Her insides tightened. And now she had to face him again. She swayed backwards and forwards for a moment before she realised what she was doing and stopped abruptly. For goodness’ sake, girl, pull yourself together, she told herself caustically. She was not going to crumple in front of him, not Clay.
She would prepare a tray with the desserts and coffee, and take it upstairs as though nothing had happened down here. Because it hadn’t, not really. The lie didn’t help at all. Okay, so something had happened, but only to her. To a man like Clay a few passionate kisses were nothing.
If he mentioned it, and she prayed he wouldn’t, she’d laugh lightly and make a little offhand comment, blaming her response on the wine. Easy and relaxed and faintly amused, that was the way she’d play it. Then she’d make it plain she had work to do, and exit Clay with the minimum of embarrassment all round.
By the time she had busied herself fixing the tray her cheeks had lost their fiery colour, and as she climbed the stairs to the sitting room it was just in time to hear Clay say, his voice warm, ‘Okay, Margo, I’ll see you tomorrow when I land. And book a table at Syke’s; you deserve a bit of pampering for being such an angel.’
Margo? And dinner at some special place or other? Pampering? Robyn tried, she really tried not to let the rage show as she swept into the room, her voice high as she said gaily, ‘Dessert’s now served, and then I really must get down to some work, Clay. I don’t like to be rude but I’m going to have to throw you out once you’ve eaten.’
‘That was a business associate in the States.’ Clay had turned to face her, his expression unreadable as he took in Robyn’s brittle, fixed smile and the angry colour staining her cheeks bright pink. ‘Margo Bower.’
‘Oh, yes?’ Her tone indicated she couldn’t care less who it was, it was no business of hers. ‘Help yourself to the custard, won’t you?’
‘She also happens to be my father’s youngest sister.’
Robyn had been occupied in whisking the contents of the tray onto the table, and her hands froze for just the merest of moments before she said, ‘Your aunt?’ Was he lying? But then, why would he bother? And he’d come up with something better!
‘My aunt,’ he confirmed evenly. ‘She’s been holding the fort this weekend and something’s blown up today that will need sorting tomorrow morning. As I won’t be back in time we’ve just gone through what needs to be done.’ And then, Clay being Clay, he added, ‘You thought it was a girlfriend of mine, didn’t you?’ still in the low even tone.
Robyn stopped fiddling with the coffee cups and raised her head slowly. Okay, so he wanted to call a spade a spade—fine. This was her chance to make it clear exactly how she felt.
‘I thought it was a possibility,’ she said quietly, ‘and there would be nothing wrong with that, Clay. You are a free agent, after all. And there’s absolutely nothing between us.’
‘I disagree.’ He moved over to the table and she forced herself to stand perfectly still. ‘And while we’re on the subject, if I was involved with someone I wouldn’t have kissed you like that a few minutes ago. That isn’t my style. I believe in fidelity for as long as a relationship lasts.’
She nodded, keeping her back very stiff and her chin high. ‘But as there is nothing between us it’s all relative anyway.’
He stared at her for a moment more and then relaxed, a visible decision. He sat down at the table and reached for his pie, pouring a liberal amount of custard on top of the steaming pastry and then beginning to eat with every appearance of enjoyment. Robyn could do nothing else but follow suit, although every muscle in her body was rigid with tension.
She forced the pie down, almost choking on every mouthful and trying desperately to appear as cool and controlled as Clay was.
‘Coffee?’ Clay had reached for the coffee jug and poured himself a cup, and now his hand hovered over her cup.
‘Thank you.’ She managed a nod and a smile and hoped her face hadn’t cracked like it felt it had.
She was sipping the hot liquid and praying this terrible evening would soon be over when Clay said, his tone conversational and pleasant, ‘We are going to be lovers, Robyn, so you might as well face the fact.’
The coughing and spluttering that followed caused her eyes to stream, courtesy of the coffee going down the wrong way, and when she had mopped herself up and her voice was her own again, she said, ‘You’re mad, insane. I have absolutely no intention of going to bed with you so you might as well face that fact.’
‘You want me just as much as I want you,’ Clay continued imperturbably, apparently not in the least put out by her declaration. ‘And you know it. You dream of me; you burn for me when you are awake and when you are asleep; imagine how it will be between us when we make love. I know this because I feel the same, and I am not a man to live on dreams indefinitely. I want the reality. And what I want, I take.’
What was he saying? She could barely take it in. This wasn’t real, it couldn’t be. She dredged up anger to combat the panic and—humiliatingly—the thrilling excitement his words had caused. ‘You’d like to think that, wouldn’t you?’ she bit out scathingly. ‘But the trouble is, Clay, you’ve been so used to taking what you want when you want it that you can’t understand there might be a woman somewhere who doesn’t want to sleep with you. Money can’t buy everything you know.’
‘Money doesn’t come into it,’ he said calmly. ‘And I am more than willing to admit there must be millions of women who wouldn’t want to share my bed. You are not one of them. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that I think you like the way you feel. You’ve made it very clear you would prefer to have nothing to do with me, but physically you know there is something between us that defies logic.’
‘Don’t tell me what I know!’ She was frightened, but of herself, not of him, of what she might reveal to those piercing silver eyes.
‘You want me, Robyn, and after one night in my arms it will all seem so simple,’ the unrelenting voice continued. ‘Whoever this guy was who caused you to so distrust the male sex, forget him. There will be truth between us, honesty at all times, and that way no one will get hurt. We can enjoy each other without professions of undying love and ridiculous promises neither of us can keep.’ He had settled back in his chair, perfectly relaxed.
Her mouth had fallen slightly open in her amazement and shock, and now she shut it with a little snap. Play it cool, Robyn, she told herself silently, as the desire to fling the contents of her coffee cup straight into his handsome, self-assured face became almost unbearable. ‘I don’t sleep around, Clay,’ she said coldly. ‘I would have hoped you knew that.’
‘Neither do I,’ he countered swiftly. ‘And ditto.’
‘And my heart as well as my body would have to be involved in a sexual relationship,’ she continued steadily.
‘If you don’t mind me saying so, that’s where you went wrong with this guy who broke your heart. You obviously gave him everything and it wasn’t reciprocated. With us we would have loyalty and honesty as the basis of our relationship, and the knowledge that we intend to give each other pleasure and no pain.’
Was he mad or was it her? Because one of them was quite insane! Robyn suddenly had the feeling she was in the middle of a rather bad play. And the final curtain needed to come down now.