She felt a little shock run through her as the last words sank home. He did believe that he loved her and this wouldn't be just a pleasant night's romp for him. It would be a step toward the commitment he was trying to wrest from her. The commitment she had no intention of giving any man.
He went still as he felt the unconscious stiffening of her body against him. 'Lisa?' He pushed her gently away from him, his hands cupping her shoulders. His gaze searched her face and his expression clouded at what he read there. 'No?'
She bit her lower lip. 'No,' she said. 'I'm sorry I didn't stop you right away. I'm not usually a tease, Clancy.'
'I know that,' he replied. His features were still drawn and hard with hunger. 'My fault. I startedit. It's been a rough couple of days, and I got a little impatient.' He laughed mirthlessly. 'But I'm sure I'll be punished for that lack of virtue tonight. I'll probably lie in bed awake and aching all night.'
'So will I,' she whispered.
'Well, you can just lie there in the same torment that I'm going to go through. I'm not about to give you back those damn sleeping pills.'
She shook her head wearily. 'I don't want them. I only take them when-' She broke off and turned away. 'Good night, Clancy. This situation isn't getting any easier for either one of us, is it? I think you may decide to let me go sooner than you think.'
'Don't get your hopes up. I can take a fair amount of punishment. I was once captured by a band of revolutionaries who tortured me every day for three and a half weeks before Alex rescued me. It wasn't nearly as bad as what I'm going through right now, but it did condition me.' He inclined his head in a half-mocking bow. 'Good night, Lisa. I'll see you at breakfast in the morning.'
Five
There was no question about it. It was Martin standing in the half shadow of the awning of the booth across the square.
Lisa felt the blood freeze in her veins, then heat up and start pumping so furiously that she felt a little ill. She cast a swift, surreptitious glance at Clancy standing next to her and breathed a sigh of relief. He was examining a rather flamboyant straw basket with a big-eyed Betty Boop on the side. There was an amused smile on his lips, so he couldn't have noticed either Martin or how upset she was.
Why should he? If she hadn't spotted Martin's idiosyncratic and most arrogant stance, she wouldn't have recognized her ex-husband, either. He was partially hidden behind a stack of rattan chests as well as by the shadow cast beneath the colorful striped awning. But she knew Martin wouldn't allow himself to remain unnoticed: he would approach her with his usual belligerence, and then Clancy would have him. The trap she had been used to bait would snap shut.
'It's pretty campy, isn't it?' Clancy asked, turning to her with a grin. 'Garfield the cat, Betty Boop, Mickey Mouse. I told you it was a tourist trap.' His amusement faded as he caught sight of her face. 'What's wrong? You're pale as a ghost.'
She groped wildly for an excuse. 'The heat.' She smiled shakily. 'I feel a little sick. You said I should take care not to overdo. I guess I should have worn a hat.'
He frowned with concern. 'We'll go back to the villa.'
'No,' she said quickly. 'I'll be fine. It will pass in a minute.' She moistened her dry lips with the tip of her tongue. 'But I wonder if you could possibly go back to that booth we passed and pick up one of those big straw sailor hats?'
He was still frowning. 'I still think-'
'I'll be fine,' she repeated. She drew a deep breath and tried to speak calmly. 'Just get me the hat, please. I promise not to try to run away. Even if I was tempted to bolt, I'm sure Galbraith has his eagle eye on me.'
He nodded. 'All right, I'll be right back. Stay out of the sun.' He turned away and was soon lost in the crowd.
It had been almost too easy, but she wasn't safe yet. Galbraith would be watching. Her every move should seem natural. She forced herself to pick up the basket Clancy had been looking at and examine it calmly. She put it down again and then sauntered across the square.
Martin was watching her. She could feel his eyes on her. She had to concentrate to keep her muscles from tensing and her steps from quickening with urgency. Body language. Clancy's men would be trained observers and she musn't reveal either her tension or her panic.
She paused by a chest with fancy brass fittings only a few feet from where Martin was standing. She shook her head at the eager young boy who rushed forward to help her. 'Just browsing,' she said with a smile. He returned to his chair, picked up a cardboard fan with the words 'Return to Paradise' boldly inscribed in red on its surface, and began to stir the air lethargically.
She saw a sudden movement out of the corner of her eye. 'No, don't move! I'm being watched.'
'I know that.' Martin's voice was bitterly sarcastic. 'Your new lover must be even more jealous than I am, Lisa. Bodyguards surrounding the villa, and you're never permitted to go out without Desmond's hand on your elbow. He likes to keep you to himself, doesn't he?' The familiar cold savagery was back in his tone. 'You haven't been out of that house for two days. He must find you very entertaining.'
'You've been watching the villa?' Lisa asked, startled.
'For three days. I've had a really delightful time playing voyeur while the two of you were shacked up in your little love nest by the sea. You seem to have changed your mind about not having a possessive man in your life. Or does the fact that hehas all that lovely loot make his little foibles all right?'
'Martin, you have to leave.
'From Desmond's bodyguards? Did he think that surrounding you with those men would keep me away from you? You belong to me. You'll always belong to me. I have a launch waiting in the harbor. Come with me now, Lisa, and I may decide not to slice up your new lover.' He laughed harshly. 'You never did understand violence. Well, I understand it and I know how to use it. You wouldn't want him hurt, now would you, darling?'
Clancy hurt? The thought sent a swift surge of panic through her. Then she realized how ridiculous that thought was. Clancy was far more dangerous and intimidating than Martin would ever be. It was Martin who was in danger. 'Listen, Martin, things aren't what they appear. I haven't got time to explain now, but you have to get away from Paradise Cay.'
'Then come with me.' His voice was suddenly low and urgent. 'I'm in trouble, but it will blow over soon. You loved me once. Everything will be the way it was, you'll see. I need you, Lisa.'
Oh, dear Lord, she couldn't stand this. 'The woman who thought she loved you doesn't exist anymore, Martin. I can't give you what I don't have.'
'It's the boy, isn't it? You can't forgive me for what happened to Tommy.'
'No, it's not Tommy.' She tried to keep her voice from shaking. 'I know you couldn't help-' She broke off. 'Oh, please, Martin. Just go.'
'Not until you go with me. I can make it up to you. Let me try, baby.'
'I'm not a baby. I'm an adult. You never understood that.' Oh, merciful heaven, the tears were too close. The memories were too close.
'Desmond must be quite a man. I'm warning you, I'll find a way to get rid of him, Lisa.'
'His name isn't Desmond,' she said. 'That's what I'm trying to tell you. His name is-'
'Isn't this the dramatic moment when I make my entrance?' Clancy asked sardonically. 'Just like Hercule Poirot in an Agatha Christie thriller?'
'Clancy!' Lisa whirled to face him.
'I'm afraid you'll have to do without your hat. I thought it was more important that I meet Baldwin.'
'You knew?' she whispered.
'It's fortunate you're a singer and not an actress. You'd never make it on the stage.' Clancy was looking at Martin with a touch of savage hunger in his eyes. 'Aren't you going to introduce us, Lisa? I've been waiting a long time for this moment. I'm Clancy Donahue, Baldwin.'
