Page 46 of Captive Bride

She turned her head to look at Philip, but he was still sprawled at ease in his chair, clearly amused at her new predicament.

a??Tommy, for heavena??s sake, go home! I am taking my bath nowa??Ia??ll talk to you in the morning!a?? she said loudly.

a??Ia??ll wait until you are through,a?? Tommy called out.

a??No, you wona??t, Tommy Huntington!a?? She was more afraid than angry now. a??Ita??s late at night. I will see you in the morninga??not now!a??

a??Christina, this cana??t wait, damn it! I will not stand that man in the house with you any longer. He has to go!a??

Philipa??s deep laughter rang through the room. The door swung open forcefully, slamming against the wall, and Tommy stalked into the room. Philip was still in the shadows, and Tommy had to glance about the room twice before he saw him.

Tommy, outraged, clenched his fists tightly at his sides as he looked at her, then at Philip, then back at her again. Before she could think of anything to say, Tommy let out a sickening cry and started toward Philip.

She stood up, splashing water onto the thick blue carpet.

a??Stop it, Tommy!a?? she screamed.

Tommy halted in his tracks. His mouth fell open at the sight of her, and he completely forgot that Philip was in the room. But Philip, who had half risen to brace himself against Tommya??s attack, scowled darkly at Christina.

a??Sit down, woman,a?? Philip growled angrily.

She did so immediately, splashing water over the sides of the tub again, and a hot blush spread across her face.

a??What the hell are you doing in here, Caxton?a?? Tommy demanded.

a??There is nothing for you to be upset about, Tommy,a?? Christina said soothingly. a??Philip came in here just before you dida??to talk to me about his son. He didna??t know that I was taking my bath when he walked in.a??

a??Then why was he sitting over there watching you bathe? How could you let him in here, Christina, or has this been going on all along?a??

a??Dona??t be absurd! I tell you it was perfectly innocent.

Heavens! The man has seen me bathe a hundred times in the past. If you will remember, Philip came here for his sona??not me.

And he sat down only long enough to ask me a few questionsa??thata??s all.

I was in this tub the whole time, Tommy.

He didna??t see me until you forced me to stand up with your foolishness.a??

a??But he has no right to be in here at all, damn it!a??

a??Lower your voice, Tommy, before you wake John!a?? Christina snapped.

a??Wake Johna??thata??s exactly what I intend to do. You wona??t be here much longer, Caxton.a?? Tommy laughed bitterly, and rushed out of the room.

a??Now look what youa??ve done!a?? Christina cried. a??Why couldna??t you just leave me alone? Now John will be forced to ask you to leave this house. You did this on purpose, didna??t you?a??

a??It was not my intention to be discovered, Christina,a?? Philip said calmly. a??This is your house as much as Johna??s. I wona??t have to leave unless you also wish it. If you want our son to grow up without knowing his real father, thata??s up to you.a??

It was the first time Philip had called him a??our son,a?? and Christina was surprised and yet pleased to hear him say it.

a??Quicklya??hand me my robe before John gets here!a?? she said frantically. a??Well, turn around, damn it!a??

a??Oh, for Goda??s sake, Christina!a?? But he turned around and moved far away from her to stand by the window.

Stepping out of the tub, Christina managed to slip the robe over her wet body and tie it about her waist just as John rushed into the room with Tommy right behind him.

a??What the hell is going on, Christina?a?? John demanded.

Philip turned to face them, and Tommy glowered at him.

a??I told you it was Goda??s truth. This is an outrage, John, and I demand that Caxton leave this house immediately!a?? Tommy stormed.

a??Thata??s enough, Tommy. Ia??m going to have to ask you to go home now. I will handle this matter,a?? John returned.

a??I will not!a??

a??Tommya??now! I wish to talk to Christina alone. Ia??ll do whatever is necessary.a??

Tommy turned and stormed from the room.

a??I will also take my leave if you wish to talk privately,a?? said Philip.

a??Yes,a?? John replied curtly. a??Ia??ll tell you of my decision in the morning.a??

a??In the morning, then. Good night, Tina.a?? Philip closed the door behind him.

Christina knew that he was asking her to fight for him so he could stay with his son. She relaxed a bit and sat down on the edge of her bed.

a??Crissy, what could have possessed you to let Philip come into your room this late at night?a?? asked John. a??Have you and Philip finally settled matters between you? Is that it?a??

a??I dona??t know what youa??re talking about, John. Therea??s nothing to settle between us. What we had once is finisheda??it wona??t come back. And I didna??t invite Philip into my room, he just walked in and wouldna??t leave.a??

a??Did hea??a??

Christina smiled weakly. a??Philip sat in the corner the whole time he was here, but I knew he wanted me.

And I know I cana??t shock you more than I have in the past by telling you that I wanted him, too, more than anything,a?? she whispered, afraid that Philip might hear her from his room.

a??But I resisted him, for I knew hea??d only want me tonight. Tomorrow he would hate me again.a??

a??But Crissy, Philip has never stopped wanting you.a??

a??He has, too!a?? she snapped.

There was no point in arguing with her when she turned stubborn. John shook his head. a??Well, Ia??m going to have to ask him to leave, Crissy. Had it been any man but Philip, he would be dead now.a??

a??I dona??t want him to leave, John.a??

a??You cana??t be serious! You just got through telling me that you wona??t be able to resist him if hea??Crissy, this will happen again if he stays.a??

a??It wona??t happen again, John, I know it wona??t. And besides, Ia??ll lock my door from now on. I want Philip to stay until hea??s ready to leave. I will not deny him the right to know his son.a??

a??And what about Tommy? He wona??t understand why Philip is still here.a?? John paused, shaking his head. a??This is all my fault, Crissy. I should never have talked you into marrying Tommy.a??

a??That doesna??t matter now. Ia??ll talk to Tommy in the morning. Ia??ll make him understand this was just an innocent meeting.a??

a??I doubt hea??ll believe that. What do you intend to do when you marry Tommy? Hea??ll never allow Philip in his house.a??

a??I dona??t know. Ia??ll handle that when the time comes. And when you speak with Philip, tell him I said we spoke about Philip Junior. And although it was improper, youa??ll forget about the matter as long as it doesna??t happen again.a??

a??Is that what you told Tommy tonight? No wonder he was so angry. Did you think Tommy was naive enough to believe that? Hea??s not a fool.a??

a??Well, Ia??ll just have to insist ita??s true,a?? said Christina. a??I dona??t want any more confrontations between Philip and Tommy.a??

a??Just you talk to Tommy before I run into him.

I wouldna??t know how to explain why Philip is still staying here.

I dona??t really understand it myself.a?? John came over and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

a??I imagine Tommy will be over early, so you had best get some rest. Good night, little sister. I hope you know what youa??re doing.a??

She smiled weakly but didna??t answer him.

After John left, Christina glanced about the empty room and felt a pang of regret.

She wondered what would have happened if Tommy hadna??t burst in.

She slipped into her nightdress, crawled into bed, and a burning desire came over her as it had so many nights before.

She wanted Philipa??his hands exploring her body, his lips taking her will away, the feel of his muscles rippling across his back when she caressed him.

She turned over and cried softly into her pillow for what could never be.