by Mather, Anne
‘I—assumed she would be,’ Rachel murmured, although in all honesty she hadn’t thought of the older woman until this moment.
‘She’s still in London,’ Gabriel told her, and as the car stopped he reached for the handle of the door. Then, glancing over his shoulder, he added, ‘Are you coming in or do you want me to ask Mario to take you straight home?’
Rachel took a deep breath. On the one hand she was relieved that she wasn’t going to have to face the formidable Signora Webb, but, conversely, there was the daunting knowledge that she and Gabriel were alone here. Apart from his staff, of course, though she doubted they’d have much sympathy with her predicament.
Her predicament?
Rachel gave an impatient shake of her head. She was taking this far too seriously. She wasn’t a child, for heaven’s sake, and she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.
1—thought you were going to offer me coffee,’she said firmly, shifting forward on the seat. ‘Besides, Mario is going to collect my car, isn’t he?’ She paused. ‘If he doesn’t mind.’
Gabriel gave a small smile. ‘Oh, I think I can assure you that Mario will be happy to collect your car and take you home whenever you wish,’ he remarked drily, exchanging a knowing look with the chauffeur. ‘Shall we go?’
An older woman Rachel hadn’t seen on her first visit met them in the reception hall. Tonight the chandelier was in darkness and the only illumination came from concealed lighting high up on the walls. But it was enough to see that the woman was surprised to see them, though her real feelings were carefully concealed.
‘Mr Webb,’she said politely. ‘We didn’t expect you back so soon.’Her eyes moved curiously to his companion. ‘Is there anything I can get for you, sir?’
‘Yes. Coffee for two,’ said Gabriel easily. Then, to Rachel, This is Mrs Hamilton, my housekeeper. You’ll find she’s a real treasure.’
The woman smiled, but Rachel doubted she’d ever have the opportunity to decide one way or the other. ‘How do you do?’ she said, not sure what the protocol was in circumstances like this. ‘It’s very nice to meet you.’ ‘And you, Miss—Mrs—?’
‘Kershaw,’ supplied Gabriel swiftly. ‘Mrs Kershaw.’ He glanced round. ‘We’ll have coffee on the patio, Mrs Hamilton. As soon as you can, right?’ ‘Yes, sir.’
The housekeeper sounded willing enough, but Rachel felt her eyes upon them as Gabriel ushered her across the hall and into a large sitting room she hadn’t seen before. He switched on a couple of lamps before closing the double panelled doors behind them, and Rachel breathed a little more easily now that they were alone. Which was probably very stupid!
‘Oughtn’t you to have told her I’m a widow?’ she asked now, glancing over her shoulder, and Gabriel pulled a wry face.
‘I don’t have to explain myself to my staff,’ he replied, moving to the windows and opening the long glass doors that gave onto the patio. He pushed them wide. ‘Are you coming?’he asked, pressing another switch to flood the area beyond with a mellow golden light.
Holding her scarf about her, Rachel stepped outside and was immediately assailed by the scent of a dozen night-flowering blossoms. Pots of geraniums, hanging baskets of fuchsia and lobelia, trellises hung with vines, gave the whole scene a distinctly foreign appearance, and she guessed his mother must have had a hand in its creation.
Beyond the patio, the swimming pool they had seen the previous week as they’d walked to the stables glinted invitingly, and once again she was reminded of Hannah. After all, the only reason she had come here on that occasion had been to please her daughter. She should remember that and not fool herself by imagining that this was anything more than a fleering diversion.
‘It’s a beautiful night,’remarked Gabriel softly, and she glanced his way. He had shed his jacket onto one of the rattan chairs that were set in the shade of a rose-covered pergola and unfastened the top button of his shirt. He was presently tugging his tie a couple of inches away from his collar when he caught her looking at him. ‘Is something wrong?’
Nothing. Everything, thought Rachel breathlessly, aware of how attractive he looked now that he had shed the formality he had worn in the restaurant. ‘What could be wrong?’ she offered, wishing she had more experience in these situations. ‘It’s very warm, isn’t it?’
‘You’d noticed.’His tone was mocking. ‘You wouldn’t think so to judge by the way you’re clinging to your scarf.’
Oh.’ Rachel’s arms slackened and the scarf fell about her waist. ‘I wasn’t thinking.’
‘I think you were thinking too much,’retorted Gabriel drily, and she started when he pressed another switch so that the pool was suddenly lit from below the water. ‘Relax.’
The return of Mrs Hamilton with the coffee Gabriel had ordered gave her a few moments to escape the knowledge that she couldn’t hide from him. But she had to keep her head, she told herself fiercely, even if it would be incredibly easy to allow the beauty and the sensuality of her surroundings to seduce her reason. ‘Is there anything else I can get for you, sir?’ Mrs Hamilton asked, stepping back from the table where she had set the tray and regarding him expectantly. ‘Er—will Mrs Kershaw be staying the night?’
‘No!’ Rachel’s shocked denial prevented Gabriel from making some ambiguous statement that might give the woman the wrong impression. ‘No, I’ll be leaving after we’ve had
coffee.’
‘Yes, madam.’ Mrs Hamilton inclined her head. ‘I’ll see you in the morning, then, Mr Webb. Goodnight. Goodnight, Mrs Kershaw.’ ‘Goodnight.’
Only Gabriel’s response was audible and Rachel wondered if he was annoyed at her hasty reply. But it wasn’t evident in his voice when he asked if she would like cream or sugar, and she glanced round to find him pouring some of the filtered coffee into bone china cups.
‘Um—black, please,’she said, keeping the width of the table between them, and Gabriel gave her a weary look.
‘In case the wine might have gone to your head, is that right?’he suggested drily. ‘Don’t worry. I can keep my baser impulses in check.’ I—I—you’re embarrassing me,’she said awkwardly, and he gave her a cynical look.
‘You don’t think that jumping in to assure Mrs Hamilton that you’ll be leaving just as soon as you can swallow this coffee is embarrassing to me?’ Rachel coloured. ‘I—perhaps,’she conceded, dropping her scarf on the chair behind her. ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come.’ ‘And that’s what this is really all about, isn’t it?’he demanded flatly. ‘You’re afraid because we’re alone here. Afraid of what I might do to you.’ ‘I’m not afraid.’ She was indignant.
‘No?’He obviously didn’t believe her. ‘Well, if you’re not afraid of me, who are you afraid of? Yourself?’ Rachel lifted her shoulders. ‘I—maybe,’she conceded, almost without thinking, and he groaned. ‘Rachel...’
He moved round the table towards her, but when he would have reached for her she almost jack-knifed away from him. She knew if he touched her she’d be lost, but Gabriel didn’t see it that way.
He swore then, audibly this time, before raking long fingers over his scalp. ‘Drink your coffee,’ he advised harshly, starting across the patio. He flung off his waistcoat and it dropped to the floor at her feet. ‘I won’t belong.’ ‘But where are you going?’
Rachel was anxious now, and the look he cast back over his shoulder was full of bitterness. ‘Does it matter?’ he asked, his fingers unbuttoning his shirt. Then, as she continued to stare after him, ‘I’m going for a swim. I need to cool off.’
‘A swim?’ Rachel was shocked. ‘But—is that wise?’
‘Wise?’ Gabriel’s voice floated back to her as he descended the steps to the apron that surrounded the pool. Oh, right. Because my mother’s convinced you I’ve been ill?’ he called mockingly. ‘Well, why should that concern you? It isn’t as if you care.’ But she did!
Rachel fretted at the thought, but it was true. As he stripped off his shirt and stepped out of his tr
ousers her heart ached with the knowledge of how much. But it was foolish, she told herself, watching him kick off his shoes and socks. She and Gabriel were never going to be more than friends.
He paused and looked back at her then, and she quickly looked away. She was feeling very much like a voyeur, but the image of his lean muscled body wouldn’t be dislodged. Common sense was telling her she should demand that he send for Mario and allow her to go home. It surely couldn’t take long for him to drive to and from the country club. But the knowledge of how she had felt in the restaurant—how she still felt now, if she was honest with herself—kept her silent.
‘Would you like to join me?’ he called, but she shook her head.
‘No, thanks.’
He said nothing more, but the sound of his body cleaving the water brought her head round. She’d been half afraid he was naked, but as she watched him swim strongly underwater towards the far end of the pool she could see he was still wearing his shorts. Green silk boxers clung to the tight curve of his buttocks, clearly visible in the concealed light.
Rachel felt a frightening surge inside her, a realisation that this man had come to mean more to her than she’d ever dreamed it was possible to feel. Dear God, she acknowledged with a sense of panic, she was falling in love with him. Now, how stupid was that?
Gabriel had swum to the end of the pool and was now swimming back, his dark head barely clearing the water. He wasn’t looking at her, he was concentrating on his stroke, and, almost unaware of what she was doing, Rachel moved to the top of the steps that led down to the pool.
She waited until he reached the apron and then, her arms wrapped closely about her waist, she said stiffly, ‘Do you think Mario will be back yet?’
Gabriel’s mouth compressed. ‘Have you drunk your coffee?’
‘I don’t want it,’she answered tightly. ‘I don’t like drinking alone.’
‘Don’t you?’With a lithe movement Gabriel vaulted out of the pool to stand dripping water onto the tiled surround. ‘I got the impression you didn’t want my company either.’ Rachel quivered. ‘I didn’t say that.’
‘No.’His tone was wry as he climbed the steps towards her and she stiffened. She was sure he intended to touch her, and this time she had no idea how she would respond. But he merely brushed past her, his damp skin chill against her arm, saying over his shoulder, ‘I’ll get dressed.’
He disappeared into the house and Rachel allowed the breath she had been holding to disperse. And, as she did so, she realised he’d left his clothes strewn in a path towards the pool. With an exclamation of concern she hurriedly gathered them all together, and then, although she wasn’t at all sure what she intended to do with them, she went after him.
He wasn’t in the sitting room, or in the spacious entrance hall that had so impressed her the week before. Nor was there any sign of Mrs Hamilton, though Rachel thought that that at least wasn’t a disadvantage. She had no real desire to meet Gabriel’s housekeeper with her arms full of Gabriel’s clothes, however innocent it might be.
The staircase rose imposingly on her right and she paused at its foot to stare doubtfully up into its shadowy heights. Lamps were lit along its length, but they barely illuminated more than each individual step. Yet she was sure that Gabriel had gone up them. A trace of moisture clinging to the banister told of his passage, and, without giving herself time to think, Rachel started up the stairs.
A galleried landing confronted her at the top of the stairs, circling three sides of the hall below before heading off in several directions. A soft carpet cushioned her feet, silenced her footsteps, and she turned uncertainly from side to side, not sure where Gabriel had gone.
The sound of running water drew her along the corridor to her right, an open door into what appeared to be a suite of rooms giving her an unmistakable clue. Gabriel was obviously taking a shower after his swim in the pool, and she quickly laid his clothes on the huge square bed and prepared to leave.
‘Rachel!’
The water was still running and she turned a startled face towards the bathroom door. Gabriel stood there, a towel wrapped hastily about his hips, his expression a mingling of disbelief and expectation.
‘I—you left your clothes—outside,’ she said, her face flaming with embarrassed colour. ‘I—I didn’t intend to intrude—’
‘You’re not.’ One hand moved from his flat midriff to his shoulder and back again, almost nervously. He glanced behind him. ‘I was going to have a shower.’ ‘Yes.’
Rachel was intensely aware of the movement of his hand, of the way his long fingers disturbed the light covering of hair on his chest. Hair that arrowed down to his navel and beyond. When he’d kissed her in the stables those same fingers had touched her, caressed her. The lean strength of his thighs had pressed against hers and she’d felt the powerful thrust of his arousal against her stomach. She suspected he was aroused now, and she couldn’t prevent her eyes from seeking the proof concealed by the loosely knotted towel.
God, why was she thinking of that now?
‘I—I’ll wait for you downstairs,’ she began, but she knew as Gabriel came towards her that this time she had gone too far. The confirmation was in his eyes, and when he reached for her she had no defence to offer.
‘Stay.’he said huskily, cupping her face in his hands, and when his mouth found hers she could only give in to her own urgent need to be close to him.
Her hands uncurled against the damp skin of his waist, her breasts crushed against the muscled strength of his chest. She had never been this close to any man except Larry, and she couldn’t remember him inspiring the feelings inside her that Gabriel so effortlessly aroused. Everywhere he touched, a spark of electricity seemed to jump from his flesh to hers, and, although she had never considered herself a sensual woman, she found herself arching against him, wanting to feel every inch of his taut frame moulded to hers.
‘God, Rachel.’he said hoarsely, gathering her closer. ‘Do you have any idea how much I want you?’
Rachel took a trembling breath. ‘I think so.’she whispered, her fingers gripping his neck. Then, as he pulled the ties that held her top in place, ‘Ought—oughtn’t we to close the
door?’
‘No one’s going to disturb us,’he assured her as his hands found her breasts. ‘God, you’re beautiful.’he added as his palms caressed her swollen nipples. ‘So beautiful!’
Rachel felt dizzy with emotion. So dizzy, in fact, that when he drew her across to the huge bed she was almost relieved to subside onto the cool coverlet. She thought perhaps the coverlet was made of satin, it was so smooth and sensuous against her hot skin. But she paid it little heed when Gabriel came down beside her and kissed her neck.
Then his mouth was on hers again, his tongue pressing urgently between her teeth to take possession of the moist cavern within. His kiss was deep, passionate, seducing her as surely as the hands that had taken possession of her body.
She wasn’t wearing a bra, and her skirt was soon disposed of. But, although she’d expected him to go ahead and strip off her panties, too, he didn’t. Instead he parted her legs, and kneeling between them, he bent and suckled at each of her breasts in turn.
Fire shot through her at the sensual tugging of his tongue and his teeth. Her nipples felt hot and tender, her breasts heavy with longing. She found herself surging up on her elbows to make it easier for him, lifting her breasts to his mouth, moaning with satisfaction at the pleasure he was giving her.
When his mouth moved from her breasts to follow a sensuous path to her navel she almost groaned with disappointment. She wanted him to go on with what he’d been doing, but then his tongue probed the hollow above her abdomen and she was instantly receptive to other sensations. Wherever he touched she was made aware of receptors she’d hardly known she possessed, and now she ached for him to move even lower.
And he did. With unhurried skill, he bent to peel her panties away from the triangle of hair that hid her womanhood. But o
nly so far. Although she was fretting for him to go further, he seemed content to stroke the increasingly damp curls, and only when she uttered an agonised cry did he slide his fingers down into her sweetness.
‘Please.’she said then, gazing up at him, and he arched his brow in that familiar frustrating way he had when he teased her.
‘What?’ he asked softly, but she knew he knew exactly what she wanted. ‘Do you want me to take these off?’ he continued, flicking the elastic trim. And when she nodded he smiled. ‘You do it,’ he said. ‘You do it for me.’ And with trembling fingers she struggled up and did so.
Ah, Rachel,’ he groaned then, and she realised that that simple action had achieved what all her silent pleading had not. Tell me you want me.’ ;I want you. I want you.’she said, in a desperate breathless voice.
He entered her then, smoothly and slickly, her own quivering flesh making it easy for him. She’d been half afraid he would hurt her, but he didn’t. She was more than ready for him, and his pulsating length fitted perfectly into her wet sheath. She would have liked for him to stay there for a while, allowing her to enjoy the sensation of him filling her so completely, but Gabriel was past the point of no return. His carnal energies were driving him on, and with a muffled groan he started to move.
‘I’m sorry,’he said against her neck as he pulled almost fully out of her before plunging in again and alerting all the little sexual sensors inside her. His teeth tugged on her soft flesh. ‘I’ve wanted you for so long...’
‘Me, too.’ she confessed helplessly, turning her lips against his roughening jawline, and he uttered a moan of triumph as the first shudders of her release triggered his.
Some time later, Rachel stirred to the awareness that it must be very late. She suspected she must have fallen asleep after their lovemaking, and although she was loath to move and disturb Gabriel, who was slumbering so contentedly beside her, she knew she had to go home.
