Carole Mortimer Romance Collection

Which, as far as Silke was concerned, at this moment, they were. But, nevertheless, she had no intention of putting on a show for Lyon. No matter how angry she was with Henry!

‘I have no intention of even discussing this further,’ she bit out tautly, that angry flush still in her cheeks. ‘I think what you and Mummy did was despicable,’ she told Henry with feeling.

‘I agree,’ Lyon put in softly.

‘And as for you—’ Silke turned on him furiously ‘—I don’t even want to hear the offer you were going to make me! We both know it actually has nothing to do with my designs, and neither of us owes the other anything just because of what happened between us last week.’ She was breathing hard in her deep agitation.

What Lyon was doing was tantamount to ‘payment for services rendered’—an obligation he felt because of her innocence before that night!

‘What happened between the two of you last week?’ Henry put in curiously.

Silke looked at him with stricken eyes, realising exactly what she had done; Henry was nothing if not determined, and she doubted he would let this go now that he sensed there was more to Silke’s relationship to Lyon than either he or her mother could have possibly guessed. But that was Lyon’s problem. She was getting out of here, as far away from these two men as possible!

But before she could make a move, Lyon spoke. ‘Mind your own business,’ he told the older man coldly.

‘But—’

‘Stay out of this, Henry.’ Lyon stood up, turning to Silke now, the coldness leaving his expression. ‘Silke, we—’

‘There isn’t a “we”,’ she told him heatedly. ‘Not a business “we”, and certainly not a personal one! Just leave me alone!’

‘Silke—’

‘I said leave me alone, Lyon,’ she bit out vehemently, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. ‘Just stay away from me. Both of you!’ she warned before turning and running from the poolside.

And she wanted to keep on running and never stop!

CHAPTER TEN (#ulink_b58334c1-2dec-5f60-a11d-fe3bac67ff2b)

‘HELLO, Silke.’

‘Go away, Lyon.’ She closed the door back in his face, wishing she had never opened it in the first place; she should have guessed who it was ringing her doorbell! She had only returned from Henry’s house just over an hour ago; she should have realised that Lyon’s arrogance wouldn’t allow him to be dismissed in the angry way she had done.

But Lyon moved quicker than she did, putting his foot inside the door, making it impossible for her to completely close it, a determined expression on his face.

Silke stood her ground, keeping the door closed as far as it would go. ‘I said go away, Lyon,’ she told him forcefully.

He met her gaze steadily, his expression grim now. ‘I want to talk to you,’ he bit out harshly.

Her head went back defensively. ‘And it must be obvious that I have nothing to say to you.’

Lyon shook his head. ‘We have a lot to say to each other.’

‘I don’t think so,’ she bit out tersely.

‘Silke—’

‘Please go, Lyon,’ she said, more desperately this time; if he didn’t go away soon she was going to cry.

She had left Henry’s house earlier as if the devil were on her heels, had just wanted to get away from both men. And she didn’t feel any more like dealing with Lyon now than she had then; she needed time to herself, to think, to try to sort out what she was going to do with her life. One thing she did know: she couldn’t stay on here in London; she would have to make a complete break, otherwise she would never be free of seeing Lyon. And having to constantly deal with her feelings for him.

‘For God’s sake let me in, Silke,’ he muttered as her neighbour across the hallway came out of his flat, the man looking at them curiously as he did so.

It irritated her that she was being manipulated in this way, but she accepted they must look rather odd, her standing so defensively in her half-open doorway, Lyon so arrogantly demanding on her doorstep.

She opened the door reluctantly, moving back into her sitting-room. Two minutes, she promised herself, and then he was going to leave again. Anything they had to say to each other could be said in that time!

‘You’re going away.’ Lyon bit the statement out harshly.

She turned almost guiltily, groaning inwardly as she saw that she had left her bedroom door open, her open case on the bed, clothes strewn across the bed as she haphazardly decided what she was going to take away with her. She had decided on the drive back home that she would have to go away for a couple of days anyway, just to distance herself from this whole situation. And from the look on Lyon’s face he wasn’t at all pleased at the idea of her going anywhere. Tough!

‘Yes,’ she answered challengingly. ‘I—’ She broke off as the doorbell rang. If that was her mother or Henry—!

Lyon looked far from pleased at the interruption too, glaring after Silke as she went to answer the door. As she opened the door and saw who her visitor was Silke knew he was going to be even more furious. She wasn’t too pleased herself!

Not again! She couldn’t believe this; she hadn’t seen James for a year, and now he had appeared at her door twice in a week—and both times Lyon had been here too. And Lyon would never believe it was simply coincidence. Though what did it matter what Lyon believed? It was none of his business who chose to visit her!

‘Hello, Silke,’ James greeted slightly awkwardly. ‘I just—’

‘You again!’ Lyon rasped accusingly, having moved to stand just behind Silke without her having been aware of it, looking arrogantly over the top of her head at the other man now, cold anger in glittering grey eyes. ‘Don’t you have a wife to go home to?’ he added challengingly.

Silke gasped at his bluntness—but then, when had Lyon ever been anything else? ‘Lyon, I don’t think—’ she began.

‘No, you obviously aren’t thinking at all,’ he bit out contemptuously, his mouth curled back in a half-sneer. ‘You lied to me earlier, Silke,’ he said coldly. ‘It’s obvious now exactly who you’re going away with. You silly little fool, don’t you realise—?’

‘Hey, I don’t think you should be talking to Silke like that,’ James gave a perplexed frown.

‘You stay out of this,’ Lyon told the other man with dismissive arrogance, eyes glittering a warning before he turned to Silke. ‘When you come to your senses, my offer may no longer be available,’ he warned her harshly.

Her head went back defensively. ‘Which offer would that be?’

His mouth tightened. ‘Both of them!’

‘I’m not interested in either of them!’ She shook her head, meeting his gaze with steady determination.

He glanced contemptuously at the still slightly puzzled James, before turning back to Silke. ‘I just hope you know what you’re doing,’ he bit out forcefully, shaking his head—as if he were absolutely sure she couldn’t possibly know.

‘I know exactly what I’m doing, Lyon,’ she told him with certainty. ‘Now, if you wouldn’t mind, I have my packing to finish,’ she added pointedly.

He drew in a harshly angry breath. ‘God, Silke, you—’

‘Goodbye, Lyon,’ she cut in firmly; if he didn’t soon leave her legs were going to buckle beneath her and she was going to collapse in a heap on the carpet at his feet!

He gave James a coldly quelling glare before looking back at Silke. ‘Your family will still be here for you when you decide you need them again—which I don’t think will be too far in the future!’ he added with another disgusted glance in James’s direction.

‘My family!’ She almost choked over the statement; a week ago this man had been fighting any connection with her at all; now he claimed to be part of her family! The man was incredible!

‘Yes, family, Silke,’ he echoed challengingly.