Diana Palmer The Rawh

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everything about you," he said quietly. "Everything." "Do you?" She dropped her eyes to his shirt.
"But you notice Crystal more." His lean hand moved to her cheek, turning her face toward his.
"Crystal knows how to flirt, honey. You've never bothered to learn." "Meaning I should learn from
her?" Her eyes glared accusingly at him. "What could she possibly teach me except how to be
promiscuous?" "You do hate her, don't you?" he asked with narrowing eyes.' Ts it really because she
sleeps around?.Or because you're jealous of her success with men?" "Damn you!" His eyes searched
hers. "How unladylike, Mrs. Langston," he said with amusement. "You know, you've lost a lot of your
starch since you've been here. You're still a lady, but you're more human."
"Look who's talking about being human," she threw back. "What would you know about that?" "Is that
a question or a dare?" he murmured. He leaned down, resting his weight on his hands on either side
of her. "I asked you once to sleep with me and you turned me down. Suppose I take the choice away
from you, the way I did before?" She felt herself panic. She was all too vulnerable to him. She still
needed time to straighten out her feelings about their marriage. "Please don't," she whispered. He
looked calculating, not angry or particularly disappointed. "If I promised to be very gentle?" he
whispered, searching her eyes quietly. "Not to hurt?" She could feel herself weakening, because the
way he was looking at her was different from any way he'd looked at her before. She could hardly
breathe for the wild beating of her heart. But she couldn't do what he wanted her to do. Not yet.
She lowered her eyes. "I...don't feel that way anymore, I told you last night," she bit off. "You told me.
I just didn't quite believe you." He stood up, and his look was unnerving. "Is it just me, or are you
frozen clean through? Damn it, you wanted me when we married.'' "Yes, I did," she said. "And you
threw it in my face until I choked on it!" He turned away. "I suppose I did," he said wearily. He ran a
hand through his hair. "But on the front porch, when you were sitting in the swing... and that hasn't
been so long ago, lady." She avoided his accusing gaze. "That was then. This is now." "What's
changed?" "You!" she burst out, glaring at him. "I don't know what to make of you. And I just don't
dare trust what you say. First you force me into marrying you, but you don't want anything to do with
me. Then you want me in bed, but you go out of your way to hurt me. Now you say you want to make
the marriage work. Sometimes I think you enjoy torturing me!" "Is that what it seems like?" He
moved back to the bed with a weary sigh. "Bess, must we fight? I'll be the first to admit that I've given
you plenty of reason not to trust me. But there has to be a common ground." "Does there?" She stared
at the coverlet blankly. He tilted her chin up. "You look different lately," he murmured, changing the
subject. "Your face is rounder, your breasts are bigger." His eyes went down to them and she flushed.
"Thank you for bringing up my supper," she said. "Thank you and good night?" he asked. He stood up
and laughed curtly. "I had you in the palm of my hand once upon a time, Bess. What a pity that I was
too damned stupid to realize what I was holding until it was too late." He picked up the tray. "Get some
rest, honey. Maybe we'll eventually be able to sort things out." "Is Crystal still up?" she asked as he
started toward the door.
He glanced back at her, looking strangely pleased. "Yes, as a matter of fact, she is. Jealous, honey?"
She was getting tired of having him ask that. Her eyes flashed wildly. "Go away! I hate men. I hate
you. I hate Crystal. I hate the whole world!" He only laughed, moving gracefully toward the door.
"When you get tired of brooding, come and get me. You might discover that it's easier than you
think." But Bess only half heard him. She was too busy trying not to cry. How could he, how could he!
She tossed and turned all night, her mind overwhelmed with images of Crystal with Jude, dark and
light, in bed together. She'd kill him. She'd kill Crystal. She'd leave and go home to Georgia. She'd do
something! But when she awoke, worn-out and feeling deathly ill, revenge was the last thought on her
mind. She glanced at the clock and realized that it was already past time for church and she'd never
make it before services were over. With a weary sigh, she pulled on a loose gray dress and brushed
her hair, leaving it long. She went downstairs, but the house was oddly quiet. There was a muffled
sound in the den, where the door was ajar. Her hand reached out and pushed the door gently open. Her
face went paper white. Crystal was wrapped tight in Jude's arms and they were kissing. Bess stood
there gaping at them, her whole life flashing in front of her, hating them, hating them! At that moment
Jude lifted his head, laughing, and saw Bess. The look on his face would have been, in another time
and place, utterly comical. But to Bess, whose whole world had just gone down in ashes, it was only
confirmation of her worst suspicions.
Crystal stared at her with her mouth open. "Now, Bess," she began hesitantly. "Darling, let me..." "It
isn't what you think," Jude added slowly, his own face oddly pale under his deep tan. "Of course not,"
Bess said. Her lower lip trembled and all the years of control, all the years of cool acceptance went
flaming up in the grip of the worst fury she'd ever felt. "Damn you," she threw at Crystal, her brown
eyes blazing, her face lined with anger. "You tramp! It isn't enough that you spent the past ten years
taking everything of mine you could lay your hands on, or that you went flying off to Europe and left
me alone to take care of Mother all those long years. No, you had to come out here and make a grab
for my family." Crystal was slowly turning pale herself. "Bess, wait--" "Wait, hell!" she shot back. Her
fists clenched by her sides. "All the years I dated, you stole every single beau I had. You coaxed Carla
into giving you my grandmother's jewels, the heirlooms I would have passed to my children, and you
hocked them to get money! You even had the gall to question the will that left Oakgrove to me.
Oakgrove, for God's sake, that had been in my family for a hundred years! And now you want Jude." '
'Darling, Bess, please...!" Crystal pleaded, moving toward her.
But Bess backed away, hating them both. She tore the wedding bands from her hand-- the gold one
Jude had reluctantly slid on to her finger, and the silver one he'd bought her at the Alamo. "You might
as well have it all," she said harshly, and flung the rings at Crystal. "All of it! Finally, this time, you've
taken something I didn't want to begin with!" Jude looked as if she'd slapped him. He didn't even [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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