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Authors: Diana Palmer
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knew instantly
was a ruse. "Why don't you come over and have a drink? Bess and Bobby
are staying the night with me."
She
fished for excuses. "I have to feed the hermit crabs and put out
lobster pots...."
“I’ll see you in five
minutes," he said, ignoring her feeble
attempt at humor, and hung up.
She
glared at the telephone. She wanted to call him back and tell him
what he could do with his overbearing attitude, but now that she'd begun this
horrible charade, she felt obliged to go through with it. Why, she
didn't know.
After
changing into a strappy little black dress, hose and high heels,
she tramped across to King's house.
Warchief
went into raucous ecstasies of welcome at her arrival. "Quiet, sweet
thing," Elissa scolded playfully, nodding to Bobby and a subdued Bess
as she went to pet her parrot.
Evidently
he'd lost his inclination to bite. He blazed his eyes, docilely bent his
head for her to scratch and cooed, "Hello, pretty thing."
"I've
missed you, too, you horrible bird," she mur mured, nuzzling her
nose against his head.
"I
wouldn't put my nose that close to him," Bess gasped.
"Wise decision," King remarked easily.
"He's to-
tally unpredictable.
He won't let anyone except Elissa that close."
"Now
go to sleep," Elissa whispered when she'd scratched his green
head enough to satisfy Warchief and his eyes were nearly closed.
She busied
herself covering his cage, uneasier around King than she'd ever been in
the two years she'd known him. She couldn't even manage to meet his eyes,
she was so confused.
"I
expected to find you already over here," Bess remarked. Dressed in
flowing yellow lounging pajamas that suited her blondness, she leaned back on
the big white sofa.
"I had some designs to work on," Elissa
replied.
"She
works better at her own cottage, where there are fewer distractions," King
remarked, his dark eyes narrow on her averted face.
Bobby
hadn't said a word, except to greet Elissa warmly. He was bent
over financial reports spread all over the coffee table, seemingly
oblivious to the world around him.
Bess gave
him a weary glance before she turned back to study Elissa and King.
"So what's with you two? You barely seem to be speaking,"
she observed. Her eyes openly flirted with King.
King
cleared his throat and stared hard at Elissa. "How astute of you to notice,
Bess. Actually, Elissa and I had a little tiff, but it's nothing,
really."
"Yes," Elissa began, glaring at him. "I
simply lost
80
Diana
Palmer
Fitfor a
King
81
control and threw
myself at—" Suddenly she found herself being grabbed by the hand and
dragged into a bedroom.
"Rape!"
she yelled, and Bobby surprised everyone by bursting out with laughter.
King closed the door behind
them, his face livid. He leaned back against
the door, watching her retreat to
the window.
"Stop
that," he growled. "You're slitting my throat!"
"Good.
I'll bet you bleed ice water," she returned, her eyes wide and accusing.
"I shouldn't have said
what I said last night," he began
slowly. "I'm sorry. I can't begin to explain why I did it."
"You
were drunk and so was I," she replied to save face.
His eyebrow made an arch. "On three drinks?"
"I'm
not used to liquor of any sort," she defended herself. "And unless
I'm mistaken, you don't drink much, either."
His
powerful shoulders rose and fell. In his white slacks and a red-and-white knit
shirt, he looked impossibly handsome. His dark eyes ran up and down her body,
and she knew he was remembering, as she had, how it had been
between them. Her heart pounded once again at the sheer impact of
that mem ory.
"Bobby postponed
his flight until tomorrow morn-
ing," he said a
few moments later. "He thought it would be fun if the
four of us flew back to the States together."
"I can't," she protested. "Warchief—"
"I've
got a sitter, as usual," he returned. "I can't stay here or Bess will get a
migraine or find some excuse to stay with me. Bobby, as you can see, is immersed in his work. He doesn't even
was a ruse. "Why don't you come over and have a drink? Bess and Bobby
are staying the night with me."
She
fished for excuses. "I have to feed the hermit crabs and put out
lobster pots...."
“I’ll see you in five
minutes," he said, ignoring her feeble
attempt at humor, and hung up.
She
glared at the telephone. She wanted to call him back and tell him
what he could do with his overbearing attitude, but now that she'd begun this
horrible charade, she felt obliged to go through with it. Why, she
didn't know.
After
changing into a strappy little black dress, hose and high heels,
she tramped across to King's house.
Warchief
went into raucous ecstasies of welcome at her arrival. "Quiet, sweet
thing," Elissa scolded playfully, nodding to Bobby and a subdued Bess
as she went to pet her parrot.
Evidently
he'd lost his inclination to bite. He blazed his eyes, docilely bent his
head for her to scratch and cooed, "Hello, pretty thing."
"I've
missed you, too, you horrible bird," she mur mured, nuzzling her
nose against his head.
"I
wouldn't put my nose that close to him," Bess gasped.
"Wise decision," King remarked easily.
"He's to-
tally unpredictable.
He won't let anyone except Elissa that close."
"Now
go to sleep," Elissa whispered when she'd scratched his green
head enough to satisfy Warchief and his eyes were nearly closed.
She busied
herself covering his cage, uneasier around King than she'd ever been in
the two years she'd known him. She couldn't even manage to meet his eyes,
she was so confused.
"I
expected to find you already over here," Bess remarked. Dressed in
flowing yellow lounging pajamas that suited her blondness, she leaned back on
the big white sofa.
"I had some designs to work on," Elissa
replied.
"She
works better at her own cottage, where there are fewer distractions," King
remarked, his dark eyes narrow on her averted face.
Bobby
hadn't said a word, except to greet Elissa warmly. He was bent
over financial reports spread all over the coffee table, seemingly
oblivious to the world around him.
Bess gave
him a weary glance before she turned back to study Elissa and King.
"So what's with you two? You barely seem to be speaking,"
she observed. Her eyes openly flirted with King.
King
cleared his throat and stared hard at Elissa. "How astute of you to notice,
Bess. Actually, Elissa and I had a little tiff, but it's nothing,
really."
"Yes," Elissa began, glaring at him. "I
simply lost
80
Diana
Palmer
Fitfor a
King
81
control and threw
myself at—" Suddenly she found herself being grabbed by the hand and
dragged into a bedroom.
"Rape!"
she yelled, and Bobby surprised everyone by bursting out with laughter.
King closed the door behind
them, his face livid. He leaned back against
the door, watching her retreat to
the window.
"Stop
that," he growled. "You're slitting my throat!"
"Good.
I'll bet you bleed ice water," she returned, her eyes wide and accusing.
"I shouldn't have said
what I said last night," he began
slowly. "I'm sorry. I can't begin to explain why I did it."
"You
were drunk and so was I," she replied to save face.
His eyebrow made an arch. "On three drinks?"
"I'm
not used to liquor of any sort," she defended herself. "And unless
I'm mistaken, you don't drink much, either."
His
powerful shoulders rose and fell. In his white slacks and a red-and-white knit
shirt, he looked impossibly handsome. His dark eyes ran up and down her body,
and she knew he was remembering, as she had, how it had been
between them. Her heart pounded once again at the sheer impact of
that mem ory.
"Bobby postponed
his flight until tomorrow morn-
ing," he said a
few moments later. "He thought it would be fun if the
four of us flew back to the States together."
"I can't," she protested. "Warchief—"
"I've
got a sitter, as usual," he returned. "I can't stay here or Bess will get a
migraine or find some excuse to stay with me. Bobby, as you can see, is immersed in his work. He doesn't even
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