Sweet Promise Read online

  Sweet Promise

  * * *

  Janet Dailey

  AN [e-reads] BOOK

  New York, NY

  No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, scanning or any information storage retrieval system, without explicit permission in writing from the Author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locals or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 1976 by Janet Dailey

  First e-reads publication 2005

  www.e-reads.com

  ISBN 0-7592-5764-7

  Table of Contents

  * * *

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  One

  * * *

  The music was a slow, sentimental ballad, spinning its love theme for the few couples on the floor. The subdued lighting added to the magic of the moment, creating another romantic spell.

  A happy sigh slid through Erica’s lips as she felt the caressing touch of Forest’s chin against her dark hair. Her fingers curled tighter around his neck while she lightly rubbed the side of her head along his chin and jawline in a feline gesture, smiling when she felt his mouth against her hair.

  Tilting her head back, she gazed into his tanned face, admiring again his striking looks, the commanding strength in repose signified by the square jaw and the cleft in his chin, the sensual line of his mouth, and the velvet touch of his brown eyes as they possessively examined her face.

  To speak in a normal voice might break the spell, so Erica whispered softly instead. ‘Would it sound very corny and silly if I said that I could do this all night?’

  ‘With me or with anyone?’ Forest murmured. An eyebrow, the same light brown shade as his hair, arched to tease her.

  ‘That’s another thing I like about you. You never take me for granted.’ Her soft voice trembled with the depth of her emotion and Erica buried her head in his shoulder, knowing her violet eyes were much too expressive of her thoughts.

  ‘What else do you like about me?’ His lips were moving against the silken length of her hair again, igniting warm fires in her veins.

  ‘Conceited?’ she taunted him, but with a catch in her husky voice.

  ‘Where you are concerned I need all the assurance I can get.’ The arm around her waist tightened, holding her closer to his muscular body as if he expected her to slip away. ‘Tell me.’ His growling order was a mock threat, but one Erica was only too happy to obey.

  Hesitant to reveal how deeply she cared for this man who was noted for his careless and carefree association with women, she adopted a light-hearted air.

  ‘For starters, you don’t make all those affirmative noises when Daddy is around. You’re independent and very secure about your own ability. You’re much too handsome for a girl’s peace of mind. Elusive, always managing to escape being led down the altar and all the while making a girl believe she’s the only one in your life.’ Erica raised her head from his shoulder and encountered the smouldering light in his eyes. With her lashes, she shielded the answering light in her own eyes. ‘A girl wants to forget everything her parents taught her when she’s with you.’

  ‘Not all girls.’ His hand cupped her chin, lifting it so he could gaze thoughtfully into her face. ‘Certainly not you. That first night I took you out, I was ready to agree that all those rumours about you being an ice maiden were true. To be perfectly honest, Erica, in the beginning you were a challenge.’ White teeth flashed as his mouth curved in a rueful smile. ‘I don’t believe anyone has said “no” to me as many times as you have.’

  Determinedly she forced herself to breathe evenly. ’do you mean all those times you invited me to your apartment, it wasn’t to see your art collection?’ she teased, her eyes widening with false surprise.

  ‘Only the one in my bedroom.’ The laughter left his face as he studied her solemnly. ‘Every time I touch you or kiss you, I sense that you’re holding back. I know you’re Vance Wakefield’s daughter and many men have taken you out not only because of your looks but because of his wealth and influence. Surely you know me well enough by now to realise that I’m not the least bit interested in who your father is.’

  ‘I know that.’ Their steps had nearly ceased as they absently swayed in tempo with the music.

  ‘Not that I haven’t taken into account that you’re his daughter to the extent that he is your father and very important in your life,’ Forest added. ‘That’s the way it should be, even though I know he doesn’t totally approve of me.’

  ‘It’s not you he disapproves of, but your reputation,’ Erica shrugged weakly.

  ‘And that I may in some way sully yours,’ he nodded understandingly.

  ’daddy isn’t an ogre,’ she smiled humourlessly. ‘He sees me as an adult and realises that my relationships with other people are on an adult level.’

  There was no need to add that if Vance Wakefield felt his daughter was being used, he would fall upon the offender with all the weight his power and money could bring to bear. Yet that was not a comforting thought for Erica. In the almost twenty-two years of her life, she had tried very hard to become close to her father. He was a strong, indomitable, ruthless man who despised weakness of any sort. She seriously doubted if he had ever mourned the loss of his wife, her mother, but rather cursed her inability to survive the birth of a child, Erica.

  In her early years, she fought for his love, always terrified that her handsome father would marry again and she would have to compete with a new wife and possibly another child for the attention she wanted so desperately. No other woman entered his household, but he became married to his business, a more jealous and demanding rival than Erica could compete against and win. Still she fought and struggled for every ounce of attention that she could steal, using every weapon from open rebellion and stormy scenes to smothering love.

  It had taken her nearly twenty years to realise that in his own way he loved her. As strong as the bonds were, she was still a female, hence weak. And Erica concealed any exploit that would point out her vulnerability and lower his esteem of her.

  ‘If it’s not your father’s wrath you fear, why have you refused me?’ A frown of puzzlement drew Forest’s brows together. ‘You aren’t an ice maiden — I’ve discovered that. There have been times when I’ve held you in my arms that I’ve been certain I touched a core of passion inside you. Don’t you want me as much as I want you? Or don’t you trust me?’

  ‘Oh, no, I don’t trust myself,’ she corrected quickly. She could feel the glowing heat of previous shame rising in her cheeks and murmured a silent prayer for the dimness of the room that concealed it.

  ‘And you’ve been afraid to do something in the heat of the moment that you would regret in the cold light of day,’ he finished for her, a gentle and satisfied smile curving the strong line of his mouth.

  ‘Yes, that’s what I have been afraid of,’ Erica admitted. It was a fear that had very firm foundation.

  The last note of the song was tapering into silence. For a second, Forest retained his hold, keeping her pressed against his long length, and Erica wondered if he had caught the qualifying statement she had just made. She had been afraid, but she wasn’t any longer.

  Two months wasn’t a very long time in which to know a man. Still Erica was positive that what she felt towards Fores
t was not simply physical attraction or even sexual attraction, but a deeper emotion called love, however futile it might be.

  A musician in the small combo announced they would be taking a short break and all the couples had left the dance floor by the time Forest guided Erica back to their table. His arm retained a possessive hold on her waist, relinquishing it only when they were seated, their chairs drawn closely together.

  ‘I’m beginning to understand more things about you,’ Forest said softly, letting his arm curve over the back of her chair to caress her bare shoulders. ‘But I’ve been making even stranger discoveries about myself.’

  ‘About you? Such as?’ prompted Erica, tucking a strand of shoulder-length dark hair behind her ear so it wouldn’t interfere with her view of him.

  ‘Such as . . . ’ his gaze wandered over her face, lingering on her lips. ‘ . . . I’ve fallen in love with you, irrevocably and irretrievably in love with you.’

  Her gasp was a mixture of disbelief and elation. She had never dared hope that he might care as much as she believed she did. The wonder of it darkened her eyes to a royal shade of purple, heightened by a diamond mist of happy tears.

  ‘I love you, too,’ Erica breathed. ‘I never believed . . . I never thought it was possible that you might love me.’

  ‘Only a man in love would take “no” for an answer as many times as I have.’ He smiled, and something in his smile confirmed the truth of his words.

  She wanted to wind her arms around his neck and feel the warmth of his lips against hers, but just then laughter sounded from one of the tables near theirs and Erica was reminded that they were not alone.

  ‘If you doubted my feelings,’ Forest murmured, his hand intimately caressing the curve of her neck, ‘can you imagine how I wondered about yours? I felt you were bound to mistrust me because of my reputation. I’ve heard some of the stories that have been circulated about me, and some were based in fact.’

  ‘It’s never mattered to me what others have said about you,’ she insisted.

  She wanted to explain that one of the things that had drawn her to him was his somewhat diehard bachelor attitude, but to do that would mean explaining her reasons and she hadn’t the courage for that yet.

  ‘Shall we drink a toast then, to each other?’ he suggested. His fingers closed around the stem of his Martini glass and Erica reached for her own glass. Compared to his strong drink, hers was an innocuous sherry. Over their glasses, their eyes met, sending silent messages while the expensive crystal rang when their glasses touched.

  ‘I think there’s something in my Martini,’ Forest declared, drawing the glass near the light after the first tentative sip to study it.

  ‘Besides the olive?’ Her tremulous smile was to cover the fluttering of her heart as she covertly studied his profile.

  ‘Would you look at this?’ His voice was amused and vaguely triumphant as he directed her gaze to the miniature plastic spear in his hand.

  At the end of the spear was the olive with its stuffing of red pimento, but dangling in front of it was a ring. The muted candlelight touched the stone and reflected a myriad colours.

  ‘This must be yours.’ At his announcement, Erica swung her stunned look to him.

  ‘No.’ Her head moved to deny it.

  He had wiped it dry with his linen handkerchief and was now handing the ring to her. ‘I hope you’re going to accept it,’ he said. ‘It might be poetic justice to have the first girl I’ve ever proposed to turn me down. But after all this time of saying “no”, now that I’m asking you to marry me, please say “yes”, darling.’

  Somehow she eluded his move to place the ring on her finger, taking it instead and clutching it between the fingers of both hands. The single diamond solitaire winked back at her, laughing at her until her head throbbed with pain as Erica fought to stem the hysteria that bubbled in her throat.

  ’don’t you like it?’ His voice was low and controlled, but with a razor-sharp edge to it.

  The face she turned to him was unnaturally pale and strained. ‘Oh, Forest, I love it,’ she gulped, tearing her gaze from the mocking ring to meet his, only to bounce back to the diamond when she was unable to meet the probing brown eyes. A tear slipped from her lashes to blaze a hot trail down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away. ‘Please — may we leave here?’

  ‘Of course.’

  Erica knew Forest would misinterpret her reasons for wanting to go, believing that she wanted a less public place for her tears of happiness. They were tears of happiness. The salty tang of them on her lips was what brought the bitterness and produced the misery of the moment.

  With the ease of a man who knew his way about, Forest disposed of their check, produced the light shawl that matched the layered chiffon dress she wore, and had the car brought around to the front of the club.

  Moments later he had turned the car on to a quiet San Antonio street and was switching off the motor. Not one word had he directed to her, and he didn’t now as he drew her into his arms. Her lips hungrily sought his descending mouth, welcoming and returning the ardency of his touch while his hands arched her towards him. Her unbridled response unnerved both of them and it took some minutes before they were able to recover their powers of speech.

  Forest’s mouth was moving over her eyes and cheeks. ‘Will you marry me, darling?’ His breath caressed her skin as he spoke. ‘Or do I have to carry you off into the night until you agree?’

  ‘I want to marry you,’ Erica whispered, a throbbing ache in her voice. ‘More than anything else, I want you to believe that.’

  For all her fervid assurance, his searching kiss stopped, halted by the unspoken qualification in her statement. His tensed stiffness tore at her chest. The ring was still in her hand, burning its imprint in her sensitive palm.

  ‘But I can’t accept your ring,’ she added the words Forest had instinctively braced himself to hear.

  ‘Why?’ The demand was combined with the tightening of his hold just before he thrust her away. ‘You do love me?’

  ‘I love you, darling, honestly I do,’ vowed Erica, caressing the tanned cheek with her hand. ‘I simply can’t accept your ring. At least, not now, I can’t.’

  There was a slightly imperious and bemused tilt of his head. ‘I’ve always known you were old-fashioned in some ways, but I never guessed that you would want me to speak to your father first.’

  ‘No, that’s not what I meant!’ Her cry was one of despair and panic.

  ‘I don’t understand,’ Forest sighed impatiently, wearily rubbing the back of his neck. ’do you want to marry me or not?’

  ‘Yes, I want to — oh, please, Forest, I can’t take your ring. It wouldn’t be fair,’ she begged for his understanding, to have the touch of his hands become once more loving.

  ‘Are you engaged to someone else?’ An incredulous anger narrowed his gaze.

  ‘No!’ She pressed her fingers against the pounding pain between her eyes. ‘I can’t explain and I beg you not to ask me. I swear it’s true that I love you, but I need time.’

  He stared at her for a long moment, his expression carved and impenetrable before a slow smile broke the severe mould. ‘It is a big step, isn’t it? I’ve had plenty of time to think it over, but I haven’t given you much warning.’

  Time for a decision was not what Erica had meant, but she was very willing to take advantage of it. She opened her clenched hand and stared at the ring. The starlight streaming through the car windows cast a milky sheen on the many facets of the large diamond.

  ‘It is a big step,’ she agreed, taking a deep breath. ‘Not something that’s done on the spur of the moment.’ The only smile she could summon was somewhat twisted and wry, its ruefulness concealed by the dimness. ‘ “Marry in haste, repent at leisure.” I don’t want it to be that way with us, Forest.’

  ‘Neither do I. I want you to be as certain as I am,’ he stated.

  Although she didn’t look up, she could feel the caress of his eye
s. The calm determination of his voice almost made her want to put the ring on her finger and damn the consequences, but she steeled herself against doing anything so foolish. Slowly she stretched out her hand to him, palm upwards, the engagement ring in the centre.

  ‘Would you keep this for me?’ she asked. As she met the controlled desire in his gaze, the pain at giving back his ring softened and she sought to reassure him. ‘I think I’ll be wanting it shortly, so please don’t give it to some other girl.’

  ‘I burned all my telephone numbers weeks ago. There is no other girl.’ His light brown hair gleamed golden in the pale light as he bent his head to retrieve his ring.

  When the ring was safely in his pocket, his velvet brown eyes skittered over her face, its oval perfection framed by the rich brown hair combed away from it. His searching glance came to a full stop on the curve of her lips.

  ’don’t make me wait too long, Erica.’ It wasn’t a request because of the autocratic ring of his voice. Nor was it a threat, since passion throbbed beneath the surface.

  ‘I won’t.’ The starlight gilded her smooth complexion as she waited in anticipation of the moment when Forest would draw her firmly in his arms.

  His hand trailed lightly over the hollow of her cheek back to the base of her neck, sliding under her hair as a thumb gently rubbed the pulsing vein in her neck.

  ‘No woman has ever dangled me on a string before,’ he told her, his expression paradoxically tender and hard. ‘I don’t like it.’ Erica started to initiate the movement that would bring her to the muscular chest, but his hand tightened around her neck to check it. Then he released her and turned to the front. ‘I’m taking you home. I haven’t much patience left, so the sooner you make the decision, the better off I will be.’

  Erica was given no opportunity to argue as he started the car and drove it back on to the street. Part of her wanted the evening to last for ever, not to go on torturing Forest as her lack of an answer was doing, but to postpone what she was going to be forced to do, if she wanted to marry him. And Erica was certain that she did.