Lissa reacted like a scalded cat. She slapped him so hard her palm burnt and stung.

Luc's head rocked with the blow. The amusement went from his face and rage flashed down at her from his eyes. She felt instinctively that he almost hit her back, then his face tightened into an alarming mask,

'That was unwise of you, Lissa,' he drawled, his lips scarcely moving. 'You've made me angry now.'

She was quivering, watching him nervously.

He moved too fast for her to evade him. His dark head shut out the night sky. His mouth burned, bruised, delved into her own, forcing her to surrender her lips without a further protest. His hands moved possessively over her. Her dress was dragged down and his fingers slid down her shoulders to find the high, warm swell of her breasts.

Chris had never once touched her with such demanding intimacy. She had no previous experience of love-making to compare it with-whenever Chris had tried to accelerate their caresses anywhere near this point she had anxiously broken away from him. Now her own reactions were so fierce, so piercingly exciting, that she lost all sense of what she was doing, absorbed into a private dizzying world of pleasure.

The smooth, warm fingers held her trembling body and softly caressed it until she was groaning, yielding. Her heart beat so hard she was deaf. She couldn't think. She couldn't even hear her own voice as she gave those hoarse little sighs of pleasure. The roaring blood shut her ears and her eyes were blind as she twisted in Luc's exploring, arousing hands.

'Let me have you,' he whispered, and she heard the question through the singing of her blood and couldn't answer.

'You drive me crazy,' Luc muttered, his mouth at her throat, the demanding heat of it sliding down to the hollow between her breasts.

Lissa's hands dug into his back as his thigh forced itself between hers. Desire spiralled crazily inside her. A deep, heated urgency possessed her and her hands trembled as she touched Luc's body, her restless movements filled with driven necessity.

Luc suddenly sat up, breathing thickly. 'You see?' he asked in a low, unsteady voice. I could have you, couldn't I, Liss? Whatever you say, your reactions make that very clear.'

She felt horribly sick. She pushed him away, suddenly facing what had happened to her and reacting with shame and violence.

She scrambled to her feet, swaying weakly as her legs almost gave way under her. Luc stood too and held her elbow, his long fingers resting on it lightly.

'Stay away from me!' Lissa snapped. Humiliation and self-contempt were eating at her. The burning temptation of a moment ago had evaporated and she was sick.

'Come back to England with me,' Luc said quietly. 'You can trust me, Lissa. I'm no Brandon, I won't lie to you or cheat you.'

'I know what you want to do to me,' Lissa bit out.

'Oh, that,' he said, and laughed, and somehow it was the last straw. She looked at him savagely, then turned and walked away 'fast. Luc came after her, but as Lissa left the darkness of the palms fringing the beach they both heard voices. She halted and instinctively moved back into the trees. Luc came up with her and she looked at him nervously, her eyes wide…

' Brandon,' he said through his teeth.

'Looking for me,' she whispered. 'Luc, you must go. Don't let him see you.'

He studied her, his face calm.

'Please, please!' she whispered.

Luc bit down on his lower lip. 'I'm not leaving you,' he said.

'He won't hurt me,' Lissa muttered, flushing. 'But he might hurt you.'

Luc laughed harshly. 'You think I'm scared of him?'

'He has Max and several others with him,' she whispered. 'Max carries a knife, I'm sure he does.'

Fortune had spotted the men and was running towards them, barking excitedly, pleased to see them.

'Go, please, Luc, do go!' she groaned, grasping his arm.

He hesitated then shrugged, and in a second he had melted into the darkness and she did not even see where he went.

She softly trod back through the palms and sat down where she and Luc had sat before. The impressions of their bodies lay there, betraying far too much of what had happened. Lissa quickly dragged a fallen palm leaf over the marks and began to draw a battlemented castle in the sand. Her hand shook, but she kept on drawing.

She heard the movements behind her and turned her head to look at Chris calmly, forcing every sign of guilt or fear out of her face. He stood there and behind him she heard the advance of his men.

For a moment Chris was totally silent. His narrowed hard eyes shot over her face, trying to read her expression.

He looked around. She had never noticed it before, but now she saw the raw violence which Chris held contained when she was around. His jaw was taut and his eyes flamed like hot metal.

The men stood, waiting, poised and dangerous. They were black shadows on the edge of the whispering palm, but the threat emanating from them was very real.

'What are you doing down here?' Chris asked softly. His eyes dropped to the sand around her, studied the disturbed surface.

'Drawing pictures,' she said, and she made her voice sound sulky and cold.

'Who's been here with you?' Chris asked, and she saw the flick of his eyes over the beach and realised with a shudder that the print of Luc's feet was only too visible.

'Mr Ferrier was down here,' she said, and felt Chris stiffen. He threw her a searching look.

'Oh?'

'He was talking to someone,' she said. 'They went off ten minutes ago.'

'Who was he talking to?' Chris demanded, and she knew he did not believe a word.

'I don't know her name. She was wearing a red dress,'

Max moved and whispered in Chris's ear. Chris half turned his head and listened and the moonlight struck a medallion of his profile, turning it to the brutal harshness of a war leader. She had never seen cruelty and greed and violence in Chris before, but she saw them now.

He turned and looked back at her. She went on drawing her castle, making arrow slits in the walls, adding a flag on the top. Chris jerked his head silently and his men melted away.

He walked forward and stood there, his feet near her moving hand. Lissa did not look up.

'Why are you out here? What do you think you're doing?' he asked sharply.

Lissa had been searching her mind desperately for something to put him off the scent. She kept her eyes on her hand. In a low, angry voice she said: 'Why did you listen to Rebecca about me? Why do you encourage her to spy on me? Is she in love with you?'

Whatever Chris had been expecting her to say it had not been that, and the accusation took him by surprise.

'What?' he asked, shifting his feet.

She looked up, realising she had taken him off guard and pressing her advantage. 'Have you been flirting with her?' She stood up and glared at him. 'I hate you!' She used a furious, child's voice, letting it tremble, her lips quivering too.

'Honey,' Chris began, his body softening. ‘Darling…’

She pushed him away as he tried to put his arm round her. 'Don't call me darling, tell me the truth. What have you been doing with Rebecca? She hates me-she showed it to me today. Why should she hate me?' Even as she made the accusation she was registering with surprise that it had already been in the back of her mind. Rebecca had looked at her with hostility. She often had in the past. Was she interested in Chris?

Chris was smiling. His voice was gentle and soothing. 'Baby, don't be silly.'

'I'm not silly!' Lissa retorted in the most childish voice she could manage. Her eyes stayed wide and bright, glazed with unshed tears. The tears were there already, tears of fear and disturbed realisation that she had never known Chris. But she used them ruthlessly, letting them slip from her trembling lashes. 'I'm not a baby, either. I didn't sing like a baby tonight. Pierre said I was very good. Don't patronise me any more. I won't be called a baby!'