LovePlay by Diana Palmer Read Free Book Online

hold a man who didn’t want to be held,” he said in a husky tone.
    “Especially after I had one of your lovers flung in my face,” she agreed, standing, oblivious to the flash of pain in his eyes. “Never mind, it was a salutary experience. But not one I care to repeat.”
    “You didn’t seem so reluctant the other night, darling,” he reminded her, rising to tower over her. “In fact, you were clinging pretty hard for a woman who wasn’t interested.”
    She managed a shrug with magnificent disdain. “It’s been a long, dry spell between men,” she said in a sigh. “Of course there’s David…”
    His eyes flashed at her. “Leave him alone,” he said suddenly, unexpectedly.
    “Dog in the manger, Cul?” she taunted.
    She should have remembered his flash-fire temper. She’d pushed far too hard. He caught her arm and half dragged her into the sheltering tall bushes, jerking her against his body angrily.
    “Damn you, Bett,” he breathed as he bent and took her mouth.
    This time she managed not to respond. His taunt had frozen her all over. Despite her resolutions, the sensuous roughness of the kiss made her hungry in a way that frightened her. She had to bite her tongue not to moan, clench her hands to keep them from reaching up to him. She wanted him, she loved him. But she was too afraid of him. He could reject her again, and she couldn’t take it. It was better not to get involved in the first place.
    It only took a minute for him to realize what she was doing. He lifted his head with a sigh, and glared down at her.
    “Frozen over?” he taunted.
    “That’s right,” she replied with a tight smile. “I don’t want you anymore.”
    He breathed slowly, deliberately, as he let her go. He jammed his hands in his pockets and smiled mockingly. “I could persuade you, if I cared to go to the trouble. But you’re not worth it, darling. I can have any woman I want these days. David’s welcome to you.”
    He turned and walked away. Part of her was delighted that she’d routed him. But the biggest part wanted to sit down on the sidewalk and cry. Oh, Cul, she thought miserably, why couldn’t you ever love me? I could be anything, do anything, if you’d just give me the chance. But he’d made it clear that his only interest in her now was physical, and she had too much self-respect to be made a convenience of. She picked up her bag and empty cup and put them neatly into a trash container, along with her memories.

Three
    A s they were going into the second week of rehearsals, Janet invited her to come to supper, but she couldn’t ever seem to manage time off. Cul had stepped up the pace, and now David seemed to be on the firing line along with Bett. Cul had lost his temper the first time David muffed a line, and his constant criticism quickly produced more mistakes. She and David were spending a lot of time talking between scenes, and once or twice he saw her home. That seemed to enrage Cul.
    But today, he was worse than ever, thrashing around the stage like an enraged bull. By the time they broke for lunch, Bett was actually shaking. It was her fault, and she knew it. Cul was still furious about the other day. He was going to make her life hell because of that lapse, and that was going to include anyone who even associated with her. It was no good. She was going to have to quit the play and find something else. She couldn’t bear to see David humbled. He was a kind man, and it wasn’t fair.
    She went to Cul after the others left, watching him bend over a script with a pen. He looked up, his green eyes fierce and unfriendly.
    “Well?” he growled. “Aren’t you hungry?”
    She folded her hands tightly in front of her and clenched them to give her courage. “I want out.”
    He rose slowly. “You what?”
    “I want out. It isn’t fair to David to be cut up just because he was friendly to me. Or maybe you’re just looking for a way to make me quit. Either way, you’ve accomplished it. You