uninvited, casually dressed in grey fitted trousers and a navy blue shirt. 'Now tell me what Audra said to make you leave last night,' he pinpointed her with narrowed grey eyes, seeming not to notice that she only wore her thin negligee over her nightgown.
Danielle looked slightly to the left of his face, unable to meet his gaze. 'I don't know what makes you think Miss McDonald spoke to me at all,' she dismissed lightly.
'Simple,' he drawled. 'She told me she had.'
'Oh,' Danielle paled slightly, wondering what else the other woman told him. And then dismissed the idea; if Audra had told him he wouldn't need to ask.
'Yes,' he acknowledged grimly. 'She seemed to think, for some reason, that I needed her help in eliminating you from my life.' His expression boded ill for the other woman.
For such an intelligent woman Audra McDonald had been rather stupid in overestimating her, or any other woman's, importance in Nick's life; should have realised he would resent such blatantly confessed interference. Or maybe the other woman just felt confident enough of her 'ace up her sleeve' to dare such a liberty. Whatever the reason both women knew Danielle would never go out with Nick. Although that certainly didn't guarantee that he would go back to the other woman either, the opposite now, she would have thought.
'She still wants you,' she told Nick softly.
His mouth tightened. 'And we both know it's over between us,' he rasped.
'I think Miss McDonald would prefer it if it weren't,' she derided.
'I'm well aware of Audra's feelings in this,' he snapped. 'And now she's well aware of mine.'
That boded ill for Danielle, and she knew it, chewing worriedly on her inner lip. Audra certainly wasn't going to calmly sit back and take this.
'Go out with me just once, Danielle,' Nick's voice had softened persuasively. 'I promise you'll enjoy yourself,' he encouraged as she looked at him blankly, her thoughts far from his invitation.
But she had no doubt that he could be overwhelmingly charming if he wanted to be, she just couldn't go out with him, not now. 'I'm sorry,' she refused. 'Now if you'll excuse me,' she added pointedly. 'I'm going out.'
His mouth tightened ominously. 'With Vaughn?'
Until she had made the statement she had no intention of going out, now it seemed like a good idea. She couldn't sit here and brood all day, just wondering if Audra were going to use her knowledge against her. 'No, not with Lewis,' she answered evenly. 'I—I'm going to see my parents,' the idea suddenly occurred to her.
He frowned. 'Couldn't you see them some other time?'
'I could,' she nodded. 'But I told them I would go today, and I always keep my promises.'
'Danielle—'
'I have to leave in a few minutes,' she cut in firmly. 'So if you wouldn't mind . . .?'
'But I do mind,' he grated. 'Why the hell won't you just go out with me?'
She shrugged. 'Just look at the fate that befell Miss McDonald and you'll know,' she derided.
Colour darkened
The muffled swearing on the other side of the door told her that her barb had hit its mark. 'I'll be back, Danielle,' he warned her softly. 'And I don't intend leaving until I have some answers next time.'
She listened to the ascent of the lift as he waited for it, heard it go down again before she returned to her bedroom. Both of them knew that his threat where she was concerned was an idle one, that she didn't, and wouldn't, tell him anything she didn't want to. But Audra may not be so easy to handle....
In the end she slept little, her sleep troubled when she did manage to doze for a while, her appearance heavy-eyed as she lingered over a pot of coffee for her breakfast the next morning. She had lived a relatively peaceful existence the last seven years, and now within days of meeting Nick again he was turning her world upside-down.
When she opened the door to him half an hour later she wasn't exactly overjoyed to see him!
'I told you I would be back," he walked into her apartment uninvited, casually dressed in grey fitted trousers and a navy blue shirt. 'Now tell me what Audra said to make you leave last night,' he pinpointed her with narrowed grey eyes, seeming not to notice that she only wore her thin negligee over her nightgown.
Danielle looked slightly to the left of his face, unable to meet his gaze. 'I don't know what makes you think Miss McDonald spoke to me at all,' she dismissed lightly.
'Simple,' he drawled. 'She told me she had.'
'Oh,' Danielle paled slightly, wondering what else the other woman told him. And then dismissed the idea; if Audra had told him he wouldn't need to ask.
'Yes,' he acknowledged grimly. 'She seemed to think, for some reason, that I needed her help in eliminating you from my life.' His expression boded ill for the other woman.
For such an intelligent woman Audra McDonald had been rather stupid in overestimating her, or any other woman's, importance in Nick's life; should have realised he would resent such blatantly confessed interference. Or maybe the other woman just felt confident enough of her 'ace up her sleeve' to dare such a liberty. Whatever the reason both women knew Danielle would never go out with Nick. Although that certainly didn't guarantee that he would go back to the other woman either, the opposite now, she would have thought.
'She still wants you,' she told Nick softly.
His mouth tightened. 'And we both know it's over between us,' he rasped.
'I think Miss McDonald would prefer it if it weren't,' she derided.
'I'm well aware of Audra's feelings in this,' he snapped. 'And now she's well aware of mine.'
That boded ill for Danielle, and she knew it, chewing worriedly on her inner lip. Audra certainly wasn't going to calmly sit back and take this.
'Go out with me just once, Danielle,' Nick's voice had softened persuasively. 'I promise you'll enjoy yourself,' he encouraged as she looked at him blankly, her thoughts far from his invitation.
But she had no doubt that he could be overwhelmingly charming if he wanted to be, she just couldn't go out with him, not now. 'I'm sorry,' she refused. 'Now if you'll excuse me,' she added pointedly. 'I'm going out.'
His mouth tightened ominously. 'With Vaughn?'
Until she had made the statement she had no intention of going out, now it seemed like a good idea. She couldn't sit here and brood all day, just wondering if Audra were going to use her knowledge against her. 'No, not with Lewis,' she answered evenly. 'I—I'm going to see my parents,' the idea suddenly occurred to her.
He frowned. 'Couldn't you see them some other time?'
'I could,' she nodded. 'But I told them I would go today, and I always keep my promises.'
'Danielle—'
'I have to leave in a few minutes,' she cut in firmly. 'So if you wouldn't mind . . .?'
'But I do mind,' he grated. 'Why the hell won't you just go out with me?'
She shrugged. 'Just look at the fate that befell Miss McDonald and you'll know,' she derided.
Colour darkened
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