His hold on her became at once soothing and even more demanding as he heard the honest bewilderment in her words.

„The feeling,“ he growled, „is mutual My God, woman! To think we could have gone for the rest of our lives not knowing this sensation! If nothing else, I shall have to be grateful to Hutton for luring you up here!“

Kalinda froze. David’s name was like a dash of cold water in her face. Slowly, with a gathering sense of amazed confusion, she lifted her head. What was she doing? This was utterly insane! She hardly knew this man and here she was making love to him as if he were a lover of long-standing!

Mutely she met his eyes, knowing he was at once aware of the self-disgust in her own bleak gaze.

„Kalinda?“ he whispered pleadingly. „What’s wrong, sweetheart?“ His hands encircled her waist, holding her in place above him. „Stop looking at me like that I’m not going to hurt you.“

„I… I know,“ she managed, struggling to bring her reeling senses back under control. „But I never meant… I didn’t mean to get involved like this again today. I don’t understand what you do to me, but it’s all wrong! We’re all wrong. We… we don’t belong together…“

Painfully, she tried to separate herself from him, thrusting a hand through her hair to sweep it back from her face. She sat up with the greatest care, as if the movement was incredibly difficult His eyes never left hers and she saw dismay and a growing coolness begin to wipe out the passion that had looked out at her from the hazel depths.

„Damn it to hell,“ he muttered, his hands still on her waist „It was Hutton’s name mat did it, wasn’t it?

What a fool I am. You’d think a man would know when to keep his mouth shut!“

In spite of the charged atmosphere, Kalinda knew a rueful spark of humor as she listened to him condemn his own stupidity. „I’m sorry, Rand. I should never have let things go this far. I honestly don’t know what got into me.“

He regarded her with a narrowed, seething glance. „You’ve been a chief executive officer for so long you automatically accept the responsibility for whatever happens around you or to you, right? I’ve got news for you, darling, I was involved in this, too! In fact, I started it!“

He sat up, releasing her to rake his hand impatiently through his thick, tousled hair. „And it’s all my fault it’s ground to a premature halt!“

„For which I’m very grateful,“ she flung back, stung by his scathing tone. „I have no intention of being a one-night stand for you, dammit!“

„And I have no intention of letting you be a one-night stand for your ex-fiance!“

„How many times do I have to tell you, that’s not the way it’s going to be? I’ll be in charge tomorrow night and I know exactly what I’m doing!“

„The hell you do! You’re so blinded by your memories of that bastard you can’t see the stupidity of your own plans! If you ran Brady Data Processing with that degree of insanity, you would have lost it to bankruptcy long ago!“

„What do you know about running a company into insolvency?“ she gritted tersely. „Don’t talk to me about how to run my life or my business. We live in two separate worlds and you aren’t in any position to give me advice!“ She leaped to her feet, madly straightening her clothing and frantically trying not to cry. Why the threat of tears? She wished desperately she could figure out why this man had such an incredible affect on her. It made no sense at all!

He stood up beside her with a quick grace and caught her wrist „Kalinda, I’m sorry,“ he muttered. „Please believe me. I never meant to shout at you like that But it’s so damn frustrating…“

„A man your age must know how to handle a little masculine frustration by now!“

„Fm not talking about the way you just frustrated me physically,“ he rasped, giving her a small shake. „I’m talking about how frustrating it is to try to make you see reason. You can’t go through with your plans for tomorrow night It’s too dangerous.“ His voice lowered gruffly, persuasively. „Please give me a chance to make you change your mind. I meant what I said a little while ago. Give me one night and I can make you forget him.“

„Your ego is as vast as David’s!“

The moment the words left her mouth Kalinda could have bitten her tongue. Red stained the tanned heights of his cheekbones as he reacted to the comparison of himself with the other man. His fingers on her wrist tightened bruisingly.

Impulsively, without stopping to think, Kalinda lifted her hand to touch the side of his face with a placating gesture, her eyes soft and apologetic.

„I’m sorry I said that,“ she whispered huskily. „I didn’t mean to imply you were anything like him. I know you’re not, believe me.“

She waited in an agony of suspense, watching the play of emotions across his features. She hadn’t meant to hurt him, hadn’t really stopped to think that he could be hurt. Not by her. He hardly knew her!

„That,“ he finally said evenly, „was a rather low blow!“

She winced, unconsciously sinking her teeth into her lower lip as she met his hard, accusing stare.

„I know. I’m sorry.“ She didn’t know what else to say.

He searched her face a moment longer and then appeared to relax slightly. „But maybe you weren’t so far off the mark,“ he sighed. „I suppose it must sound like sheer male ego talking when I tell you all I need is one night to put that man out of your head forever.“

Kalinda said nothing, but she didn’t deny his statement. His mouth twisted wryly. He raised his free hand and wrapped it around her neck under the fall of brown-blond hair. She felt him lightly massaging her nape and against her will her knees seemed to weaken. She didn’t understand his affect on her but she knew it was dangerous. Far more dangerous than any risks she might be running in her plot to avenge herself on David.

„All I can say, sweetheart, is that it isn’t my ego talking, it’s that ‘perception’ you keep crediting me with,“ he half-smiled. „Won’t you listen to it?“

„Rand, we aren’t meant for each other. Not even for a night,“ Kalinda said sadly. „Can’t you understand that? We’re two entirely different people. You need an easy-going, outdoorsy sort of woman. Perhaps someone who is also an artist“

„And you’re a high-powered, competitive female executive who likes the good things in life, right?“ he finished for her with a knowing look. „A woman who knows what she wants in a relationship and doesn’t think she’s going to find it in me. After all, I’m a lazy, good-for-nothing, ski-bum-fisherman who sells a few artsy-craftsy things on the side to keep the wolf from the door. Completely lacking in the good old American work ethic.“

Kalinda thought about the white Lotus and the expensively furnished home by the lake and refrained from inquiring as to the source of those things. She might not like the answer. The thought that she had met up with a professional gigolo and had almost let him make love to her was totally unnerving. She didn’t want to know which rich lady tourist had paid for the Lotus last winter!

But even as she thought the worst of him, Kalinda knew she didn’t have all the facts. She barely knew him. She would try to refrain from judging him. He had his own life to live just as she had hers.

„Rand, please, don’t put words in my mouth. Let’s just say we come from two different walks of life, okay? We should never have let ourselves get carried away like this on the basis of a simple physical attraction.“

„Well, at least you’re admitting we have got that much going for us!“

She smiled weakly, shaking her head in exasperation. „I can’t very well deny that, can I? But it’s not enough. I’m not in the market for a weekend affair and that’s final. I think I’d better be getting back to the motel.“

„What about dinner tonight?“ he countered coolly. „I’ve already bought the steaks and the wine.“