Echoes of the Heart Read Free Page B

him into marriage.’
    ‘I have to say I’ve always wondered whether Lloyd really was the father.’
    ‘I guess we’ll never know. All I know is that Amanda was lucky Jake Formosa intervened today, or she would’ve got what she had coming to her.’
    ‘But, why would he defend her?’
    ‘Exactly what everyone’s wondering. Lloyd moved in high circles, but Formosa’s like Australian royalty. What’s he doing here?’
    ‘You don’t suppose…’
    ‘You’re thinking he’s another one of Amanda’s lovers?’
    ‘Well…’
    ‘There’s no way a man like Formosa would be interested in Amanda!’
    ‘But —’
    ‘Forget it. He’s got women throwing themselves at his feet—especially since his divorce from Sophie Hamilton.’
    ‘You’re right. Amanda might be able to dress in designer clothes, but she’s got no pedigree. He wouldn’t want her.’
    It gave Amanda no satisfaction to know Jake had wanted her once. She hadn’t realised at the time that he’d only been interested in her as a bit of holiday entertainment to assuage his incredible libido while he was apart from his girlfriend—the woman who later became his wife.
    Used and abused.
    It was a common phrase, but in her case it rang true. She’d been used by Jake and abused by Lloyd. She’d let it happen, but she wasn’t going to repeat her mistakes. Now she was free and she was determined to chart her own life.
    With a defiant tilt of her head, Amanda turned away from the hall and decided to boycott the wake. Lloyd hadn’t honoured her in his lifetime, and she would be damned if she was going to pretend to honour him in his death. She’d paid enough during her marriage. She owed nothing more.
    Increasing her pace, she walked in the direction of the cemetery gates. A few minutes later she could see Hugh in the distance, getting into his car. If she could reach him in time, he’d take her away from here. Even if she was spotted leaving with Hugh and someone took it as confirmation they were lovers, it was tough luck. She just had to get away.
    Hugh was closing the door.
    She broke into a run. She had to reach him.
    ‘Hugh!’ she called, but he didn’t hear her.
    The car door closed as she sought the most direct path to him and rounded a corner between a couple of massive headstones.
    ‘Aah!’ The air rushed out of her lungs as she collided with a hard, broad, muscular frame of tensile steel. Masculine arms closed around her, steadied her and caged her against him, preventing her flight to the sanctuary of Hugh’s car.
    In an instant she recognised the essentially male scent of him, and knew the hard strength of his chest. Memories of the long length of his body against her own came pouring back, and her blood thundered at every pulse-point in response.
    ‘Running to your lover, Amanda?’
    Jake’s deep, sexy voice, blew every fuse in Amanda’s nervous system and created sensations that prickled up and down her spine. Her surroundings blurred. She fought against the loud whooshing noise in her ears to try to stay alert and in touch with the reality of her situation.
    Taking advantage of her confusion he steered her a few steps to the left, into relative seclusion between two huge crypts.
    Slowly she raised her eyes, sucked in great, gulping breaths of air and shook her head in helpless bewilderment. ‘This isn’t real.’
    Black eyes mocked her. ‘It’s no dream,’ he stated with quiet calm. His hands slid down to the indentation of her waist, leaving a trail of fire where he touched.
    It wasn’t a dream, it was a nightmare.
    Her breath constricted in her chest. She tried to pull away from his embrace, but he held her tight. The warmth of his body seeped into hers, and a flame of awareness ignited within her. A flame that had burned between them when they’d first met and had quickly raged into an inferno of uncontrollable passion.
    It was imperative she extinguish that flame right away. She needed to walk away from him before she