‘Yes?’ the single word rapped out angrily.
‘Do you believe me now?’ She at last dared to touch the warmth of his back, instantly feeling him flinch away from her. ‘Jordan?’ she bit her lip as he stood up.
‘Yes, I believe you.’ He buttoned his shirt, tucking it back into his trousers. ‘There are certain circumstances under which you never lie. This was one of them,’ he said harshly.
Kelly had always believed lovemaking was a way of being emotionally close to someone as well as physically, but Jordan was even more remote to her at this moment than he had ever been. And now he was leaving the room, without a single word to say to her.
When he had gone she collapsed against the pillows in a fit of uncontrollable weeping. He had just proved, in the most humiliating way possible, that she was still just a body to him. She couldn’t let it continue, not under these circumstances. She would ask Mrs McLeod to prepare a separate bedroom for Jordan tonight.
Her father returned from the hospital just before dinner, and Kelly took the opportunity to see the housekeeper while the two men were having a pre-dinner drink.
‘Oh, but it’s already been arranged,’ the housekeeper assured Kelly at her request.
She blinked hard. ‘It has?’
‘Yes. Mr Lord spoke to me about it earlier.’
Kelly paled. ‘He did?’
‘Mm,’ Mrs McLeod nodded. ‘He explained that his insomnia is disturbing you.’
Jordan’s lack of sleep did disturb her, but not in the way he had implied to the housekeeper! ‘I see,’ she bit her lip, giving a strained smile. ‘Well, as long as it’s been sorted out. I—I think I’ll join the men in the lounge. Excuse me,’ and she hurriedly made her escape.
So Jordan didn’t want to share her bed any more either. Her appeal had waned much sooner this time. Thank goodness she had been spared the humiliation of telling him she still loved him. At least he wouldn’t have been able to realise the truth of her emotions, not with the cool way she had been treating him when they weren’t in bed together, making light of the times they were.
She couldn’t face Jordan at the moment, she needed time to hide her despair from his piercing gaze. He was too shrewd at discerning her mood, and while she would have found great pleasure denying him access to her bedroom, to have him be the one to instigate such a move she found hard to bear.
She was just retouching her lipstick when Jordan came into the bedroom a few minutes later. She was very pale, the lipstick a vivid splash of colour in her face, her movements jerky and unco-ordinated.
‘Your father is waiting to go in to dinner,’ he told her in a stilted voice.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said coolly. ‘I’m ready to go down now.’
‘Kelly…’ Jordan stopped her, sighing. ‘You can stop looking so damned scared, I’m not about to repeat the events of this afternoon. In fact, you won’t be bothered by my presence in here any longer. I shall be sleeping in one of the other rooms tonight, and every other night that I stay here.’
His words were a warning of his intention of moving out as soon as her father was completely well. She had expected as much, but he had just confirmed it. ‘That suits me,’ she told him carelessly.
‘I thought it might,’ his mouth twisted.
‘Shall we go down?’ she asked lightly.
‘Why not?’ he shrugged, opening the door for her.
Kelly spent most of the evening talking to her father. His visit to the hospital had gone very well. ‘Dr Jones wants me to spend a couple of hours there each day. He thinks it might be good therapy for me.’
‘Surely it would be better therapy for you to be with people you know?’ Kelly frowned her puzzlement.
‘Dr Jones says no.’ Her father grinned. ‘I’ve decided to let Miles carry on without me for a few more days.’
‘So he won’t be coming over now.’
‘Not now I know I don’t have the Landers contract to worry about. The way my memory is at the moment I don’t think I would be much help if I did go in to the office. I do at least remember the rapidity with which the business world changes. I’d be like an unfledged duckling among vultures!’
‘I take it I’m one of the vultures,’ Jordan drawled dryly.
‘The biggest,’ his father-in-law smiled to take the sting out of his words. ‘And the best.’
Jordan gave a mocking bow. ‘I’ll take that as a compliment.’