"It. . .it"s all right," Catherine said tautly, but with a vicious look Ava"s way. "I"ll do it."
Ava felt a real surge of triumph. The b.i.t.c.h had backed down. It rather confirmed Vince"s innocence, she thought.
Or Catherine"s ambition to become the second Mrs Whitmore, added another darker voice. Ava"s stomach began to churn again.
"Do introduce Ava"s friend, Kyle," Nathan drawled. "We"re all dying to meet him."
To Ava the next few minutes were the longest and most difficult in her life. An excruciating tension invaded her during the whole procedure, especially when Catherine and Vince exchanged the coolest of greetings. It was obvious something had happened between the two of them, with Ava"s confidence in Vince"s innocence wavering in the face of his manner.
"And what do you do for a living, Mr Morelli?" Byron asked pointedly at one stage.
Ava glared at her brother. She"d had enough of this. "He builds things," she stated firmly, evoking a startled look from Vince. "Other than that, his job is to make me happy, isn"t it, Vince?"
Vince gave the expectant faces staring at him a slow survey, a sardonic smile coming to his beautiful mouth. "Si, mia amore ." And blew her a kiss in a very Giuseppe-like gesture. "Your wish is my command, as they say."
Then I wish to dance," she said, not sure if she was angry or amused at his antics. It was obvious everyone thought he was little more than an Italian gigolo.
"Your sister"s present, Mr Whitmore," Vince p.r.o.nounced, plonking the prettily packaged box of golf- b.a.l.l.s in Byron"s startled hands before whirling Ava towards the small dance-floor that had been cleared in the middle of the huge room.
"Vince, how could you?" Ava berated breathlessly when he drew her close and set up a slow rhythm that was disturbingly sensuous.
"How could I what?" he said with mock innocence.
"Let them think you are a man of easy virtue."
He laughed softly. "You started it."
"Is. . .is it true you once mowed Catherine"s lawns?" she asked tentatively.
"Yes."
"She says you made a pa.s.s at her. . .and that she had to fire you. . ."
"And did you believe her?"
"No. . ."
"You don"t sound so sure."
"Well, she is very beautiful. . ."
Vince snorted. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. She"s ugly to my eye. And she"s the one who made the pa.s.s, if you call standing naked before me a simple pa.s.s."
"She didn"t!"
"She d.a.m.ned well did."
"And you rejected her, the way you did all the others who tried to seduce you? You know. . .the ones you told me about?"
"No."
Ava froze in his arms, her eyes flinging wide. "No?"
He shook his head. "You misunderstand me. I didn"t touch that b.i.t.c.h. But there was one woman I didn"t knock back. She was much clever er with her seduction than all the others, much more devious."
"Oh?" Ava was so glad he hadn"t slept with Catherine that she could almost bear some unknown stranger from the past. Though she couldn"t help feeling jealous of this creature who had captured Vince"s interest with the sort of womanly wiles she herself had only ever dreamt about. "Who was she, do you mind my asking?"
His eyes locked on to hers. "Not at all. She"s standing right in front of me."
CHAPTER THIRTEEN.
"O H!" AVA cried, her cheeks flushing with shocked pleasure f irst, then a fierce embarra.s.sment. "But I didn"t!" she protested. "I mean. . .I did find you very attractive. . .but I didn"t do anything. . . I mean. . . other than trying to look nice. I. . .I wouldn"t have even known how. . ."
His eyes were gentle and teasing as they caressed her fl.u.s.tered face. "You knew how, sweet Ava, without having to know how. I think you"re an instinctive vamp."
"Me? A vamp ? Vince, please don"t tease me. I hate being teased."
"I rather like it myself. Put your arms around my neck. I want you closer. . ." His arms snaked further around her waist and he moulded her against him, one large hand resting firmly in the small of her back, the other stroking possessively over her bottom. By exerting a firm but gentle pressure, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were slowly pressed flat against the hard expanse of his chest, the soft swell of her stomach a convenient cushion for that part of his body which definitely wasn"t soft. As he rocked her gently to the music, all sorts of tingling sensations began shooting through Ava. She shivered at the feel of that roving hand on her b.u.t.tocks, stunned by the thought that she didn"t care what he did with it or how he touched her, even in full view of everyone.
"Let"s get out of here," Vince whispered after a couple of minutes" erotic torture.
Ava couldn"t believe how fast her heart was beating. "Where. . .where would we go?" s "Somewhere private."
The temptation was acute. Not only was she incredibly excited at the thought of being "somewhere private" with Vince, but the prospect of staying here at this party and having to parry caustic comments from Catherine or put up with shocked looks from hypocrites like Nathan had little appeal.
Her mind was made up with a swiftness that almost surprised her. Till she finally accepted that the old wishy-washy Ava was no more.
"Yes, I"d like that," she said firmly. "Let"s go."
Vince seemed slightly taken aback by her decisiveness. "Shouldn"t you say goodbye to the host and hostess? Or at least the guest of honour?"
"Probably. But I"m not going to. Do them good to see a different side to silly old Aunt Ava," she said a touch bitterly.
Vince"s eyes carried a shocked look. "Is that how they really perceived you?"
"You"d better believe it."
He continued to stare down at her, a steely expression slowly replacing his astonishment. "In that case you"re dead right. They deserve no special consideration. Let"s go." Taking her hand, he pulled her past Nathan and Lenore, who had just walked on to the improvised dance-floor together. Ava got a fleeting impression of Nathan sending a worried look after her.
He has every reason to worry, she thought savagely. If she wanted to, she could cause his marriage a lot of trouble. Gemma would not put up with her husband being unfaithful.
"Ava!" came the sharp call when they were halfway along the pier.
Ava ground to a halt and whirled, though still holding Vince"s hand. Nathan stood at the other end of the pier, looking as cool and arrogant as he always did. Lenore was nowhere in sight. Clearly he had left her inside while he followed them out here.
"Where the h.e.l.l do you think you"re going?" he shouted. "We"re about to toast Byron"s birthday."
"I"m not stopping you," she retorted.
"You"re not going off with that bloke, are you? After what Catherine said about him? Surely you"re not that desperate."
Vince"s hold on her hand tightened. "Shall I dump him in the water for you, Ava?" he muttered.
While Ava had a healthy respect for Vince"s physical strength she also suspected that Nathan was a lot tougher than he looked. He was no stranger to solid workouts in Byron"s gym, his tall elegant body having not an ounce of extra flesh on it. If it came to a fight, Vince might just have his hands full.
"No," she whispered. "Let me handle this. I"m going to enjoy it."
Ava let Vince"s hand go and walked back towards Nathan. She stopped halfway between the two men, schooling her face into a coolly a.s.sertive expression that had Nathan frowning.
"Yes, I am going off with Vince, Nathan. But no, I"m not that desperate. We already made love a couple of times before coming here tonight so I"m actually feeling quite relaxed in that regard. It"s having to be around my loving family that makes me tense and unhappy. You"re all so d.a.m.ned insensitive. Not to mention sn.o.bbish. Tell me, Nathan, why is it that Catherine"s word is automatically believed whereas Vince"s isn"t? He tells me she lied about him making a pa.s.s at her. He says it was the other way around."
"And you blindly believe him?" Nathan scoffed.
"Take a good look at Vince, Nathan. Do you honestly think he would need to force himself on a woman? I would have thought that you, of all men, would know there are some males in this world who have no trouble attracting the opposite s.e.x. Females flock to them like moths to a flame. Some women are even stupid enough to come back for seconds, even after they"ve been burnt."
She gave him a few seconds for that to sink in.
"I won"t tell Gemma what I"ve seen here tonight, Nathan," she lashed out. "But someone else might and I hope she dumps you, you unfaithful b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"
"I am not unfaithful to Gemma," he snapped back. "G.o.d-d.a.m.n you, Ava, I warned you about trying to make trouble in my marriage."
She laughed. "Do you honestly think your marriage isn"t in trouble already? I"m just sorry a sweet girl like Gemma ever had to fall for that superficial charm of yours. You"re a fake, Nathan Whitmore! But one day that coolly glamorous facade you hide behind is going to break down and the real Nathan Whitmore is going to emerge. G.o.d help the woman you"re with when that happens. I just hope it"s not Gemma!"
Emotion running high, Ava whirled and stalked back to Vince, who had the common sense not to say a word but simply joined her in her angry march back along the pier. He didn"t speak till they were back in the car and had travelled a reasonable distance.
"You sure socked him between the eyes, Ava," he commented quietly. "Is he really as bad as all that?"
Ava dragged in a deep breath then let it out in a long slow shuddering sigh. "I"m not sure. Maybe. Probably. G.o.d, Vince, I don"t really know. No one knows the real Nathan. No one."
That"s rather frightening."
"Nathan is frightening."
"He seemed very cool back at the houseboat. Not so cool a moment ago, however."
"He"s like a rumbling volcano lately. One day he"s going to erupt."
"Mmm. He won"t erupt all over you, will he?"
"No. I won"t be the cause of his eruption."
"You do sound sure of that. Yet he got pretty mad at you b ack there."
"It"ll take more than a few barbs from me to crack that man open. No, he"ll cool down and come out smiling tomorrow. And he"ll find a whole lot of smooth lies to tell that pretty little wife of his when she gets back from Lightning Ridge. And she"ll believe him, silly fool that she is."
"Yet you spoke of her in glowing terms when you told me about her earlier. You made her sound a very strong and courageous individual."
"She is, but she"s young and trusting too. And she loves Nathan to death."
"She sounds like she"s headed for trouble."
"Yes. . ."
"Hey, don"t start getting depressed. You can"t live everyone else"s life for them, Ava. All you can do is lend a helping hand whenever you can."
"Is that so? Somehow 1 don"t think you practise what you preach, Vince. You"re still trying to live your brothers" and sister"s lives for them, from what I"ve heard. Time to let each one of them stand on their own two feet, don"t you think? Believe me, you"re not doing them any favours by watching over their every move and giving them unwanted advice all the time. They have to learn by their mistakes."
His sideways glance was sharp. "Is that the voice of experience talking?"
"I think I qualify to speak on the subject of being overprotected, don"t you?"
"Perhaps. And am I one of the mistakes you re learning by?"
Ava blinked wide eyes his way, shock quickly giving way to a justifiable anger. "Why on earth would you say such a horrible thing? You know how I feel about you. I told you! Oh, I know you think I"m a silly naive fool w ho"s mixing up love and s.e.x but you"re wrong. I might have lived the last thirty years hiding away in that mausoleum I call home, but I"ve seen plenty of life within those walls. I"ve seen love and hate and s.e.x and l.u.s.t, and, believe me, I know the differences. I also know the difference between what is fantasy and what is real. I love you, Vince, with a love that is not blind. I love you and I"m going to be your lover for as long as you want me."
Ava was unaware of the tears filling her eyes till a couple started trickling down her cheeks. She dashed them away impatiently. She hated women who cried at the drop of a hat, or to get sympathy, or their own way. Irene had used tears on Byron all the time.
"Are you crying?" Vince asked anxiously.
"No, of course not," she denied hurriedly. "What is there to cry over? You never lied to me or conned me, you told me the truth from the start. You have affairs with women. You don"t have time for love or commitment. You don"t even have time for romance or a long- term relationship."
"My, don"t I sound like a right prize! Don"t say any more, Ava, for pity"s sake, or I might turn this car round right now and take you home where you belong."
"Where I belong, Vince, is where I want to be. And right now I want to be with you."
Narrowed brown eyes slanted her way. That sounds like the words of a very grown-up and independent woman."
Ava"s chin lifted as she eyed him back without blinking. "I think so."
"Then you don"t want to call a halt to our. . .affair?"
"Not for all the tea in China."
"That"s a lot of tea."
"You"re a lot of man."
Vince sucked in a startled breath, the red Mazda losing its line for a second. "Good G.o.d, Ava, you shouldn"t say things like that."
"Why not?"
"Dammit, but you"re beginning to confuse me as well."