A Diamond Deal With Her Boss

by Cathy Williams

  She was aware of him easing himself off her. She could have slept for England. Gabriel, meanwhile, left the bedroom and acute disappointment seized her when she thought that he might have vanished off to change so that he could go downstairs and resume work. He didn’t strike her as the sort who enjoyed pillow talk, but she would have loved to talk, talk and talk, if only she weren’t so sleepy.

  Abby kept her eyes shut and reminded herself that this was a little fling and it was all about the sex. Lord knew, if the situation hadn’t been what it was, they would never have ended up in bed together.

  Tender gestures and intimate conversation wouldn’t feature highly on the agenda.

  She knew that he’d left the bathroom, but rather than witness his disappearing act she kept her eyes closed. They flew open fast enough when she felt herself being picked up as though she weighed nothing.

  ‘Don’t think you’re going to fall asleep on me,’ he chuckled, walking with her to the bathroom and nudging the door open with his foot.

  ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘I’m going to give you a bath.’

  Abby looked at him and laughed. She dropped a kiss briefly on his mouth and fought down the dangerous thought that this was just perfect.

  ‘I thought you were getting changed and then heading downstairs to get some work done,’ she confessed, eyes popping when she saw the luxurious bubble bath he had run for her.

  ‘You won’t be getting rid of me quite so easily.’ Gabriel lowered her into the water as gently as if she were a piece of china, and then he stood back to contemplate his handiwork with satisfaction before getting in to join her. ‘We’re engaged...remember? There’s nothing more I want to do than have you glued to my side.’

  And then what? Abby thought distractedly, because he was manoeuvring her so that she had her back to him and he could begin soaping her. What, she thought, happens then?

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  SPRAWLED OUT ON one of the chairs by the pool, it struck Gabriel that he hadn’t actually done this since his grandmother had moved to the villa years ago. He’d visited, he’d eaten meals in the kitchen served by his grandmother’s daily housekeeper, he’d taken her out on countless occasions—but he’d never sat by the pool in a pair of swimming trunks, relaxing.

  In his world, relaxing usually involved women, and sex was always on the menu. And, relaxing though that situation was, it was too much like a carefully crafted game to be completely relaxing.

  There was a woman now. Sex was most definitely on the menu. In fact, just thinking about her was rousing a libido that had been on red alert ever since he and Abby had decided to turn their fake relationship into something rather more substantial.

  Gabriel grinned and shifted, already looking forward to getting into bed with her later.

  But this didn’t feel like the usual carefully crafted game. Which was why he could sit here, without a computer in sight and with his mobile phone in the bedroom, and kick back.

  It felt good. Novel. He was doing what millions of people did and took for granted when they went on holiday, yet for him it felt like he was exploring a brave, new world.

  He shifted and watched as Abby dove into the pool. She was a graceful swimmer and, unlike the sort of women he was accustomed to dating—unlike even Lucy, who had not been anything like the women he was accustomed to dating—Abby actually didn’t mind getting her hair wet. Lying and tanning seemed to hold little interest for her.

  She was sporty, he had discovered. She enjoyed hiking. In the idyllic, rural bubble in which she had been raised, she had surfed, gone camping and explored the countryside by bike. He had pieced together a picture of someone whose life had followed a pleasant if predictable path, culminating in her engagement to the guy who had ditched her when big city life had begun to weave its spell.

  She’d toughened up, built a shell around herself and taken refuge in her privacy, but underneath the walls there was a completely different woman.

  He wondered what it might be like to go on a proper holiday with her, one that hadn’t stemmed from unusual circumstances, and he frowned, because it was the last sort of idle speculation he should be indulging.

  ‘You’re not thinking about work, are you?’

  Gabriel sat forward, arms draped over his thighs, and stared at the bikini-clad figure of his so-called fiancée who was peering at him from the pool, hair plastered around a face bare of any make-up. She was one hundred percent natural and, if he closed his eyes, he could almost smell her clean, floral scent, the one that filled his nostrils and made him want to make love to her over and over again.

  ‘Really want to know what I’m thinking about?’ he drawled, vaulting upright and strolling towards her.

  Abby’s eyes darkened and she laughed, because she could read the intent in his eyes and it fired up something in her, something that made her want to leap out of the swimming pool and drag him off to the nearest empty room so that she could have her wicked way with him.

  ‘Are you thinking that the pool looks really inviting and you’d like nothing better than to join me?’

  ‘I can certainly think of nothing better than joining you,’ Gabriel agreed. ‘But it’s only...’ he glanced at his watch ‘...five-thirty, which means I have to endure a few more hours before I can get you where I want you.’

  ‘You shouldn’t be wishing away your time here,’ Abby chided, but she was still laughing as he slid into the water and kissed her briefly on the mouth, before ducking under and surfacing to shake his head like a dog shaking off water. ‘You should be hoping it passes slowly, all the better to enjoy your grandmother’s company. She’s just so thrilled to have you here. I can’t believe she’s actually given her housekeeper the rest of the week off so that she can cook all your favourite meals.’ Abby swivelled so that she was backed against the side of the pool, elbows supporting her, treading water as she looked at him. ‘It’s no wonder you’re so spoiled.’

  ‘I admit I don’t have a problem when it comes to getting my own way.’ He knew that his grandmother was resting. She’d actually made it to the pool and had swum a few laps, encouraged by Abby, but that burst of activity had taken it out of her and she had retired half an hour ago to have a lie down.

  With that in mind, Gabriel caged Abby in, his muscular arms on either side of hers, and he kissed her, a long, drugging kiss that barely allowed her to come up for air. Keeping his eyes on the house, he casually reached down and cupped her between her legs.

  ‘I like the bikini, by the way. Good choice, although I have to say that if my grandmother wasn’t here I would consign it to the wardrobe and forbid you from coming into the swimming pool with anything on.’

  ‘Very chauvinistic,’ Abby said on a breathless whimper, as the hand cupping her began to work its way underneath the bikini bottom. He’d somehow managed to persuade her that anything remotely constricting as a bra was a disposable item of clothing, and her skin burned whenever she thought of him coming up from behind and slipping his hand underneath her top so that he could play with her breasts.

  ‘I’m a dinosaur,’ Gabriel agreed without batting an eye. ‘I like my women hot and ready for me. Like now. You’re wet, and it has nothing to do with the fact that we’re both in a swimming pool. Like me to make you even wetter?’

  ‘Gabriel.’ Abby breathed brokenly as he began to tease her with his expert touch. ‘This is not the time...oh, oh, Gabriel...or the place... Your grandmother... Oh, that feels so good...’

  ‘She’s sound asleep and this is just the right time and place for me to pleasure my woman.’ With one hand, he cupped the back of her neck so that he could kiss her, while he busied himself with his other hand, his fingers sliding up and down, gathering a rhythm that built and built and built until she was whimpering and moaning.

  She gave a spasm against his hand and cried out as the orgasm peaked, taking her breath away and then gradually subsiding, leaving her limp as a rag doll for a few seconds. Then she slowl
y opened her eyes and looked at him, dazed.

  ‘I can’t believe you just did that.’ She breathed unsteadily and Gabriel grinned and kissed her, but this time a quick dip on her mouth.

  ‘I get a kick out of taking you places you haven’t been before. I like it.’

  ‘I wish I could do the same for you,’ Abby said fervently.

  ‘You do. I’m here, aren’t I? In a swimming pool, playing truant from work.’

  ‘You must have done that before, when you’ve gone on holiday with whatever buxom brunette you happened to be going out with.’

  ‘To tell you the truth, I haven’t taken many women on holiday. Anywhere.’

  ‘Why not?’

  Gabriel shrugged. He knew why—because a holiday would have felt like a level of commitment and one that held no interest for him. Always on guard against any woman wanting more than he was prepared to give, he had developed a keen instinct for staying away from situations that could become complicated. Cosy holidays came into that category.

  ‘Naturally, there have been one or two brief weekends abroad. They usually involved expensive shopping or expensive skiing in a crowd. Do you ski?’

  Abby laughed. ‘I don’t like shopping and I don’t ski.’

  ‘I’m surprised, given how active your childhood was.’

  ‘My parents weren’t exactly rolling in money, Gabriel. They had enough for the things that mattered but definitely not enough to throw around on skiing holidays. My dad was always careful with money which is why...you know...’

  ‘I get it. Why the injection of cash you’ll be getting for this little escapade will be invaluable for him.’ Gabriel frowned, because for a minute there he really hadn’t liked being reminded that she was doing this for a reason, and that this pleasant little situation was all part and parcel of a business transaction.

  ‘You’re good for Ava, you know.’ He changed the subject. ‘She likes you. Feels relaxed around you. That’s something I honestly didn’t give a great deal of thought to when we began this charade.’

  Abby didn’t say anything. Being reminded that what they had wasn’t real felt like a bucket of cold water being poured over her head, and that alarmed her, because the reality of this situation was not something she could afford to forget. Not for a second.

  ‘No, well...’ She shrugged. ‘Women tend to bond with women, and you know you can be a little daunting.’

  ‘Daunting,’ Gabriel mused. ‘Is that a compliment, I wonder?’

  ‘It’s true. I’ve spent a lot more time with Ava than I thought I would, and she’s in awe of her brilliant, charismatic grandson. You have to remember that you have that effect on people.’

  ‘Although not on you. Or maybe I’m wrong. Are you in awe of me?’

  ‘No,’ Abby said truthfully. ‘I’m not.’

  ‘It’s going to be tough when she has to be told that you and I are over.’ It was good that reminders were dropped that this was an artificial situation and one that had a very strict timeline.

  ‘But, in due course, she’ll meet the woman you really intend to marry and she’ll get along with whoever you choose just as well—probably better, because at least she’ll be able to really look forward to wedding bells and great-grandchildren.’ Something caught in her throat and she looked away. ‘Poor Ava keeps trying to coerce me into talking about wedding dresses and setting a date. She must wonder why I’m not more excited about the big day.’

  Did he detect something in her voice? He remembered that she had been ditched by her fiancé. Of course, this would be hard for her, but he wasn’t going to get wrapped up in any long conversations about that. ‘It’ll become apparent when this is all over.’ He kissed her neck, tilting her head back, but for once Abby wasn’t distracted by her body and its responses.

  ‘How can you be so detached?’ She breathed, and she could have kicked herself when he stilled and drew back to look at her levelly, his dark eyes cool and assessing.

  ‘How do you imagine I should be reacting, Abby?’

  ‘I guess a little more emotionally, because she is your grandmother, and I know you love her very much.’

  It was a passing statement, and it was fact, but suddenly Gabriel detected the sound of alarm bells because the way she’d said it, the easy acceptance of knowing him in a way that was bone-deep...

  ‘I’m detached because I haven’t lost sight of the ball,’ he said abruptly, shoving aside the unsettling suspicion that he had, a couple of times. ‘I’ve never seen my grandmother this energised, and I’m very happy about that, but it doesn’t mean that what’s going on here is real. It’s not.’

  ‘We’re sleeping together.’ Abby laughed nervously, ducking to one side and pushing off so that she could swim towards the step, giving herself some time to think and to organise the tumult of thoughts whirring round in her head like angry wasps. She threw over her shoulder, back in control, ‘But I understand what you’re saying.’ She gave him an uneven smile which felt forced. ‘Don’t worry,’ she laughed as her self-control gathered momentum and she forced herself back down to earth, ‘I’ve realised I’m very good when it comes to evading tricky questions without ever resorting to any untruths.’

  ‘I know,’ Gabriel said wryly.

  ‘You know?’

  ‘Well, you’ve managed to spend two years disapproving of my lifestyle without ever saying a word.’ He stood up and held out his hand. ‘Too much talking. My grandmother won’t be up for at least another hour—and, by the way, I approve of the way you managed to entice her into the water. I think she was beginning to nurture fantasies about turning it into a lily pond.’ He grinned and instantly forgot the uneasy jarring he had felt earlier on that their conversation had taken an unexpected turn.

  ‘Where are we going?’

  ‘Where do you think?’ He pulled her towards him, wet body against wet body, and kissed her with lingering thoroughness. ‘I can’t get enough of you.’

  Same, Abby wanted to tell him, but she didn’t. She knew the rules of this game and, whilst he could talk about wanting her, she wasn’t sure how happy he would be if she became too expressive on the subject of wanting him back.

  He enjoyed her cries of pleasure but there were many lines she knew she couldn’t step over, and she wanted to. She wanted to tell him how much she craved him and how much she enjoyed his company—his wit, his intelligence, the feel of his mouth on hers, the expression in his deep, dark eyes when they roved over her body, caressing it in a single look.

  She wanted...

  She wanted it all.

  Heart beating like a steam engine, she followed him into the house, half-trotting along, their fingers linked together.

  ‘You’re all about the sex, aren’t you?’ she said huskily as soon as he had shut the bedroom door and swivelled round to press her back against it, too horny to make it to the bed without touching her first.

  ‘Sex works.’ Gabriel pulled down the bikini top and groaned as he cupped her breast in his hand and began playing with it, playing with her nipple, teasing it until it was a stiffened bud and she was breathing fast, sighing those little fluttery sighs that always managed to send his blood pressure through the roof.

  And love works even better.

  Just thinking that terrified Abby because it was forbidden, against the rules. But, having taken root, it was a pernicious thought that refused to budge and she knew why. As he eased himself down her body, suckling on her nipple, she looked down at his dark head at her breast and despairingly wondered when she had started loving this complex and fascinating man.

  Had it all started way back when—before they’d even come to Seville? Maybe on those dark evenings when they’d ended up working late and, despite having all her defences fully in place, she’d allowed him into her heart? He had the sort of personality that was so persuasive, so captivating. She’d scorned those poor women who’d fallen for him when they’d known full well that he wasn’t going to commit to anything more than expensi
ve gifts, chic restaurants and the best seats at the theatre. He was certainly not the sort who would be up for meeting the parents. So why waste time going there? It had seemed very straightforward to Abby! But obviously feelings had a cruel way of ambushing good intentions, and here she was now...

  In so deep that it would take a team of scuba divers to pull her out.

  She sifted her fingers through his hair and arched back, giving herself to his questing mouth, and panting as he trailed lower down her body until he was buried between her legs, licking, sucking and teasing her with his familiar expertise.

  He lifted her off her feet and managed to make it to the bed but his swimming trunks and the linen shirt he had put on by the pool were discarded in record time.

  ‘I can’t wait,’ he groaned, reaching for protection and applying it with a complete lack of cool.

  When he entered her, it was with one forceful thrust, and she groaned in pleasure and clung to him like a limpet as he thrust harder and deeper. Her legs splayed out on either side, bent at the knees, and her whole body was arched back so that her round breasts bounced in time to his love-making.

  They’d barely had time to dry off from the pool to the house and the sound of their semi-wet bodies moving as one was the most erotic sound imaginable.

  She had to bury her face against his neck to stop herself from screaming out when she orgasmed because the waves of pleasure rocking her were so intense.

  Weak as a kitten, she was aware of him sliding out of her, quickly disposing of the used protection and then returning to the bed to lie next to her.

  Wrapped up in the warm, rosy glow of contentment, Abby curled into him and sighed.

  She wanted to tell him how much she wished that time would stop for ever, locking them both into this wonderful, satisfying bubble where there was no past and no future, just an everlasting present.

  ‘I should have mentioned this sooner,’ Gabriel murmured, ‘But I have to be in London tomorrow evening.’ He flopped onto his back and stared up at the ceiling.