Falling For You

by Nicole Taylor

  “How about your gardener?”

  “Rafferty?”

  “Yes. When’s he coming? I’d like to direct him to plant some flowers too.”

  “He’s due at the end of the week. They are both completely at your disposal, milady.”

  ~*~*~*~

  That evening, Gabriel began Leiliana’s first teaching session, true to his word.

  He began by once again, demonstrating how she should stand, shoulder-width apart with her dominant leg straight back.

  “You’re right-handed, so your dominant leg is your right. Take your right foot back, so your left shoulder is front-facing. Now turn your head and tuck it into your front shoulder.”

  To demonstrate, he took her head in his hands. “Lower your chin gently, that’s right.” He held her hands similar to what he had done the first time. “And bring your fists up to the front of your face. Remember, you’re always going to keep your hands up to protect your face.” He pulled them slightly downward. “Right here. Just under the eyes,” he said with a chuckle. “You still need to see your opponent, so no covering the eyes.”

  He stood in front of her and looked her up and down. He seemed satisfied that she was positioned correctly.

  “Now, remember that the jab is the basic move. Let’s see if you remember how to do that one.”

  Keeping her hips in place, she punched her left hand straight out, jabbed, and then brought her fist back under her eye.

  “Be sure to keep this hand in a fist, tucked and at the ready,” he said, touching her right hand. “Let’s do a few more of those.”

  He stood by, critiquing her for a few minutes. Then he said. “Very good. You’re a quick learner. Which means I can add the cross now.”

  Leiliana felt excited, as though the exertion had released some endorphins. But she thought it was more than that. Perhaps it was also the exhilaration from having Gabriel teach her how to box. And the way he was dressed wasn’t really helping. He wore a fitted white t-shirt and black shorts that showcased his muscular body.

  “Return to boxing stance,” he said.

  Leiliana focused her thoughts and positioned herself as Gabriel had taught her. When he came over to adjust her hips, she wasn’t sure if she really needed the correction or if it was an excuse to touch her. Not that she was complaining.

  “Now, the cross is basically when you throw a punch that literally crosses from the back of your body to the front.”

  He quickly demonstrated, and she admired how agile he was.

  “Let’s see you try now. Instead of moving your left fist, you’ll now be punching your right hand straight forward. As you punch, pivot on the ball of your foot and rotate your hips forward. Then return your hand and hips to the starting position. I’ll demonstrate the first one.”

  After a few minutes, he told her he would teach her a few basic self-defense moves.

  “The first thing you will want to do is focus on your attacker’s vulnerable places. These are the eyes, the nose, throat, and groin.”

  “What about the stomach or chest,” she asked.

  He shook his head. “The chest tends to be ineffective unless you pack a powerful punch.” He see-sawed his hand. “The stomach. Again that’s going to depend on how big your attacker is. My advice is to aim for those most vulnerable places. The groin kick is one of the most proven effective ways. But the element of surprise is critical.” He showed her the position and told her to proceed.

  Leiliana drove her knee upwards, extended the leg, pushed her hips forward, slightly leaned back, and kicked forcefully.

  “Good job. If your attacker is too close, thrust your knee towards the groin,” Gabriel said.

  As they were leaving the gym a little later, Gabriel said. “The flight leaves tomorrow afternoon, so tomorrow morning you can come packed for the trip.”

  “We’re taking a commercial flight?”

  “No. I’ve got a private plane.”

  She glanced at him in surprise. “I thought you had to pay off millions in fines. How can you afford a private plane?”

  “That wasn’t among the things I sold. I kept it because we do a lot of commuting, and it seemed like a necessary expense. There are days I question whether I did the right thing, but the truth is with me moving between New York and Dublin and Dublin and Belfast, it has really come in handy.”

  ~*~*~*~

  The first thing that struck Leiliana when they arrived at the wind farm site was the tranquility. She hadn’t expected the wind farm to be this quiet. All that she could hear was the bleating of the sheep that grazed on the farm.

  When she commented on this, the site manager, Finn Quimby, explained to her that this wasn’t a particularly windy day.

  “But even when the wind’s ripping, the noise isn’t terrifying,” he told her in that Irish burr that she was growing to love so well.

  “This is an actual farm?” she said, looking around at the cattle.

  “Aye. It’s a working farm. It puts the land to use so that rather than just be a lot of empty space between the turbines, we can have animals grazing.”

  She looked across at Gabriel. “Is this your land?”

  He nodded.

  She turned back to Mr. Quimby. “Are you here every day?”

  “The site is unmanned. The wind turbines don’t need to be managed daily. I make sure that this place runs efficiently, so I do a quarterly inspection. There are times like these that I come between that, but generally, it's every quarter,” Mr. Quimby responded.

  “So, how does it work?”

  “The electricity generated by the wind turbines is transferred via 33,000-volt underground cables to the government substation before being transferred to the adjoining substation and then to the grid in Carnmoney.”

  She looked up at the imposing machines. “How tall are they?”

  “Almost 10 meters tall.”

  “What are they made of?”

  “Steel and fiberglass and held in place by reinforced concrete foundations.”

  On their way back to the hotel, Leiliana asked Gabriel, “How much energy do those wind turbines produce?”

  “Each turbine produces 2.3 megawatts of energy.”

  “There are ten,” she said, “That’s a total of 23 megawatts.”

  Gabriel nodded. “That’s roughly enough energy to power over 13,000 homes per year.”

  Leiliana looked at him, slack-jawed. “I had no idea.”

  “Yes, it's quite phenomenal. Which is why I can’t understand the Government’s objection to me placing the turbines in a residential area.”

  He hadn’t meant to bring that up. It had just come out, unbidden.

  “You’re talking about the construction project?” Leiliana asked.

  “Yes. Anyway, let’s talk about something else.”

  “Where is the building site?”

  “About an hour away.”

  “Can we go?”

  “Sure.”

  Gabriel hoped Leiliana didn’t think he meant to take her there now because he certainly wasn’t going to do so. Unlike the wind farm, where something was clearly happening, the construction project was at a complete standstill. The lawsuit he had initiated against the Government was moving very slowly. He was beginning to think it would never be resolved. He had tried not to think about it over the last few weeks, but it crushed his soul to see the unfinished buildings standing there. He didn’t feel that he wanted Leiliana to witness the site of his colossal failure.

  But she didn’t relent.

  “So are we on our way there now?” she asked after they had been driving for about ten minutes.

  “Where?” he asked, feigning ignorance.

  “The building project.”

  “Oh…that...well, we don’t really have the time to do that now.”

  “But you said it’s an hour away. And we’re not doing anything else.”

  “We’re going to see the other wind farm.”

  “But why? Isn’t it
the same as the one we just saw?”

  “I suppose it is.”

  “Exactly. I want to see the project,” she said and looked resolutely ahead. “Let’s go there now.”

  He heaved a sigh and, at the first opportunity, turned around the car to go in the opposite direction.

  When they reached the site, Gabriel surveyed it and felt like weeping. There lay his dream, all up in smoke.

  He extended a hand and made a sweeping gesture. “Here it is,” he said, having no intention of getting out.

  Leiliana unstrapped and began opening the car door.

  He looked across at her, alarmed. “Where are you going?”

  “To get a closer look,” she said, getting out. “Aren’t you coming?” she asked, holding open the door with one hand and leaning down to look inside at him.

  “No,” he said stubbornly.

  “Suit yourself.” She slammed the door behind her and stalked off. He saw her stumble as a few rocks shifted under her foot.

  He asked God to grant him mercy, unstrapped and shoved open the car door. This woman!

  “Wait! I’m coming,” he shouted, cupping his hands over his mouth.

  She looked back at him for a moment but didn’t break her stride.

  “Leiliana! Wait. This is a construction site, for heaven’s sake!”

  When she disappeared around one of the partially erected buildings, he growled in frustration and took off after her.

  He came up short as he rounded the corner. Leiliana was standing, hand akimbo, taking a video with her phone.

  “What are you doing?” he asked, unable to keep the annoyance from his voice.

  “What does it look like?”

  “Why are you doing that?”

  She lowered the phone and turned to him. “What inspired this dream of yours?”

  He shook his head. What did it matter now? He stared at her, and she stared at him with a raised eyebrow.

  He heaved a sigh. “The goal was to build houses with low utility and maintenance costs, improved durability and comfort, and a healthy and safe indoor environment. That’s what I wanted to do. I saw it as not only profitable but as philanthropic, constructing reasonably priced homes for people.”

  “Tell me again what happened.”

  He took a deep breath. Why did he have to repeat it?

  “We had the authorization to build this development. The plan was to make the houses as energy efficient as possible like my house is. All of a sudden, though, it seems that the nearby residents had issues with the wind turbines. Because it was an election year, the minister didn’t want to offend them. I had purchased the equipment and everything. I still had to repay the loan, even though it was delayed. So I decided to sue the government for breach of contract.”

  She came to stand in front of him.

  “I remember having this discussion with you months ago. I had suggested you reach a compromise. What happened?”

  “Well, I guess I didn’t reach a compromise, did I?”

  She placed a gentle hand on his arm. “Have you considered not erecting wind turbines?”

  “No! And I certainly will not. Are you saying I should back down? This is the core of energy efficiency. Without them, they will just be regular homes. That’s my vision I’m not willing to compromise on this, Leiliana. I can’t believe you would ask me to.”

  “That’s not what I’m saying at all. I’m suggesting that wind turbines may not be the only way. If this is a sticking point for the government instead of trying to fight them, how about a compromise.”

  “What kind of compromise?” he asked, still outraged at her suggestion

  “Well, there is this book I’m reading right now on the tidal wave energy power. The author suggests that tidal energy, while it may not be the poster child of alternative energy today, may very well be tomorrow. Further, with the right systems, he says, tidal energy can be fueling homes now.”

  Gabriel bit back a smile. “Did you also read that tidal energy is in its embryonic stage and is very expensive right now to harness? Much more expensive than wind turbines?”

  “Yes. But the author, this guy Walsh has also stated that there is a project he is interested in setting up in Belfast. If he can get the funding, he can launch it, and he expects returns in the short term. My point, Gabriel, is that you need to press on with your houses. Use all the technology available to you now, including solar panels and other energy-efficient materials. In the meantime, put in the infrastructure needed to hook up the homes to the tidal energy grid when you get that completed. Lamport Holdings is willing to invest in this tidal energy project. End that lawsuit and seek a compromise.”

  It was as though a ray of sunshine had broken through an endlessly cloudy day. Yet, he still had a concern.

  “What about all that equipment I bought to establish those wind turbines?’

  She crossed her arms. “You can use them elsewhere. I observed some areas on that site that are vacant. You can erect them there. Maybe there is room at the other windfarm too. Or you can establish a new wind farm. Lamport Holdings wouldn’t mind partnering with you to create a new wind farm. Failing that you can sell them to a competing wind farm.”

  She stepped closer to him and grabbed the lapels of his jacket. “This can work. I promise you it can.”

  He watched her with deep admiration and affection. He took hold of her arms and drew her to him. “You are a remarkable woman, you know that?” he whispered.

  Then he dipped his head and did what he’d wanted to do for days. He kissed her deeply and passionately. And when she sighed into him, he couldn’t prevent his hands from wrapping around her and pulling her closer for all the worlds.

  Chapter 17

  T hat night, Leiliana sat in her hotel room, her stomach in knots. She and Gabriel had kissed. And that was not good. Whatever happened to them not getting involved? This could not be happening to her for the second time in her life. Being friends was one thing, but a romantic relationship was another. She could not fall for the man she was embarking on a business relationship with. She needed to see Gabriel and set things straight.

  It was just after 6 p.m., and she was surprised he hadn’t invited her to dine with him. In fact, she hadn’t heard from him after they returned to the hotel. What was he thinking? Maybe he thought she was easy prey. Was he gloating over how, after all her protests, she had melted in his arms?

  She knocked at his hotel room door. There was no response immediately, so she knocked again. She knocked a third time. After the fourth knock, she was about to give up and walk away in frustration when the door opened. She felt her heartbeat escalate, and her mouth go completely dry. Gabriel stood before her in a robe. From the looks of him, he had just emerged from the shower. Her eyes drifted from the top of his silky dark hair, which he was drying with a towel down to his damp chest hair.

  “Hello,” he drawled. He looked both surprised and delighted to see her.

  Leiliana swallowed and struggled to unstick her tongue from the roof of her mouth. “I need to talk to you,” she eventually blurted.

  He raised a brow. “I was planning to go down to dinner, and I was just about to invite you to join me.”

  “I’m not really hungry.”

  “Well, come in and have a seat.” He stepped aside so she could enter. “I’m just going to get dressed. I’ll be out in a jiffy. Make yourself comfortable.”

  Leiliana was hardly comfortable. She was a bag of nerves. She walked over to the windows and stood, staring out into the evening.

  When Gabriel came up behind her and called her name softly, she almost jumped out of her skin.

  He was dressed in jeans and a light t-shirt and smelled of something heavenly.

  She swallowed and found her voice. “I believe you had the wrong impression earlier, and I want to set things straight.”

  “What are you talking about?” he asked, taking a seat and inviting her to do the same.

  She didn’t. She fol
ded her arms and continued to stand.

  “I need you to be aware, Gabriel, that I have no romantic interest in you whatsoever. Do you understand me?”

  He watched her in silence.

  “There is nothing between us except business…and friendship, Gabriel. I need you to be very clear about this.”

  He ran the back of his hand under his chin and continued to watch her.

  His silence was maddening.

  She wanted to do two things at the same time with equal passion. Turn and bolt out of there and launch herself into his arms.

  Instead, she sank into the sofa behind her.

  “Do you understand me, Gabriel?” she asked almost in desperation.

  “Why are you afraid of me, Leia?” he asked softly.

  Her breath hitched. “I’m not afraid of you. I’m simply not interested.”

  “Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”

  She felt like bursting into tears.

  “Who was he?” he asked.

  “Who?”

  “The fella who made you so afraid to let your heart feel again. Who was he?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t…” Her breath hitched.

  He came over and sat next to her. Then he reached for her hand and gently took it in his own. The touch made her feel like she would melt.

  “You needn’t worry, Leiliana. I get the message. You have no romantic interest in me whatsoever. There is nothing between us except business...and friendship.” He said it with wry amusement in his eyes. “Did I get it right?”

  Leiliana stared at him and nodded dumbly. He was gently running his thumb across the back of her wrist, and his touch was driving her mad.

  As she continued to stare at him, she found that his gaze suddenly turned serious. He continued to watch her unblinkingly, slowly caressing her hand until the air between them became so charged she felt as though her body was on fire.

  “Leia,” he said, sighing softly. “My beautiful darling.”

  Then his lips were on hers, and the kiss deepened. His touch was no longer gentle but firm as though he was restraining himself. Holding back his power. And in Leiliana’s head, a thousand lights went off as desire threatened to engulf her.