Burning Obsession

He brushed the damp thickness of his hair back from his face, the style impeccable, as was the rest of his appearance. ‘So they said,’ he nodded.

‘Then I must get back to the hospital. I only came back to wash and change.’

‘So I gathered.’ Jordan gave her a searching look. ‘You’ve been sitting with him day and night since the hospital discharged you—and I must say you look as if you have.’

‘Will you stop insulting me!’ To her shame tears flooded her eyes, their colour even a deeper navy than usual. ‘I—I can’t take it at the moment!’ The tears started to fall, and she began to sob, unable to stop crying once she began.

She felt Jordan take her into his arms. ‘This is long overdue,’ he muttered gruffly.

Kelly stiffened the instant he touched her, trying to break out of his embrace, finding that she wasn’t as immune to him as she had thought herself to be the last five years. Whenever she had thought about Jordan during that time, which even though she hated to admit it, had been often, it had always been with the numb removed feeling, with the memory of what he had done to her and their unborn child.

But now he wasn’t removed at all, and the quicksilver excitement that coursed through her body made her struggles for release all the more fierce. ‘Take your hands off me!’ she ordered in a chilling voice. ‘Before I scream the place down,’ she threatened.

He stepped back, his hands held defensively in the air. ‘Never let it be said that I held a woman against her will.’

‘Is that why you let me go so easily five years ago?’ Kelly said bitterly.

Jordan’s air of taunting left him, his face taking on an expression of hauteur. ‘You wanted to go.’

‘Yes, I did. And I’ve never regretted it,’ she spat the words at him. ‘Never!’

‘Not even once?’ he scorned, his grey eyes blazing. ‘Are you telling me that you’ve never lain in your bed at night and wished for me to be at your side? That you’ve never longed for the perfect lovemaking we always had?’

Had she longed for those things? Not consciously! But subconsciously? Oh, yes, she had wanted him, had ached for him as an addict must long for his particular brand of addiction. But until this moment these longings had never been allowed free rein, any of the more intimate memories of their relationship put firmly to the back of her mind. And yet fifteen minutes ago, at the first sight of Jordan after five years, she had relived every moment of their time together as man and wife.

Their lovemaking had been perfect, without inhibitions, each partner desiring to give the other the extreme in pleasure. And for all of her initial inexperience Kelly had given Jordan pleasure, had excited him until he lost all control. At the time he had told her she was the only woman to affect him that deeply, and knowing of the tight control he had over the rest of his life, she could believe him. But even that hadn’t been enough for him, she hadn’t been enough for him, he had still needed his other women.

‘What did you mean just now about my crying being long overdue?’ She didn’t answer his intimate questions, pulling a shield over the erotic pictures they had conjured up from the past.

‘As far as I know, you’ve never cried for the loss of our child.’

Kelly paled when seconds ago she had been blushing. ‘Never cried …!’ she choked. ‘My God, I cried, I cried until there was nothing left.’

‘And when you’d finished crying?’ His eyes were narrowed. ‘Why didn’t you come back?’

‘Come back?’ she frowned. ‘To you?’ she scorned.

Jordan stiffened, his expression darkening. ‘I’m your husband.’

‘Oh yes?’ she taunted. ‘And what do you call the beautiful blonde who arrived with you just now?’

‘Janet? She’s my personal secretary.’

‘How original!’ Kelly drawled, picking up her handbag. ‘Well, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to the hospital.’

‘What a coincidence, so am I.’ He moved to open the door for her.

‘You are?’ she gasped. ‘But why?’

Jordan gave her a look of open disgust. ‘I’m going to see my father-in-law. A natural courtesy, I would have thought.’

Kelly allowed him to take her elbow and guide her out of the hotel and into the waiting limousine. ‘I wouldn’t have thought that relationship counted,’ she said stubbornly.

Jordan relaxed back against the cream leather upholstery, his hair even darker against the light colour. ‘Maybe it doesn’t,’ he lit a cheroot with lazy enjoyment, the familiar aroma soon filling the car. They were a special blend, made exclusively for Jordan, and Kelly found she had missed their smell.

Jordan had always liked to smoke one of these cheroots after they had made love, when they would relax in bed together, and Jordan would tell her about his day. Then they would make love again before dozing off into a contented sleep.

‘Your father is still a friend of mine,’ he continued. ‘And was long before I met and married you.’

‘Yes,’ she acknowledged jerkily. ‘I’d forgotten. I’m sorry.’

He gave a haughty inclination of his head. ‘I realise you’re distressed,’ he accepted. ‘How did the accident happen?’

Kelly swallowed hard, instantly reliving that split-second crunch of metal upon metal, the front of their Rolls-Royce almost caved in completely on her father’s side. The young couple in the other car had been unhurt, Kelly had received only cuts and bruises, and her father had been unconscious ever since.

She shrugged now. ‘It was just one of those things, no one’s fault.’

‘And you?’ Jordan looked at her closely. ‘You weren’t hurt?’

‘No.’

The hospital told me you were admitted for two days.’

Her eyes flashed. ‘They had no right——’

‘They had every right, damn you!’ He stubbed out the half-smoked cheroot with savage movements. ‘I have the right to know about the health of my wife!’

Kelly sat stiffly at him side. ‘How did you know about the accident?’

‘I was in the States on business, and a friend of mine wired me the news.’

‘A friend?’ she probed.

Jordan gave a humourless smile. ‘I do have one or two, you know.’

‘Yes, I do know,’ she said tightly ‘I just wondered if I knew them too.’

‘Ian Smythe,’ he supplied tersely.

‘Ian!’ Her face lit up with pleasure. ‘Does he still work for you?’ Ian had been Jordan’s personal assistant five years ago, and Kelly had always liked him.

Jordan scowled. ‘No. He works for himself.’

‘He does?’ she asked interestedly.

‘Mm.’ Jordan’s mouth twisted with derision. ‘He very sensibly married Anthony Miles’ only daughter.’

Anthony Miles had been a big industrialist, very rich, who had died suddenly of a heart attack just over a year ago. ‘Ian is married to Laura Miles?’ Kelly asked dazedly.