Uncertain Destiny

Paula Hammond was one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen, tall and elegant, with midnight-black hair, and a figure that was perfectly complemented by the red gown she wore. At thirty-five, she had been married and divorced, taking full advantage of her freedom the last five years.

Caroline had seen the other woman with many men during the eight months she had known Tony, but never before with the man at her side tonight. She would have remembered if she had ever seen this man before. Any woman would.

His hair was as black as Paula’s, severely styled, although that in no way detracted from his fascinating attraction. His face wasn’t handsome, more ruggedly compelling, and the eye-patch he wore only added to his aura of power, his sighted eye flickering uninterestedly over the friends and relatives of the Shepherds who were gathered in the room. His mouth firmed with impatience before he turned to murmur something to the vivacious Paula. With her undoubted beauty and air of sensuality, Paula usually held her dates in complete thrall, but it didn’t look as if this man were as easily seduced; Paula gazing up at him longingly as she obviously spoke to him imploringly.

Caroline turned away, finding the sight of this usually self-confident woman pleading for a man’s attention, particularly that man, who didn’t look as if he gave a damn whose feelings he hurt if he left now, as he obviously wanted to do, strangely unsettling.

Tony chuckled at her side. ‘I think I’ll have to have a word with Mum and Dad,’ he drawled. ‘Obviously they forgot to tell my big sister to beware of wolves!’

She turned back to the man at Paula’s side, frowning a little. He was mesmerisingly attractive, and she was sure she was far from the first woman to think so, but he didn’t look as if he were particularly interested in attracting women to him, his slight impatience of movement giving the impression he didn’t care to exert himself for such a trivial reason. He certainly didn’t seem like any of the self-centred wolves she had encountered in the past.

Before Tony. For the past eight months they had dated exclusively. She had been looking for a man like Tony all of her twenty-three years, very handsome with his light brown hair and twinkling hazel-coloured eyes, his boyish charm captivating her from the first. She knew it was only a matter of time before he asked her to marry him. And her answer was going to be a heartfelt yes!

‘I’m sure Paula is perfectly capable of taking care of herself,’ she lightly chided Tony for his malicious relish concerning his sister. She had learnt early on in her relationship with Tony that although he and Paula loved each other they did like to score off each other. The thought of his sister’s downfall obviously filled him with glee.

Tony shook his head. ‘She’s chosen the wrong man if she wants to do that. ‘The Wolf’ could gobble her up in one bite!’ His eyes narrowed as his sister leant against the other man, her long fingernails moving coaxingly in the dark hair at his nape. ‘And this wolf always walks alone.’

The Wolf? She had thought Tony meant the term as an explanation of the other man’s behaviour, but this time he had made it sound as if it were the other man’s name.

‘The Wolf?’ she prompted curiously, suddenly breathless as that silver gaze moved over her as derisively as it had the rest of the guests, before suddenly swinging back again, sweeping over her from the top of her fiery-red hair, over the delicacy of her heart-shaped face, down the length of her slender body in the blue gown that matched the colour of her eyes and somehow made her hair look redder than ever, the long length of her legs, to her tiny feet in navy blue sandals.

His gaze moved back up to Caroline’s face, flushed and hot now, feeling more and more uncomfortable as he continued to watch her while Paula spoke to him so seductively. It was strangely erotic to realise that while Paula was so intent on enticing him into staying with husky promises—no doubt of how the evening would end!—his attention was focused completely on Caroline. She almost felt as if he had reached out and touched her.

‘ ‘The Wolf’.’ Tony nodded, turning away from the other couple disgustedly. ‘Paula works for his law firm, de Wolfe and Partners, and he earnt his nickname by always going for the jugular,’ he added drily. ‘He always prosecutes, never defends, and he never loses.’

Caroline moistened her lips nervously, finding it impossible to look away from that silver gaze. ‘Never?’ she breathed huskily, feeling her hands begin to shake as she held her glass of wine tightly to her.

‘Nope,’ Tony confirmed admiringly. ‘I wonder how Paula managed to persuade him into coming here tonight; it’s a sure fact it’s the last place he wants to be,’ he derided as Paula still exerted all the charm on the other man of which she was capable—all to no avail, by the way he glanced at her so mockingly.

Caroline took advantage of his brief shift of attention to turn away from him, feeling almost weak with relief at being free from him at last.

She had felt like a prisoner while he gazed at her so compellingly, and she didn’t like the way she still trembled slightly even though she no longer looked at him. He exuded a sexuality that was primitive in its demand, and for a few brief minutes he had been demanding that she be completely aware of him. His appeal was raw, savage, and yet she hadn’t been able to break free of it until he allowed her to. She didn’t know what was the matter with her; she loved Tony, wanted to marry him, and yet just a look from a complete stranger had affected her more deeply than anything else she had ever known.

‘—so for God’s sake don’t call him it to his face,’ Tony was muttering.

She shook off the unsettling feelings Paula’s date for the evening exerted on her. ‘Sorry?’ She gave Tony a questioning smile.

He met her smile warmly, glancing behind her. ‘I said de Wolfe is only called ‘The Wolf’ behind his back,’ he murmured hastily. ‘Whatever you do, don’t call him it!’ He rolled his eyes expressively.

She frowned. ‘But—’

‘Tony,’ Paula greeted him in her huskily attractive voice that, coupled with her sensual beauty, gave a false impression of a woman interested only in her appearance and what it could get for her. Paula Hammond was one of the most intelligent, shrewd women Caroline had ever met, which made her uncharacteristically kittenish behaviour around the man called de Wolfe all the more unnerving.

‘Sis.’ Tony moved slightly to kiss his sister on one creamy smooth cheek.

Irritation flashed in dark green eyes as Tony deliberately provoked her with a term he knew she disliked. The anger in her gaze promised him retribution later on.

But the anger faded to be replaced by warm seduction as she gazed up at the man at her side. ‘Justin, I want you to meet my brother, Tony.’ She scowled at her brother impatiently. ‘And his girlfriend, Caroline Maxwell.’ Her smile returned warmly as she looked at Caroline. ‘This is Justin de Wolfe,’ she announced a little triumphantly, her hand firmly on the crook of his arm, resting possessively on the expensive material of the black evening suit.

Caroline watched as the two men shook hands, her palms feeling damp as Justin de Wolfe turned to her, her breathing suddenly constricted. It was ridiculous, the foolishness completely unlike her, and yet she had a feeling that if Justin de Wolfe should touch her even once, she wouldn’t want him to stop!

She gazed at him apprehensively, feeling panicked, knowing by the mocking twist to his firm mouth that her emotions were clearly readable to him. She drew in a controlling breath, holding out her hand politely, knowing she had no choice when he arched his dark brow at her so derisively.

As his long fingers closed over her much smaller ones she felt as if he took possession of her, warmth moving like quicksilver up her arm to rapidly engulf her whole body. She could scarcely breathe, filled with a painful ache she had never known before. And to break the contact was impossible.

His gaze narrowed, his head going back challengingly as he too seemed to feel the electricity pulsing between them. ‘Miss Maxwell,’ he finally murmured in a throaty voice.

God, even his voice was compelling, containing a mesmerising quality that ensured everyone would listen to him, even though he only spoke softly.

This couldn’t be happening to her. She was a sensible woman, a trained nurse who had been responsible for dozens of patients over the years; she didn’t believe in love at first sight. Or even second sight. Love to her was something that grew from mutual respect and interests, as she and Tony had, he a doctor, she a nurse. She didn’t know anything about Justin de Wolfe except that he was lethal in a courtroom, was immune to any amount of female persuasion—and that he was dangerous! And the last was all she really needed to know about him.

‘Mr de Wolfe.’ She determinedly extracted her hand from within his suddenly steely grip.

‘Would you care to dance, Miss Maxwell?’ he prompted as the small band began to play a waltz.

Her panicked gaze flew up to meet his. She was tiny, only two inches over five feet, and he was at least a foot taller; if he held her in his arms her head would be on a level with his heart. And she didn’t want to be anywhere near his heart! She didn’t want to be anywhere near him.

‘I—–’

He didn’t give her a chance to refuse him, his hand firm against her back as he guided her on to the small dance floor, maintaining that contact as he took her hand in his and began to move fluidly among the other couples dancing.

Sexual attraction, that was what this was. What else could it be that she felt hot and cold at the same time, barely knew what she was doing as he moved her expertly around the floor? And if she felt this way about a complete stranger, a man who seemed to distance himself from everyone and everything, then she had no business believing she should marry Tony if he should ask her.

‘Relax,’ Justin murmured into her hair, having gathered her close against his chest long ago.

How could she relax when her whole comfortably safe world was crumbling about her ears? She wanted to run from here and never have to see Justin de Wolfe again!

He moved back slightly to look down at her, very rakish with that black eye-patch over his left eye. ‘Difficult to relax when you’re burning up with desire, isn’t it?’ he mused drily.

Caroline gasped at the statement, about to deny it, when he suddenly drew her even closer against him, making her fully aware of his own desire for her.

‘That’s right,’ he drawled self-derisively. ‘I feel it, too.’

Felt what, too? This was utter madness. He was Paula’s date for the evening; she had been seeing Tony for over eight months now. Whatever she and Justin de Wolfe felt for each other, it wasn’t real, was based on mere sexual fantasy.

If only he didn’t feel so very real as he moulded her so snugly against him that she could feel every muscle in his body!

‘Are you and Shepherd sleeping together?’ he suddenly asked.

Her eyes glittered deeply blue as she glared up at him. ‘If you’re trying to be insulting—–’

His brows arched. ‘I’m not. I just wanted to know how difficult it’s going to be for you to finish with him.’

She drew in a ragged breath. ‘As I have no intention—–’

‘Caroline,’ he cut in patiently, as if he were reasoning with a rebellious child. ‘We want each other. We’re going to have each other. Often,’ he stated with casual indifference. ‘But I don’t intend sharing you with Shepherd. Maybe it’s old-fashioned of me, but when I’m involved with a woman I like to be the only man in her life. I will be the only man in your life.’

She looked about them frantically, sure Paula had allowed a certifiable maniac to walk off with her. She finally caught sight of Tony, he and Paula having what appeared to be one of their not unusual arguments, engrossed in each other and not in what was going on between herself and Justin across the room. Fond of Tony as she was, she couldn’t help wishing that he hadn’t felt in an argumentative mood tonight. She needed rescuing, and from the way Justin’s arms had tightened about her she didn’t think she was going to be able to do it alone.