Sister Fellows patted the smooth style of her hair. ‘I’ll see to it now. Perhaps I’ll see you later, Mrs Lord.’
But Kelly could tell the other woman was already thinking of her next meeting with Jordan. ‘Perhaps,’ she agreed tightly, walking away with hurried steps.
She had plenty of time to think when she got back to the hotel, plenty of time to think of the way Jordan had just kissed her. To say she had been surprised by the move was putting it mildly, it had been absolutely the last thing she had expected to happen.
Remembering the way she wouldn’t even let him touch her after losing the baby, she found it all the harder to accept that she had gone into his arms just now as if it hadn’t been five years since it had last happened.
She could still remember the last kiss Jordan had given her, his anger and utter frustration. Her father had duly arrived for dinner the night she had got home from hospital, and his shock on seeing her had been quite understandable.
‘It’s terrible, terrible,’ he kept muttering, obviously deeply upset.
‘Yes,’ Jordan had finally put a stop to this, ‘but there’ll be other babies, in time.’
‘No!’ Kelly cried. ‘No more. Not ever.’
‘The doctor said there was no reason why you shouldn’t be able to have another baby in a year or so.’
‘Damn what the doctor said!’ she said shrilly. ‘I meant I don’t want any more.’
‘Of course you do,’ Jordan chided, doing his best to keep his temper with her. ‘You’ve always wanted children.’
‘Not yours,’ she spat at him. ‘I don’t want any more children by you!’
‘Kelly—’
‘Keep out of this, David,’ Jordan ordered tautly. ‘This is between my wife and myself.’ His narrowed eyes fixed on Kelly. ‘Are you saying you don’t want to sleep with me any more?’
‘Jordan, I don’t think—’
‘Stay out of this, David!’ he was told fiercely. ‘If you don’t like the conversation then go and wait for us in the lounge.’
‘Yes, do that, Daddy.’ Kelly’s defiant gaze hadn’t left Jordan, the naked fury in his face.
‘Jordan—’
‘Just leave us for a while, David,’ Jordan had told him, and with extreme reluctance he had finally done so. ‘Now,’ Jordan once more turned to her, ‘just say what you have to say and let’s have this out in the open.’
‘I’m leaving you,’ she told him calmly. ‘Tonight. Right now. I’m going home with my father.’
‘And you think I’ll let you do that?’
‘I know you can’t stop me,’ she said coldly.
‘Like hell I can’t!’ His chair went back with a clatter as he stood up from the dining-room table, pulling her to her feet too. ‘There’s always been one way I can reach you.’ His mouth came ruthlessly down on hers.
Kelly had stoood like ice as he devoured her with a restless hunger, trying his damnedest to evoke a response in her. But she hadn’t given him one, had been revolted by his touch as she thought of him kissing Angela Divine in exactly the same way.
Finally he pulled back, thrusting her away from him with a moan of self-disgust. ‘So you can’t even kiss me now,’ he sneered. ‘Okay, go with your father, and when you come to your senses give me a call. I’ll come and bring you back to me, where you belong.’
‘I belong to no one,’ she snapped icily. ‘Especially you. I hate you!’
‘And God knows that at this moment I hate you too!’ Jordan slammed out of the room, and seconds later out of the house too, the silence deafening after his departure.
Her father had tried to persuade her to leave it for a few days, to give herself time, but she had refused, packing a suitcase and leaving with him before Jordan returned.
Maybe Jordan’s question this afternoon about why she had never gone back to him had been referring to that scene. He had left the door open for her it she ever wanted to go to him. But she hadn’t even thought about it, had travelled with her father on business, had been his hostess in his Hampshire home. Going back to Jordan had never occurred to her.
Then why had it occurred to her now?