Читать книгу Wife For Real - Jennifer Taylor, Jennifer Taylor - Страница 9

CHAPTER FOUR

SUNLIGHT poured through the window and touched Katherine’s face. She stirred. It took her a few seconds to realise that she was lying on her bed fully clothed, a few more before she remembered why...

She struggled to her feet, shocked to see that it was midday. She couldn’t believe that she had slept so late, even though it had been dawn before she’d crept into bed, exhausted by the effort of going over and over everything that had happened...

She felt a wave of panic wash over her as all the fears of the previous night compounded, but she made herself take a deep breath. She and Jordan had been too keyedup last night to talk rationally, but surely today would be different? If she could convince him that his demands went way beyond what was reasonable then maybe they could come to some amicable arrangement. After all, it wasn’t inconceivable that Peter might be able to repay the money Jordan lent him, if he was given enough time.

Katherine clung to that thought as she went to find him, but there was no sign of Jordan in either the sitting-room or kitchen. She glanced along the hall, wondering if he had gone out without waking her, then frowned as she saw that the guest-room door was firmly closed. Had Jordan overslept as well?

He was lying sprawled face-down on the bed when she eased the door open to peer into the room. He was still wearing his shirt and trousers although he had kicked off his shoes. He must have been exhausted to have slept so long, Katherine thought. But then he’d had that flight to contend with as well as everything else.

She was just debating whether she should wake him when he rolled over onto his back and started muttering a little. Even from where she stood, Katherine could see the hectic flush on his cheekbones, the beads of perspiration glistening on his brow. She frowned in sudden concern, wondering what was wrong with him.

The heat was what she noticed first as she hurried to the bed and bent down to look at him. It radiated from him as though his whole body were burning up. Tentatively she laid her hand on his forehead, and was shocked to feel just how hot he was. She was just trying to decide what she should do when his eyes suddenly opened to stare straight into hers.

‘Katherine...’

His voice was husky as he said her name in a way he had never said it before. Katherine felt the tiny hairs all over her body stand up as though he had actually touched her. She jerked her hand away and saw the shutters come down over his eyes as he suddenly returned to full consciousness.

He eased himself up on his elbow, then groaned. ‘God, my head hurts! What the hell’s the matter with me? I can’t remember having much to drink yesterday.’

‘You didn’t. From the look of you you’re running a temperature, I’d guess. Do you want me to call the doctor?’ She forced herself to speak calmly but she could hear the tightness in her voice. It was the way that Jordan had said her name just now, his voice throbbing with something, which sent ripples of sensation running through her as she remembered it.

He shook his head, then groaned again since that had obviously made it ache even more. ‘There’s no need. A couple of aspirin and I’ll be right as rain.’ He looked up and smiled tauntingly. ‘Sorry, Katherine, but I doubt that I’m going to make you a rich widow yet awhile, if that’s what you’re hoping for.’

She drew back, deeply affronted by his mockery. ‘I’ll get you those aspirin. I won’t be a minute.’

‘There’s no rush. I think I’ll just have a shower first. It will make me feel better, I hope!’

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and struggled to his feet. Katherine debated the wisdom of what he was doing before she decided it wasn’t any of her business. She hurried back to her own room to shower, then dressed quickly in jeans and a black T-shirt before going to the kitchen.

She filled a glass with water, then took the aspirin out of the cupboard and loosened the childproof cap. Of course she would have to make sure that any medicines were kept well out of reach if there was to be a child running about...

The thought slid into her mind so fast that she had no warning before it was there. She closed her eyes as she strove to shut it out, but it simply grew stronger, took on shape and substance. Suddenly she could picture a small boy with Jordan’s black hair and blue eyes laughing up at her...

Her hand shook as she picked up the glass and chased away the moment of foolishness. There would be no child! She would find some way to convince Jordan that the idea was crazy just as soon as he was in a fit state to listen to her.

Jordan was still in the shower when Katherine went back to his room. She set the glass and bottle of aspirin down on the bedside table, then went to the bathroom door. ‘I’ve brought you the aspirin. They’re beside the bed.’

There was no answer, although she had raised her voice to carry over the sound of the water. Katherine felt suddenly uneasy as she remembered how unsteady Jordan had looked when he had got out of bed. Like it or not, she couldn’t just walk away without checking if he was all right.

She opened the bathroom door, ready to retreat if need be. But one glance at the figure slumped against the tiles confirmed her fears. She ran into the room and crouched down beside him. ‘Jordan... are you all right? Can you hear me?’

He seemed to have some difficulty focusing, judging by the way his eyes slid over her face. ‘Dizzy,’ he muttered thickly. ‘Awfully dizzy.’

‘Here, let me help you up.’ Katherine tried to haul him to his feet but he was a dead weight. She crouched down again, to slide her arm around his waist, trying not to notice the bare contours of his body. But it was impossible not to be aware of the sleek power of the muscles which rippled beneath her fingers, impossible to ignore the warm, male scent of his skin.

It took several attempts before he managed to struggle to his feet, but it was obvious that he wouldn’t be able to make it to the bedroom until he had rested. Katherine propped him against the wall, using her weight to counterbalance his.

His skin was still burning hot, despite the shower, and she could feel its heat seeping through her clothes. It disturbed her to realise just how intimately they were standing; her body was pressed against Jordan’s naked one from breast to thigh.

She eased back, then had to hurriedly reach out and steady him as he swayed. Her palms pressed flat against the hard wall of his chest, and the thick whorls of black hair which covered it twined sensuously around her fingers.

Katherine felt her heart lurch as she felt its springiness. She curled her fingers into her palms, to free them from the bondage of hair, and felt her nails rasp down his skin—almost... almost as though she were caressing him...

Unbidden, her eyes lifted, and she felt the blood rush to her face as she saw the gentle amusement in Jordan’s heavy blue eyes. ‘Mmm, I bet you didn’t bargain for this when you offered to help me, did you, Katherine?’

The wryness in his voice made her smile despite the tension which was coiled like a tightly wound spring inside her. She smoothed her hands flat against his chest, trying not to notice how the hair curled around her fingers again, as though intent on holding them there. ‘I definitely didn’t!’

He gave a throaty laugh as he looped his arm around her shoulders. ‘Well, I for one could stay here all day like this, but I don’t imagine it would be wise—for any number of reasons. Shall we try and get to the bedroom, sweetheart?’

The tender endearment made her heart turn over. Katherine didn’t try to answer because she was afraid of what Jordan might hear in her voice. She slid her arm around his waist as he took a tentative step away from the wall, and felt a rush of alarm as his legs seemed to buckle.

‘Careful! Hold onto me, Jordan. Don’t let go!’

He drew a deep breath, yet his voice seemed to grate breathlessly. ‘That sounds like the best suggestion I’ve ever heard. Holding onto you is my intention, Katherine.’

Katherine shot him a startled look, but there was nothing on his face to explain her feeling that there had been a double meaning to the words. She concentrated on helping him back to the bed, and was relieved when he finally sank down onto it. Jordan was a big man, tall and well-built, despite the fact that he didn’t carry an inch of spare flesh, and if he had passed out then she would have had no hope of moving him.

He lay back against the pillows with a sigh and closed his eyes, his body bathed in sweat and trembling from the exertion. Katherine drew a ragged breath, then bent to lift his legs up onto the bed to make him more comfortable. Even his legs were hot to the touch, the fever obviously raging through every bit of him...

Her gaze skimmed upwards before she realised what she was doing, and she felt her pulse leap. Jordan’s legs were long and well-muscled, his calves firm under their heavy coating of black hair, his thighs powerfully contoured, his hips narrow...

Katherine’s heart raced so that the blood drummed inside her head. She wasn’t a prude, but the reality of looking at a naked man as powerfully built as Jordan was a world removed from studying a painting or a piece of classical sculpture. Jordan’s masculinity was raw and potent, and something inside her responded to it despite herself.

She turned away abruptly, aware that she was trembling as she hurried to the wardrobe and found a spare blanket. Her hands were shaking, as though she were the one caught in the throes of the fever, as she carried it back to the bed and spread it over him.

‘Don’t want...’ Jordan stirred as he felt the soft wool envelop him. ‘Too hot, Katherine. Take it ’way...’

He tried to push the blanket off, but Katherine caught his hands and held them still. She took a deep breath, deliberately ridding her mind of those dangerous feelings by focusing on making him comfortable. Oddly it was something she wanted to do rather than simply feeling she had to.

‘No, leave it there. You’ll get a chill if you push it off. Just lie still, Jordan, and go to sleep, then you’ll feel better. Will you do that for me?’

His lips twisted into a smile as he gazed at her with heavy blue eyes. ‘Just for you, Katherine. Only for you...’

His lids lowered and he was asleep in seconds, the raspy sound of his breathing filling the room. Katherine stared down at him, studying the way his thick black lashes lay on his cheeks like two small fans. She felt something inside her stir. Tenderness? Compassion? Neither seemed to be exactly what she felt right then, but then neither seemed to be the sort of thing she usually felt when she thought of Jordan either!

She glanced down, suddenly realising that she was still holding his hands. He had nice hands, she thought as she turned them over. They were strong, capable hands; his fingers were long and beautifully shaped, his nails were cut blunt, and his skin was so darkly tanned that it made a startling contrast to her own...

Katherine felt her senses swim. She closed her eyes, trying desperately to blank out the pictures which suddenly filled her head. She had tried so hard to forget that night, yet suddenly it was as clear as though it were happening all over again: Jordan’s hands sliding up her pale, naked body to cup her breasts; the hunger in his eyes as he looked at her; the hot, moist feel of his mouth as it closed over her nipple...

And the clearest, most terrifying memory of all: the way she had responded as he had shown her that she was a woman...exactly like her mother!

‘Normally I would insist that your husband went to hospital, Mrs James. However, in view of the fact that he is so adamant that he doesn’t want to go, and that this isn’t the first time he has had malaria, I think it will be safe enough to allow him to remain here.’

‘Is there anything else I need to know?’ Katherine opened the door as the doctor picked up his bag. ‘I’ll make sure that he takes the medicine you’ve prescribed for him, of course.’

‘That’s the main thing.’ The doctor smiled reassuringly as he saw the concern in her eyes. ‘Your husband will be fine, Mrs James. It’s just a question of letting the illness run its course. There will be bouts of fever followed by periods when he will feel chilled, and he may even appear slightly confused at times. However, just make sure that he’s comfortable and he should be right as rain in a day or so.’

‘Thank you, Doctor.’

Katherine closed the door, then went back to the bedroom. Jordan was asleep again, lying quietly enough beneath the blanket now. She tried to decide if he looked any better but it was hard to tell. All she could do was wait for the illness to run its course, as the doctor had said, although she still couldn’t quite believe what was the matter with Jordan.

Malaria! Never in her wildest moment would she have suspected that was what was wrong. But the doctor had seemed in little doubt after Jordan had explained that he’d had it before. It made her wonder suddenly where he had caught it, but then there were so many things about him which she didn’t know. Their marriage hadn’t been founded on a mutual need to get to know one another, but on something far more basic. Maybe they had been foolish to imagine that it could have worked in the circumstances.

Katherine moved away from the bed and went to the window to stare out. The evening rush hour was almost over but there was still plenty of traffic moving along the street. Its sound was muted to a low hum which made a background for the thoughts humming inside her head.

Would either of them have gone into this marriage if they’d had any real idea of how it would turn out? She couldn’t speak for Jordan, and it was equally difficult to answer the question herself. Even with the benefit of hindsight she had trouble deciding.

She turned to glance at the man lying in the bed and sighed. There was a strange sense of déjà vu about everything which had happened in the past two days. Eighteen months ago there had also seemed little alternative but to ask Jordan for help...

When Katherine discovered that her home in Suffolk had been mortgaged to the hilt and that the bank was about to call in its loan, she realised that something had to be done. Carstairs Engineering had been losing money for years, and since her father’s heart attack six months previously affairs had gone from bad to worse.