"I believe you are the last to arrive, Ms. Sherborne," the waiter said. He handed her coat to a more junior staffer, who hurried away with it.
She stepped into the sitting room proper, bracing herself for the fun and games ahead, and stopped dead.
Seth O'Connor stood with her father, a whiskey glass in his hand.
He wore a suit that wouldn't look out of place at a party in L.A., but what he did to it, with his shoulders and chest, and his tight hips, made her heart thud and her stomach do a little roll. It was in a dark color. Blue, of course, which made his eyes look that much bluer. But instead of the standard issue white shirt, he wore black.
The tie was the same color as his eyes, which just drew attention to them. Did he do it deliberately? It was like drawing a neon sign above his head, saying "pay attention to me, damn it!"
Without looking at them, Gabrielle knew that each of her three sisters were aware of Seth in a female come-hither way. They were sitting on the edge of their seats, their legs crossed and twined, aware of their bodies in a way they hadn't been in a long while. Seth had done that by walking into the room.
But he was watching her, his eyes narrowed, measuring her reaction to the fact that he was here. Now. And standing next to her father.
Gabrielle's heart hurt as it rammed against her chest. She didn't understand why he was here, or what her father was up to, but for the moment the overriding pleasure of seeing Seth again all but swamped her concern.
Seth moved around the facing sofas, heading her way. Every feminine head tracked him. He dropped the glass on the sideboard and stepped in front of her.
"Hello again," he said softly.
"You came back," she gasped.
His gaze slipped sideways, taking in their rabid audience, before settling back on her face. Her sisters were frankly listening. "I'll explain later," he said simply.
She took a breath. And another. There would be a later.
Seth lifted a finger. "I have something for you," he said. "Wait right there." He moved away, back into the front entrance. A few second later, he returned with a brown paper carry bag. It looked heavy and he carried it carefully and held it out to her. "Call it an early Christmas present. I didn't have time to wrap it, sorry."
She took the bag, held open the handles and looked inside curiously.
Her heart really did stop for second or two. She felt it. She sank down to the floor, the strength draining from her legs. She lowered the bag and reached inside. "My camera!" She pulled the camera out, astonishment warring with overwhelming joy and ripped open the bag to stare at the silver case of the laptop she had thought was gone forever. She looked up at Seth. "You went and got them out. My god!"
He sat on the floor next to her, one knee cocked, careless of the suit. Over his shoulder, she could see the round eyes of her family staring at the astonishing sight of people sprawling on the floor when there were perfectly good chairs right next to them.
"I don't think you can count on ever using them again, Gabrielle," he said. "But this will give you a chance to retrieve the data, with the help of a good technician."
She nodded. "That was all I had wanted. To get my pictures back." She could feel her eyes stinging with unwanted tears and blinked furiously. Not in front of her sisters. Not if she could help it. "Thank you," she said, fighting hard to keep her voice even.
"No problem," he said briskly, standing up. "I happened to be passing by." He got to his feet, and held out his hand. "Come on, up you get."
The brisk tone, the snappy command...had he guessed her reluctance not to break down in front of her sisters? She was grateful for the reprieve, anyway. She allowed him to help her to her feet, her hand sliding inside his big, warm one. She shivered inside at the touch of his hand, her body suddenly on high alert. Like a schoolgirl, she didn't want to let go. She had to consciously make herself let go of his fingers.
Gabrielle worked to look normal and unconcerned as she put the camera and laptop on the sideboard next to his whiskey glass. Then she nearly ruined her composure again by jumping when she realized Seth had followed her over to the sideboard.
"Your father wanted to introduce me around to the family," Seth said quietly, standing very close behind her shoulder. "But I wanted to give you that option, first. You don't have to, Gabrielle and I won't be offended if you don't want to. Not after yesterday."
She looked up at him. Her shoulder barely came to the middle of his chest. She couldn't help remembering seeing it bare and being held against it. Unbidden, the urge came to undo the buttons on his shirt and slide her hands inside. To reveal his chest again. Only this time, she knew his chest would be hot. She could hold herself against the heat. Rub herself against it...
Gabrielle swallowed, trying to rid herself of the images. "Are you sure you want to meet them at all, Seth? They're a bunch of barracudas."
"Your father hinted as much." He grinned. "I can hold my own."
"Then I'd better introduce you," she said. "Or my sisters will try to eat you alive. If they think you're with me, they'll give you breathing room, at least."
Seth laughed.
"You think I'm kidding?" Gabrielle said. "With you looking the way you do and knowing my sisters, I'm astonished they hadn't already made a move before I got here."
Seth's smile faded. "Your father was with me the whole time..."
Gabrielle smiled sourly. "Dad has no illusions about them, either. The Sherborne family is infamous for its sex scandals. We've all contributed one way or another." She tucked her arm under his elbow. "Come and meet the family, Seth."
* * * * *
Seth was conscious of Gabrielle's hand on his elbow, but more aware of her slim figure walking next to him. The lace dress seemed insubstantial, a cloud floating over her figure. Every time she turned, he got a glimpse of her back...who would ever have thought a back could be sexy? Her hair was brushed in a way so that it pointed down her back and made a mockery of his pulse.
Despite her petite size, her legs seemed to go on forever, too.
Considering some of the outfits Gabrielle Sherborne had barely been wearing when the newspapers had splashed her across their front pages and the movies pushed her in front of cameras for promotion and PR, this dress was utterly conservative. But Seth's pulse and other parts of his anatomy were jack hammering like an adolescent schoolboy's, just the same. Tension was singing through his veins.
He'd thought, on the drive here yesterday, that the tension in the truck when she'd asked him to kiss her had been exquisite.
It had barely been the beginning of just how bad his need to take her could climb. Yesterday, outside Cameron Sherborne's office, he'd barely been able to walk away from her without tearing her clothes off. The single button he'd unfastened had been a slip, a betrayal of the inner turmoil.
Gabrielle was redefining his understanding of "want".
And now she was next to him again. And his body was betraying him in all sorts of ways.
He had to stay on top of this. He was on duty. She was the target. If he didn't want her dead, he had to stay alert.
Gabrielle halted in front of a woman of around thirty or so years of age. Her hair was a deep red and very long—down to her waist at least. Her skin was very fair. She had a long patrician nose and very green eyes.
"This is my eldest sister, Madison. Now Madison Breckinridge. Madison, this is Seth O'Connor, a friend of mine."
"Nice to meet you, Seth," Madison said, oozing charm. Her eyes narrowed. "You're the Canadian than hauled Gabi out of the river yesterday, aren't you?"
"That would be me," Seth said easily.
"You're not quite what I was expecting," Madison said, tilting her head to one side.
Gabrielle sighed. "She means she was expecting a Canadian redneck."
"Sorry to disappoint you," Seth told Madison, holding back a laugh. "I left the wool shirt at home. But I am partial to Canadian rye, if that helps."
Madison lifted a brow. "Rye," sh
e said flatly. "Do we even have any of that here, Gabi?"
"We're in Canada, for heaven's sake, Maddy," Gabrielle said. "Seth, come and meet Destiny."
She steered him over to a statuesque dirty blonde standing at the bar, her hair a riotous tumble of runaway curls down to the bottom of her shoulder blades, in contradiction to every fashion calling for hair straightening these days. She was drinking a champagne cocktail with obvious relish, while watching their approach with her green eyes sweeping Seth from head to foot. A predator's measuring sweep. That and the practiced toss of the last half of the cocktail to the back of her throat told Seth more than a long conversation's worth about the woman before Gabrielle began the introduction.
"This is my second oldest sister, Destiny. Destiny Hewitt. She's married to Ronny, who I'll introduce to you in a moment. Destiny, this is Seth O'Connor."
"Seth," Destiny said shortly. Her voice was scratchy. A smoker's voice. "You saved Gabi's life yesterday."
"So I'm told."
She smiled, but the expression didn't reach her eyes. "Did you get your hero's reward?"
"Destiny..." Gabrielle said with a sigh.
Seth felt the approach of someone else and checked over his shoulder. The dark-eyed man with the miniscule bottom lip hair he'd seen earlier hovering around Destiny was approaching now. This had to be Ronny, then, alerted by Seth's location next to his wife.
"See you're settling in nicely here, sweetheart," Ronny said as he came closer.
Destiny hissed through her teeth. It was all but inaudible. Then she smiled at Ronny and let him kiss her cheek. "Wondered where you'd got to," she muttered.
"And this is Ronny," Gabrielle added. "Ronny Hewitt, this is Seth O'Connor."
"The guy who saved Gabi-hell. Heard nothing but, yesterday." Ronny thrust out his hand.
Seth accepted the hand and gave it just enough power to match Ronny. But Ronny poured everything into it. It was going to be one of those unspoken macho competitions.
Stay away from my wife.
I don't want your wife. The woman next to me is the only one I'm interested in.
Nevertheless I'm stronger than you and I'm warning you to back away.
No, I'm stronger than you. I don't want to kick your ass, but I will if you insist.
Make me.
Seth mentally sighed and stepped up the power in his grip. He kept dialing it up until Ronny's knuckles whitened and his hand shifted and gave way. Then Seth let go and nodded amiably. "Good to meet you," he lied.
Ronny grimaced and tried to turn it into a smile. "You too," he managed.
Was either woman fooled?
Gabrielle slipped her hand around Seth's elbow again. "Come and meet Sydney," she murmured.
Well, he hadn't fooled Gabrielle, anyway. He looked down at her as they walked away from the bar. "Sorry," he said.
"He asked for it," she said placidly. "Ronny's ego gets a little inflated at times. You probably did him a favor. Don't worry about it."
She was leading him into another room. The dining room itself. It would ordinarily be another formal lounge, but the lodge staff had moved out the furniture and put together a long dining table, with enough places for the entire family.
Standing at the side of the table were two people who looked like power players in the business world. One was a typical businessman, in a Brooks Brothers suit, complete with handkerchief in his pocket. Seth felt like he should know who he was. The face was vaguely familiar.
The other was a female version of the first. She had flame-colored hair, cut chic and short, and was clearly holding her own in the conversation.
This, then, must be Sydney. If Gabrielle was introducing her sisters to Seth in age order, she had to be closest to Gabrielle in age. Barely into her thirties, then, and apparently well established in the business world.
The woman looked up, sized up Seth with a single sweep of her eyes, also the same green as her sisters, and a lift of her brow. She turned back to the man she was talking to and murmured something, then turned to face Gabrielle politely. "This must be Seth O'Connor," she said, holding her hand out to Seth, pushing past Gabrielle.
Seth didn't let his expression change.
"Hi, I'm Sydney Sherborne and this is Logan Breckinridge. You've possibly already met Logan's wife, Madison?"
Logan held out his hand. Seth shook both hands. Both firm grips, not testosterone challenges. "I met Madison a few minutes ago," Seth said. He picked up Gabrielle's wrist and drew her forward again, stepping back so that Gabrielle would be between him and Sydney. "Gabrielle has been introducing me to everyone." He put his hands on Gabrielle's shoulders and held her in place. "It's quite a family you have."
Logan laughed. "You think today is fun? Try marrying into it."
"Is that why Ronny looks like he has a headache?" Seth asked, making his tone casual.
Sydney's eyes narrowed. "He and Destiny tend to...rub against each other, shall we say?" Her gaze dropped to Gabrielle. "I take my hat off to you, Gabi. I wouldn't have the guts to bring a date to one of these family feeding frenzies."
Gabrielle shifted her weight, bringing her back up against him. Seth knew it was for courage and moral support. It hadn't been her choice to bring him here, but the whole family thought it was and she wasn't going to let them know differently.
"Then I guess I've got more guts than you, huh?" Gabrielle said serenely, sounding astonishingly like her father.
Sydney's mouth actually opened a little and her eyes widened. Seth had a feeling that it wasn't often that Gabrielle hit back at the family with calm pot shots instead of temper tantrums.
Logan snorted. "Serves you right, Sydney," he said and laughed. He moved around the table. "I'm going to grab a drink before they announce lunch."
There was a murmur from the kitchen and the door opened. A red-headed woman in her fifties stepped out and Gabrielle immediately moved away from Seth. Sydney lifted a brow. "Well, I'll let you three get acquainted," she said and followed Logan into the other room.
The woman wore elegant trousers and a silk shirt, with a cardigan in some expensive material that only older women seemed to be able to wear well, with a long string of pearls that Seth knew just had to be the real thing and probably priceless. Her hair was in a French pleat. Everything about her screamed money and elegance.
She walked right up to Gabrielle. "Gabrielle, darling. I think you need to introduce your man to me."
"He isn't my man, Mom."
The woman looked him over. "Nonsense. I saw how you were standing just now." She was looking him in the eye, her faded green eyes challenging him.
This woman was smart. People smart. There wasn't going to be much room to get around her. Seth held out his hand. "Seth O'Connor, ma'am."
"Elizabeth Sherborne, Mr. O'Connor. You can call me Elizabeth. Everyone does and I actually prefer it to Mrs. Sherborne."
"Elizabeth."
"So...you're the one," she said, studying his face.
"I helped get your daughter out of the river yesterday," Seth agreed.
She smiled. "Yes, there's that, too," she responded. She glanced at her watch. "Lunch is in about three minutes, Mr. O'Connor."
"Seth."
"Seth. My husband has requested that you sit next to him for the meal, which means you will both have to sit up there at that end." She waved toward the far end of the long table, and smiled. "That will cause a fuss before the meal is served, I am sure."
Chapter Six
Gabrielle thought the meal would never end. Seth had said he could hold his own, but she had never suspected he could prop her up at the same time. It was almost unnerving the way he could read her mind and sense when she was feeling whipped or cowed by the bloody barbs.
She had been fending for herself for decades but lately, she had been getting so tired of it all and retiring, defeated, to lick her wounds. In the last few years, it had simply become easier to submit and let the family use her as target practice. She was a world c
lass screw up after all, so why not? Gabi-hell strikes again.
But every time they had lined up on her today, Seth had stepped in front of her, or picked her up, dusted her off and pushed her back in front of the fray with her mental boxing gloves back on.
Now they were at the brandy and coffee stage, though, she was truly running out of energy. It had been a long while since she had gone head-on with the family, mano é mano like this. She would walk away from the table today with her dignity intact, thanks to Seth. Normally she either crept away from family dinners, a slug-like being with a destroyed ego, or she stalked away before the event was done, her fury pouring from every vent, ready to crack heads and break precious objects.
Family dinners lasted for hours and it was already getting dark when she and Seth got to their feet and walked slowly to the entryway once more.
Seth looked out through the doors. "It's snowing again," he said.
He looked so good in his suit. She wanted to open the jacket and snuggle up against him, inside the jacket and just...inhale him.
"That'll make it a slow trip home," she said stiffly.
The waiter brought his long overcoat and helped him into it.
"I know the road between here and home backward and upside-down," Seth said. "I'll be fine."
The coat made his shoulders look extra wide, extra strong. There were so many things Gabrielle wanted to say to him. He'd spent all afternoon propping up her courage...why couldn't she find the strength now to give some of that back to him? Damn it, he was about to step out the door and maybe never come back!
She reached for his sleeve. "You said you would explain, later."
He glanced around the entrance area, looking for observers. "We might be better off—" He looked over her shoulder. "Darlene," he said more loudly.
Tracy Cooper-Posey Page 5
