Beware of the Beast (12 page)

"Well?" he said
challcngingly
. "What are you thinking?"

Charlotte stepped out on to the patio. "I was thinking that I'm hot and sticky," she admitted honestly.

"What did you think of
Eleni
?" he persisted, ignoring the
unknowing appeal in her words.

Charlotte shrugged. "She's - very nice."

"But inquisitive."

"I didn't say that."

"No. But she is." Alex looked away from her. "I intended
to introduce you the other day, but ..." he shrugged. "I
guessed she would come, sooner or later."

"You might have warned me."

"Why?" He looked at her over his shoulder. "I haven't
noticed any tendency on your part to indulge in conversation
with me."
  

Charlotte thrust moist palms into her hip pockets. "No -
well, maybe I was hasty." She spoke half reluctantly, but
something was driving her on. "I - perhaps we should - talk to one another. I mean, how else am I going to - to get used
to you?"

Alex turned right round, supporting his back against the
column. "Go on."

His expression was faintly derisive, and a certain defensive-"
ness crept into her voice. "Well, wouldn't you rather we beh
aved like - like civilized people?"

"Indeed." He inclined his head. "But I wonder what has changed your mind? Too many hours spent alone, perhaps?
I can hardly believe that you're desperate for
my
company!"

Charlotte pursed her lips. "If you're going to be sar
castic
- "

"How the hell do you expect me to be?" he demanded
harshly. "You stand there and tell me that perhaps you've
been hasty, that perhaps we should talk to one
another !
Perhaps I don't want to talk to you!"

Charlotte was amazed how easily he could hurt her.
Holding up her head, she said: "I wish. I'd never mentioned
it."

Alex shook his head impatiently. "Oh? Are we now to
revert back to our childish tantrums? Are you withdrawing your so-generous offer?"

"You're a brute, do you know that?" she stormed tremu
lously.

"And you're a sweet misunderstood girl. I know. Forgive
me if I find the analogy rather hard to take!"

Charlotte gasped and stalked forward, intending to snatch
up her book and leave him, but his ringers round her forearm
prevented her.

"Let's stop playing games, shall we?" he suggested, and
she was so dose to him that his breath mingled with hers. "I'll take you swimming, if that's what you want."

Charlotte's eyes flashed angry indignation and his fingers
tightened warningly. "Don't deny it," he admonished
quietly. "I might just take you at your word."

Charlotte wrenched herself free, unwilling to admit the
disturbing exhilaration these confrontations always aroused
inside her. She could still feel the hardness of his hand against
her flesh, and she rubbed her arm with impatient fingers.
She was fighting a battle inside her, fighting against the im
pulses which were driving her towards him. But weakness
won.
           

"All right," she got out at last.
" -
I would like to go
swimming."

Alex straightened and walked across the patio, turning his
back on her. "You do have a swimsuit, don't you?" he
inquired rather flatly, and then: "Get it. You're wasting time."

Charlotte hesitated only a moment longer, and then pressing
her balled fists against her thighs, she marched into the house.

In her room, she took off her trousers and halter top and
put on one of the half dozen bikinis Verna had insisted she needed. It was all white, two diminutive scraps of cotton that
revealed the whiteness of her skin below the waistband of the
trousers she normally wore. She put her trousers on again
over the bikini brief, but decided the halter top would look
rather silly over her bikini bra. Instead, she thrust it into
₍
a
canvas bag along with a towel.

Alex was waiting for her in the hall, without either towel or trunks as far as she could see, although like her he could
be wearing his swimming gear underneath. Her heart
quickened automatically.

"Ready?" he inquired coolly, and she nodded, preceding
him outside. He took her bag from her unresisting fingers
and said: "Come on. Follow me."

It was hot, much hotter now than when
Eleni
had left in
her donkey trap. Following Alex across the rough ground, Charlotte was soon tired, and her legs ached from the un
accustomed exercise. All around them the sea gleamed invit
ingly, the sound of the water splashing on the rocks below
them, a
tantalising
temptation.

Alex was used to this terrain, and he strode easily ahead,
pausing now and then to allow her to catch up. He didn't say
anything, but she was glad. She didn't think she would have
the breath for conversation as well.

At last he stopped and pointed down what appeared to be
a sheer cliff face. "This is it," he said, not attempting to hide
his amusement at her hot cheeks. "Come on, take my hand.
It's rather steep."

Charlotte allowed her fingers to entwine with his, and
gasped when she saw where he was taking her. An overhang
of rock concealed a track that was half path, half rocky steps
gouged out of the cliff itself. It wound downwards, a haunt for sheep and goats, Charlotte thought wryly, but surely not
for man.

Keeping her eyes on Alex's broad back, she allowed him
to precede her down the
slope,
not daring to think what
might happen if he slipped. Below them, the water sucked
greedily along the base of the cliffs, subsiding in showers of
spray which, as they neared the bottom, wet them, too. At
last they reached the flat plateau of rock which provided a natural diving platform, and Charlotte could see the curving
promontory which formed the pool's basin.

Alex released her hand, and looked at her laughingly.
"Do you realize you've nearly broken my fingers?" he asked, flexing them painfully.

Charlotte's tension relaxed into giggles. "I'm sorry, but
it was so
steepl
" She looked back the way they had come and
shuddered. "Heavens, do we actually have to go back up
there?"

"It's easier going up than coming down,
actuallyI
' Alex told
her reassuringly, kicking off his sandals
. "
Well? Was it worth
it?"

"Mm."
Charlotte looked about her excitedly. "I can't wait
to get into the water."

"Go ahead!" Alex indicated the pool, and trying not to
feel too self-conscious she stripped off her trousers and walked
to the edge of the platform.

She dipped her toe first. Against her heated flesh, the water
felt cold, but after a few moments she became more daring
and sat down to dangle her feet in the water. She was aware
that Alex had seated himself further back on the shelf of rock,
his back against the cliff, one leg drawn up to support his
elbow.

Deciding it was now or never, Charlotte slipped off the
platform, allowing herself to submerge slowly beneath the waves, opening her eyes on a green-shrouded world of rocks
and waving seaweed.

When she came up again to take some air, she was near the
middle of the pool, and Alex was standing on the edge of the
platform, his eyes showing the anxiety he had obviously experienced. She swam back to him, shaking the hair out of her eyes, wanting to reassure him. "Were you worried about
me?" she exclaimed.

"What do you think?" he demanded roughly. Then, more
calmly: "How is it?"

"
Marvellous
i
" she replied, turning on to her back and
floating, closing her eyes against the glare of the sun. "Aren't
you coming in?"

Alex shook his head. "I think not."

She
came
upright, eyes wide again.
"Why not?
Aren't you
hot?"

"
Mmm
," he nodded. "But..." He paused. "Enjoy
your
self !"
And he walked back to his earlier position on the plat
form.

Charlotte rested her arms and her chin on the shelf, regard
ing him steadily. "What is it? I thought we'd agreed to call
a truce."

"We have. And I don't want to start hostilities again."
Then as she still continued to look puzzled, he said: "Char
lotte, I haven't swum in trunks since I was eight years
old!"

"Oh!" Charlotte turned abruptly away and swam swiftly
across the pool. She should have guessed. What reason would
he have for wearing anything here? This was his
island,
this pool was probably private property. And that would account
for his tan which did not appear to be confined to any particular area of his body. It was a curiously disturbing idea,
and she was glad of the water to hide the sudden wave of
heat which swept all over her body.

Even so, it was lonely swimming alone. She wished he could
have joined her. No doubt he would, if she asked him to,
but...

She swam back to the side, and wrinkling her nose said:
"Who else swims here?"

Alex shrugged. He had taken out a case of cheroots and was
lighting one. He inhaled deeply before replying: "No one
but me these days. When I
w
,as
a child I used to swim with
Vittorio
and
Dimitrios
and some of the other boys, but nowadays ..." He shrugged expressively.

Charlotte nodded. "What time is it?"

He consulted his watch.
"Quarter past one."

"What time do we have to leave?"

"Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes."

"Oh." Charlotte nodded again and looked back at the water.
"I don't suppose I would dare to come here alone
- "

"Don't even think about it I" said Alex harshly. "It can be
dangerous, swimming in deep
waten
If
you got cramp ..."

"I know."

Charlotte gave a wistful little sigh and letting go of the
rock swam lazily across the pool again. She was turning to swim back when something struck the centre of the pool,
something sleek and dark and powerful,
something
that
caused very little spray as it entered the water. It all happened
too quickly for her to feel any fear, and when Alex's dark
head emerged only a few feet away from her, she felt only
relief that he had decided to join her after all.

His smile was faintly self-derisory, however, as he said: "I'll promise not to take advantage of you, if you'll promise the same," and she smiled. "You did want me to join you,
didn't you?" he added.

Charlotte nodded. "Yes. Oh, yes."

The next half hour flew on freedom's wings, Charlotte
had never indulged in water sports before, but Alex soon had her swimming and diving and racing, enjoying the elemental
release of it all. He was an expert swimmer and she knew he tempered his speed to her breathless efforts. He taught
her how to hold her breath for longer periods of time, how to
control her breathing, swimming with her to the break in
the rock wall where the sea spilled through into the under
water caverns he had explored as a boy.

But eventually they had to leave the water, and Alex hung
back while Charlotte
towelled
herself dry and put on her
trousers over the bikini. She left the halter top in the bag, the
heat of the sun already drying the bra of the bikini against her
skin. She averted her eyes as Alex vaulted out and borrowed
her towel to dry
himself
. Curiously enough, she felt no real embarrassment any more. After all, she thought, this man is
my
husband !
And then was shocked at the realization that she was coming to accept the situation.