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the stairs before he got the door open again, which gave her a slight
lead in their race, but he still caught up with her on the landing. By
then, Prue was in a feverish state; half fear, half guilt.
She should have apologised, but as his powerful hands grabbed her
she panicked and hit him, and this time she did connect with his face.
The dramatic sound of the slap was probably worse that the actual
impact, but both of them were taken aback.
Josh swore some more, the livid mark of her fingers standing out on
his darkly flushed skin. His hands fastened on her wrists, yanked her
arms down by her sides, and slammed her up against the wall. He
held her there with his body; she felt the lean weight, the muscles
backing up his insistence. The breath was almost knocked out of her;
she had to fight for breath before she could get a word out.
'Get your damned hands off me!' she raged, and Josh raged back.
'You don't chuck a mug of hot tea over me and get away scot-free, so
don't think it!'
Prue swallowed, her head swimming and a sick tension cramping her
stomach. She couldn't free herself and she couldn't stand the enforced
contact; the last thing she wanted was a sensual awareness of him,
but how could she be unaware of his body when it touched hers so
intimately? She might ignore what he said; she could never ignore
what he was doing. When he breathed she felt it; she almost heard the
beating of his heart; his face was inches away, his thigh pushed
against her own.
'All right,' she muttered, eyes restlessly evading the pressure of his
angry stare, 'I'm sorry! There, will that do? Let me go!'
'Is that supposed to be an apology? Why the hell did you throw that
tea over me, anyway?'
'I lost my temper!'
'Oh, it's OK to throw things at someone when you've lost your
temper, is it?' he sarcastically drawled, black-browed.
'You insulted me,' she said, feeling childish.
'I told you the truth; it was time you faced it.'
'It wasn't the truth!'
'Oh, yes, it was! Your mother was a neurotic and she screwed you up,
too. You're more worked up over what happened years ago to
someone else than you are over this guy you're supposed to love!'
'Don't be ridiculous, I . . .'
'You ignored your father after your mother took you to Australia!
You didn't answer his letters, although you must have known from
them that he loved and missed you, and you didn't come here now
because you wanted to tell him you were sorry, or to get to know him
again. Why did you come? I wonder if you didn't have doubts about
your mother, at last. Did you come to find out whether she was a
much wronged woman or a hysterical neurotic?'
'In some ways, maybe she was!' Prue muttered, hating him. 'But that
doesn't mean she wasn't right about your mother and my father. I
don't suppose you like admitting it, but they're lovers and have been
for years. That's what pushed my mother over the edge. Something
made her the way she was!'
'And in her turn, she made you the way you are!' Josh said, and she
looked up at him angrily, then froze as she realised how close his face
was, so close that she could read every fine line, every pore in his
skin, the shadows along his jaw where he needed to shave, the firm
moulding of his mouth, the veining on his lids, the black brows and
eyelashes.
'I love David!' she said unsteadily, as though by mentioning David's
name she could erect a wall between herself and Josh.
His mouth silenced the words; she saw it coming down towards her
and she could have turned away, but a terrifyingly intense need
consumed her. It wasn't desire or passion, it was an elemental drive
like the force that feeds the wind or the tide. She met his mouth
angrily, and they kissed like enemies; fighting, not making love,
again and again, their bodies clamped together in mortal combat. He
was no longer holding her wrists, and she could have got away if she
had tried. She didn't try; she had hold of him, her hands attacking him,
her nails sinking into his throat, clutching his hair, gripping his
shoulders, her eyes shut and her body shaking, until the burning heat
went out of her and she pulled her head back.
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