His hands tightened into an excruciating grip. 'I never—'
'Don't bother denying it, Theo.' She cut him off and met his narrowed gaze, her own eyes blazing. 'I saw the article in the magazine all those years ago, featuring this house and Dianne. By all accounts you are still sleeping with Dianne when you are in New York as well as Christine. My God, you are nothing but an oversexed leech, and so crude you make me sick.' She had gone too far. . .
For one timeless moment Theo looked capable of murder, his eyes darkening to black ice. 'Crude, am I? You don't know the meaning of the word, but perhaps it is time you learnt.' The menace in his tone cut through her anger and made her shiver in fear.
'No.' But she was too late. He hauled her close against his long body, his mouth crashing down on hers, forcing her lips apart in a kiss that was punishingly savage. He lifted his head, and tore the violet silk from her body to the hem, his black eyes skimming over her nakedness with a ruthlessness that terrified her. Then his lips found hers again and plundered the moist sweetness within, his hand curving her bottom, making her shockingly aware of his arousal.
'Make you sick, do I? And without the slightest effort he swung her up into his arms and dropped her on the bed, trapping her slender body beneath his own. 'Then I must do something about that.' She caught the implacable intent in his black eyes, and she did not have time to cry out before his mouth covered hers in a kiss that was as passionate as it was provocative.
Self-respect made her try to resist with all her strength, but it was no contest. He knew exactly what he was doing, how to wring a response from her. His hands were everywhere, caressing and stroking as he conducted a ravishment of her senses that had her sinking in a mindless sea of passion.
'No.' She found the will to cry out. 'No.' Her blue eyes were wild as he lifted his head and stared down at her.
'Oh, hell.' Theo groaned and rolled off the bed. He could not believe what he had almost done. Standing by the side of the bed, as he tied the belt of his robe, his eyes narrowed on her flushed face. 'You don't have to be afraid of me, Willow, not ever,' he said tautly.
'Don't flatter yourself. I am not.' Willow sat up and covered her nakedness with a sheet, her whole body throbbing with frustration.
'Don't lie. I saw it in your eyes,' he said, his face sardonic, 'and it stopped me cold. I would never hurt you, Willow. Though God knows you do your infuriating best to drive me mad.' He said it like a man at the end of his tether.
'Me drive you mad. . .?' She was almost speechless at the nerve of the man.
Theo stared for a long moment, and made a conscious effort to control his anger. Raging at her would get him nowhere, and his hard face softened in a smile of wry amusement. 'Yes, you witch...that is the kind of power you have, if you only knew it.' She was confused and it showed in the frown that marred her smooth brow.
'Come on, Willow.' He held out his hand to her. 'Let's go back to our room; this bed is too small for the two of us, and we can put tonight behind us. Forget about Christine, she never meant anything to me, and what we share together is so much better.'
Yes, sex and a son, Willow thought bitterly. Sex was his answer to everything, his arrogance monumental. He dismissed her arguments as nothing. Suddenly with blinding clarity she saw the future he had mapped out for her, a sexual slave kept in a gilded cage, pampered and petted as long as she asked no questions. Kept in her place, until all the vitality was drained out of her, and she ended up as little more than a cipher in his life. And Stephen—what kind of example as a woman would she be to him?
She rolled off the other side of the bed, and, dragging the sheet with her, she carefully wrapped it toga-style around her naked body. Finally taking a deep steadying breath, she turned to face Theo.
'You are an immoral, devious swine and I hate you,' she said bluntly, and there was no mistaking the cold determination in her face. 'Our marriage was a huge mistake, and much as I love Stephen I am not prepared to sacrifice my pride or my self-respect to pretend anything different. He is an intelligent boy and he would see through the farce in weeks.'
'Stephen apart, you could already be pregnant again—'
'I am not that big a fool,' she cut him off. 'I am on the pill courtesy of Anna's doctor. I don't make the same mistake twice.' Back stiff, she walked past him, her heart sick and aching, but not prepared to argue any more. Theo stood as though he had been turned to stone.
'And I actually thought I loved you,' she murmured with a negative shake of her head as she made for the door.
Theo flinched as though he had been struck, and desperately reached out for her, and swung her around to face him. 'What did you say?' he demanded hoarsely, his fingers shaking on her upper arms.
'You heard. It is over. Let go of me.'
'Not that, Willow.' He looked at her, his dark eyes gleaming with suppressed emotion. 'The part about thinking you love me.'
He had heard and her humiliation was complete. 'Past tense. Thought. I will be out of here in the morning and you can do your damnedest but you won't stop me.' She had to force the words out. It was hard because her throat was dry with unshed tears and she was hanging on to her self-control by a thread.
Theo stilled, his hands dropping from her shoulders, tension evident in every long line of his body. 'God, don't let it be too late,' he murmured under his breath, hectic colour burning up under his skin as he looked at her. It wasn't in his nature to be afraid but it took every scrap of courage he possessed to say, 'Please don't leave me, Willow. I love you. I think I always have.' He laid his heart on the line, and waited in an agony of suspense.
Willow thought she was hearing things. He towered over her, not a flicker of emotion apparent in his ruggedly handsome face, and the silence seemed to reverberate around the room. She raised her eyes to his and was stunned by the vulnerability in the dark depths that he could not quite hide.
She could not have been more shocked if he had hit her. She was conscious of the sudden erratic pounding of her heart as for a brief moment she was tempted to believe him. But fear of making a fool of herself all over again made her lash out.
'You expect me to believe that?' she said mockingly. 'I have just spent the evening with your mistress wearing the diamonds you gave her and discovered it is common knowledge you were going to marry her.' Surely not even Theo would stoop so low as to lie about being in love to keep her with him.
'I am telling you the truth, damn it.' Theo winced at the strength of his emotions, his firm lips twisting bitterly at the irony of the situation. The one and only time in his life he had told a woman he loved her, and she did not believe him. 'I admit Christine was my mistress, but I abandoned any thought of continuing the relationship as soon as I saw you again in London.'
'But you were going to marry her?'
His dark face tightened. 'The thought had crossed my mind. I wanted a child, but I sure as hell never proposed to her, whatever you may have heard.'