When the Devil Drives

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'No, my darling.' Cal looked at her soberly. 'Martin, poor devil, was atragedy waiting to happen. Remember my telling you that we were atschool together? Well, there were question marks about him—abouthis masculinity—even then. When you announced your engagementto him, I told myself I must have been wrong, that we'd done him aninjustice. Now I suspect we were right all along.' He kissed herquivering mouth very gently. 'Believe me, my darling, if you usedhim, you were certainly a lifeline as far as he was concerned.''I don't understand.' Joanna frowned in bewilderment. 'Are youimplying that Martin was— was...?''Homosexual?' Cal supplied. 'Yes, I think he undoubtedly was, butnot overtly. That was the pity of it all. For some reason, it wassomething he wasn't prepared to acknowledge, even to himself,maybe through family pressure. His aunt, after all, was a formidablewoman with a closed mind. I think Martin made a conscious decisionto deny his own nature, because he was afraid. He wanted to bestraight, to shut the closet door and lead what he thought would be anormal life. Only he found it wasn't going to be that simple.'He put a strand of hair tenderly back from her face. 'Your guilt aboutnot loving him can have been nothing compared to what he felt whenhe was actually living with you, trying to be your husband, andfailing. Marriage is an intimate relationship, mentally as well asphysically. He must have been terrified that you would guess thetruth. Eventually, there was nowhere left for him to hide.''Oh, my God!' Joanna shuddered, hiding her face on Cal's shoulder. 'Ifonly I'd known! Maybe I could have helped.'Cal shook his head. 'Only if you could have made him face up to thetruth about himself, and I doubt if anyone could have done that. In theend, he found a different sort of courage to solve his problems.' Hetook her chin in his hand, making her look at him. 'But you, my
precious girl, have got to stop blaming yourself. Martin chose his ownpath. Unfortunately it happened to cross yours just at the wrongmoment, that's all.''But I can't just—write him off.''Nor can you let him shadow your entire future.' Cal's voice was firm.'Your relationship was a tragic mistake, I agree, but you seem toforget it could just as easily have destroyed you, if you'd been in lovewith him.'Her face was still troubled. 'But if I fail you too...''You won't.' His hand traced a tantalising path down her slim bodyfrom breast to thigh, and all her senses .surged in excited,uncontrollable response and need. 'You see,' he told her gently,'you're the other half of me.'His arms tightened round her. 'The past has done too much harmalready. So let's start looking forward instead. You and I, my love, aregoing to be quietly married by special licence just as soon as it can bearranged. If there's any music to face, then we'll cope with it together,after the wedding.''They may never accept it,' said Joanna. 'My father—Simon.''We'll give them every chance,' Cal promised. 'But it's time wethought about ourselves—our wishes— our feelings.' He paused.'Where do you want to spend our honeymoon?'She smiled up at him, lovingly, lingeringly, the last wistfulnessfading from her eyes. 'Oh, somewhere quiet and romantic and not toofar away, with a four- poster bed.''I know the very place,' he whispered, and kissed her.
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WHEN THE DEVILDRIVESSara Craven
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CHAPTER ONE'SIMON, you don't—you
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Because Cal Blackstone wasn't inter
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Joanna bit her lip hard. It was Phi
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ack in his face, for God's sake.' H
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'Here?' Joanna stared at him, appal
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Know your enemy, had been one of Jo
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By the time she'd fetched the jack,
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Joanna sniffed delicately, grimacin
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Cal Blackstone threw back his head
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'Ah, but it will,' he said softly.
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CHAPTER TWOTHE mist swirled thickly
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'After all,' Fiona had often pouted
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As she heard the doorbell peal, she
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held together by an elastic band. H
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She didn't want to hear any more. H
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'And so it will be soon,' he said s
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'I don't need twenty-four seconds,'
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Why the hell was she worrying about
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'Not yours to that extent. Simon, a
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'And having my private affairs chew
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CHAPTER THREEDOWN by the reservoir,
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She started violently. She'd been s
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'Isn't that what all men want?'He s
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Joanna's watch said eight o'clock p
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the wedding ceremony, even in the n
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'I wouldn't blame it,' he said dril
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She sat rigidly on the edge of the
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'It's all right, sweetie,' her fath
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'You don't need to make excuses for
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His hand slid under her hair, lifti
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CHAPTER FOURJOANNA awoke from sleep
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'You were clearly in a highly nervo
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'You intend to go on with this—ob
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The living-room, she found, had alr
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Her smile was civil but totally dis
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'No one would ever regard your gran
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on your wedding night? Did you keep
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line of her throat to his mouth. He
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He moved out of the doorway, allowi
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Because she knew now, quite unequiv
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action would be to hire a business
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of some way by now to keep him off
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CHAPTER FIVEJOANNA felt better afte
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'How very good of you.' Joanna's fa
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And the trouble is it could all be
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with you to show you a cottage at N
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lavish arrangement of dried flowers
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There was a sudden burning ache in
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'Where do you think you're going?'
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thought about us. She assumed that
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She slid into the driving seat and
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Somehow, against all logic and all
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else around. She could not have bor
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Joanna had accepted his occasional
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Joanna had felt nauseated, close to
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She drew a deep, quivering sigh, an
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There was a moment of silence, tota
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'I found out while you were in Amer
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She shivered as she remembered the
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CHAPTER SEVENJOANNA spent the follo
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Callum Blackstone had wanted Joanna
Page 128 and 129: How marvellous to be able to map ou
Page 130 and 131: The envelope was lying on the carpe
Page 132 and 133: using for the kitchen units. We've
Page 134 and 135: 'Maybe we should.' Cal's eyes dwell
Page 136 and 137: 'That's our business.' Joanna wonde
Page 138 and 139: 'He never will.' She was hurting so
Page 140 and 141: She could taste blood in her mouth,
Page 142 and 143: At the same time, Joanna was sane e
Page 144 and 145: 'That woman has got to go,' Mrs Dri
Page 146 and 147: Once I would simply have blamed the
Page 148 and 149: Anthony Chalfont stirred in his une
Page 150 and 151: traumatic thing. You were his nanny
Page 152 and 153: from then on.' She sighed. 'He'd ha
Page 154 and 155: 'Oh, we've been in touch with Mr Dr
Page 156 and 157: CHAPTER NINETHERE was darkness all
Page 158 and 159: Cal carried Joanna out into the hal
Page 160 and 161: A moment later the front door bange
Page 162 and 163: Needless to say, her father had bee
Page 164 and 165: 'Perhaps,' Joanna said evenly. 'But
Page 166 and 167: It was the same receptionist at the
Page 168 and 169: She stared at him. 'Why—everythin
Page 170 and 171: When she was alone, she glanced rou
Page 172 and 173: een sheer hell for them both. He pr
Page 174 and 175: In between kisses, they spoke the f
Page 176 and 177: 'There's no need.' His hand gently
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When the Devil Drives

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