Bitter Memories. Margaret Mayo
Читать онлайн книгу.
you.’
‘And I’d still like to talk to you.’
She shook her head firmly. ‘There’s no point. It would be a complete waste of time. Goodbye, Alejandro.’
She did not expect him to let her go, but he did, though she was conscious of him watching her as she moved down the narrow enclosed corridor to her room.
Not until she closed the door behind her did Tanya realise that she was holding her breath, and now she dragged a deep gulp of air into her tortured lungs. It was worse than she had imagined. Over the years her anger had faded. Peter had restored her sanity, made her see that she couldn’t dwell on the past forever. But what she hadn’t remembered was the physical attraction. None of that had faded—he still had the power to turn her limbs to jelly whether she liked it or not.
It really would be disastrous if she saw him again. Notwithstanding the fact that he was married and unavailable, it would be torture; her body wouldn’t be able to cope. Not even with Peter had she reached the heights she had scaled with Alejandro—could again if she dared let it happen. Oh, no, she must never, ever let herself be coerced into any sort of one-to-one situation.
It actually amazed her that she still felt this magnetism, this strong pull towards him. It was unreal. Everything had been killed stone-dead nine years ago—or so she had thought!
She stood at the window, and less than five minutes later saw him opening the car door for his wife, pausing a moment before he got in himself, looking back at the house, almost as though he was aware of her there behind the shutters. Tanya knew he could not see her, but instinctively stepped back, and when he had gone she gave a sigh of relief and sat down on the edge of the bed.
Later, when Charlene came home, Tanya told her all about her meeting with Alejandro. ‘I could not believe it when I saw him.’
‘A cruel twist of fate, I agree,’ said her sister. ‘And what a nerve, wanting to see you again after the way he behaved. I hope you told him where to get off.’
Tanya nodded. ‘I think I made myself clear.’
‘And you say the dress isn’t quite ready. Dò you think he’ll come again?’
‘Goodness, I hope not,’ said Tanya. ‘I’m hoping his wife will pick it up herself.’
‘Perhaps she doesn’t drive.’
Tanya closed her eyes. ‘Whatever happens, I’m going to keep well out of his way.’
But it didn’t turn out like that. A few days later Matilde’s daughter-in-law went into labour, complications set in, and Matilde was off like a shot to be with her family. And the very same afternoon Alejandro arrived to pick up his wife’s dress.
Tanya opened the door without even thinking that it might be him, and when their eyes met her jaw sagged. ‘I’m sorry; Señora Guerra’s not at home.’ She looked at him coldly, her tone distant. ‘You’ll have to come back some other time; I don’t know whether the dress is ready or not.’
‘Fate moves in mysterious ways.’
Her brows rose characteristically. ‘You think it’s fate that’s throwing us together?’
‘It would seem that way.’
She let out a little cry of fury. ‘It seems more like a curse to me. I’ll tell Matilde you called.’
But his foot was inside the door before she could stop him. ‘Matilde wouldn’t be very pleased if she knew you were shutting me out of her house.’ His jaw was taut, his eyes glacial.
‘Matilde doesn’t know the circumstances.’
‘I was compelled to tell her a little; she was puzzled as to how we knew each other.’
And your wife, she wanted to ask, did she hear your explanation too? Has she found out that I’m the girl you once had an affair with? The one you wrote to her about? Not that she had ever truly believed him. Her mouth was tight, her eyes mutinous. ‘I don’t care what Matilde might think. I don’t want you here; I have nothing to say to you.’
‘Were you happy in your marriage?’
The question took her by surprise, and she relaxed her grip on the door. Instantly Alejandro pushed his way inside. Tanya followed, leaving the door open, feeling that at least she had an escape route should she need it.
‘You haven’t answered my question.’ His abrupt tone made her look at him sharply.
‘Of course I was happy. I was very much in love with Peter.’
‘More than you loved me?’
The directness of his question made her gasp. ‘I never loved you.’
His eyes narrowed. ‘You gave a very good imitation of it.’
‘Did I?’ she asked coldly. ‘You must have been mistaken. As far as I was concerned all we were having was a brief affair, fun while it lasted. I always knew you’d be coming back here.’ Lies, all lies. Goodness, how could she say such a thing?
‘So it meant nothing to you.’
‘No.’ The obsidian darkness of his eyes unnerved her, and her answer came out in a husky whisper. She covered her embarrassment by turning it into a cough.
‘And the moment my back was turned you found yourself another man and got married?’
He made it sound as though she had done it the very next day, but she wasn’t going to deny it. ‘Something like that.’
He shook his head, looking at her with an intentness that cut right through her. ‘I never thought you were that kind of girl.’
And she hadn’t thought he was the sort of man who would use a girl and then let her down with no compunction whatsoever. ‘It looks as though we never really knew each other.’
He nodded. ‘It certainly does.’
‘And now we’ve sorted that out perhaps you’ll go. You’ll have to call again for the dress.’
‘What’s the hurry?’ He smiled faintly, grimly, and sat in Matilde’s rocking-chair.
Alarm bells rang in Tanya’s head. ‘Aren’t you a busy man?’
‘Not so much that I can’t spare the odd hour to talk to an old—flame.’
He said the word sneeringly, and Tanya bridled. At the same time she could not help noticing how much better his command of the English language was. He had scarcely an accent now, and she wondered whether he had been back to England or whether he had English friends here. Whatever, he was certainly very good.
‘Perhaps the “old flame” doesn’t want to talk to you,’ she returned acidly.
‘You have other plans? You’re going out, is that it? Sightseeing all by yourself. What a pity your sister is working while You’re here on holiday. It cannot be much fun.’
His derogatory tone needled Tanya, and she looked at him hotly. ‘Charlene has already taken one week off. I’m not complaining; I have several trips organised and——’
‘But none for today?’ he cut in swiftly. ‘Why don’t you sit down?’
Tanya sat, not because she wanted to, but because she needed to. The effect of seeing Alejandro, talking to him, trying to ignore the very real sensations that churned inside, was very debilitating.
‘Is your sister still in the hotel trade?’
‘Indeed. She’s managing a hotel in Playa de las Americas; that’s why she came out here. It was too good an offer to miss, the first time she’s been in complete charge. She loves it.’ He confused her by flitting from subject to subject, although she knew she would far rather talk about Charlene than herself.
‘And she has