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Paige swallowed drily. The trees scattered about the lawn had been strung with coloured lights for the party, mottling his face with reds, blues, and yellows.
‘As if… as if you wanted to kill me,’ she whispered finally.
His mouth twisted. ‘I thought about it, believe me. The other night, when I finally let myself believe you’d left…’
‘Look, about that—about the other night…’
His eyes darkened. ‘Did you have a good time playing with me, Juliet?’
Colour flooded her cheeks. ‘You’re a fine one to talk about games,’ she hissed. ‘I wasn’t the one who started things. It was you…’
The words caught in her throat as he shook her. ‘I waited on that godforsaken beach for an hour, damn you! And then I went back to the clubhouse—and you weren’t there.’ His hands slid from her shoulders and a weariness crept into his voice. ‘I couldn’t even ask anybody where you’d gone—hell, I didn’t even know your name.’
Paige ran her tongue over her lips. ‘I… I’m sorry,’ she whispered. ‘I didn’t mean…’
She flinched as he spun towards her. ‘Didn’t you? Then what the hell was all that about, Juliet?’ He caught her by the arms and stared into her eyes. ‘Or is that just something you do when you go to parties, hmm? Have a drink, have a canapé, have a dance—and then go off with some man and drive him half out of his mind with wanting you and…’
‘Don’t you dare talk that way to me! You have no right.’
‘Don’t I? You made a fool out of me. You…’
‘I tried to tell you it was no good, but you wouldn’t listen. I kept saying I had to go back to my fiancé, but you… you…’
To her horror, Paige felt tears fill her eyes and begin to slide down her cheeks. It was bad enough that he’d made a fool of her the other night; she didn’t have to let this man reduce her to tears. Quickly, she brushed the back of her hand across her lashes and turned away.
‘Just let go of me,’ she whispered.
‘And where the hell do you think you’re going now?’
‘Let go of me. Please.’
His hands moved gently to her shoulders, and he turned her stiff, unyielding body towards his.
‘Don’t cry,’ he said fiercely. ‘Dammit, Juliet…’
Paige lifted her face to him, the tears glistening damply on her lashes, and with a whispered oath, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. It was a kiss that told her, more clearly than words, that his torment these past days had been as great as hers. There was passion in it and desire, there was anger and tenderness—but underlying all there was an awareness that this one kiss would not, could not, be enough.
‘Juliet, Juliet,’ he murmured against her lips, ‘why didn’t you come back to me?’
Her arms slid around his neck. ‘I couldn’t,’ she whispered. ‘I couldn’t… and I can’t stay with you now.’
His arms tightened around her. ‘Don’t say that,’ he growled. She moaned as his hand moved over her, cupping the fullness of her breast, sliding across her hip, curving across her buttocks. ‘I’m not letting you go,’ he said against her throat. ‘Not this time.’
He moved her against him, bringing her body tightly against his, and she felt the heated strength of him press into her.
‘You must,’ she whispered. ‘Please. My fiancé…’
He laughed throatily. ‘Are we going to talk about him again? What kind of man is he, this fiancé of yours?’ His hand moved over her, possessively, claiming each curve. ‘You don’t want him, Juliet. You know you don’t.’
Paige closed her eyes. ‘No,’ she murmured. ‘Not… not this way. But…’
‘He’s never made you feel like this, Juliet.’ His lips moved along her cheek, to her throat. ‘Spend the night with me,’ he whispered. ‘Let me show you how it can be with us.’
‘I can’t, don’t you understand? It’s too late. My fiancé…’
He drew back and looked down at her. ‘What is it like when you’re with him?’
Paige’s cheeks flamed. ‘I… I…’
