Merlyn's Magic (24 page)

'Yes.' Once again Rand's voice was silky soft, his hand
capturing Merlyn's beneath the table as it moved nervously on her lap,
squeezing her fingers with a light reassuring touch.

Mark's eyes flashed his irritation with Rand's complete
control. 'You
do
know?' he prompted recklessly.

Dark brows rose. 'That Merlyn once believed herself in
love with you?' he returned dismissively. 'Oh yes, she did tell me,' he
nodded. 'But as I assured her, we all make a lot of stupid mistakes
like that when we're young and impressionable.'

'Now just a minute,' Mark protested in a blusteringly
angry voice.

'Some people make those same mistakes when they're older
too,' Rand continued in a softly menacing voice that no one could
mistake for being in the least pleasant. 'They're the ones who get hurt
if they don't realise who the sharks are in life.'

'I think you've just threatened me!'

'Only think?' Rand drawled. 'My, I must be slipping,' he
added mockingly.

Mark moistened his lips as he sensed the very real danger
emanating from the man seated opposite him. 'Come on, Jenny.' He stood
up. 'I think I prefer an intimate dinner for two after all. In your
room.'

The tiny brunette blushed at his implication, giving an
awkward grimace as she left the dining-room with him, her pretty face
animated with anger as she talked to him on the way out.

Merlyn felt some of the tension leave her body. She hadn't
known what to think when Rand revealed that he had been the one to
invite Mark to join them, still couldn't fathom the man she loved,
although in this case he had championed her.

'If I ever acquire an enemy like that one can I call on
you for assistance?' As usual it was Liza's mischief that broke the
strained silence of the other couple's departure, grinning guilessly at
Rand.

He warmly returned that smile. 'You can call on me any
time,' he drawled. 'Even without an enemy.'

The conversation became more general after that but Merlyn
remained quiet. She knew just how nasty Mark could be, had witnessed it
firsthand in a very painful way in the past, and she very much doubted,
for all she was grateful for it, that Rand's intimidation of the other
man would put an end to his bitterness.

But for all that it was a pleasant evening, Rand easily
accepted by everyone as they went through to the bar, showing none of
that arrogant reserve Merlyn had always associated with him as he
chatted and joked with a couple of other men, Greg included.

'Gorgeous, gorgeous,
gorgeous
,' Liza
said in an aside as Rand gave a rich, throaty chuckle.

'You've already said that,' Merlyn reminded her dryly.

'But now I know he's all-through gorgeous. Not all
good-looking men are, you know.'

'You don't say!' she replied. Liza's forthright attitude
and easy-going manner always had a way of putting things back in
perspective. So Mark was still bitter and angry with her about the
past, there was nothing he could really do to hurt her, not if she
didn't let him.

Liza grimaced. 'From what Rand said about that call, I
gather Mark was being his usual nasty self yesterday?'

And he had almost succeeded in breaking her and Rand up.
'Yes,' she answered with feeling.

'Don't worry, Rand will take care of you from now on,' her
friend told her confidently. 'Uh oh.' She raised her brows. 'Here comes
our tyrant of a director.' She nodded in the direction of the main
doorway, Christopher just entering as she did so. 'I haven't forgiven
him for making me get back up on that brute of a horse yet,' she said
disgustedly.

Merlyn was glad Christopher had put in an appearance this
evening; she owed him a debt of gratitude.

'It was myself I was thinking of,' he brusquely dismissed
her sincere thanks after she had crossed the room to speak to him
privately before he joined the others. 'I thought over what you said
and decided things
would
be less awkward here for
all of us if you and Carmichael were friends again.'

'Cynic!' She gave a wry shake of her head as he confirmed
what she had already guessed; nothing must be allowed to interrupt or
disturb his picture.

'It worked, didn't it?' He looked pointedly in Rand's
direction.

Rand was watching them in return, his expression bland,
although his eyes were questioning.

'I know that look,' Christopher groaned. 'Get back to his
side before he thinks
I'm
after you!'

'Coward,' she laughed softly.

'Survivor,' he corrected mockingly. 'From all accounts
Carmichael is a possessive bastard.'

Rand hated possessiveness, had reacted violently when he
thought she was acting jealously over his time in London. 'I think you
have the wrong man, Christopher.' She shook her head.

'You do?' he smiled wryly. 'Then why is he forging a path
to your side even as we speak?' He laughed as her eyes widened in
surprise on Rand as he purposefully made his way to where they stood
talking together, occasionally stopping to talk to someone, but coming
over to them none the less. 'A word of warning, Merlyn, the dark
brooding ones are always the worst,' Christopher had time to mutter
before Rand reached them, his arm moving about Merlyn's waist.

'Drake,' he greeted the man abruptly. 'I think you now
have an unhappy actor,' he drawled.

Christopher grimaced. 'What's new?' His reply lacked
concern. 'No permanent damage, I hope?' he asked interestedly.

Rand's mouth quirked. 'Only to his ego.'

'That could stand a few beatings,' Christopher scorned.
'As long as you haven't marked his face!'

Rand glanced at Merlyn, her face pale. 'We were just about
to leave,' he murmured.

'Don't let me keep you,' Christopher said cheerfully. 'I
intend sending this lot off to bed now anyway!'

It had been a strained evening for Merlyn, and she
breathed deeply of the fresh air once they were outside and away from
the smoky bar.

'I'm sorry,' Rand watched her anxiously. 'Maybe I
shouldn't have put you through that, but I felt it was important that
Hillier see he had done no lasting damage with his lies.'

'It was,' she agreed abruptly.

Rand still watched her. 'Let's go back to the house for a
nightcap.'

She raised startled eyes to meet his. 'You mean
your
house?'

His brows rose. 'Unless you happen to have one around here
I know nothing about?'

She hadn't thought she would ever go inside the house
again that he had shared with Suzie all those years, had certainly
never expected to be an invited guest there. 'Maybe a coffee?' she said
uncertainly.

'Fine.' He led her over to the dark grey BMW he drove,
unlocking the door for her.

Merlyn was a little apprehensive as they entered the
house, following Rand through to the kitchen, automatically moving to
the appropriate cupboards to help him prepare the coffee before she
realised what she was doing, coming to an abrupt halt.

Rand sighed heavily. 'I was very rough on you the last
time you were here, wasn't I?'

'Yes,' she confirmed without hesitation.

He put his arms about her as he leant back against a
kitchen unit, Merlyn's body resting lightly against his thighs. 'That
day, the anniversary of Suzie's death, is—well, it's a
nightmare.' Rand closed his eyes as he rested his forehead against
hers. 'I gave all the servants the day off, intended spending the day
with a bottle of brandy, hoping I wouldn't feel any of the pain once I
was drunk.'

'And then I arrived,' Merlyn put in huskily.

He gave a ragged sigh. 'And then you arrived,' he nodded.
'And the getting drunk theory went out of the window. I was a bastard
to you but it helped me get through the day at least. It was the night
I couldn't cope with,' he remembered harshly. 'And then you helped me
live through that too!'

'And tonight you helped me,' she told him shakily. 'Like
Christopher, you must be wondering what I ever saw in Mark, but he can
be very charming when things are going his way.'

'And when they aren't?' Rand watched her with narrowed
eyes.

She winced at the memory. 'Then he isn't charming at all!'

'Will you tell me about it?'

Rand's intimidation of Mark earlier had been obvious to
everyone present, and she didn't think he was the type of
man—no, she
knew
he wasn't the type of
man to hold back when he heard of another man using violence against a
woman.

'No, I don't think so,' she refused lightly, peering over
his shoulder at the newly percolated coffee. 'I will have a cup of
coffee, though.'

'Subject of Mark Hillier closed?'

'The coffee smells delicious.'

'Okay, subject closed.' Rand gave a shrug before moving
away from her. 'But if he bothers you again… 'he added
pointedly.

'He won't,' she assured him with more confidence than real
honesty; Mark had left her alone six years ago because he knew there
was nothing else he could do to her, but now she was more vulnerable.
And from the sceptical look in Rand's eyes before he carried the
coffee-tray through to the lounge, he didn't believe her assurances for
one minute anyway.

But as she sat beside Rand on the sofa, a fire newly
blazing in the dimly lit room, in a rare moment of tranquillity, she
put everything else from her mind except the sheer joy of being with
him. Earlier this evening she had believed this closeness between them
again would be impossible.

'Are you staying with me tonight?' he spoke huskily
against her temple.

'Here?' Her voice was gruff, the invitation so much more
than she had expected.

'I'd like to just lie in bed and hold you,' he clarified
the invitation. 'No demands, just hold you.'

From the moment they had met they had either been hating
each other or making love, and what he offered now sounded wonderful.
She didn't know if he realised it, but it was also a tangible step
forward in their relationship.

Her eyes glowed as she turned to look at him. 'I'd like
that,' she told him throatily, her hand slipping into his much larger
one as they stood up to ascend the stairs together.

'So I was wrong about it being Drake you slept with to get
this part, it was Carmichael,' Mark scorned with contempt. 'I have to
hand it to you, Merlyn, you went right to the top this time.'

Merlyn closed her eyes momentarily as she gave an inward
groan. She had successfully managed to avoid Mark the last three
days— Christopher, whether by design or necessity, having
kept their filming schedules separate. It had been too good to last,
she realised that.

They all had the day off today, the rain once again
pouring down outside, although many of the crew had still taken
advantage of the freedom to go out and see some of the surrounding
countryside. Merlyn had preferred to lounge by the pool. Although if
she had realised Mark had the same intention she would have revised her
plans.

'I suppose it's too much to hope this conversation could
actually develop into something pleasant?' she said dryly, looking up
from her relaxed position on the lounger beside the pool with jaundiced
eyes, feeling better than she had for a long time, even her hair
temporarily back to its original colour, her bikini the perfect green
of her eyes, intentionally so.

He gave a mocking inclination of his head before sitting
down on the lounger next to hers. 'Your boy-friend made a fool out of
me the other night, and—'

'You've never needed any help in doing that, Mark,' she
snapped.

His body was still wet from where he had swum the length
of the pool in leisurely strokes twice before strolling over to join
her. Probably someone had once told him how muscular he looked with
water glistening on his bronzed skin. The fact that it was true didn't
make him any less vain.

His mouth twisted at her mockery. 'You certainly outgrew
that childish happy-ever-after theory with a vengeance!'

She looked at him warily. 'What do you mean by that?'

'Carmichael!'

She drew in an angry breath. 'If you have something to
say, Mark, then just say it! I'm not in the mood for your innuendoes
today.'

'Been spending a lot of time with Suzie Forrester's
husband, haven't you?' he taunted.

It was true that she and Rand spent their evenings and
nights together, but never again at the house. There he
was
Suzie's husband.

That one night they had stayed there together they had
just held each other until they both fell asleep, and it had been
enough. It had been better than enough. Until she woke up alone in the
darkness to find Rand sitting in the bedroom chair just staring at her
as she slept.

'What is it?' she called to him huskily, sitting up in
alarm at how still he sat, fully clothed now, his expression unreadable.

He drew in a ragged breath. 'I can't sleep with another
woman in the house I shared with Suzie,' he rasped.

She had closed her eyes on the pain she knew must be
reflected in them, fighting for control before she got out of bed to go
to him, kneeling at his feet, her elbows resting on his knees as she
clasped his hands in hers. 'Then we won't sleep together here again,'
she assured him gruffly.

And they hadn't, had spent their nights together in her
hotel room. And each morning Rand left her bed to return to his house.
Where he became Suzie's husband again.

They had never spoken of that night, and Merlyn had never
told him that she knew exactly how he felt about his affair with her.
But despite their physical closeness his marriage to Suzie now stood
between them like a brick wall. And no matter how she wanted to knock
that wall down she knew that she never would.

'She's dead, Mark,' Merlyn said flatly in response to his
barb that penetrated more deeply than even he could guess.