“Making love changes things between a man and a woman,” he
prompted.
“Um, aren’t you happy with, uh, what we did?” The pink of her
cheeks faded immediately, leaving her pale.
“Of course I’m happy. I’m trying to find out if you’re happy. And
based upon what you’ve said so far, I’m worried that you aren’t.”
Julia picked at the fabric of her robe, avoiding Gabriel’s probing gaze. “When I was at college the girls on my floor would sit around and talk about their boyfriends. One night they told stories about their first times.” She nibbled at the tip of one of her fingers.
“Only a few of the girls had good things to say. The other stories were awful. One girl had been molested as a child. Some of the
girls had been forced by a boyfriend or a date. Several of them said that their first times were completely awkward and unfulfilling — a boyfriend grunting and finishing quickly. I thought, if that’s all I can hope for, I’d rather stay a virgin.”
9
Sylvain Reynard
“That’s horrible.”
She fixed her eyes on the breakfast tray.
“I wanted to be loved. I decided it would be better to have a
chaste affair of the heart and mind through letters than a sexual
relationship. I had my doubts that I would ever find anyone who
could give me both. Certainly, Simon didn’t love me. Now I’m in a
relationship with a sex god, and I can’t give him anything like the pleasure he gives me.”
Gabriel’s eyebrows shot up. “Sex god? You’ve said that before,
but believe me, I’m not — ”
She interrupted him, looking him straight in the eye. “Teach
me. I’m sure last night was not as, um…fulfilling as it usually is for you, but I promise that if you are patient with me, I will improve.”
He cursed obliquely. “Come here.” He pulled her around the
breakfast tray and into his lap again, wrapping his arms around her.
He was quiet for a moment, before sighing deeply.
“You assume that my previous sexual encounters were completely
fulfilling, but you’re wrong. You gave me what I’ve never had — love and sex together. You’re the only one who has ever been my lover in the true sense.”
He kissed her gently in solemn confirmation of his words. “The
anticipation and the allure of a woman are crucial to the experience.
I can safely say that your allurements and my anticipation were like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. Add to that the experience of making love for the first time…Words fail me.”
She nodded but something about her movement disquieted him.
“I promise I’m not flattering you.” He paused as if he were pondering his next words carefully. “At the risk of being Neanderthal, I should probably tell you that your innocence is tremendously erotic. The
thought that I can be the one to teach you about sex…that someone
so modest is also so passionate…” His voice trailed off as he looked at her intently. “You could become more skilled in the art of love by learning new tricks and new positions, but you can’t become more
attractive or more sexually fulfilling. Not to me.”
Julia leaned over and kissed him. “Thank you for taking such
good care of me last night,” she whispered, her cheeks turning pink.
“As for Paulina, I’ll deal with her. Please put her out of your mind.”
10
Gabriel’s Rapture
Julia turned her attention back to her uneaten breakfast, resisting the urge to argue with him. “Will you tell me about your first time?”
“I’d rather not.”
She busied herself with a pastry as she tried to think of a safer
subject. The financial woes of Europe came readily to mind.
He rubbed at his eyes with both hands, covering them briefly.
It would be far too easy to lie, he knew, but after all she’d given him, she deserved to know his secrets. “You remember Jamie Roberts.”
“Of course.”
Gabriel lowered his hands. “I lost my virginity to her.”
Julia’s eyebrows shot up. Jamie and her domineering mother had
never been very pleasant to Julia, and she had always disliked them.
She had no idea that Officer Roberts, who had investigated Simon’s attack on her a month previous, had been Gabriel’s first.
“It was not the greatest of experiences,” he said quietly. “In fact, I would say it was scarring. I didn’t love her. There was some attraction, of course, but no true affection. We went to Selinsgrove High School together. She sat next to me in History one year.” He shrugged. “We flirted and messed around after school and eventually…
“Jamie was a virgin but lied and said she wasn’t. I wasn’t atten-
tive to her at all. I was selfish and stupid.” He cursed. “She said it didn’t hurt much, but there was blood afterward. I felt like an animal and I’ve always regretted it.” Gabriel cringed, and Julia felt the guilt radiating from him. His description made her almost ill, but it also explained a great deal.
“That’s horrible. I’m so sorry.” She squeezed his hand. “Is that
why you were so worried last night?”
He nodded.
“She misled you.”
“That’s no excuse for my behavior, before or afterward.” He cleared his throat. “She assumed we were in a relationship, but I wasn’t
interested. That made it worse, of course. I graduated from being
merely an animal to being an animal and an asshole. When I saw her at Thanksgiving, I hadn’t spoken to her in years. I asked her to forgive me. She was remarkably gracious.
“I’ve always felt guilty for treating her badly. I’ve stayed away from virgins ever since.” He swallowed noisily. “Until last night.
11
Sylvain Reynard
“First times are supposed to be sweet, but seldom are. While you
were worrying about pleasing me, I was worrying about pleasing you.
Perhaps I was too careful, too protective, but I couldn’t have borne it if I’d hurt you.”
Julia put her breakfast aside and stroked his face. “You were
very gentle and very generous. I’ve never known such joy, and that’s because you loved me with more than just your body. Thank you.”
As if to prove her point, he kissed her deeply. Julia hummed as
his hands tangled through her hair, and she wrapped her arms about his neck. He slid his hands between them to the front of her robe, parting it hesitantly. He lifted his head, his eyes questioning.
She nodded.
He began whispering kisses against her neck and drew his mouth
up to tug at her earlobe. “How do you feel?”
“Great,” she whispered as his lips skimmed down to her throat.
He moved so he could see her face while one of his hands trav-
eled to rest atop her lower abdomen. “Are you sore?”
“A little.”
“Then we should wait.”
“No!”
He laughed, his lips curling up into his signature seductive smile.
“Did you mean what you said last night about making love out here?”
She shivered at the way his voice inflamed her but returned his
smile, winding her fingers in his hair, tugging him closer. He opened her robe and began to explore her curves with both hands before
dropping his mouth to kiss her breasts.
“You were shy with me this morning.” He pressed a reverent kiss
over her heart “What changed?”
Julia brushed against the hint of a dimple in his chin. “I will
probably always be a little shy about being naked. But I want you. I want you to look into my eyes an
d tell me you love me as you move
inside me. I will remember that as long as I live.”
“I’ll keep reminding you,” he breathed.
He divested her of her robe and positioned her on her back.
“Are you cold?”
“Not when you’re holding me,” she whispered, smiling. “Wouldn’t
you rather have me on top? I’d like to try it.”
12
Gabriel’s Rapture
He threw off his robe and boxer shorts quickly and covered her
body with his own, placing a hand on either side of her face. “Someone might see you out here, darling. And I can’t have that. No one gets to see this beautiful body except me.
“Although the neighbors and passersby might be able to hear
you…for the next hour or so…” He chuckled as she inhaled sharply,
a tremor of pleasure coursing all the way down to her toes.
He kissed her, pushing her hair away from her face. “My goal
is to see how many times I can please you before I can’t hold back anymore.”
She grinned. “I like the sound of that.”
“So do I. So let me hear you.”
The blue sky blushed to see such passionate lovemaking, while
the Florentine sun smiled down, warming the lovers despite the
gentle breeze. Beside them, Julia’s coffee and milk grew stone cold and sullen at being ignored. P
After a brief nap, Julia borrowed Gabriel’s MacBook to send an
email to her father. She had two important messages in her inbox.
The first was from Rachel.
Jules!
How are you? Is my brother behaving himself? Have you slept
with him yet? Yes, it is COMPLETELY inappropriate for me to
ask that question, but come on, if you were dating anyone else
you would have told me already.
I’m not going to volunteer any advice. I’m trying not to think too much about it. Just let me know you’re happy and he’s treating
you properly.
Aaron sends his best.
Love you,
Rachel.
PS. Scott has a new girlfriend. He’s been secretive about her
so I’m not sure how long they’ve been dating. I keep bugging
him to introduce me but he won’t.
Maybe she’s a professor.
13
Sylvain Reynard
Julia snickered, glad that Gabriel was showering and not read-
ing over her shoulder. He’d be annoyed at his sister for posing such personal questions. She took a few moments to phrase her response
before typing her reply.
Hi Rachel,
The hotel is beautiful. Gabriel has been very sweet and gave
me your mother’s diamond earrings. Did you know about that?
I feel guilty about it, so please let me know if this upsets you.
As to your other question, Yes. Gabriel treats me well, and I
am VERY happy.
Say hi to Aaron for me. Looking forward to Christmas.
Love, Julia. XO
PS. I hope Scott’s girlfriend is a professor. Gabriel will never let him hear the end of it.
Julia’s second email was from Paul. It could be said that he pined for her, but also he was grateful to have maintained their friendship.
He would rather keep his longings to himself than to lose her entirely.
And he had to admit that since she’d begun seeing her boyfriend
Owen, her very skin glowed.
(Not that he would have mentioned it.)
Hey Julia,
Sorry I didn’t get the chance to say good-bye before you went
home. I hope you have a good Christmas. I have a gift for you.
Would you give me your address in Pennsylvania so I can
send it?
I’m back at the farm trying to find time to work on my
dissertation in between large family gatherings and getting up
early to help my dad. Let’s just say my daily routine involves a
lot of manure…
Can I bring you something from Vermont?
A Holstein of your very own?
Merry Christmas,
Paul.
P.S. Did you hear that Christa Peterson’s dissertation proposal
was accepted by Emerson?
I guess Advent really is the season of miracles.
14
Gabriel’s Rapture
Julia stared at the computer screen, reading and re-reading Paul’s postscript. She wasn’t sure what to make of it. It was possible, she thought, that Gabriel accepted Christa’s proposal because she threatened him.
Julia didn’t want to bring up such an unpleasant topic during
their vacation, but the news troubled her. She typed a short reply to Paul, giving him her address, then she emailed her father, telling him that Gabriel was treating her like a princess. She closed the
laptop and sighed.
“That doesn’t sound like a happy Julianne.” Gabriel’s voice sound-
ed behind her.
“I think I’m going to ignore my email for the rest of our trip.”
“Good idea.”
She turned to find him standing in front of her, wet from the
shower, hair tousled, a white towel wound around his hips.
“You’re beautiful,” she blurted before thinking.
He chuckled and pulled her to her feet so he could embrace her.
“Do you have a thing for men in towels, Miss Mitchell?”
“Maybe for one particular man.”
“Are you feeling all right?” He raised his eyebrows expectantly,
his expression hungry.
“I’m a little uncomfortable. But it was worth it.”
His eyes narrowed. “You need to tell me if I’m hurting you,
Julianne. Don’t hide things from me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Gabriel, it doesn’t hurt; it’s merely uncom-
fortable. I didn’t notice it during because there were other things on my mind — several other things. You were very distracting.”
He smiled and kissed her neck loudly. “You need to let me start
distracting you in the shower. I’m tired of showering alone.”
“I’d like that. How are you feeling?”
He pretended to ponder her question. “Let’s see — loud, hot sex
with my beloved inside and outside…Yes, I’d say I’m great.”
He hugged her close, and the cotton of her robe absorbed some
of the water droplets from his skin. “I promise it won’t always be uncomfortable. In time, your body will recognize me.”
“It already recognizes you. And misses you,” she whispered.
15
Sylvain Reynard
Gabriel moved the top of her robe aside so he could kiss the
slope of her shoulder. With a gentle squeeze, he walked to the bed, retrieving a bottle of ibuprofen and handing it to her.
“I have to run over to the Uffizi for a meeting, then I have to
pick up my new suit at the tailor’s.” He appeared concerned. “Would you mind shopping for a dress by yourself? I’d go with you, but my meeting won’t leave me with much time.”
“Not at all.”
“If you can be ready in half an hour, we can walk out together.”
Julia followed Gabriel into the bathroom, all thoughts of Christa
and Paul forgotten.
After her shower, she stood in front of one of the vanities, drying her hair while Gabriel stood at the other. She found herself glancing over at him, watching as he carried out his shaving preparations with military precision. Finally, she gave up putting on lipstick and simply leaned against the sink, staring.
He was still naked to the waist, the towel now low on his hips,
as he painstakingly shaved i
n the classical style. His brilliant blue eyes narrowed in concentration behind his black glasses, his damp
hair impeccably combed.
Julia suppressed a laugh at the degree to which his quest for
perfection was manifested. Gabriel used a shaving brush with a black wooden handle to mix European shaving soap into a thick lather.
After spreading the foam on his face with the brush, he shaved using an antiquated safety razor.
(For some professors, disposable razors simply aren’t good
enough.)
“What?” He turned, noticing that she was perilously close to
ogling him.
“I love you.”
His expression softened. “I love you too, darling.”
“You’re the only non-British person I’ve ever heard use the term
darling.”
“That isn’t true.”
“It isn’t?”
“Richard used to call Grace that.” Gabriel gave her a sad look.
16
Gabriel’s Rapture
“Richard is old-fashioned, in the best sense.” She smiled. “I love the fact that you’re old-fashioned too.”
Gabriel snorted and continued shaving. “I’m not so old-fashioned,
or I wouldn’t be making mad passionate love with you outside. And
fantasizing about introducing you to some of my favorite positions from the Kama sutra.” He winked at her. “But I am a pretentious old bastard and a devil to live with. You’ll have to tame me.”
“And how shall I do that, Professor Emerson?”
“Never leave.” His voice dropped, and he turned to face her.
“I’m more worried about losing you.”
He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Then you have nothing
to worry about.”
17
Chapter 2
Julia stepped out of the bedroom, feeling nervous. Gabriel had
made arrangements for her to shop on his account at the local
Prada boutique, and she’d chosen a Santorini-blue V-necked, sleeveless dress made of silk taffeta. Its A-line shape boasted a full pleated skirt and was reminiscent of the kind of dress worn by Grace Kelly in the 1950s. It suited Julia perfectly.
However, the boutique manager had wanted the accessories to
modernize the dress, and thus she chose a sleek silver leather clutch and a pair of tangerine patent leather stilettos that Julia found perilously high. To complete the ensemble, a black cashmere wrap was
provided.
She stood hesitantly in the sitting room, her hair long and loosely curled, her eyes bright and shining. She wore Grace’s diamond earrings and her string of pearls.
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