courage, sweet witch. You're going to need every last ounce of it by the time I've done with you.'
She bowed her head defeatedly. 'Oh, Rian, have mercy on me,' she whispered wretchedly.
'Following your own example, no doubt.' His voice lashed at her. 'No, Janna. I've entertained a number of feelings towards you over the years, but I can't say that mercy has ever been among them. You'll take my medicine, darling, in whatever dosage I dictate to you.'
She got up, stumbling a little in her haste, feeling the tears pricking the back of her eyelids and wanting to escape from that suddenly stifling room before they overwhelmed her. She reached for her coat, but Rian was there before her, plucking it from the back of the chair and holding it for her to put on with a smile that told her he understood quite well this sudden urge of hers to be gone.
Biting her lip, she thrust her arms into the sleeves, and felt him slide the garment on to her shoulders. She wanted with every breath in her body to walk away from him to the door, but his hands remained on her shoulders, compelling her to be still. Then, as she stiffened in sudden outrage, he let his hands slide forwards down her body, lingering over the soft roundness of her breasts.
'Your clothes may have changed, Janna, but your body hasn't.' His voice was wicked against her ear. 'Not all my memories of you are unhappy ones, you see.'
She wrenched herself free with an incoherent cry and swung round on him, her hand flying up instinctively to strike at his face. But he parried the intended blow with consummate ease, catching her wrist in a grip which caused her to cry out in pain.
'I don't advise it,' he said coolly. 'I doubt if you're prepared for the sort of retribution I should exact.'
He released her hand almost contemptuously and she stood, staring up at him and rubbing her numbed wrist where the marks of his fingers showed plainly. He was looking at her hand.
'That's a beautiful ring you're wearing, Janna. A man would have to think a great deal of a woman to invest in that sort of ice. I would give it back to him, sweet witch. Far more dignified than making him have to ask you for it.'
'You swine!' she said between her teeth, and he laughed for the first time with a note of genuine amusement.
'That's more like the Janna I used to know. I thought she was dead when you came here asking for mercy instead of spitting in my eye as you would have done once, and daring me to do my worst.' She turned angrily to the door, but he detained her. 'You've surprised me today, Janna. When you arrived, I thought you'd come on behalf of your fiancé, to add your weight to his plea to me to give up Carrisbeck House in his favour.'
'Colin did that?' Janna gasped. 'I don't believe you.'
He shrugged. 'Ask him,' he advised. 'He won't have for the conversation. I doubt whether he's ever offered anyone so much money in his life before and been refused.' He lifted a sardonic brow at her. 'When you showed up, I thought for one optimistic minute that he might be sending in the big guns. Getting you with your womanly wiles'— he let his glance drift significantly towards the big bed— 'to achieve what he with his money could not. Life is full of these little disappointments.'
'You're vile. Colin wouldn't do such a thing.'
'No? I wouldn't count on it. From my brief dealings with him, I get the strongest impression that he'd be willing to sell his own grandmother to get what he wanted. I don't think even you would be wise to try his chivalry too far.'
'You know nothing about Colin,' she said, her voice shaking.
He laughed. 'And does he know anything about you? I doubt it. In fact, I'm counting on it.'
Before she could guess what he was going to do, he had reached out for her with long arms, pulling her against him so that their bodies were locked together. For a moment she knew panic, then his mouth came down on hers, hard and demanding, and the world whirled into a chaos where his kiss was
She bowed her head defeatedly. 'Oh, Rian, have mercy on me,' she whispered wretchedly.
'Following your own example, no doubt.' His voice lashed at her. 'No, Janna. I've entertained a number of feelings towards you over the years, but I can't say that mercy has ever been among them. You'll take my medicine, darling, in whatever dosage I dictate to you.'
She got up, stumbling a little in her haste, feeling the tears pricking the back of her eyelids and wanting to escape from that suddenly stifling room before they overwhelmed her. She reached for her coat, but Rian was there before her, plucking it from the back of the chair and holding it for her to put on with a smile that told her he understood quite well this sudden urge of hers to be gone.
Biting her lip, she thrust her arms into the sleeves, and felt him slide the garment on to her shoulders. She wanted with every breath in her body to walk away from him to the door, but his hands remained on her shoulders, compelling her to be still. Then, as she stiffened in sudden outrage, he let his hands slide forwards down her body, lingering over the soft roundness of her breasts.
'Your clothes may have changed, Janna, but your body hasn't.' His voice was wicked against her ear. 'Not all my memories of you are unhappy ones, you see.'
She wrenched herself free with an incoherent cry and swung round on him, her hand flying up instinctively to strike at his face. But he parried the intended blow with consummate ease, catching her wrist in a grip which caused her to cry out in pain.
'I don't advise it,' he said coolly. 'I doubt if you're prepared for the sort of retribution I should exact.'
He released her hand almost contemptuously and she stood, staring up at him and rubbing her numbed wrist where the marks of his fingers showed plainly. He was looking at her hand.
'That's a beautiful ring you're wearing, Janna. A man would have to think a great deal of a woman to invest in that sort of ice. I would give it back to him, sweet witch. Far more dignified than making him have to ask you for it.'
'You swine!' she said between her teeth, and he laughed for the first time with a note of genuine amusement.
'That's more like the Janna I used to know. I thought she was dead when you came here asking for mercy instead of spitting in my eye as you would have done once, and daring me to do my worst.' She turned angrily to the door, but he detained her. 'You've surprised me today, Janna. When you arrived, I thought you'd come on behalf of your fiancé, to add your weight to his plea to me to give up Carrisbeck House in his favour.'
'Colin did that?' Janna gasped. 'I don't believe you.'
He shrugged. 'Ask him,' he advised. 'He won't have for the conversation. I doubt whether he's ever offered anyone so much money in his life before and been refused.' He lifted a sardonic brow at her. 'When you showed up, I thought for one optimistic minute that he might be sending in the big guns. Getting you with your womanly wiles'— he let his glance drift significantly towards the big bed— 'to achieve what he with his money could not. Life is full of these little disappointments.'
'You're vile. Colin wouldn't do such a thing.'
'No? I wouldn't count on it. From my brief dealings with him, I get the strongest impression that he'd be willing to sell his own grandmother to get what he wanted. I don't think even you would be wise to try his chivalry too far.'
'You know nothing about Colin,' she said, her voice shaking.
He laughed. 'And does he know anything about you? I doubt it. In fact, I'm counting on it.'
Before she could guess what he was going to do, he had reached out for her with long arms, pulling her against him so that their bodies were locked together. For a moment she knew panic, then his mouth came down on hers, hard and demanding, and the world whirled into a chaos where his kiss was
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