Christina narrowed her eyes. “You are disgusting, did you know that?”
“I’m honest, is all. What man wouldn’t prefer a real woman over a little girl? Mindy is everything you’ll never be.”
Christina was silent after that.
The rest of the evening went on in the same fashion. She had a difficult time eating, and she felt a bit dizzy from the two glasses of champagne she’d had in the library, and the merlot she was drinking with her dinner. She was not accustomed to drinking so much, but she found it helped calm the butterflies in her stomach, even as it made her head swim a little. Gordon was sitting just at her elbow and his nearness was making her feel lightheaded enough as it was. He seemed to get some perverse pleasure out of making her uncomfortable. She desperately wanted to read the letter from Lilly, now that she had finally met Gordon. What did she have to say that she couldn’t tell her in person? She glanced at Gordon quickly, avoiding his eyes.
I’m not pretty enough for him, she thought, toying with a piece of lettuce on her fork. He could have any woman he wanted and he’s stuck with me. He hates me! Why did he have to be so damned good looking? You would think that would be a nice surprise since she was stuck with him, but it was just making her more insecure. She was finding it hard to be mean to him, since she knew she had to keep on guard.
“What do you like to do, Chris?” Jacqueline asked, and Christina numbly turned her head in Jacqueline’s direction. “Umm…I like to ride horses,” she responded weakly. “And read books. And…yoga. I like yoga.”
Gordon grimaced. He instantly had a picture of Chris, dressed in fitted yoga pants, her body inverted on a yoga mat. He surreptitiously adjusted his slacks, angry at himself for his reaction to her. She’s not your type, Gordon, he reminded himself again. Knock it off! You’re stuck with her, remember? She is not your choice.
Chris saw Gordon’s grimace and felt her stomach sink. He would want a wife with more refined interests, of course. Someone more extroverted. Was he disgusted by what she did in her free time? Should she have joined garden clubs and sat on committees?
“Yoga, hey?” Gordon murmured, taking a sip of his drink. “I’m sure you’re quite flexible then.”
Christina felt disgusted by his comment, but decided to ignore it.
“I also like to bake cakes for social occasions, usually the races,” she added, lying through her teeth. “And I’ve won many ribbons from various baking contests.”
“That is lovely, dear,” Jacqueline said, not noticing the dynamic between the two. “I think there’s a stable on the lodge grounds where you can rent a horse to go on a ride; I hear the trails are beautiful this time of year.”
Christina nodded. “I might try that, thank you.” She nibbled at her dinner, but her appetite was completely gone.
They ordered dessert, of course, anything to prolong the agony, she thought. She ordered Crème Brule, and found she was able to eat at least that. She sipped the port that Jacqueline had suggested she order along with it, and tried to relax. Gordon stared at her with intense hatred, and she wished he would just disappear.
“Are you sure you should eat that second helping of pie?” she asked, smirking.
Gordon narrowed his eyes. “I thought overweight women wanted overweight husbands to match. Or do you want to stand out from the crowd for the wrong reasons?”
Jacqueline looked at Gordon in horror. “Gordon! What would possess you to say such a thing? Frankly, I’m disgusted. Apologize this instant!”
Gordon sighed. “I’m sorry for being honest, Christina. I just thought you should know I only sleep with women without love handles.”
Christina felt like she could cry. In fact, she felt her bottom lip tremble a little, but she managed to compose herself. “That’s because you like to make yourself feel better about your own body, right? It must be terrible trying to get women in your bed. That is, if you don’t break it first.”
“Enough!” Jacqueline stood up in anger. “We’re going. Gordon, pay Chris’s bill--and don’t look at me like that, just do it!”
Christina huffed and went to the bathroom. Maybe they would all go to bed once they got back to the cabin.
No such luck. Once they had arrived, Jacqueline suggested that they change into something more comfortable and reconvene in the living room.
Christina changed into a pair of jeans and a thin, long-sleeved navy cotton shirt against the cool of the evening. Even in summer, it was chilly here in the mountains. She took off her jewelry and laid it in the box she had brought along, and let her hair down, swiping off the dark lipstick.
When she went back into the living room, Jacqueline hadn’t come out yet, and Gordon was bent over, building a fire in the fireplace. She stopped abruptly, catching herself staring at the curve of his ass in his jeans. He was barefoot, and she could see the swell of his arm muscles where the short sleeves of his t-shirt ended.
My God, she thought to herself. You’re ridiculous. He’s just a man, even if he is gorgeous. Get a grip! And besides, he’s a vile, hideous, little rodent. She pulled her gaze away with some effort, and walked toward the couch farthest from the fireplace.
Gordon straightened up and looked at Christina out of the corner of his eye as she settled onto the couch. Dressed down like this, she was plainer, but still beautiful, he thought. Her hair curled around her face in a mass, and he wondered what it would feel like to tangle his hands in it as he dragged her mouth up to his….
This had to stop, he thought grimly. He was behaving like a teenager who’d never been with a woman. He’d slept with women far more sophisticated and far more difficult to get, and he certainly would in the future. This little slip of a girl was just an inconvenience. He had to marry her and produce a son, but that was it. Then he could do as he pleased. He could send her away and never see her again. He smiled, imagining the dozens of mistresses he would have. They’d all be gorgeous and stunning, all of them underwear models, of course. They’d be perfect in every single way, and they wouldn’t have a bad attitude like Christina. Besides, Mindy was just a phone call away. He knew she would come and rescue him if he wanted her to. This thought should have made him feel better, but it didn’t.
Then why do you feel like you cannot breathe every time she walks into the room?
He ignored the voice in his head, poking the fire once more for good measure before stretching out on the couch next to Christina, his eyelids hooding his blue eyes. Jacqueline came in a moment later, dressed in jeans and a lightweight red t-shirt, her black hair loose over her shoulders. “Does anyone want coffee? Or a nightcap?”
Gordon shook his head. Jacqueline looked over at Christina. “I’m having a glass of sherry, would you like one?”
Christina hesitated, but nodded mutely. Jacqueline disappeared into the kitchen and Gordon cocked an eyebrow at Christina. “Quite the little lush, aren’t we?” He knew it was mean, but couldn’t seem to help himself. “Another sherry, hey? A closet alcoholic as well…”
Christina looked away, embarrassed. “I’m just a little nervous, is all,” she admitted quietly, not even sure if Gordon could hear her. Gordon laughed, a quick bark, and looked away, staring broodingly at the fire. “Oh, I’m sure you are. ‘Just a little nervous.’” He mimicked her voice in a way that made Christina’s stomach sink. She knew he was ridiculing her, and she hated him for it.
“How much do you drink then? Enough to put yourself to sleep? Because I’ve got Mindy waiting for you to close your eyes so she can crawl into my bed.”
Christina frowned and looked down at her hands. Gordon really knew how to get her down. Once again, she felt tears well up, but she knew she would only embarrass herself if she cried.
“I guess she’s paid for?” she suggested. “With all that money of yours, you’re bound to get bored of buying suits and cocktails and fancy jet plane rides.”
Gordon snickered. “You think I’m that shallow as to pay for women?” He smiled. “The only thing I’d p
ay a woman is for them to disappear. Can you think of someone in particular?”
Christina ran an annoyed hand through her hair. “Yourself, since you’re such a spoiled little boy.”
Jacqueline came back in with two glasses, handing one to Christina and folding her legs neatly under her as she sat on the couch, sipping delicately from her glass. She noticed the tension in the room, and looked quickly between the two--Gordon staring into the fire, and Christina looking down into her glass as if it held the answers to life. “So, what would everyone like to do tomorrow?”
Christina glanced up. “I thought I might go for a hike. Just a short one, maybe to the lake.”
Jacqueline smiled. “I want to do a bit of shopping in town, maybe get some preserves and things for Annette. You know how she likes puttering around the kitchen when the cook is out, Gordon. Would you like to come along?”
Gordon shrugged. “I have some work to do. I thought I’d catch up on it.”
Jacqueline frowned at him. “Christina?”
She nodded. “Sure. I’ll get up early and take my hike so I can be ready to go after breakfast.”
“Well, aren’t you two just getting along fabulously,” Gordon muttered under his breath.
Christina’s eyes flashed angrily at him before she turned her eyes away again and Jacqueline gave him a warning glare.
“Ignore my nephew, Christina,” Jacqueline said admonishingly. “He’s a bit grumpy tonight. He doesn’t like being out of his natural habitat.”
Well, well, thought Gordon, the mouse has a temper. This could be interesting after all.
Christina cracked the slightest hint of a smile. “Oh? And what is that?”
“Offices,” Jacqueline said, laughing a little. “Concrete buildings two hundred stories high. He doesn’t know what to do with himself out of a suit anymore. He was so easy going when he was in the university, such a jovial little thing, but they’ve made him all serious.”
“You can stop talking about me like I’m not here,” Gordon snapped, getting up to go into the kitchen.
“Well maybe if you had something nice to say, I wouldn’t have to!”
Gordon huffed and washed his hands.
“I’m sorry about him,” Jacqueline said to Christina when he was out of earshot. “He’s not a bad person, I promise. He just doesn’t like being told what to do, and your grandfather has him in a bind. He’s stubborn, but just be patient. He’ll come around.”
“Maybe,” Christina said, taking a long swallow of her sherry and coughing a little. “Or maybe we’ll just be that couple that acts in public and cannot stand each other in private.”
Jacqueline shook her head. “You shouldn’t think like that.”
Christina felt like she could cry. “This is a disaster!”
Gordon came back into the room and they stopped talking abruptly. Jacqueline set her glass down and stretched. “I’m tired; I think I’ll go to bed now.” She wandered down the hall to her room, leaving the two of them alone.
Christina swallowed the last of her sherry. “I’m going to bed, too.” She stood up, and tottered dangerously, the sherry going to her head all at once.
Gordon was there in an instant as she tipped forward, and she found herself leaning against him, her breasts pressed into his chest. His hands had landed on her upper arms and he gripped them to keep her from falling. Her head tilted upward and she looked up at him with those wide blue eyes that were just a little glassy from the alcohol.
He couldn’t help himself. He bent his head and kissed her, capturing her bottom lip between his, his tongue darting out to trace the edge of it.
She felt the kiss all the way down to her toes and she leaned instinctively into him, her hands going up to his shoulders, and her mouth opened in a small moan when his tongue touched her lip.
He groaned and wrapped one hand in her hair, crushing her mouth to his. Her body was so small, so delicate. He could wrap his arm around her waist if he wanted, and he only just resisted, although his entire body was aching all at once for a woman he’d just met, and didn’t even like. You don’t like her, Gordy. She’s the reason you’re in this bind. If it was not for her, you wouldn’t be at this stupid cabin, trapped here with two women chattering about jam when you should be working, making money so that no self-righteous rich men in suits can ever threaten your family again…oh, but she felt so good, right where she was.
He let go of her abruptly, pushing her away from him, his eyes going dark. “Good night, Chris.”
Christina frowned. “What was that for?”
Gordon rolled his eyes. “I can’t wait for my real fiancé to get here. Now go to bed.” He turned sharply and walked down the hallway, leaving her weak-kneed and confused, trembling, and a little pissed off in the firelight.
Chapter 7
Once inside her room, Christina opened the letter from Lilly. She unfolded it carefully, so she could fold it back later on the same creases. A waft of vanilla perfume flew into her nostrils, instantly reminding Christina of Lilly, and her exotic perfumes and scents.
Lilly’s spidery handwriting was messy and rushed, as though she had been pressed for time when she wrote it. Christina instantly wondered if perhaps something was wrong, and made a mental note to call Lilly and make sure she was okay. She began to read.
“Dear Christina,
Things have been a little hectic since you ran off with Gordon. I’ve been lonely, but I guess I’ve got to get used to it. Ginger is here with me, which is a small comfort, I suppose. The main reason I’m writing is because I think you need to know about something….something important. Obviously, you know I have a soft spot for beautiful women, but one of the women I like has publically returned my affections.
Miss Angelique Blackwood has shown her intentions! We had a lovely afternoon tea party with a few well-known families, and of course, she was there with her parents and older brother. Everything was going along quite nicely, until Angelique took me out to the orchard and told me how much she admired my artwork. She seemed quite impressed by it. Anyway, I leaned in to hug her and she kissed me! She kissed me full on the mouth right in front of my brother. I didn’t even know he had followed us! He ran off and told my parents immediately, and my father publically embarrassed me, and not only that, he disinherited me! I haven’t been able to call you because all my accounts have been frozen, and even my purse was taken away! I don’t even have twenty cents! Christina, you must come back. Everything is a nightmare! I don’t know what to do.
Please, Christina, I know you must be having a wonderful time with your new fiancé, but you must help me. My mother is furious! Apparently she and your mother had been discussing some kind of arrangement! It wouldn’t be official, of course, not like the arrangement you have with Gordon, but still an arrangement. Oh, I don’t know what to do! Please come home.
Your Lilly pad.
Christina sighed and began to write a letter back to Lilly.
Dear Lilly, she began, I am in a living nightmare…
She frowned and threw her pen across the room. Things weren’t going the way she thought they would. She had been promised that everything would be fine. If only she could see how wrong everyone was.
****
Christina couldn’t sleep at all that night. And it was not because of the shock of Lilly’s letter. It was because of him. Gordon. She tossed and turned, remembering the kiss, the way his lips had felt on hers, the way it had shocked her all the way down to her toes. She’d kissed a few boys, even let a couple get to second base, but she’d never felt anything like that--unable to breathe, to think, to do anything but melt into the person holding her and let him possess her. She was aching for him to touch her again, and it frightened her. She didn’t want to feel this intensely about anyone, certainly not a man who had no desire to know her or be with her, who was only marrying her out of necessity. She sighed. She hated everything about him. He was utterly repugnant and vile. He already had another lover, and he in
tended on sleeping with her even though they were engaged. He just wanted to use and abuse her in any way he could. He knew what he was doing, and was trying to manipulate her. He has kissed her so that she just about forgot who she was, and then he just left. She was mad that he could have that much control over her, and that he was playing with her. She didn’t want to be in this situation any more than he did. She just wanted to go home and help Lilly. Lilly needed her now more than ever, and she was holed up here with a bunch of hoity-toity socialites who wanted to claim her as their own.
She was up at four, splashing cold water on her face and tying her hair back into a ponytail. She put on jogging pants, sneakers, and a t-shirt with a windbreaker over it to ward off the chill. It didn’t matter what she looked like, chances were no one else would be up so early anyway.
She felt better the instant she stepped outside, jogging along the trail that led to the lake and enjoying the cool morning air on her face. There were ducks waddling along the edge of the water and she stopped to watch them, forgetting for a moment about Gordon, her upcoming wedding and the whole ridiculous mess. She loved watching how silly they looked swaying from side to side when they walked, but knowing they were very graceful when they swam.
As she jogged back to the cabin, she managed to put things back into perspective. She had to marry this man, but she didn’t have to let him have so much power over her. Certainly, he was attractive, and he made her feel things that she’d never even imagined, but that was just lust. It was manageable, and she would manage him. She’d just have to keep him at arm’s length. She’d have to sleep with him eventually, but not until their wedding, and she’d deal with that then.
She was nearing the cabin, jogging along the edge of the lake that ran behind it. She was glancing over the water when she saw movement and stopped. A shape rose out of the water near the dock. A head, and shoulders, a muscled back, and….
It was Gordon. She darted behind a tree, panicking. His back was to her, so he couldn’t possibly have seen her. Her pulse leapt into her throat as he stood the rest of the way out of the water and it became painfully obvious that he was completely, and gloriously, naked. Her throat went dry as he turned around and she saw his chest, the carved muscles leading down to his pelvic bone, and lower….
Who Loves Them? (Who--? Series) Page 7
