tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth. ‘I was surprised, that’s all. I didn’t think people fell in love that quickly, or at least not men.’
He gave a grunt of derision. ‘I didn’t love you, Rachel,’ he said. ‘I was in lust with you, just like every other man who came within a bull’s roar of you. Didn’t your father tell you that about men? There are woman you love and there are women you lust after. You are the latter. You will always be the latter.’
Rachel knew her eyes, not to mention her expression, were probably showing much more than she would have liked. Had anyone ever truly loved her? Was it really true that Alessandro had only lusted after her and never seen her for the person she really was? It felt as if a wound inside her had been roughly opened up, exposed and seeping and bleeding all over again.Her father’s words about not loving her mother had haunted her for years. How could men be so cold and calculated about relationships?
‘Then why did you want to marry me?’ she asked after a short tense silence.
He gave her a look that more or less said it all. ‘You were my ticket to success,’ he said. ‘Marriage to you would have instantly elevated me to the higher echelons of society that had previously been denied me because of my less than desirable background.’
She fought hard to cover her hurt, her devastation, her disappointment that yet again some ruthless, unprincipled man had decided she was to be used as a means to an end. ‘But you made it without me,’ she said, thinking out loud. ‘You didn’t need me to achieve what you’ve achieved.’
He gave her a grim smile of satisfaction. ‘I did indeed make it without you, Rachel. I did indeed.’
She moistened her lips again, the cotton wool dryness making her feel slightly ill. ‘So why am I here now?’
‘Why do you think you are here now?’
She took an unsteady breath, not sure how to respond. She felt as if her world had tipped upside down and she had no way of righting it. ‘This is all about revenge, isn’t it?’ she said.
He gave her a veiled smile. ‘What possible way could I have revenge on you?’ he asked. ‘You are beautiful, you are talented, and you are on the pathway to the pinnacle of brilliant success.’
‘As long as I do what you say,’ she put in resentfully.
‘That is entirely up to you,’ he said, and turned back to the equipment. ‘I am not forcing you to do anything. I amprepared to back you but only as long as you play the role of my current mistress.’
‘What do you want me to do?’ she said.
‘Just be yourself,’ he said, and, clutching the rails, began forcing his legs into action.
She frowned as he moved along the short distance, each leg looking as if it were dragging a road train behind it. The beads of sweat broke out above his top lip and across his brow, and the muscles of his arms bulged with the effort of keeping himself upright. His legs moved inch by inch but it looked as if it took an enormous effort. He gritted his teeth and soldiered on, his eyes narrowed in determination.
‘Are you sure you should be trying so hard so soon?’ Rachel said. ‘Shouldn’t you be taking smaller steps or something?’
He looked up at her at that point, his expression caustic. ‘I don’t need your advice, Rachel. I have a team of physical therapists who help me with this. I have a programme I work through each day. Please leave me to get on with this. I don’t want you here.’
She took a step backwards and somehow lost her footing, tumbling over the bench press behind her, landing in a crumpled heap, arms and legs akimbo.
Alessandro swore again, in English this time, and limped over to help her, using the cable skier nearby for support. ‘Are you all right?’ he said, hauling her to her feet with one of his strongly muscled arms.
It was a precarious rescue. Rachel was not quite upright and nor was Alessandro. His arms were strong but his legs were not. Her arms
He gave a grunt of derision. ‘I didn’t love you, Rachel,’ he said. ‘I was in lust with you, just like every other man who came within a bull’s roar of you. Didn’t your father tell you that about men? There are woman you love and there are women you lust after. You are the latter. You will always be the latter.’
Rachel knew her eyes, not to mention her expression, were probably showing much more than she would have liked. Had anyone ever truly loved her? Was it really true that Alessandro had only lusted after her and never seen her for the person she really was? It felt as if a wound inside her had been roughly opened up, exposed and seeping and bleeding all over again.Her father’s words about not loving her mother had haunted her for years. How could men be so cold and calculated about relationships?
‘Then why did you want to marry me?’ she asked after a short tense silence.
He gave her a look that more or less said it all. ‘You were my ticket to success,’ he said. ‘Marriage to you would have instantly elevated me to the higher echelons of society that had previously been denied me because of my less than desirable background.’
She fought hard to cover her hurt, her devastation, her disappointment that yet again some ruthless, unprincipled man had decided she was to be used as a means to an end. ‘But you made it without me,’ she said, thinking out loud. ‘You didn’t need me to achieve what you’ve achieved.’
He gave her a grim smile of satisfaction. ‘I did indeed make it without you, Rachel. I did indeed.’
She moistened her lips again, the cotton wool dryness making her feel slightly ill. ‘So why am I here now?’
‘Why do you think you are here now?’
She took an unsteady breath, not sure how to respond. She felt as if her world had tipped upside down and she had no way of righting it. ‘This is all about revenge, isn’t it?’ she said.
He gave her a veiled smile. ‘What possible way could I have revenge on you?’ he asked. ‘You are beautiful, you are talented, and you are on the pathway to the pinnacle of brilliant success.’
‘As long as I do what you say,’ she put in resentfully.
‘That is entirely up to you,’ he said, and turned back to the equipment. ‘I am not forcing you to do anything. I amprepared to back you but only as long as you play the role of my current mistress.’
‘What do you want me to do?’ she said.
‘Just be yourself,’ he said, and, clutching the rails, began forcing his legs into action.
She frowned as he moved along the short distance, each leg looking as if it were dragging a road train behind it. The beads of sweat broke out above his top lip and across his brow, and the muscles of his arms bulged with the effort of keeping himself upright. His legs moved inch by inch but it looked as if it took an enormous effort. He gritted his teeth and soldiered on, his eyes narrowed in determination.
‘Are you sure you should be trying so hard so soon?’ Rachel said. ‘Shouldn’t you be taking smaller steps or something?’
He looked up at her at that point, his expression caustic. ‘I don’t need your advice, Rachel. I have a team of physical therapists who help me with this. I have a programme I work through each day. Please leave me to get on with this. I don’t want you here.’
She took a step backwards and somehow lost her footing, tumbling over the bench press behind her, landing in a crumpled heap, arms and legs akimbo.
Alessandro swore again, in English this time, and limped over to help her, using the cable skier nearby for support. ‘Are you all right?’ he said, hauling her to her feet with one of his strongly muscled arms.
It was a precarious rescue. Rachel was not quite upright and nor was Alessandro. His arms were strong but his legs were not. Her arms
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