Iris Johansen (12 page)

She slipped out of bed and moved swiftly to the foot, where her clothes lay in disarray on the carpet. With every move away from him she was feeling more secure, more her own person. Nothing really irrevocable had happened, she assured herself desperately. It had all been an illusion brought on by that incredible physical and emotional experience she’d undergone. “Not tonight,” she said, trying to keep her voice level. “I want to be alone now.” She was dressing swiftly, eager to get away. “I’m not backing out of our agreement. I’ll come to you tomorrow, if you like. I just need time to myself at the moment.”

Rafe uttered an obscenity so violent that she looked up in surprise. His dark eyes were blazing stormily in his taut face. “Damn that agreement!” he said, his lips twisting bitterly. “Well, you warned me, didn’t you, Janna? A simple biological coupling, and then you walk away with no resulting emotional hangups.” She didn’t answer, and he watched her, frowning, as she pulled on her blouse and started to button it. “Why didn’t you tell me you were a virgin?”

“It didn’t matter,” Janna said absently as she tucked her blouse into her skirt.

“It mattered to me, damn it,” he said moodily. “I’ve never had a virgin.” His gaze traveled lingeringly over her. “I … liked it.”

Janna kept her eyes lowered as she tied the sash about her waist. “I’m glad that I could provide you with a new experience,” she said lightly, only half aware of what she was saying. Her entire body was throbbing with an aching sensitivity, and she was conscious of the swelling thrust of her breasts against the silk of her blouse. Was it happening again so soon? She wanted nothing more than to get back into bed and let Rafe show her once more how to satisfy that frustrating need, but she was beginning
to realize how dangerous such an action could be. She glanced up briefly, her eyes guarded. “Perhaps I may be worth your two million dollars, after all.”

For a moment she could have sworn there was a flash of pain in the depths of his eyes, but nothing showed in the implacable hardness of his face. “Perhaps,” he said coolly. “We’ll have to see. You still have a number of weeks to prove your value to me.” He watched her with narrowed eyes as she slipped on her sandals. “So I’ll waive my rights and privileges to that lovely body for the rest of the night. But I suggest you get the hell out of here before I change my mind.”

She was already moving swiftly toward the door, and her hand was on the knob when he spoke again behind her.

“Janna!”

She paused, tensing, but didn’t look back at him. She only wanted to escape, to run away from those velvet bonds he had manacled her with tonight.

“It wasn’t just a simple biological coupling, damn it!” he said with soft violence. “Not for either of us.”

Janna opened the door and swiftly left the bedroom.

Janna was not up at daybreak, as was her usual custom, the next morning, and was almost late for breakfast. She hadn’t managed to go to sleep until dawn, despite her resolute attempts to do so. The privacy and solitude of her own space hadn’t had the bracing effect that she’d hoped they would. She had felt a constant recurring physical desire for Rafe and a bewildering loneliness for him that she feared was not entirely of the flesh. This filled her with such unease it precluded any chance of sleep.

She couldn’t permit herself any emotional response to Rafe Santine. Even disregarding the transient aspect to their relationship, she had no desire for a commitment to a man of Rafe’s aggressive, dominant
obsessiveness. He would be the worst possible choice for a woman with her own passionate need for freedom and independence. No, she couldn’t possibly yield to that odd melting tenderness she was experiencing with increasing frequency of late. Now that she’d become Rafe’s mistress, she was going to have to be constantly on guard to keep his physical magic from chipping away at her resistance. This firm resolution didn’t prevent her heart giving a queer half skip when she saw Rafe sitting alone at the breakfast table on the terrace the next morning.

He looked up, frowning, as she came through the French doors. “You’re late!” he said impatiently. He was dressed in black cords and a cream sweat shirt, with the sleeves pushed up carelessly to the elbow. He looked surprisingly boyish with that cross frown on his face, Janna thought as she slipped into her accustomed place opposite him.

“A little,” she replied quietly, as she picked up her napkin. “Where are Pat and Diane this morning?”

“Dawson is very discreetly making himself scarce,” Rafe said, his lips twisting sardonically. “He decided on a long walk in lieu of breakfast this morning.” He poured her coffee from the silver pot by his plate. After replacing it he said, “Diane’s gone.”

“Gone?” Janna looked up, startled.

Rafe’s scowl became darker. “She left early this morning,” he said curtly. “She wasn’t needed any more, so I sent her away.” His lips twisted cynically. “I assure you that she wasn’t tossed cruelly out in the cold. She received a quite generous stipend.”

Janna bit her lip, her face troubled. “I don’t doubt your generosity,” she said slowly. “It just never occurred to me that you’d send her away. It’s not as if I’m going to be here for more than a few weeks, and our agreement never called for any exclusive commitment on your part.”

“My God, you’re incredible,” he said bitterly, his black eyes flickering. “Did you expect me to behave
like some Middle Eastern sultan and call one or the other of you to my bed as the whim moved me?” His laugh was totally mirthless. “You probably did, at that. What the hell difference would it make to you? You’d accept it as coolly as you do the actual fact of occupying my bed.”

Coolly? There had been nothing in the least cool about her response in Rafe’s arms last night. “I don’t think you’re being quite fair,” she said quietly. “I was only pointing out that you have no obligation to me in any way. If you want Diane here, I have—”

“Damn it, I don’t want her,” he grated out savagely. “I haven’t wanted her from the moment I saw you. Do you think I didn’t try to use her to wipe you out of my mind? It didn’t work. She left me cold as ice. I might just as well have been a eunuch.” His lips twisted. “So until I can rid myself of this aberration, you’ll have to resign yourself to my exclusive attentions.”

Janna tried to stifle the sudden surge of joy that shot through her at his words. What was the use of all her safe, sensible admonitions, when she couldn’t control this almost primitive satisfaction at the elimination of a possible rival for Santine’s affections? She lifted her untouched coffee to her lips, the long sweep of her lashes veiling her eyes. “I see,” she said, as impersonally as she could manage. “Then I gather I’ve inherited Diane’s role?”

“Did you think we could go back to the status quo after last night?” he asked dryly. “We were fantastic together, and I’ve never been one to deny myself after just one taste. I’ve ordered your clothes moved into my room.”

Janna moistened her lips nervously as she felt again that panicky sensation of being boxed in. “I don’t see why that’s necessary,” she said tautly. “Your former mistress had her own quarters and you appeared to be quite happy with the arrangement.”

“But as you’ve pointed out, I’m only going to have your services for a limited amount of time,” he said
silkily. “I intend to reap the benefits of your charming presence while I may.”

“But I don’t—”

“You’re moving in with me,” he interrupted flatly, rising to his feet and throwing his napkin carelessly on the table. “Now, finish your breakfast while I go to the library and leave a few instructions for Dawson. Meet me in the courtyard in forty-five minutes. I want to be on our way by noon.”

“Where are we going?” Janna asked, her eyes wide with surprise. She looked down at her chocolate denim jeans and beige tailored blouse. “Will I have to change?”

He shook his head. “What you have on will be fine,” he said. “We’re just going to take the helicopter down to the Camino Real Estate property.”

“Camino Real …?” Then her face cleared and her eyes lit up. “You mean we’re going to the wildlife reserve?”

“Now that you’ve made the ultimate sacrifice, I thought you’d at least like to see what you’ve bought with your nubile young body,” he said sardonically. “There are several buildings on the property. You might want to see if any of them could be of some use to you.”

“Oh, yes,” Janna said eagerly, jumping to her feet. “Could we go right away?”

“I didn’t see that much enthusiasm on Diane’s face when I gave her a sapphire necklace,” Rafe said, his lips quirking in amusement. Then he frowned. “And no, we can’t go right now. You haven’t eaten breakfast yet, damn it.” His gaze went over her impatiently. “You’re thin as a rail. I don’t want you to meet me in the courtyard until you’ve had an egg, toast, bacon, and some fruit, not that skimpy toast and coffee you usually insist upon,” he ended sternly. “Understand?”

She grinned happily, and nodded as she reached briskly for the eggs. “Right.”

He stood watching her for a brief moment as she obediently dished up the stipulated food, and there was an odd flicker of tenderness in his usually hard face. Then he moved reluctantly toward the French doors, and as he passed her chair, he gave her braid an affectionate little tug. “Good girl,” he said gruffly. He was gone before she could reply.

Rafe gave her a complete aerial tour of the property designated for the reserve, pointing out landmarks and boundaries with an efficiency and knowledge that was astounding. But the loud whine of the rotors of the helicopter prevented any in-depth conversation, and it was only after they’d landed in a clearing a short distance from a large clapboard farmhouse and a cluster of outbuildings, that Janna was able to satisfy her curiosity.

As they made their way toward the farmhouse, she looked up at Rafe, her face puzzled. “How do you know so much about this particular property? It can’t be standard procedure for a businessman of your stature to be so thoroughly versed in a minor real estate investment.”

His dark brows arched mockingly. “I’m glad you’re suitably impressed,” he said with a boyish grin that amazingly softened the hardness of his face. “I admit to doing my homework. After we’d concluded our little arrangement, I ordered both an aerial and ground survey of the entire property, complete with photos. I thought it might prove useful to you to know the location of every cave and possible watering place on the acreage. It won’t be all that easy to keep track of your four-footed charges on a reserve this size. Dawson has all the maps and photos on file. You can ask him for them when you get back.”

“Thank you, I will,” Janna said dazedly, darting a
glance at his face. It was an amazingly thoughtful thing for Rafe to have done, when he’d claimed to have no interest in the project. “It will be a tremendous help to us.”

A further surprise awaited her at the farmhouse. After unlocking the front door, Santine took her elbow protectively. “Watch your step,” he warned tersely. “This is Sunday, and there won’t be any workmen here, but they may have left some of their tools and equipment about.”

“Workmen?” Janna asked as she entered into what must previously have been a foyer. Now it was hard to tell what it was. There was evidence of demolition and reconstruction everywhere. The walls that had separated the different rooms had been completely torn down, and there were tools and ladders lying carelessly throughout the area, as Rafe had guessed. “What’s going on here?”

“Since this is the largest building, I thought it would be the logical choice for your veterinary clinic and research facilities,” Santine said abstractedly, striding forward to examine the work on a window that had been enlarged to encompass almost an entire wall. Evidently the workmanship met with his approval, and he turned toward her with frank enjoyment at the stunned surprise on her face.

“Your medical and laboratory equipment will arrive next week. Dawson consulted the San Diego Zoo, and they furnished him with a complete list of what they thought you’d need. If there’s anything we’ve missed, just tell Dawson and he’ll order it.” He took out a small notebook from his back pocket and flipped it open. “There’s a Dr. Martin Buckley at the Johannesburg Zoo, who’s had considerable success with artificial insemination in endangered species when all else fails. I thought he might prove useful to you, but he won’t be able to relocate for another three months. Will that be satisfactory?”

“Quite satisfactory,” Janna said faintly, her eyes
wide with shock, looking around her helplessly. It was a gift of such enormous generosity, it fairly staggered her. She was impressed, not so much by the expense involved, but by the care and planning that had gone into what Rafe was offering her so casually. “It’s everything we could possibly want.” Her eyes were fixed bewilderedly on him across the room. “But why?”

There was an oddly embarrassed expression on Rafe’s face. “If you’re going to do something, you might as well do it right,” he said gruffly. His eyes slid guiltily away from hers, as if he were a small boy caught in some mischief. He turned and gestured briskly to the stairs leading up to the second floor. “I’ve ordered the upper floor to be converted into an apartment for your Dr. Sandler. I figured he’d want to be on the spot in case of any medical problems.”

“Yes, he would,” Janna replied absently as she moved slowly across the room toward Rafe, her gaze fixed in fascination on his face. There was a definite flush on his swarthy skin, she noticed with amazement. Yes, the suave buccaneer of the boardroom was definitely
not
composed. She stopped when she was only a foot away and looked searchingly into his face. “Why, Rafe?” she repeated softly. “It’s too much. I can’t believe that anyone could be that fanatic a perfectionist.”

He scowled crossly into the glowing face gazing up at him, and almost compulsively one hand lifted to touch the smooth contour of her cheek. “Didn’t you ever hear the maxim, ‘Never look a gift horse in the mouth’?” he asked caustically. “What the hell difference does it make why I did it?”

“It matters,” Janna said quietly, standing quite still beneath his hand that was stroking her cheek. “It matters very much.”