Read Online Accidental Reunion by Carol Marinelli - Free Book Online
Authors: Carol Marinelli
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sound of the balcony door opening gave them only the tiniest chance to break apart. With horror Lila realised it was Yvonne.
Utter shame swept over her. Never in a million years had this been her intention, but it was too late for regrets. The consequences of her actions had to be faced.
Yvonne hadn’t just had a bit too much to drink, she was teetering unsteadily, her eyes angry and confused. ‘What are you doing out here?’
‘Talking to Lila.’
‘Well, I’m sorry if I’ve disturbed you.’ The contempt in Yvonne’s voice was painfully obvious.
Unable to meet the other woman’s eye, Lila looked down at the ground, painfully aware that Declan was wearing rather a lot of her lipstick at that moment.
‘Mr Hinkley suggested that some of the doctors head off to the casino. I thought it might be fun.’
‘Do you want me to call you a taxi?’ he suggested, deliberately misreading what Yvonne had said.
Lila looked up sharply, amazed at his response. He seemed neither guilty nor perturbed that Yvonne had come so close to catching them, maybe even had. Who knew what she had seen as she’d approached the balcony? It didn’t take an Einstein to work out what had gone on.
‘Look, I’m sorry to break up your private party,’ she said nastily, ‘but Mr Hinkley is your boss, not mine. Surely it would be better for your career…’
‘My career’s fine, Yvonne,’ Declan said darkly. ‘And the best thing you could do for yours is have a strong black coffee and go home to bed.’
‘You bastard.’
‘Yvonne…’ Lila’s voice was shaky. ‘I can explain. Look, I’m really sorry…’
But Yvonne wasn’t interested in hearing what Lila had to say. ‘You’re welcome to him,’ she spat at Lila, and with a sob fled from the balcony back into the party.
Lila stood, stunned. ‘You’d better go to her.’
‘Let her go,’ he said angrily. ‘I’m sick of her dramas.’
‘I’d say she had every reason to be upset. Just go after her, Declan. Don’t make it any worse than it is.’
She was utterly bemused by his reaction, and even more so when he turned to face her again, pulling her back into his arms. ‘Now, where were we?’
Aghast, she pushed him away. ‘How dare you? How dare you?’ She repeated. ‘No wonder Yvonne’s drunk. Any woman would need a general anaesthetic to put up with you. You have the audacity to follow me out here, to kiss me, to—’
‘I don’t recall much resistance. In fact, from where I was standing—’
Lila had never hit a man in her life, never hit anyone, in fact. It was against all her principles. But so was Declan Haversham, so was a man who could so openly play with her affections. So recklessly destroy Yvonne. As her hand aimed for his cheek she was so blinded with anger and rage that principles were the last thing on her mind.
But Declan was too quick for her. Grabbing her wrist, he held her outstretched hand in the air and she stood there, fury blazing in her blue eyes.
‘Funny,’ he said slowly, ‘I really thought you’d grown up at last.’ He released his grip and, shockedand reeling from her outburst, she stood there mute as Declan continued. ‘I guess it will take a bit more than a nursing degree to change the self-centred, spoiled little madam you always were.’
She ran a tongue over her dry lips. ‘Meaning?’
‘Just that.’ He spat the words at her. ‘It was always about you, wasn’t it? ‘‘I’m tired, Declan.’’’ He mimicked her voice. ‘Never mind that I’d been studying all week and maybe needed to let off a bit of a steam. But when I was tired it was a different story, wasn’t it? Never mind I’d spent a week in lectures and four nights at the hospital. If little Lila wanted to party because her airline friends were in town, well, party time it was.
‘And you haven’t changed a bit. ‘‘Let’s be friends, Declan’’ and twenty-four hours later you change your mind. ‘‘I’ve missed you, Declan. Kiss me,
Utter shame swept over her. Never in a million years had this been her intention, but it was too late for regrets. The consequences of her actions had to be faced.
Yvonne hadn’t just had a bit too much to drink, she was teetering unsteadily, her eyes angry and confused. ‘What are you doing out here?’
‘Talking to Lila.’
‘Well, I’m sorry if I’ve disturbed you.’ The contempt in Yvonne’s voice was painfully obvious.
Unable to meet the other woman’s eye, Lila looked down at the ground, painfully aware that Declan was wearing rather a lot of her lipstick at that moment.
‘Mr Hinkley suggested that some of the doctors head off to the casino. I thought it might be fun.’
‘Do you want me to call you a taxi?’ he suggested, deliberately misreading what Yvonne had said.
Lila looked up sharply, amazed at his response. He seemed neither guilty nor perturbed that Yvonne had come so close to catching them, maybe even had. Who knew what she had seen as she’d approached the balcony? It didn’t take an Einstein to work out what had gone on.
‘Look, I’m sorry to break up your private party,’ she said nastily, ‘but Mr Hinkley is your boss, not mine. Surely it would be better for your career…’
‘My career’s fine, Yvonne,’ Declan said darkly. ‘And the best thing you could do for yours is have a strong black coffee and go home to bed.’
‘You bastard.’
‘Yvonne…’ Lila’s voice was shaky. ‘I can explain. Look, I’m really sorry…’
But Yvonne wasn’t interested in hearing what Lila had to say. ‘You’re welcome to him,’ she spat at Lila, and with a sob fled from the balcony back into the party.
Lila stood, stunned. ‘You’d better go to her.’
‘Let her go,’ he said angrily. ‘I’m sick of her dramas.’
‘I’d say she had every reason to be upset. Just go after her, Declan. Don’t make it any worse than it is.’
She was utterly bemused by his reaction, and even more so when he turned to face her again, pulling her back into his arms. ‘Now, where were we?’
Aghast, she pushed him away. ‘How dare you? How dare you?’ She repeated. ‘No wonder Yvonne’s drunk. Any woman would need a general anaesthetic to put up with you. You have the audacity to follow me out here, to kiss me, to—’
‘I don’t recall much resistance. In fact, from where I was standing—’
Lila had never hit a man in her life, never hit anyone, in fact. It was against all her principles. But so was Declan Haversham, so was a man who could so openly play with her affections. So recklessly destroy Yvonne. As her hand aimed for his cheek she was so blinded with anger and rage that principles were the last thing on her mind.
But Declan was too quick for her. Grabbing her wrist, he held her outstretched hand in the air and she stood there, fury blazing in her blue eyes.
‘Funny,’ he said slowly, ‘I really thought you’d grown up at last.’ He released his grip and, shockedand reeling from her outburst, she stood there mute as Declan continued. ‘I guess it will take a bit more than a nursing degree to change the self-centred, spoiled little madam you always were.’
She ran a tongue over her dry lips. ‘Meaning?’
‘Just that.’ He spat the words at her. ‘It was always about you, wasn’t it? ‘‘I’m tired, Declan.’’’ He mimicked her voice. ‘Never mind that I’d been studying all week and maybe needed to let off a bit of a steam. But when I was tired it was a different story, wasn’t it? Never mind I’d spent a week in lectures and four nights at the hospital. If little Lila wanted to party because her airline friends were in town, well, party time it was.
‘And you haven’t changed a bit. ‘‘Let’s be friends, Declan’’ and twenty-four hours later you change your mind. ‘‘I’ve missed you, Declan. Kiss me,
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