A Stranger's Love

‘That...that was a mean thing to do.’ Her voice was unsteady, her eyes full of reproach.

‘You said you didn’t want me to rescue you,’ he replied without the least sign of remorse. ‘There was no way I was going to risk taking an unwilling female back to shore.’ His mouth curved fluidly. ‘All that struggling and screaming—very tiresome. So, are you going to get in or are we to have a little more dithering and indecisiveness first?’

You arrogant swine! Bethany thought grimly as she lowered herself into the chilly, unwelcoming brine.

‘I’ll take you back to shore,’ he announced steadily. ‘All you have to do is relax and rely on me. What you are not to do is start struggling like an idiot as soon as some water goes over your face, or you’ll drown us both. Got it?’ Bethany bit down on her bottom lip and nodded, noting despairingly how easy it was for him to tread water—she had never, ever been able to do that properly. ‘Now, lie on your back and kick with your feet a little... yes, that’s fine. I’m going to put my hand under your chin like this...see? Good—just relax and stay like that.’

It was far, far easier than she had imagined. What had terrified her so much was simply not a problem now that Chad Alington had taken charge. His strong supporting hand never left her body and despite the fear and tension of the situation and the fact that she was totally, totally dependent on this arrogant disconcerting stranger, Bethany found, amazingly, that she was able to do as he had instructed and relax.

The sea had eaten up all of the beach now. After what felt like eternity, but was in fact less than five minutes, Bethany felt the delight of firm shingle beneath her feet and, with a gasp of relief, waded thankfully through the water towards the small ledge of rock which would lead them both to safety.

‘Here, take my hand.’ He wasn’t even out of breath. Bethany glanced upwards as she felt her fingers clasped with absolute authority, and thanked heaven that, despite his foul personality, her rescuer was someone as strong and capable as this man.

Bethany, panting from the exertion of the steep climb, snatched her hand from Chad Alington’s grasp as soon as they reached the top of the cliff.

She knew she should feel elated, or at the very least relieved and eternally grateful to him, now that the danger had subsided, but different emotions were taking the place of panic, fear and despair. Embarrassment and an awareness of herself in relation to this stunning member of the opposite sex for one. She was far too scantily clad; she had been keen to soak up as many of the sun’s rays as possible and her bikini consisted of three floral triangles of cloth which covered little except the bare minimum.

Bethany saw the dark eyes flick towards her body and rest there in slow arrogant appraisal, a lazy smile transforming the firm straight mouth. ‘I think you need a little adjustment,’ Chad drawled with unhurried ease.

‘Pardon?’ She frowned, thrown into flustered confusion by the lingering gaze that made her body burn. ‘What do you——?’

‘The sea has rearranged your clothing for you, Bethany,’ Chad delivered conversationally. ‘I’m enjoying the view, but I think maybe you would prefer it if a little more was left to the imagination.’

Bethany felt the heated flush rise from her neck and dropped her head, struggling clumsily to reposition her bikini top more decently. She had climbed all the way up the path practically topless, she thought with a pang of despair. No wonder he had been smiling!

‘I’ll be all right now!’ she replied stiffly, throwing him as frosty a look as she could muster, trying to cover her tall, slim body ineffectually with her arms.

‘Where do you live?’ He glanced around casually, not in the least perturbed, it seemed, by Bethany’s angry demeanour. ‘That large house is the only place for miles around, isn’t it?’ He indicated the grey stone building away towards the right. ‘I understood that the beach is a part of that property.’

‘Y-Yes.’ Bethany cast her eyes towards the imposing, grey-turreted edifice. ‘But I don’t live there,’ she explained a trifle stiffly. ‘It’s empty—has been for several years.’

‘Ah, I see, so you just make use of the beach.’ Dark brown eyes rested impassively on Bethany’s face.

His tone was without emphasis but Bethany knew, she just knew, that he was trying to make a point. ‘Yes,’ she retorted snappily, striving without much success to keep her temper in check. ‘But I don’t know why you’re looking at me like that! I’m not a criminal, you know! There’s no crime in——’

Dark brows lifted slightly. ‘Trespassing?’

‘I don’t do any harm,’ Bethany replied tightly. ‘Just——’

‘Just fall asleep and get stranded on rocks in the middle of the sea!’ he delivered with infuriating mockery. ‘Not an everyday occurrence, I trust?’

‘I’ve explained about that!’ Bethany replied swiftly. ‘There’s no need to talk to me as if I’m a total idiot!’

‘So it seems prosecution holds no fear for you, then?’

‘What?’ Bethany queried shortly. ‘Look,’ she continued, reading the undercurrent of mocking amusement correctly, ‘I’ve just told you the place is empty! And anyway I don’t see why I shouldn’t use the beach. It’s a crying shame to let such beauty go to waste, and as all I have to do is cut across a few metres of rough ground...’ She halted abruptly, aware that she sounded overtly defensive. ‘I don’t do any harm!’ she added, annoyed with herself for letting this infuriating man get under her skin.

‘Of course you don’t!’ He was winding her up. She saw his mouth curve into a smile and refused to acknowledge the effect it had on her. ‘So what happens when somebody finally buys the place?’ he asked. ‘Your little jaunts will have to stop then, won’t they?’

‘Buy the prison?’ Bethany saw his brows draw down in query. ‘That’s what I call it,’ she informed him hurriedly. ‘It looks as if it was built with the sole purpose of keeping people incarcerated, don’t you think? I shouldn’t imagine anyone in their right mind would buy that! Even if they were mad enough to like the depressing façade, they couldn’t be fool enough to take on such a crumbling wreck. It may look structurally OK from the outside, but inside it’s a mess.’

She saw his interested gaze and blushed madly again.

‘You know that for a fact? How?’

‘Well...well, I’ve had a bit of a look around,’ she admitted reluctantly, realising that nerves had made her gabble and consequently blurt out far too much. ‘Most of the main windows are boarded up, but there’s a small pantry window around the back that’s open——’

‘So, breaking and entering as well as trespassing!’ Chad shook his head in mocking astonishment. ‘You really don’t have any respect for the law at all, do you, Bethany Jones!’

She blushed again, much to her own annoyance, and wondered why she was even bothering to have this conversation with so infuriating a man. ‘I have to go!’ she muttered stiffly, turning away. ‘It’s getting late.’

‘Where exactly?’ His voice was blunt. A strong hand had reached out.

Bethany looked down at the tanned fingers which lightly clasped her arm and then into the arrogant face. ‘Would you mind letting go of me?’ she retorted stiffly.

‘There’s no need to react as though I’m molesting you,’ Chad informed her steadily. ‘I just want to know where you live.’

“That’s...my business!’

His gaze wandered with critical deliberation over her semi-naked body and Bethany felt the by now familiar surge of heat. ‘You surely aren’t going to walk back into town looking like that!’

‘And what if I am?’ Bethany enquired unsteadily, jerking her arm out of contact with his hand. ‘I don’t see that that’s any concern of yours!’

‘Look, lady, quit the play-acting!’ Chad drawled lazily. ‘You forfeited the right to act all high and mighty when you clung to that rock in the middle of the ocean and begged for rescue——’

‘I did not beg!’ Bethany retorted vehemently, glaring furiously at the relaxed handsome features.

‘No?’ He raised a dark brow and managed with that one expression to convey derisive disbelief. ‘Funny. I distinctly remember a pathetic wail carrying across the water.’ He threw her a challenging look. ‘Wasn’t that you?’

‘There’s no need to be sarcastic!’ Bethany retorted, eyes flashing furiously.

‘And there’s no need for you to act like a dense child!’ Chad commented smoothly. ‘You know damn well that you’re not exactly dressed for jaunting along the byways and highways—even rural Devon has its dangers! That outfit may be fine for the beach but it’s absolutely guaranteed to give you trouble with every red-blooded male between here and town. Good God, woman! Have you looked in a mirror lately?’ he asked, shaking his head disbelievingly. ‘You’re blonde and you’re beautiful. Don’t disappoint me and act like a bimbo to boot! Hardly a week passes without some report in the papers of women abducted, raped or——’

‘OK! OK! I get the picture!’ Bethany snapped, aware that this man’s references to her physical attributes had shockingly given her a little surge of pleasure. ‘I can do without the lecture, thank you very much!’ She hesitated a fraction. ‘I’m...I’m fully aware of how disgustingly men can behave! And despite what you so clearly would like to believe, I am not totally stupid! So there’s no need for you to concern yourself. I can take care of myself perfectly well, thank you!’

‘And there was I imagining I’d just rescued you from a rock in the middle of the sea!’ Chad drawled with perfect and infuriating timing. ‘How mistaken can a man be?’

‘That was different and you know it!’ Bethany blazed.

The firm mouth curved with derision. ‘How?’

‘Because...because...’ She floundered badly, hating the fact that she felt foolish and inarticulate in front of this assured, arrogant man. ‘Oh, I live over there!’ she replied with breathless irritation. She raised a hand and pointed towards a simple wooden shack that nestled in a slight hollow and was almost completely hidden by a clump of sturdy oak trees. ‘Well, go on then!’ she added sharply, as Chad surveyed the building impassively for several silent seconds. ‘Say it!’

The dark brows drew together. ‘Say what, exactly?’ His voice was cool, his gaze steady on Bethany’s flushed face.

‘ “But it’s a hovel!” or “You’re kidding me, surely? You mean to say you actually live in a place like that?”’ She was a good mimic and each line held a perfect imitation of the various voices that had uttered the phrases over the past eighteen months. ‘Everyone thinks the same,’ she informed him briskly. ‘So you may as well come right out and say what you’re thinking, like all the rest!’

She began striding towards her tumble-down home, regretting the loss of her well-worn and much loved sandals, that had disappeared into the sea along with the rest of her sunbathing equipment, as her soles came into contact with the rough, hard-baked earth of the mud track.