The Duke’s Secret Wife Read Free Page B

bitter tears that threatened. She would not let them fall!
    ‘Go right to the end of the street. It’s the last house.’
    ‘I know.’
    The quiet comment stunned her, making her heart stop dead in astonishment. But then she remembered.
    ‘You said I didn’t answer my door… You’ve been here before?’
    His dark head moved in a curt nod.
    ‘You’ve been watching me!’
    ‘You said you’d been away,’ he explained with overly patient reasonableness. ‘I could hardly watch you if you weren’t there. Where did you go?’
    ‘To Lynette’s. If you remember, she…’
    No, reminding him of her friend was a bad mistake. Talking about Lynette meant turning his thoughts towards Rob, Lynn’s brother-in-law, and the man Luis thought she’d betrayed him with. The reason why he’d walked out on their brief marriage years before.
    ‘You can park here,’ she muttered hastily.
    Luis swung the car to the side of the road with a suddenness that had her glancing at him in surprise. This husband of hers usually prided himself on his driving, handling his expensive vehicles with practised skill. The mention of Lynn had changed the atmosphere in the car. The tension between them had thickened suddenly until it was almost impossible for her to breathe.
    ‘I’ll go and open the door,’ she said, scrambling inelegantly in her haste to be out of the car. ‘That way you won’t have to stand out in the cold too long.’
    Luis watched her walk up the short path to the lighted porch, willing himself to calm down, to get a grip on himself. Strong fingers drummed a restless tattoo on the rim of the steering wheel in an outward expression of the inner turmoil of his thoughts.
    The drive from the city centre had been a particularly sophisticated sort of torment, with every cell in his body reacting urgently and painfully to the presence of Isabelle’s slim form so close to his after all this time.
    She was so familiar and yet so unknown. Dios! She still wore the same perfume as she had done then, the mixture of rose and sandalwood tantalising his nostrils and making him harden instantly. And then, while he’d still been struggling to control the hungry need that simply being with her had sparked off, she had had to mention Lynette Michaels.
    ‘ No! ’
    He muttered the word aloud as he pulled his key from the ignition and pushed the door open. He would not think about it. Wouldn’t even let the memory of Rob Michaels into his thoughts. If that happened then he would turn and leave, heading away from here like a bat out of hell.
    So he made himself walk down the road towards her, follow her into the small, narrow hallway. He watched in astonishment as she took out another key and pushed it into the first door on the right.
    ‘What? You have a flat here?’
    Her face was turned to him sharply, confusion stamped clearly on it.
    ‘Of course—what did you think? You didn’t think I owned the whole house, did you?’
    ‘I thought…I sent you money.’
    ‘I didn’t want your money.’
    ‘Evidently.’
    The door was open now and those golden tiger’s eyes werescanning the small, slightly shabby room, taking in the deep brown, well-worn settee and chairs, the equally elderly table and dresser. The only saving graces in what was a rather ugly place were the clean, freshly painted cream walls, and the pretty floral-patterned curtains and cushion covers. Isabelle had made those herself in an attempt to brighten the place up.
    ‘I would have kept you better than this.’
    ‘You wouldn’t have kept me at all, Luis! I can look after myself. And you made it only too plain that you never wanted to see me again, that you wanted me out of your life for good.’
    ‘And does that surprise you? You slept with another man while you were married to me.’
    ‘I did no such thing. I didn’t !’ she emphasised as he eyed her sceptically, obvious disbelief darkening his eyes. ‘It never happened, Luis.’
    Was he listening to her? He had