Taming the Last St Claire

by Carole Mortimer

  Then it had turned into something of a nightmare because of his shock. His anger.

  And Joey’s own realisation that she had fallen head over heels in love with him.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  HER eyes narrowed. ‘Exactly what is your problem with us having made love, Gideon?’ she questioned slowly as he turned away to pull on a pair of black figure-hugging boxers.

  He was still too stunned to know what he was thinking, let alone what was coming out of his mouth. A part of him felt as if he was burbling a lot of nonsense—and the rest of him knew that he was.

  How could this possibly be? Joey was a sophisticated twenty-eight-year-old woman who gave every impression of being worldly-wise. Damn it, how could she still be a virgin?

  And yet she was.

  Had been.

  And Gideon had no idea how he felt about it.

  The wary expression on her angrily flushed face told him that perhaps he should keep his mouth shut until he did know.

  ‘Joey—’

  ‘I would rather you didn’t, Gideon,’ she warned evenly, and she moved to the end of the sofa when he would have reached out to her, all the time clutching that crumpled sheet in front of her, the knuckles of her hands gleaming white beneath her skin.

  Gideon’s hand fell back to his side, a scowl darkening his brow at her rejection of his touch. ‘I’m not going to hurt you—well, no more than I already have.’ He gave a pained frown. ‘If I’d known—’

  ‘I really don’t want to talk about this any more, Gideon.’

  ‘It doesn’t just come down to what you want—’

  ‘As far as I’m concerned, that’s exactly what it does come down to!’ Her eyes flashed a warning as she stood up to wrap the sheet tightly round her. ‘I’m going to take a shower now. My advice to you is to leave before I come back.’

  ‘You know I can’t do that,’ he rasped. ‘Not with Newman rampaging about.’

  Joey eyed him scathingly. ‘He’s hardly rampaging, Gideon. And even if he were I have no intention of going out today—so there’s no problem, is there?’

  No, the problem appeared to be totally between the two of them. And Gideon knew that he was the one responsible for it. If he had only reacted differently once he’d realised. But how could he be expected to have done that when he had been shocked to his very core by the discovery of her innocence?

  ‘Why has there been no one else for you, Joey?’ he asked quietly.

  She regarded him pityingly. ‘Well, Gideon, that really isn’t the right question to be asking, is it?’

  ‘Then what is the right question? ‘

  Joey gave a humourless laugh before turning to walk away. ‘I’m going to take a shower. Lock the door behind you on your way out.’

  Gideon gazed after her in frustration, knowing by the stiff set of her bare shoulders and the straightness of her spine, that it would be a mistake to push her any further right now.

  But, damn it, he had no idea what the right question should have been!

  Joey had no idea how she made it as far as the bathroom before the tears began to fall, but she somehow managed to get inside the room and lock the door firmly behind her before they cascaded hotly down her cheeks.

  What a mess!

  She had fallen in love with Gideon. With a man who had made it patently clear he never intended falling in love with any woman!

  Even so, she should never have allowed things to go as far between them as they had. Should never have given in to the desire—no, the love that had kept her awake and wanting him for most of the night.

  But she had given in to it—had wanted and welcomed his lovemaking only to have the whole thing fall apart when he discovered that she was a virgin. If she had known it was going to cause this much trouble then she would have made a point of losing it years ago.

  No, she wouldn’t. She and Stephanie had grown up in a loving family. Their parents were even more in love with each other now than they had been on their wedding day. And somehow that love and total commitment to each other had become a part of both Joey’s and Stephanie’s psyche—so much so that neither of them was willing to settle for anything less. To the extent that going to bed with a man they weren’t in love with had become complete anathema to both of them.

  Well, Joey had realised she was deeply, irrevocably in love with Gideon—she had just overlooked the fact that he wasn’t in love with her too. In fact she had made a complete mess of things. To the point where she wasn’t sure how she was even going to face him again, with the knowledge of her lost virginity hovering between them like some ghostly spectre.

  It was small comfort that he was so out of touch with emotion that he obviously had no idea she was in love with him—that the question he should have been asking was why had she chosen him to be her first and only lover?

  Gideon was still here. That was Joey’s first thought when she emerged from the bathroom half an hour later and caught the smell of toast and coffee coming from the kitchen.

  He obviously hadn’t taken her hint earlier for what it was: a need on Joey’s part not to see or speak to him again for at least the weekend. By Monday morning she might—just might—be able to face him again with some of her usual self-confidence.

  As it was, it appeared that another confrontation was going to happen much sooner than she would have liked.

  Her shoulders straightened determinedly as she disappeared into her bedroom to dress in faded jeans and a green jumper, running a brush lightly through the dampness of her hair, not even bothering to apply any make-up, and then marching back out to the kitchen—before she had time to change her mind.

  Only to come to an abrupt halt in the doorway as she saw that he had set two places at the breakfast bar. A pot of tea and one of coffee were already there, steaming, along with mugs and milk and sugar, and warm croissants and toast were arranged temptingly in a basket.

  ‘What are you doing, Gideon?’ she demanded coldly.

  His expression was as guarded as her own. ‘Making breakfast for both of us, of course,’ he said casually as he carried the butter over and placed it on the breakfast bar with the rest of the food. He was now dressed in a brown cashmere sweater and tailored brown trousers. ‘I know that you prefer tea, so—’

  ‘You proved earlier that you don’t know anything about me, Gideon.’ Joey’s teeth were so tightly clamped together her jaw ached, and her hands were bunched into fists at her sides, her fingernails digging into her palms.

  There was a responding glitter of displeasure in the dark brown of his eyes. ‘Obviously not,’ he bit out tautly, only to give a weary sigh as she became even more tense. ‘Look, I don’t want to argue with you, Joey—’

  ‘Oh, there isn’t going to be time for an argument, Gideon,’ she informed him. ‘Because you’re leaving. Right now!’ She looked utterly fierce and determined. ‘I gave you every opportunity to do this graciously, and just leave while I was taking a shower, but now I’m telling you outright to go!’

  Gideon bit back his impatience, knowing it would only make the situation worse than it already was. If that was even possible! ‘I don’t want to leave things between us like this,’ he explained, keeping his voice deliberately even. ‘Don’t you see that I need to understand why you—’

  ‘How can you possibly begin to understand anything, Gideon—about anyone at all!—when you have all the emotional warmth of an automaton?’ she said vehemently. ‘Your apartment is as impersonal as a hotel suite. Your office looks like no one works there. Your personal life is just as uncluttered by sentiment. No one lives like that.’

  Gideon did. Through choice. Because he had seen exactly how it had destroyed his mother to lose both the husband and the home that she’d loved twenty-five years ago. Gideon’s decision never to become attached to people or things, apart from his immediate family, was based entirely on witnessing the complete devastation of his mother’s life.

  Nothing had changed in the years of his adulthood
to shake that conviction. Except he found he absolutely hated the very thought of Joey believing he lacked emotion.

  ‘I don’t believe you can accuse me of being unemotional half an hour ago,’ he pointed out.

  ‘That wasn’t emotion, Gideon. It was just a natural physical reaction between a naked man and a woman,’ she dismissed flatly. ‘Anyone with blood flowing through their veins has those!’

  He drew his breath in harshly. ‘So you’re saying what happened between us earlier meant nothing to you? ‘

  Joey stiffened as every barrier inside her, every defence mechanism she possessed, sprang into place; it was one thing for her to know she was in love with Gideon, but something else entirely for him to realise how she felt about him. She deserved to leave herself with some pride after this morning’s humiliating experience, surely?

  ‘We weren’t discussing me, Gideon. And we aren’t about to, either,’ she added firmly as he would have spoken. ‘Not now. Not ever. Now, I really would like you to leave.’ Her gaze met his unwaveringly, her chin held high in challenge.

  Gideon had never felt so impotent, so incapable of knowing what to do or say next. Except he knew that he had to do or say something. That he couldn’t leave things so strained between himself and Joey.

  ‘Why don’t we just sit down and eat breakfast? You felt better last night after you had eaten—’

  ‘Feeding me isn’t going to change a damned thing this time,’ Joey declared. ‘Right now all I want is for you to just go.’

  ‘I can’t leave you like this.’ Gideon’s mouth firmed in frustration. ‘We went to bed together this morning—’

  ‘Technically, it was a sofa,’ she cut in icily. ‘And I’ve already told you I don’t want to discuss that any further today.’

  ‘You are the most stubborn, difficult—’ Gideon broke off abruptly as he heard the ringing tone of the mobile he had left on the coffee table in the sitting room, along with his car keys. ‘That could be the police with news on Newman.’ His expression was grim as he brushed past her on his way out of the kitchen.

  Joey breathed a little easier once she was alone. She knew another reason to avoid physical relationships in future; when love wasn’t reciprocated, the conversation afterwards was just too embarrassing. In Gideon’s case he wasn’t even aware of the concept of loving someone, let alone capable of realising that she had fallen in love with him!

  Joey’s legs felt shaky as she moved to sit down on one of the stools beside the breakfast bar, her movements a little awkward as she became aware of the slight soreness between her thighs. Yet another embarrassing aspect of having made love with Gideon earlier. Especially as that lovemaking had been cut so unsatisfactorily short…

  Was there a book on the etiquette of the morning after? Or in this case the hour or so after? Joey wondered. If there was, then she badly needed to get herself a copy! Although she doubted she would ever be in need of it again after today, so perhaps not.

  ‘It was my mother, not the police,’ Gideon said tersely as he strode back into the kitchen.

  Joey gave him a sharp glance as he commenced pacing the kitchen restlessly. ‘Is everything all right?’

  Gideon ran an impatient hand through his hair. ‘She would like me to fly up to Edinburgh for the rest of the weekend.’

  Gideon was going to Edinburgh for the rest of the weekend. Why, when Joey had told him to leave earlier—repeatedly—did that knowledge cause a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach?

  ‘That’s nice,’ she said noncommittally.

  ‘You think so?’ Gideon scowled darkly beneath lowered brows. ‘She says there’s something important she needs to discuss with me, and she would rather do it in person.’

  ‘Oh.’

  Gideon gave a humourless smile. ‘Sounds a little ominous, doesn’t it.’

  Joey shrugged. ‘Maybe, with both Lucan and Jordan away, she’s feeling a little lonely?’

  He gave a snort. ‘She’s hardly had time to miss any of us—she only went back to Edinburgh on Monday! Or is that just me exhibiting another example of having the emotional warmth of an automaton?’

  That comment seemed to have struck a nerve, Joey acknowledged with a frown. It was true, of course, but maybe she shouldn’t have said it.

  Too late now!

  ‘A weekend in Edinburgh sounds like fun.’

  Gideon looked grim. ‘I’m glad one of us is looking forward to it.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Joey gave him a bewildered look.

  He raised blond brows. ‘You’re coming with me, of course.’

  ‘I’m—? I most certainly am not!’ she assured him indignantly.

  Gideon stopped his pacing to meet her gaze with his own implacable one. ‘Joey, nothing that happened between us this morning changes a single thing about the Newman situation. He’s still out there somewhere, probably thinking up his next malicious act, which means I have no intention of going to Edinburgh for the weekend without you.’

  Joey ignored the wincing pain between her thighs as she stood up. ‘And I’m certainly not going to Edinburgh with you!’ She shot him an incredulous look. ‘What would your mother think if I were to just turn up with you? ‘

  ‘I’ve already told her you’ll be accompanying me.’

  ‘You’ve done what?’

  Gideon shrugged unconcernedly. ‘My mother is expecting both of us later this afternoon.’

  ‘I—But—Did you tell her about Richard Newman?’

  ‘Of course not.’ Gideon looked appalled. ‘There’s absolutely no reason to worry my mother with any of that.’

  ‘Then what reason did you give her for me going with you?’

  Joey was the one to pace the kitchen restlessly now. Gideon was insane. He had to be. Because there was no way—absolutely no way—that she could go with him for the weekend to visit Molly St Claire at her home in Edinburgh.

  ‘I didn’t.’

  ‘You didn’t?’ Joey squeaked. ‘You just told your mother that I would be accompanying you without giving her an explanation as to why?’

  Gideon looked down the length of his arrogant nose at her. ‘Why should I have done?’

  Well, Joey knew for a fact that if she took a man with her to stay at her parents’ house for the weekend they would draw their own conclusions. ‘Because your mother now has altogether the wrong impression of us!’

  He didn’t look at all bothered by that. ‘I’ll explain to her once the Newman situation has been resolved.’

  ‘And in the meantime she’s going to draw all the wrong conclusions,’ Joey muttered disgustedly. ‘No, Gideon, I refuse to go with you.’

  His eyes narrowed. ‘You’ve already told me you have no other plans for today.’

  ‘That doesn’t mean I want to waste half my day in an airport, waiting to get on a flight to Edinburgh. A flight I have no wish to take in the first place,’ she snapped exasperatedly.

  ‘There won’t be any sitting around waiting for a flight, because I’m going to fly us up in the St Claire helicopter.’ Gideon easily shot down that objection.

  Joey abruptly stopped her pacing. ‘What? ‘

  He gave a crooked smile at her scepticism. ‘Don’t worry, Joey. I assure you I have a valid pilot’s licence.’

  ‘Well, that’s a relief—I thought perhaps you were going to fly a helicopter on the basis of owning a dog licence!’

  ‘I actually don’t have one of those,’ Gideon drawled. ‘Probably because I don’t own a dog.’

  Of course he didn’t own a dog. A dog was a living, breathing being, in need of the love and nurturing that Gideon avoided at all costs!

  Joey had a vague recollection of Stephanie mentioning something about Gideon flying her and Jordan back to London last year, from the St Claire estate in Gloucestershire, after there had been a health scare concerning Molly St Claire. A scare that had been alleviated once Molly had visited a specialist in Harley Street. Which was probably why she had completely forgotten that Gideo
n could fly.

  She remembered with a vengeance now, though—and Joey had no intention of flying anywhere in a helicopter!

  ‘Sorry, Gideon, but you can count me out.’

  ‘If you won’t agree to go, then I’m not going either,’ he said, just as determinedly.

  Her cheeks were flushed with temper. ‘You’re being totally childish about this.’

  ‘Either we both go or neither of us does,’ Gideon repeated grimly. ‘I’m not leaving you here unprotected, Joey, and that’s the end to the subject.’

  ‘In your opinion!’ She faced him challengingly. ‘Which means diddly-squat to me!’

  ‘I take it that’s a euphemism for you not caring for my opinion?’ He arched mocking brows.

  ‘You can take it to mean what you damn well please,’ Joey told him heatedly. ‘I’ve said I’m not going to Edinburgh with you, and that’s the end of the subject as far as I’m concerned!’

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  ‘YOU can either wipe that smugly superior smile off your face, or I’m going to take it off for you!’

  A statement that achieved completely the opposite effect on Gideon as he now felt an uncontrollable urge to laugh.

  Joey had been utterly resentful as she threw some clothes into a bag, and bad-tempered when Gideon drove them to the private airfield where he kept the helicopter. She had maintained a stubborn silence during the flight up to his mother’s home just outside Edinburgh, and been stoically tight-lipped as he’d set the helicopter down on the custom-built pad in the extensive grounds. That resentment had now finally turned to belligerence as they walked the short distance to the house.

  She had eventually given in with bad grace and agreed to accompany him to Scotland, after all—but only, she had assured him firmly, because his mother so obviously wanted to see him. Gideon had so far managed to resist commenting on any of Joey’s moods. Obviously she had taken exception even to his silence!

  ‘It’s not smugness, Joey,’ he told her. ‘I’m just relieved to find there wasn’t any snow and we could land safely.’