Carole Mortimer Romance Collection. Carole Mortimer

Lyon. And having to constantly deal with her feelings for him.

      ‘For God’s sake let me in, Silke,’ he muttered as her neighbour across the hallway came out of his flat, the man looking at them curiously as he did so.

      It irritated her that she was being manipulated in this way, but she accepted they must look rather odd, her standing so defensively in her half-open doorway, Lyon so arrogantly demanding on her doorstep.

      She opened the door reluctantly, moving back into her sitting-room. Two minutes, she promised herself, and then he was going to leave again. Anything they had to say to each other could be said in that time!

      ‘You’re going away.’ Lyon bit the statement out harshly.

      She turned almost guiltily, groaning inwardly as she saw that she had left her bedroom door open, her open case on the bed, clothes strewn across the bed as she haphazardly decided what she was going to take away with her. She had decided on the drive back home that she would have to go away for a couple of days anyway, just to distance herself from this whole situation. And from the look on Lyon’s face he wasn’t at all pleased at the idea of her going anywhere. Tough!

      ‘Yes,’ she answered challengingly. ‘I—’ She broke off as the doorbell rang. If that was her mother or Henry—!

      Lyon looked far from pleased at the interruption too, glaring after Silke as she went to answer the door. As she opened the door and saw who her visitor was Silke knew he was going to be even more furious. She wasn’t too pleased herself!

      Not again! She couldn’t believe this; she hadn’t seen James for a year, and now he had appeared at her door twice in a week—and both times Lyon had been here too. And Lyon would never believe it was simply coincidence. Though what did it matter what Lyon believed? It was none of his business who chose to visit her!

      ‘Hello, Silke,’ James greeted slightly awkwardly. ‘I just—’

      ‘You again!’ Lyon rasped accusingly, having moved to stand just behind Silke without her having been aware of it, looking arrogantly over the top of her head at the other man now, cold anger in glittering grey eyes. ‘Don’t you have a wife to go home to?’ he added challengingly.

      Silke gasped at his bluntness—but then, when had Lyon ever been anything else? ‘Lyon, I don’t think—’ she began.

      ‘No, you obviously aren’t thinking at all,’ he bit out contemptuously, his mouth curled back in a half-sneer. ‘You lied to me earlier, Silke,’ he said coldly. ‘It’s obvious now exactly who you’re going away with. You silly little fool, don’t you realise—?’

      ‘Hey, I don’t think you should be talking to Silke like that,’ James gave a perplexed frown.

      ‘You stay out of this,’ Lyon told the other man with dismissive arrogance, eyes glittering a warning before he turned to Silke. ‘When you come to your senses, my offer may no longer be available,’ he warned her harshly.

      Her head went back defensively. ‘Which offer would that be?’

      His mouth tightened. ‘Both of them!’

      ‘I’m not interested in either of them!’ She shook her head, meeting his gaze with steady determination.

      He glanced contemptuously at the still slightly puzzled James, before turning back to Silke. ‘I just hope you know what you’re doing,’ he bit out forcefully, shaking his head—as if he were absolutely sure she couldn’t possibly know.

      ‘I know exactly what I’m doing, Lyon,’ she told him with certainty. ‘Now, if you wouldn’t mind, I have my packing to finish,’ she added pointedly.

      He drew in a harshly angry breath. ‘God, Silke, you—’

      ‘Goodbye, Lyon,’ she cut in firmly; if he didn’t soon leave her legs were going to buckle beneath her and she was going to collapse in a heap on the carpet at his feet!

      He gave James a coldly quelling glare before looking back at Silke. ‘Your family will still be here for you when you decide you need them again—which I don’t think will be too far in the future!’ he added with another disgusted glance in James’s direction.

      ‘My family!’ She almost choked over the statement; a week ago this man had been fighting any connection with her at all; now he claimed to be part of her family! The man was incredible!

      ‘Yes, family, Silke,’ he echoed challengingly.

      Silke couldn’t be bothered to argue with him any more, especially in front of James; but ‘family’ was the last thing she considered Lyon to be. And he must have a very short memory himself if he really thought he could claim that! And she knew damn well there was nothing wrong whatsoever with Lyon’s memory.

      ‘Goodbye, Lyon,’ she said almost wearily.

      ‘Is there nothing I can say to make you change your mind about this?’ His tone had softened slightly. ‘Silke, you know what happened before, and the situation is so much worse now. Please think about what you’re doing.’ The last was added almost gently.

      She knew he believed her to be going away with James, and she could see how displeased he was at that idea, and part of her wanted to tell him that she wasn’t doing that at all. But the sensible side of her knew it would achieve nothing, that she had to go away anyway, and perhaps it was better, for the moment, to let Lyon go on believing she was leaving with James. She would tell her mother the truth, obviously, wouldn’t let her worry unnecessarily.

      ‘I’ve thought, Lyon,’ she told him huskily. ‘And this is what I want.’

      His mouth tightened again. ‘Very well,’ he bit out harshly before walking to the door. But he didn’t leave straight away, stopping in front of James, looking coldly at the younger man. ‘Take care of her, Cameron. Or this time you’ll have me to answer to,’ he added ominously.

      Silke frowned after him as he finally left. Part of her had been resentful of his slightly possessive tone. The rest of her had felt the warmth of her love for him. And it was the latter she had to fight now; Lyon didn’t love her, just felt he had some sort of proprietorial right to her because of what had happened between them.

      She suddenly became aware of James’s curious look, and attempted to shake off her gloom concerning Lyon as she returned James’s gaze.

      He grimaced. ‘Bad timing again!’

      Her mouth twisted. ‘You could say that.’

      James nodded. ‘Who is that man?’

      She stiffened. ‘Is it important?’

      He shrugged. ‘Not if you don’t want to tell me. And why should you?’ he dismissed self-derisively. ‘I actually only called round to tell you that Cheryl and I are all right again now. After last week I thought I owed you that at least,’ he added sheepishly. ‘You must think I’m a complete idiot!’

      ‘Come in, James,’ she invited wearily, wondering how she had ever thought this man was strong and capable; he had behaved like a hurt little boy this last couple of weeks, wanting to get back the toy he had given up because the one he really wanted had decided not to play for a while. ‘Can I get you a cup of tea or something?’ she offered once he had come in and closed the door behind him.

      ‘No, thanks. Cheryl will be expecting me home soon,’ he added with a self-conscious grimace.

      Silke nodded. ‘I’m glad the two of you have sorted things out.’

      ‘I behaved like an idiot last week, didn’t I?’ He sighed. ‘It’s just that things were so awful between Cheryl and me, and then I began to wonder if I hadn’t made a mistake giving you up, and—’

      ‘It really doesn’t matter, James,’ she cut in dismissively. ‘There’s no harm done. Either with me or Cheryl,’ she added ruefully.

      ‘I was obviously wasting my time with you.’