‘You didn’t understand much of that, did you, Lauren? You would remember your French had I been your teacher,’ Ms Stanbury rebuked, reverting to English, mischief in her eyes. ‘As I recall, it was always art and sport with you. When you weren’t tripping over and dropping things. Still,’ her tormentor continued, her knowing gaze moving from Lauren to Gabriel and back again, ‘it seems to me that your interest in things French has increased considerably of late.’
As Gabriel chuckled, Lauren fought another blush. The woman was a menace! Fortunately, they were soon able to escape. Unfortunately, her time with Gabriel was over for today and she dropped him back at the Manor House.
‘Gertrude Stanbury was everything I expected and more,’ he teased, silencing her grunt of disgust with a parting kiss that left her breathless. He drew back and stroked the fingers of one hand down her cheek. ‘Thank you for this morning, chérie. I learned a lot.’ Lauren feared he had learned rather more than she had intended, thanks to Gertrude’s runaway tongue. ‘We’ll talk at the weekend.’
With his enigmatic promise ringing in her ears, Lauren returned to the surgery for her afternoon list of appointments, wondering what the weekend held in store and if, once finally alone, they would succumb to the charge of desire that hummed between them.
Today had been his most enjoyable day in Cornwall so far, Gabriel reflected, lingering over coffee after the meal he had cooked and shared with Lauren in the kitchen at the Manor House on Saturday evening.
The weather had continued to be kind and they had spent the day exploring, Lauren showing him Bodmin Moor and parts of the coast. They had also indulged in a number of increasingly heated kisses that had whetted his appetite for more. From the look in her eyes and the responses of her body, he was pretty sure Lauren felt the same. Foxy had accompanied them on their walks, growing in confidence all the time, and the sleek greyhound now lay asleep in the basket Lauren had brought up for him. Returning from their outing as dusk had descended, they had stopped off at Gatehouse Cottage to check on and feed Chloe’s cats.
He had noticed once again Lauren’s nervousness and caution in the dark, the care she took, the way she sometimes counted to herself as if she was measuring her steps because she couldn’t see. He wasn’t even sure she was aware of the habit. Once the lights went on, she reverted to her usual self. Again, her actions puzzled and concerned him, but he was wary of mentioning anything to her until he had a clearer idea if there was, indeed, anything wrong…and until she knew him well enough to trust him. Was he making something out of nothing? Maybe, if everyone else accepted her as clumsy and she had always been this way, he was seeing something that wasn’t there and Lauren just had bad night vision. Gertrude Stanbury had confirmed Lauren had been renowned for being accident prone even in her schooldays. He planned to keep a watch on her until he was more certain of the facts.
Looking at Lauren now, Gabriel marvelled again at her natural beauty. Her skin glowed with freshness, her hair, left loose around her shoulders, shone with life—myriad shades of light browns and golds—and her womanly figure was shown off to perfection in dark jeans and a lilac button-through top that hugged the fullness of her breasts. Long, sooty lashes rose and beautiful grey eyes stared into his own.
‘What?’ she asked, her voice husky, rosy lips parting slightly as her tongue-tip peeped out to moisten them, tightening his gut with need.
He edged his chair closer and reached out to take one of her hands in both of his, holding her palm up in one hand and stroking her soft skin with the fingers of the other, feeling the way her flesh quivered in response to his touch.
‘I had a great time today, Lauren.’
‘Me, too.’
He forced himself to look away from the temptation of her mouth for the moment. They had talked about so much today but had not touched on any of the things that were contentious or difficult, like family and past relationships. Gabriel thought of all the well-meaning but meddling gossip Gertrude had told him on Thursday. Knowing how he felt about having his own privacy invaded, he didn’t want to pressure Lauren, yet he knew they had reached a point where an exchange of confidences was needed if they were to take the simmering passion that only grew hotter and more intense between them to its logical conclusion.
‘Will you tell me about Martin?’ he asked after a long moment of silence. He watched Lauren carefully but saw nothing in her reaction to worry him, no sign she was still in love with the man Gertrude had mentioned.
‘Martin and I had an on-off relationship for a long time,’ she explained, no inflection in her voice. ‘We grew up together, went out as teenagers, then broke up when I went away to do my physiotherapy training. I had a couple of casual boyfriends while we were apart and I know Martin dated other people. He stayed in Penhally, apprenticed to his father’s construction business, but he was never happy there.’ Gabriel waited when she paused again, welcoming the way she twined her fingers with his. ‘When I moved back here to work, neither of us were involved with anyone and we started seeing each other again. I suppose we drifted into it for lack of other options. That sounds bad, but we were good friends first and foremost. We just became comfortable with each other, like an old habit. Things were wrong for a long time but neither of us faced up to what was happening.’
‘And what did happen?’
‘Martin became increasingly restless and withdrawn. He felt stifled by a job he hated, a town he wanted to escape from and a relationship I’m sure he knew deep down was going nowhere. I was settled—I love my job, my friends, my hobbies. But he needed to go off and explore new things and places. And to find someone he could share more than friendship with.’
She sounded understanding and not too sorry that things had ended, Gabriel thought. ‘So he left.’
‘It was the right decision. We were both relieved.’ She smiled, her expression clear. ‘A lot of people were shocked—a few had presumed we would marry. That was never on the cards. We didn’t even live together. It was only once we’d made the final break that I realised how dull and predictable and restricting things had become, and how long it had been since we had been together in any real sense of the word. Our friendship was important but anything more was wrong for us both. Martin needed to leave. We couldn’t provide what each other wanted.’
Smiling, she rose to her feet and began to clear the table, moving to the sink to wash up the plates. Thoughtful, understanding the rut she had found herself in, Gabriel drained the last of his wine and crossed the kitchen to join her, working silently by her side for a moment. The atmosphere was thick with the ever-present awareness and desire that rippled between them.
When the last plate had been washed and dried, Gabriel turned her to face him. ‘And what did you want, Lauren, that you never got from your relationship?’
Gabriel’s smoky, accented voice sent shivers down Lauren’s spine. Did she dare admit her secret yearnings? She sensed that with Gabriel she could experience all the things she now knew she had been missing. His compelling gaze drew her in, mesmerised her. The last two weeks had been leading up to this point and they both knew it. Taking her courage in both hands, she looked into his eyes, holding nothing back.
‘I wanted things to be more passionate, more spontaneous, less boring.’
‘You’d like to be adventurous, chérie?’
‘Yes,’ she whispered, her own voice low and throaty in response to the dark sensuality lacing his.
He didn’t move. He wasn’t touching her in any way but it felt as if he was. ‘You want to experiment, to be fully satisfied.’ It was a statement, not a question, and Lauren swallowed, a shiver of desire skimming down her spine.
‘Yes.’ The admission was torn from her.
‘You want a partner to be your equal, to explore the full scope of your sexuality, to surprise you and challenge you. To give and to take. To break rules and test boundaries.’
Speech was now impossible. He was seducing her with his words, his voice, the pr
omise that remained as yet unspoken. Excitement fired her blood. The wicked glint in his sexy dark eyes made her breathless. She had no doubt that making love with Gabriel would never be boring or predictable or lacking in passion. Her heart pounded beneath her ribs. Unable to wrest her gaze from his, she nodded her answer, aroused beyond bearing, unable to look away from the flare of desire that turned his brown eyes almost black.
He stepped closer, reaching out to take her hands in his. It was their only point of contact and yet her whole body vibrated with sensation. His arms encircled her, his fingers linked with hers so that their joined hands fisted at the small of her back. The movement caused her body to arch and press against his. Every thud of her heart sounded loud in the silence of the kitchen and her breathing sped up, matching the uneven rate of his.
A gasp escaped unchecked as his lips whispered over hers, the tip of his tongue teasing as he circled it round the outline of her mouth, pausing to stroke each corner. It was incredibly erotic. She moaned, opening involuntarily, seeking closer contact, her lips clinging to his as he gave her what she needed. From the first second the kiss flared out of control, deep and demanding as they all but devoured each other, exploring, tongues duelling and entwining. His teeth nibbled at her, inflaming her senses. He pulled on her lips, then sucked on her tongue, drawing her into him. She couldn’t get close enough, intoxicated by the male taste of him and his warm, citrusy, masculine scent.
The next moment, she found both her hands restrained behind her by one of his, leaving his other hand free to explore her. And explore her he did. His fingers trailed her face and down her throat, setting little fires wherever he touched, making every particle of her skin tingle. She whimpered when his mouth abandoned hers. Forcing heavy lids to open, her eyes focused to find him watching her, following the path of his fingertips over her flesh. As he bent her back, his palm splayed over her skin, stroking across from one collar-bone to the other before slowly grazing lower. Lauren held her breath as his thumb dipped down her cleavage, tantalisingly brushing against the swell of her breasts, setting her aflame, making her ache for a firmer touch.
‘Gabe…’
Her breath rasped out again as his fingers went to work on her buttons, peeling back her top and freeing one breast from the confinement of her lacy red bra. The sight of his darker skin against her paler tones enthralled and excited her. Her nipple, already peaked and flushed with arousal, tightened further under his hungry gaze. She quivered as the pad of his thumb brushed around the outside edge of her areola before gliding once over the proud crest, making her cry out at the sweet ache. After an agonising delay, when she thought she would die of anticipation, his palm cupped the firm fullness of her breast, shaping, testing, before plumping it up as his head lowered. She tried unsuccessfully to free her hands, desperate to touch him, but he kept her captive to his will. Her knees turned to jelly as the moist warmth of his mouth closed over her swollen flesh and he suckled her deeply.
‘Oh, my!’ She sobbed, shocked by the powerful sensations crashing through her, more intense and incredible than she had ever felt before. Her body arched further in response to his sensual caresses, the rhythmic, hot, heavy pull of his mouth at her breast spearing a devastating ache of need straight to her womb. ‘Please. Gabe, please!’
He finally released her hands and she clutched at his shoulders to keep from melting to the floor. Cupping her rear, his fingers flexing, shaping her through the denim as he sank to a chair, he drew her down so she was straddling his lap. Swiftly he dispensed with her shirt and bra. He arched her back, supporting her spine with one hand as the fingers of his other hand traced her skin, learning the contours and textures of her body.
‘Tu es parfait, ma belle,’ he praised huskily, his accent more pronounced. ‘Perfect.’
His mouth moved to lavish attention on her neglected breast, bringing the nipple to an aching ripeness to rival its twin. Lauren wriggled on his lap, making him groan as she rubbed herself against the hard thickness of his arousal. She glided one hand up his neck to the back of his head, holding him to her. His close-cropped hair tickled her palm, feeling softly spiky to her touch. Unable to wait any longer to see him, to feel more of him, her fingers tugged at his cable-knit jumper, and he drew back just long enough for her to wrench it over his head. As her fingers traced his upper arms, he returned his avid attention to her breasts, driving her insane with the devastating skill of his hands and mouth, tormenting with his lips and teeth before salving with his tongue. Again he suckled strongly, taking her flesh deep inside, rolling her swollen nipple against the roof of his mouth with his tongue. She cried out, already on the ragged edge, shocked by the urgency of her need.
‘I can’t bear it!’
He chuckled, the huff of his breath against her over-stimulated flesh nearly sending her past the point of no return. She had never responded to any man the way she did to Gabriel. He only had to look at her to arouse her. One touch and she was primed, ready. Now she was a whisper away from climaxing and they still had most of their clothes on!
‘Hold on, chérie.’
Taking her by surprise, he stood up, lifting her with him. She curled her legs around his hips and her arms around his neck, as he headed out of the room towards the stairs. She wanted this with a fierceness that shocked her. They had been heading here since the first moment they had seen each other. Excited anticipation rippled through her. Her hands explored his shoulders and back, delighting in the smoothness of his warm supple skin, the feel of hard muscles rippling beneath.
The rest of the house was in darkness and she pressed her face to his neck, not wanting to acknowledge how little she could see. Instead, she lost herself in his scent, the feel of him, the rightness of her body against his. His hand on her rear tightened, one finger wickedly dipping down to stroke the seam of her jeans over her most sensitive flesh. She moaned, her body reacting instantly, and she wriggled, trying to assuage the terrible ache, desperate for release.
When they reached his bedroom, he set her on her feet, keeping hold of her as he leaned over and switched on the twin bedside lights, casting their welcome glow in the room, easing her anxiety and helping her to see.
He cupped her face with his hands, his expression serious. ‘Things in my life are unsettled at the moment, Lauren, and I need to make decisions about my future.’
‘Is this about why you left France?’ she ventured, nerves tightening her insides.
‘Yes. There are family issues.’ He hesitated, his uncertainty evident. ‘I’m not ready to talk about it. When I am, it will be to you.’
She nodded. ‘I understand.’ And she did. She wasn’t ready to get into her whole family situation either, or face the scary subject of her changing sight. No way would she push him but she would be there if and when he needed her.
‘I hadn’t planned on or expected to get involved in anything here.’
Terrified he was going to call a halt, she began to protest. ‘I—’
‘However…’ The pad of his thumb pressed gently against her mouth and silenced her. ‘I cannot deny the connection that sparked between us from the first moment, or the attraction and longing I have for you. I want you…badly.’ Her body tingled, her legs felt weak, and hopeful excitement stirred within her. ‘I’ve not dated at all since my last relationship ended a year ago.’
She was surprised. ‘Because you still love her?’ she dared to ask.
‘No. I didn’t love her.’ Gabriel smiled and she read the truth in his eyes. ‘Like you and Martin, Adèle and I had no grand passion. One day I’ll explain, but it ended because of deceit and manipulation. I was angry. It’s made me cautious, and I have not been interested in a woman since. Until you.’ He paused a moment, then continued. ‘I can’t make any promises at the moment, Lauren. I—’
‘Let’s not worry about the future or waste time assessing what this is. I’m not expecting anything or asking for commitment, Gabe, but I don’t do one-night stands.’
&nb
sp; ‘Neither do I. I don’t embark on things lightly.’ His thumbs brushed across her cheekbones. ‘I can’t give you any guarantees now but this is a hell of a lot more than one night for me. If that’s what you want, too.’
‘It is.’
Lauren knew the decision had been made the instant she had met him. She meant what she said. She wasn’t holding him to anything, but she couldn’t deny the hope flaring within her or quell the sense that the chemistry between them was special. She planned to explore it to the fullest and see where this exciting journey took them.
‘Why don’t we enjoy what we have and see what happens down the line?’ she suggested. It had been a long time for her—for him, too, apparently—and she craved Gabriel with an intensity that was almost scary. ‘Later will take care of itself.’
‘I agree. We live for the here and now.’
She sucked in a breath as his touch became caressing and the flare of sultry desire returned to his eyes. His fingers whispered down her throat, stroking her skin as they trailed between her breasts, neglecting for the moment the flesh that most craved his caresses. Instead, he journeyed down, over and around her navel, making her muscles clench, before grazing down to the waistband of her jeans and working all too slowly to unfasten them.
Lauren was glad he had left the light on. She wanted to see him, to experience everything of their time together. Heat flared inside her as his fingers slid inside the loosened waistband of her jeans, moving down to cuddle her rear. Her own hands settled against his bare chest, enjoying the freedom to touch him. She wanted to linger, to learn every inch of him, but she was too impatient, too needy. She ran her nails lightly over his bronze nipples, smiling at his reaction as he groaned, his body trembling. Moving closer, she set her mouth to him, nipping, licking and teasing, heady from the male taste of him.
Caroline Anderson, Josie Metcalfe, Maggie Kingsley, Margaret McDonagh Page 56