GEORGIE stared up at him. ‘Jed, you and I were married…’
‘Yes,’ he confirmed.
‘To each other!’ she added.
‘Yes,’ he acknowledged with a rueful quirk of his mouth.
Georgie’s confusion deepened. ‘But now we’re divorced,’ she reminded him.
Jed sobered. ‘Unfortunately, the answer to that statement is also—yes.’
Georgie eyed him frustratedly. ‘Divorce implies a little incompatibility—if not a lot!—of incompatibility!’
‘You were the one who divorced me,’ Jed reminded her softly.
‘Exactly! Which implies, if nothing else, that—’
‘It implies that you wanted to divorce me, Georgie,’ Jed cut in evenly. ‘It does not imply that I felt the same way about you.’
‘But— But—’ She broke off, realising she was starting to sound like an old engine that wouldn’t start! ‘You agreed to the divorce,’ she recalled.
‘At the time your grandfather advised that it would probably be the wisest course—’
‘My grandfather?’ Georgie repeated in astonishment. ‘But he told me he doesn’t believe in divorce!’
‘Exactly,’ Jed said with satisfaction.
‘I don’t understand any of this,’ she said, running a trembling hand over her brow, feeling completely puzzled and befuddled—but then, when had she ever been anything else where Jed’s emotions were concerned?
‘You wanted a divorce, Georgie, so I agreed to let you have one,’ Jed told her. ‘That doesn’t necessarily mean I wanted to divorce you, though, does it?’
No, it didn’t. But she had thought— ‘Jed, we had been living apart for eighteen months by the time I applied for our divorce.’
‘Yes,’ he acknowledged.
‘You agreed,’ she pressured.
‘I’ve just told you why I did that,’ Jed reasoned.
Georgie gave a frustrated shake of her head. ‘Are you now telling me that you didn’t want a divorce from me?’
‘Not only am I telling you that,’ he replied, ‘but I’m also of the same opinion as your grandfather when it comes to divorce—I don’t recognize it, Georgie!’
‘But—’ No, she would not sound like that stalling engine again! ‘No matter whether you recognise it or not, Jed, we are divorced,’ she assured him firmly. ‘A judge said so. The law says so. I say so,’ she added determinedly.
Jed gave a considering inclination of his head. ‘I doubt you would have become engaged to another man if you didn’t truly believe you were free to do so,’ he responded calmly.
‘Well, then—’
‘Well, then nothing!’ Jed suddenly came back, taking another step towards her. ‘Georgie—’
‘I thought Grandie seemed a little—better when I visited her today.’ She desperately latched onto another subject—in an effort to give herself time to catch up with this one!
She and Jed had rowed very badly when she’d told him she wouldn’t be coming back to their apartment to live with him. They had barely spoken for almost a year after that, and following that time all communication had been through their respective lawyers. Jed had signed the divorce papers, for goodness’ sake—he couldn’t just suddenly decide to change his mind about that now!
Although, if he were to be believed, he wasn’t claiming to have changed his mind about anything—was very firmly stating that he hadn’t wanted the divorce in the first place. Not only that, he was claiming he didn’t recognise it!
Well, she recognised it—and that was all that mattered!
‘Grandie?’ Jed echoed now, his gaze narrowing.
‘Yes,’ Georgie confirmed hurriedly. ‘She’s still physically very frail, obviously. But I’m sure I detected a spark of her old indomitable self today as we talked together. She’s not at all happy with you, by the way, for just disappearing in the way that you did,’ she told him, sure Estelle would be having words with her grandson later today.
‘Georgie, ordinarily I would be quite happy to discuss my grandmother’s progress with you, just not now, hmm?’ he prompted chidingly. ‘Why did you become engaged to Lawson, Georgie?’
‘Why?’ she said dazedly, once again completely unprepared for this frontal attack on her personal life; so much for trying to divert Jed’s attention onto something else! ‘Because I love him, of course. Because I intend marrying him!’
Jed stood inches away from her now, giving her a considering look. ‘Are you absolutely sure about that?’ he finally pressed.
Georgie swallowed hard, knowing that she would be lying—to herself!—if she didn’t inwardly acknowledge that she was deeply disturbed by Jed’s close proximity.
He was so close now she could see the black flecks in the grey of his eyes, could see every pore of his skin, could smell the aftershave that she knew she would always associate with him, could feel the heat given off by his body. A body she was intimately familiar with…
Should she be this aware of Jed when she was engaged to marry another man…?
More to the point, should she be engaged to Andrew, even thinking of marrying him, when she was this aware of Jed, the man who had once been her husband?
She had a feeling that the answer to that was no…
She straightened defensively, at the same time meeting Jed’s searching gaze unflinchingly. ‘Yes, I’m sure about that,’ she told him firmly. ‘Now, if you wouldn’t mind, it’s very late—’
‘What reason do you intend giving Lawson for my having been in your bedroom on Friday evening?’ Jed put in softly.
Reminding her all too forcefully that she would probably have to give that in the very near future! Not only would she have to explain Jed’s presence in her bedroom, she would also have to explain that he had once been her husband. Once she had admitted to the latter, was Andrew going to believe any explanation she made about the former…?
‘His name is Andrew,’ she returned smartly, angry with Jed all over again for having put her in this defensive position. ‘And what I choose to tell Andrew—about anything—is my own business.’
‘Your book is selling very well, I believe.’ Jed changed the subject.
‘My book…?’ Georgie scrabbled mentally to catch up.
‘Yes,’ Jed said. ‘I hear sales are going very well, and that when your second book is published early next year there’s even talk of a—’
‘You hear, Jed?’ Georgie exploded indignantly. How on earth did he know these things?
‘—of a book-signing tour,’ Jed completed calmly.
Her cheeks became flushed. ‘You hear correctly,’ she bit out resentfully. Never mind how he had found out these things about her book. He was Jed Lord; he could find out anything if he chose to do so!
Jed seemed unconcerned. ‘No doubt there will be reporters present at some of those book-signings? Nowadays the public seems to have an interest in not only reading the books, but learning more about the personal life of—’
‘Your point, Jed?’ she cut in impatiently—although she had a feeling she already knew what that point was going to be.
Oh, why hadn’t she just told Andrew the truth from the beginning—admitted to having been married and divorced? It would have saved all the trouble she was having on the subject now. Although she wasn’t sure having to admit Jed Lord had been her husband wasn’t damning enough on its own!
‘I’m sure you already know what that is, Georgie,’ Jed suggested gently. ‘What you choose to tell Lawson about me and our marriage is probably going to be totally irrelevant after your book-signing tour next year. The press is going to be all over you once they realise exactly who author Georgie Jones is!’
‘The ex-wife of Jed Lord?’ she snorted.
He shook his head. ‘The granddaughter of George Jones—founder and co-owner of the L & J Group.’
Her cheeks flushed even more. ‘But also the ex-wife of Jed Lord, his obvious successor,’ she persisted.
He gave a rueful grimace. ‘Yes.’
She had always known that there was a possibility her connection to both George and Jed could come out, if her books became successful, but she had hoped by that time she and Andrew would already be married—that she would be able to explain the past calmly and dismissively.
As it deserved to be explained!
She had been eighteen years old, for goodness’ sake—had loved Jed all her life, it seemed; of course she had married him when he asked her. It had taken maturity to help her realise the reason he had felt compelled to ask her in the first place.
‘I’ll just explain that we all make mistakes,’ she stated.
Jed’s expression darkened. His eyes narrowed to steely slits. ‘Our marriage was not a mistake, Georgie—’
‘Of course it was,’ she responded.
‘No,’ Jed countered, ‘it wasn’t.’
Georgie wasn’t about to give in. ‘We’ll just have to agree to differ about that—because I have no intention of getting into an argument about it, now or at any other time. I thank you for coming here and warning me that Sukie may decide to cause trouble because of what happened on Friday evening—’
‘That isn’t why I’m here,’ Jed interrupted her.
She gave him a startled look, moving slightly away as she saw the intensity of his gaze fixed on her parted lips. ‘I— You—’ She couldn’t help it—her tongue moved instinctively to moisten those lips, and Jed’s gaze darkened even more as he watched the movement. ‘Jed—’
‘Georgie…!’ he groaned, even as his hands reached out to lightly grasp the tops of Georgie’s arms, his head slowly lowering towards hers.
Attack, Georgie, she instructed herself. Attack—before you lost the will to do anything more than go weak at the knees!
‘Strange isn’t it, Jed?’ she began with deliberate self-derision. ‘How I ended up writing children’s books and I can’t have children of my own. How lucky for you, Jed, that will never change!’
Jed froze, his expression unreadable now. ‘Lucky?’ he echoed slowly.
Georgie nodded. ‘That I’ll never have a child who could challenge your sole right to the L & J Group!’
His face twisted thunderously. ‘That’s a hell of an accusation to make!’
‘But so true,’ she taunted. ‘Don’t you realise, Jed? You don’t need me any more to achieve your goal in life—’
‘You’re wrong,’ he denied, his hands tightening on her arms. ‘You’re exactly what I need to achieve my lifetime ambition. In fact,’ he added, ‘I can’t do it without you!’
Georgie had no time to question this statement, no time to puzzle over his strange reply to her accusation—because at that moment Jed’s head lowered completely to a level with hers, his lips claiming hers with a familiarity that took her breath away.
Yet, as Jed’s mouth began to explore hers, Georgie realised it wasn’t completely as it used to be; she was older, her self-esteem boosted by a successful career, by Andrew’s complete admiration for her achievements. And she now met Jed’s unmistakable passion as an equal, as someone who knew her own worth—and cherished that knowledge.
The combination was completely explosive!
Her arms became entwined about Jed’s neck and she pressed closer, her body curving into the hardness of his as desire burst into consuming flame. She literally felt as if she were on fire!
All the time that meeting of lips continued. Deepened. Searched. Found. Asked. Received their reply.
Only the two of them existed, their heat, their desire, their need for each other. Georgie offered no resistance as Jed swung her up in his arms and carried her towards the open door of her bedroom, their fevered kisses continuing.
It was as if they couldn’t get enough of each other. As if they had been through a drought and now wanted to drown. In each other.
It was only semi-dark as Jed placed her gently down on top of the bed. Georgie looked up at him with complete knowledge of what she was doing. Of what she was about to do.
Jed knelt on the side of the bed, his hands reaching out to frame Georgie’s face. ‘You are so beautiful,’ he groaned. ‘So absolutely beautiful that I—’
‘Please don’t talk, Jed,’ she begged as she reached up to pull him down to her.
She didn’t want him to say anything that would spoil the perfection of this moment. Of these moments. She wanted only to belong completely to him. And for him to belong completely to her.
His lips once more claimed hers, and their clothes disappeared almost as if they had simply evaporated, until nothing divided the warmth of their naked bodies. Bodies that fitted so perfectly together they were like two halves of a whole as Jed lay down beside her.
The silver intensity of his gaze held hers as one of his hands caressed the length of her body, cupping a breast before his head lowered and moistly warm lips and tongue sipped and caressed the sensitive flesh there.
Georgie arched ecstatically against him, her fingers buried in the dark thickness of his hair as she silently pleaded for him not to stop.
She never wanted this to stop, wanted to remain like this for ever, part of Jed as he was a part of her.
He felt so good to touch, his body warm and muscled where her hands ran caressingly up and down the length of his spine, moving in butterfly movements to the hardness of his desire, touching, teasing, wanting!
‘Georgie…!’ Jed’s head reared and he gasped weakly.
‘Now, Jed,’ she encouraged him, taking one of his hands and moving it so that he should know of her readiness for him. ‘Please, now!’ she begged.
He was like a perfect sculpture as he rose up above her, gently nudging her legs apart to slowly, oh, so very slowly, meld his body with hers.
Even that was too much for Georgie. Her body was on fire as spasms of pleasure coursed through her, enveloping them both as she clung to Jed’s shoulders in heady release.
‘Steady,’ Jed gasped throatily as he once again looked down at her face in the half-light. ‘Not yet, Georgie,’ he breathed intensely. ‘Not yet!’
She lost track of time, of space, of everything that wasn’t Jed, completely consumed by him, by the passion between them. Only Jed existed in her universe.
Jed took her to the end of that universe time and time again, only allowing his own pleasure when he couldn’t hold back any longer, the two of them reaching higher than Georgie had ever believed it possible to go.
‘Wow…!’ Jed murmured dazedly as he sank down beside her, his arm about her shoulders as he cradled her against him, her head resting on the dampness of his chest.
Wow, indeed.
Georgie had never known anything like this. She felt completely satiated, her whole body tingling with awareness, every nerve-ending, every pore in her skin, attuned totally to Jed.
Jed gave a husky laugh. ‘I can’t believe I just said anything so ridiculous,’ he said self-derisively.
Neither could Georgie, but she knew it was really just another part of the madness that had overtaken them. Both of them.
The problem was, what did they do now?
Being with Jed like this had been wonderful, magical. But at the same time completely removed from reality. From their reality. Because nothing had really changed. Jed was still—Jed. Heir to L & J Group and her ex-husband. And she was still Georgie. Completely separate from everything connected to the L & J Group and the ex-wife of Jed Lord, who could never provide an heir to the empire he headed. The fact that their incompatibility didn’t go as far as the bedroom changed none of that.
‘You’ve gone very quiet.’ Jed looked down at her through the darkness of her bedroom.
Her cheeks burned with embarrassment as she remembered the way she had cried out her pleasure, again and again, during their lovemaking.
Jed turned on his side so that he could see her properly, his arm still about her bare shoulders. ‘Georgie…?’ he prompted uncertainly.
What Georgie most wanted to do was pull the covers up over both of them. Their nakedness was just a reminder of their uninhibited lovemaking. Although the tingling of her body told her she wasn’t going to be able to forget this time in Jed’s arms even if she tried!
She swallowed hard, gazing somewhere over Jed’s shoulder in an effort not to look at him directly. One glance had told her that he looked almost boyish, with his dark hair falling over his forehead, his face relaxed into lines of physical satisfaction. ‘I don’t know what to say,’ she admitted.
Jed smoothed the hair back from her brow. ‘Are you worried about how you’re going to explain this to Lawson?’ he sympathised.
She hadn’t given Andrew a thought the last hour or so—how could she have done when the only person she was aware of was Jed, his touching her, her touching him?
She stiffened. ‘I don’t think now is the time to discuss Andrew, do you?’ she said; the two of them lying naked together on the bed in the languidness after their lovemaking really wasn’t the time to talk about another man.
‘Possibly not,’ Jed conceded gently. ‘But he does have to be told, and I wondered if you would like me to—’
‘Has to be told what?’ Georgie cut in, frowning up at him now.
‘About us, of course,’ Jed answered quizzically.
Georgie’s frown deepened. Of course she had to break her engagement to Andrew—couldn’t in all conscience even consider marrying him after what had happened here this evening. But surely that was completely up to her, had nothing to do with any ‘us’…?
She felt more in need than ever of the bedcovers that unfortunately lay beneath them. ‘Jed, I really don’t think now is the time to talk about this.’
‘But I want to tell your grandfather and Grandie about us as soon as possible—’
‘You want to what?’ Georgie sat up abruptly, pushing away from Jed to swing her legs over the side of the bed and sit up, her back towards him now.
‘They’re going to be so pleased, Georgie—’
‘Jed!’ she cried. ‘I don’t know what you think happened here this evening, but I can assure you it isn’t something you should tell our grandparents about; I’m sure they would be very shocked.’
She was shocked. And dismayed. Had no idea how she and Jed were going to even pretend at a relationship between them in front of Estelle in the future.
‘Are you joking?’ he exclaimed. ‘They will be over the moon when we tell them we’re back together!’
Georgie stood up abruptly, no longer concerned with her nakedness—although she picked up her robe from the chair and pulled it on anyway, tightly tying the belt about the slenderness of her waist before turning back to face Jed.
He sat up in the bed too now. ‘We are back together, Georgie.’ Jed’s words were a statement, not a question.
‘No,’ she denied. ‘No, we’re not, Jed,’ she added more firmly. ‘What happened—just now—’ She gave a dismissive wave of her hand in the direction of the rumpled bed. ‘It didn’t mean anything, Jed—’ She broke off as he surged to his feet, his expression so fierce she instinctively took a step backwards.
His mouth twisted angrily. ‘Don’t worry, Georgie, I’m not going to touch you,’ he said. ‘I’m too angry to risk it,’ he admitted harshly. ‘What do you mean, our lovemaking didn’t mean anything?’ he rasped, grey eyes glittering silver.
She hesitated. ‘I believe it often happens—like that—when two people were once married to each other. It’s—it’s called post-marital—’
‘I don’t want to hear what some so-called expert calls it!’ Jed burst in coldly. ‘I said it was lovemaking because that’s what it was.’
Georgie gave a deep sigh. ‘Perhaps,’ she conceded. ‘But—’
‘No perhaps. No buts.’ Jed gave an abrupt shake of his head. ‘We made love with each other, Georgie! Doesn’t that mean anything to you?’
She thrust her hands into the pockets of her robe, her shoulders hunched. ‘I’ve already explained that I think it was regrettable, that it only serves to make this situation more difficult. But maybe in the circumstances it was inevitable,’ she allowed. ‘I believe it’s called unfinished marital business—a need to—’
‘Georgie, will you kindly stop quoting rubbish from some tacky magazine article you’ve obviously read on the subject?’ Jed cut in scathingly, sitting down on the bed to begin pulling on his clothes.
Clothes that, like hers, were scattered haphazardly over the bedroom carpet!
Georgie bent down and picked up his shirt from where it lay at her feet, holding it out to him gingerly, careful not to get too close; she might be trying to sound calm and sensible about this whole sorry mess, but that didn’t mean she was immune to the attraction of his nakedness—that she didn’t feel the same yearning of an hour ago to lose herself in their desire for each other.
‘Thanks,’ he said shortly as he took the shirt. ‘So, what you’re saying, Georgie, is that our time together just now was just some—need on your part, to see if I was still attracted to you enough to go to bed with you?’
‘I said no such thing!’ she burst out resentfully. ‘Why did you make love with me, Jed?’ she challenged angrily.
‘At this moment in time, in all honesty, I have absolutely no idea!’ He stood up, fully dressed now. ‘I think I should leave now, don’t you? Before either of us says something the other will find completely unforgivable?’ he offered heavily.
‘Yes,’ Georgie agreed, looking at him regretfully, desperately hoping her inner misery wasn’t apparent on her face.
She didn’t want him to go, didn’t want them to part like this. But she knew there was nothing else they could do. There was no going back to their relationship before this evening, but there was no future for them either…
‘Fine,’ Jed said tersely, striding over to the doorway, pausing before leaving the bedroom. ‘I—I hope this won’t prevent you from visiting Grandie? She seems so much better.’
‘No, of course not,’ Georgie assured him distantly, once again unable to look at him, her shoulders even more hunched as she fought the need to stop him from leaving.
‘I’ll go, then,’ he stated.
She swallowed hard. ‘Yes.’
She didn’t see him leave, but she was nevertheless aware that he was no longer in the bedroom with her. That awareness was confirmed a few seconds later with the arrival and then departure of the lift. Jed was on his way down to ground level.
All Georgie’s strength deserted her and she sank down onto the carpeted floor, tears falling hotly down her cheeks as she felt her heart breaking for the second time.
Because no matter what she might have said to Jed, no matter how she had excused what had happened between them, she knew in her heart that she had made love with Jed for one reason and one reason only.
She was still in love with the man who had once been her husband!
And he was no more in love with her than he had been two years ago…!