CHAPTER EIGHT

The next morning Lizzy came downstairs to start breakfast and found Mark sitting at the kitchen table, staring blindly into a cup of black coffee. "I gather from the fact that you're up and about so early, there's no point in me saying good morning?" she asked him, looking at the dregs of coffee in the jug and starting a new load, rinsing the jug out. "How is she this morning?"

Mark frowned. "She?" he asked, trying not to feel guilty again.

"Don't be deliberately obtuse, boy," Lizzy said, smiling as she had her back turned to him and he couldn't see. "How is your wife?"

"She was doing better last night," he said quietly, shrugging and averting his eyes when she turned to look at him.

Lizzy looked at him affectionately. She had never been able to have children of her own, and she considered this great hulking man to be her son. Right now he looked just like he had as a little boy, and she found herself feeling sorry for him. "You didn't stay with her last night?"

"I should think that would be the last thing she'd want," he replied, his shoulder rising and falling when he took a deep breath. "I didn't mean to hurt her."

Lizzy raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure? I thought that was the reason you brought her here, to make her life a living hell so that you'd feel better about yourself? Well, do you feel better now?"

Mark's eyes snapped up to the old woman's and he scowled. "No, I don't feel better!"

"Really? Then that's good, because it means you haven't become the inhuman monster that people believe you to be," she said gently, nodding her head when he looked briefly confused. She got the coffee perking and started getting things ready for breakfast. "Am I allowed to feed her this morning or is she still being punished for something?"

"Of course you can feed her!" Mark snapped and stood up from the table, rubbing a hand around the back of his neck uncomfortably as Lizzy stared at him.

"That's a start," she muttered under her breath, but Mark heard her.

"I don't have to be nice to her, you know," he snapped.

"No, certainly you don't, not if you don't want to. But I wish you'd make your mind up how you do want to treat her, it isn't fair on her," she said, folding her arms and giving his glare back.

"I don't care how fair it is!" he said, shouting now as his own conscience got to him.

"Yes you do, or you wouldn't be moping about down here this early. Just try and be consistent, okay? If you want to be an animal towards her, then remain that way. But if you decide to get your head out of your ass and be nice to the poor thing, then remain nice. At least that way she won't go insane wondering what to expect!" Lizzy said, frowning disapprovingly at him and then turning her back, continuing with her task.

"I don't have to be nice," he mumbled again, sinking back down in his chair and trying to sort his feelings out.

"No, why should you be, this is your house after all, you make the rules," Lizzy muttered, shaking her head as she put bacon in the pan and started it frying. "Why worry about a poor young girl who did nothing in her life to deserve any of this sort of treatment?"

Mark listened to her mutterings and thought seriously about what he should do. He knew what his conscience was telling him to do, but he had steadfastly ignored it for years. Now it seemed more important to take notice. He looked up as Carl walked into the room and gave him a disapproving look to match Lizzy's, not even bothering to say good morning to him, and he knew he was in the doghouse. His brows drew down swiftly and he stomped out of the room, heading for his bedroom. Fine, if everyone thought he should be nice to her, then he would start right now, he thought as his temper started to ignite again.

Ellie was sleeping soundly when Mark threw open the door and marched into the room, and she only started to wake up when he scooped her up in his big arms, blanket and all. Her hands automatically went to his shoulders to hang on and she stared up at him, her mouth hanging open as he carried her out of the room and straight downstairs to the kitchen, depositing her in a chair before she could even think of something to say.

"Good morning," Lizzy said to her, smiling as if it was the most natural thing in the world for her to be sitting there still wrapped in her bedclothes.

"G..good morning," Ellie said, looking up briefly when Mark sat down near her, his eyes boring into her.

"Breakfast is nearly ready. How would you like some coffee?" Lizzy asked.

"Er....I..." she stammered and looked up at Mark again, wondering if he was going to let her eat.

He saw the uncertainty in her face and felt suitably ashamed of his previous behaviour. He thinned his lips as the emotion made him irritable. "Yes, she'll take some coffee," he said, looking and sounding impatient.

Ellie didn't know whether to say thank you or not so she remained silent, only thanking Lizzy when she placed the cup in front of her. "How's that stomach this morning?" the older woman asked, starting to serve the cooked breakfast onto plates.

"It's better," Ellie mumbled, acutely aware that Mark was staring at her still.

"Good, then you'll be able to eat this food with no problem," Lizzy said, placing a huge breakfast in front of her.

Ellie hesitated still and swallowed, forcing herself to face him. "Is it okay?"

Mark almost flinched at her soft voice asking permission to eat, and he nodded curtly, diverting his attention to his own breakfast so he didn't have to look at her face that still bore the bruise from where he had slapped her. He was starting to hate himself.

****

Glenn frowned down at Becky, angered by the fact that she was making him out to be something he wasn't. He was not nice, he hadn't been for a long time. But she thought she could see something in him that wasn't there. His fist shot out and hit the wall making her jump, her eyes snapping open to stare up at him. The fear that clearly shone from them made him go still and then start to calm down and think rationally. Okay, so she could see something in him, something that he thought was long dead, didn't that mean that maybe he really could be different? He frowned as he thought of it. He had enjoyed taking care of her the night before, true, but the fact still remained that he wanted her, and he didn't think he could get her any other way.

Becky stared up at him with her heart in her throat, wondering why he had said those things and why he was so angry. As far as she knew she hadn't done anything wrong, unless it was just because she had disturbed his peace. He was a loner, he wouldn't appreciate that. She swallowed and tried to unstick her tongue from the roof of her mouth so she could speak. "I'm sorry if I..er...made you uncomfortable....with my being here. I'll leave," she offered, not wanting to go, but now not wanting to stay either, not if he expected her to leap into bed with him in gratitude. She tried ducking underneath one of his huge arms but he moved them so she couldn't get away and she felt her mouth dry out again, her blue eyes widening as his hands left the wall and grabbed her shoulders.

"No!" he barked out, startling both of them. "You're in no condition to go anywhere..." he tailed off and thinned his lips as she tried pulling away from him. "Keep still!" he said impatiently, giving her a small shake.

Becky stared at him and started to feel angry. Okay, he had been nice, but now he just wanted to get her in bed. "I will not.....you let me go!" she said, pulling harder and then kicking his legs.

Glenn stared down at her in amazement as she tried to fight him. Her kicks were hurting her more than they were him as she was barefoot, and he wondered if she actually believed she could win against him. His mouth curved into a rare smile as her face became red with anger and he picked her up, pinning her against him with his huge arms wrapped around her, making sure she couldn't attack him with her arms. Her legs were still flailing about, but not with much energy as it was too painful for her to move too quickly.

"Put me down!" she shouted at him, completely losing her temper now and not even thinking of what the consequences for her actions may be.

Glenn found his smile getting wider as she became angrier, and when she opened her mouth to shout again he swooped in, covering her mouth with his and kissing her. The feel of her startled lips under his made him redouble his efforts and he went to work on her, using his tongue to touch every millimetre of her mouth and then tangle with hers, drawing her into the kiss. He barely noticed when she fell limp against him, he was enjoying himself so much, but when he finally drew back to look at her he found her eyes closed and her mouth still open, her lips slightly swollen. Interesting, he thought, how quickly she gave in when she had been so angry before, and he revised his plan.

"Well?" he asked her, surprised that his voice sounded deeper than normal.

Becky's eyes snapped open and she stared at him dumbly. "Huh?"

"Do you accept my offer?" he continued, raising one eyebrow.

She frowned at him as she tried to get her brain to work. What offer? She couldn't remember any offer...they were arguing and... "Put me down!" she squeaked as her muddled brain finally remembered what he was going on about.

"Still that same old protest? No, I won't put you down," he told her, smiling mockingly at her. "Answer my question, do you accept my offer?"
"You haven't made any offer, you...you...." she tried desperately to think of some insult to throw at him but she couldn't.

"You stay here and you cook and clean for me, then you'll never have to go back there again," he said.

Becky stared at him suspiciously. "But you said...you said I'd have to....that you wanted me to...."

"Warm my bed. Yes I did, and yes, that's part of the deal. Do you accept?" he asked her, raising that eyebrow again.

"No!" she said in a shocked voice, unable to believe the nice man of the night before had turned into this person. She only had a chance to gasp that one word out before he closed the distance and kissed her again, being more thorough than before. She felt herself melt against him without a single protest and her mind tried to fight off the inertia his kiss caused so she could argue with him, but it didn't work.

"Accept my offer," he growled at her as he broke the kiss this time, his forehead resting against hers, his eyes watching her slowly try to regain her senses.

"I...no...I can't do that...." she protested, trying to think of why she couldn't when it felt this good, but his mouth came down again, his tongue stopping any further protest. He kissed her for what felt like five minutes before drawing slowly back, and her lungs tried to feed themselves precious air, her body feeling swollen and slightly out of control.

"Accept," he whispered against her lips, not letting her answer him as he started kissing her yet again.

"I....I..." she stuttered, her eyes dropping to his mouth and trying to remember what it was that was so important. Being kissed was pretty important, she thought, as he did it again. By the time he stopped she was clutching his shoulders, her head dropping down into the crook of his neck as she panted shakily against his skin.

"Accept me Rebecca," he said softly, and his eyes closed, his brows drawing down as if in pain now that she could no longer see him. If only she knew how important it would be to him for a woman to accept him, just as he was, in this cabin, without the riches that he was known for in his main home. He knew his offer was unreasonable, knew that she would never willingly stay with him. Who would? he thought with a grimace, but she liked his kisses and he was using that to his advantage. It wasn't taking very much to reduce her to a nervous wreck.

"I...okay..." she mumbled against his neck and he tensed, his arms tightening around her for just a second before he realised what he was doing.

"Good....good," he said, amazed that it had worked, that she'd agreed to his terms. Now all he had to do was get her to stay.

The sizzle of the onions overcooking behind him made him remember what it was he had been doing before he lost his patience, and he slowly lowered Becky to the floor, holding onto her for a second when it looked like her legs weren't working. "Sit down," he said gruffly, pulling her towards the settee and sitting her on it. "I'll get the food done and later we can talk."

Becky sat dumbly staring at him as he walked back into the kitchen and she wondered what had just happened. She couldn't believe that she had been so weak, and only a few minutes had passed. Her eyes sought out Glenn's bulky figure again and she chewed on her lip. Maybe she should just make a run for it, open the door and go, before he could stop her. She had thought he was nice, he had seemed nice and he had been good to her, but she didn't really know him at all. It felt like she'd made a deal with the devil. What on earth had she just agreed to?

****Sorry if I keep putting the heroines name from my other story in this one! I try and do find and replace, but sometimes I miss it. Hope it doesn't get confusing!****