Gabriel frowned slightly, not wanting either of them to dwell on the reason he had said that to her earlier, not when they were together so intimately. They could deal with the past, and the future, later; right now he just wanted to be with Bryn, with no tension or animosity between them. ‘Didn’t any of your other lovers pleasure you so well?’ he teased.
Her fingers twirled in the curls on his chest. ‘What other lovers?’
Gabriel stilled as he looked down at her searchingly, a smile of satisfaction curving her lips as she tweaked one of his nipples and watched as it hardened in response.
She looked up at him. ‘Do you like that too?’
‘I love it.’ He nodded distractedly. ‘Bryn—’
‘Do we have to talk right now, Gabriel?’ She moved to lay between his parted thighs as she flicked her tongue across his hardened nipple, causing Gabriel to draw his breath in sharply as his shaft once again jerked and swelled in response to the caress. ‘You do like that,’ she murmured with satisfaction, the heat of her breath brushing across his dampened flesh.
‘Yes,’ he grated between gritted teeth. ‘Bryn—’
‘Not now, Gabriel.’ She glanced up at him pleadingly, her hands looking very pale and slender against his olive skin. ‘I don’t want to talk—to think—I just want to taste you some more.’ She moved sinuously down his body until she knelt between his parted thighs and her hands both curled about the length of his shaft.
Gabriel sat up slightly as he reached down to grasp her wrists and stop those mind-numbing caresses before it was too late. ‘Not yet, Bryn. I— Have you had any other lovers at all?’ he prompted cautiously.
She frowned as she looked up at him. ‘This isn’t the part where we confess to past relationships, is it? Because I really would rather skip hearing about all your previous conquests!’
So would Gabriel; there hadn’t been so many women for him that he didn’t remember their names and their faces, but there had certainly been enough. Not so much during the past five years, but Bryn wasn’t ready to hear the reason for that. ‘We aren’t talking about me, Bryn—’
‘Well, we’re not going to talk about me either, if this is going to be a one-sided thing!’ she assured impatiently. ‘Let go of my hands, Gabriel—’
He ignored her request. ‘Bryn, are you even on any contraception?’ he prompted exasperatedly.
She shrugged. ‘I’ve never had a use for it. Don’t tell me a man like you doesn’t have a condom or two in his pocket somewhere? Weren’t you ever a Boy Scout?’
‘Bryn, will you please answer me?’ Gabriel sat up, taking her with him, looking down at her intently as he continued to hold both her hands captive in his. ‘How many lovers have you had?’
She blinked. ‘Why do you need to know?’
‘Because this is important, damn it!’ he groaned. ‘I really need you to answer the question, Bryn.’
She frowned. ‘Am I doing something wrong? You seemed happy enough a few minutes ago—’
‘I was very happy, Bryn. I am happy.’
‘You don’t look it.’
‘That’s probably because you keep avoiding answering my question,’ he said, sighing his exasperation.
Bryn sat back, completely unconcerned by her own nakedness; Gabriel had seen and touched and licked parts of her that no other person ever had, so it was a little late for her to feel in the least self-conscious now. ‘Are you going to make a thing out of this, Gabriel?’ she prompted impatiently.
‘That would depend on what “this” is,’ he answered cautiously.
‘Okay, let’s just get this out of the way so that we can move on.’ She sighed. ‘No, I haven’t had any previous lovers. Which actually answers your second question, doesn’t it, because if I haven’t had any lovers then I’ve obviously never felt the need for contraception either.’ She looked up at him uncertainly as he released her to stand up abruptly. A nerve pulsed in his clenched jaw as he stared down at her.
‘No lovers?’
‘Not until tonight, no.’ She slowly shook her head.
‘Sweet mother of...’ He ran an agitated hand through his already tousled hair as he began to pace restlessly. ‘You should have told me, Bryn.’
‘Why should I?’ she reasoned. ‘I should tell you that fierce pacing doesn’t have the same impact when you’re stark naked.’ She fell silent as he quickly pulled on his briefs, trousers and shirt, not bothering to refasten the latter. ‘Gabriel?’
He breathed raggedly. ‘Just give me a minute, please, Bryn.’
‘I believe there were two of us here tonight, not just me,’ she continued despite his warning. ‘And I don’t remember you bothering to ask me any of these questions before we both took our clothes off.’
No, he hadn’t, had he? Which was more than careless on Gabriel’s part. His only excuse—if it could be called one—was that Bryn affected him so deeply he couldn’t think of anything else but her when he held her in his arms.
He looked at Bryn now, still unsettled at learning that he was her first lover— Well, her almost lover. ‘Bryn, I would have— I wouldn’t have pushed so hard if I had known of your...inexperience,’ he said gently.
She frowned. ‘What does that mean?’
He shook his head. ‘Well, I wouldn’t have made love to you in my office, for one thing.’
‘Why not?’
He closed his eyes briefly. ‘Your first time should be in a bed, Bryn, preferably a four-poster—’
‘I never imagined you as a romantic, Gabriel.’
His jaw tightened. ‘Don’t mock me, Bryn. Not now.’
‘I’m not the one who just spoiled the moment!’ She rose lithely to her feet, her face pale as she turned her back on him and began pulling her own clothes back on, her panties and jeans no problem, the bra proving less cooperative, forcing Bryn to thrust it impatiently into her pocket before she pulled her T-shirt on and fluffed out her hair.
‘I could have hurt you, Bryn.’ He gave a pained frown as he realised what he had just said.
‘It’s five years too late for you to think of that,’ Bryn came back bitterly as she looked up from pulling on her shoes. ‘Besides, I don’t think either of us was thinking too clearly a few minutes ago. I certainly didn’t think I needed to give you a list, or otherwise, of my credentials as a lover before we proceeded.’
He sighed as she stood up to collect her bag in preparation of leaving. ‘You can’t just leave—’
‘Watch me.’
‘Why are you so angry, Bryn? Can’t the two of us at least talk before you go? Please, Bryn,’ he encouraged gruffly.
Her mouth thinned. ‘I don’t think we have anything to talk about. We had an...encounter, and now it’s obviously over.’
It hadn’t just been an encounter to Gabriel. No matter what Bryn might think, how many previous lovers he might have had, he had never experienced anything even remotely like the pleasure he had felt with Bryn tonight. She was so beautiful she took his breath away. Responsive beyond belief. And the caress of her hands, the touch of her lips on his body, his shaft, had been so unbelievably arousing he had almost lost control.
He gave a shake of his head. ‘I have the feeling that this was your first encounter too?’
Her cheeks warmed with colour. ‘I’ve been a little busy the past five years, okay? Building a new life in Wales for myself and my mother. Getting my degree. Working to pay off the student loans, and the rent, and painting madly in my spare time. Besides which—’ she drew in a ragged breath ‘—I would have felt compelled to explain about the past to anyone I became seriously involved with, and I’ve never cared enough to want to do that. I’m sorry if that makes me a lousy lover, but I—’
‘You’re not a lousy lover, Bryn,’ Gabriel cut in forcefully. ‘Far from it,’ he added hu
skily. ‘I just— I’m surprised that you chose me, of all people, to be your first.’
‘You of all people,’ she echoed bitterly. ‘I suppose it is a bit ironic,’ she murmured self-derisively. ‘But it has a certain rightness about it too, if you think about it. You already know about my past, who I am, who my father was, which means I don’t have to confess anything to you.’
In just a few short minutes everything between them had changed once again, and she was back to being her usual defensive and antagonistic self.
Or maybe that responsive woman was the real Bryn?
Gabriel didn’t know anymore, and for once in his life he wasn’t sure what to do next. Wasn’t sure if there was any way they could move forward with Bryn in the mood she was in right now. ‘Could we have dinner together tomorrow evening?’ he asked tentatively.
Bryn’s chin rose stubbornly. ‘Not if it’s going to result in us having some sort of post-mortem regarding what happened tonight, no.’
‘Damn it, Bryn—’ He broke off exasperatedly. ‘I’m desperately trying to put things right between us, but I could really do with a little cooperation from you.’
‘It’s a little late in the day for that, isn’t it?’ she scorned.
‘I’m really trying here, Bryn,’ he bit out between gritted teeth.
She eyed him suspiciously. ‘Put things right between us how?’
He sighed. ‘We’ve skipped over a couple sequences of a relationship, and I’d like to maybe take those two steps back and start again.’
Bryn looked at him searchingly, not sure where he was going with this. ‘We had a sexual encounter, Gabriel, not a relationship.’ An encounter that had been life changing for her, although she had a feeling that it was Gabriel himself who had made tonight so special; he was not only an exceptional and experienced lover, but a caring and considerate one too. Even with her own lack of experience Bryn knew that not all men were like that, so maybe she should be thanking Gabriel for the consideration he had shown her, instead of arguing with him.
And maybe she would be—if she didn’t feel so confused about how she had allowed tonight to happen in the first place.
Nor did she understand why Gabriel had been thrown so off balance by her lack of experience; didn’t men prefer no-ties-no-expectations sex?
And, damn it, she couldn’t allow herself to become any more deeply involved with Gabriel than she already was. As it was, she had no idea how she would even begin to explain to her mother about her dinner date with Gabriel, let alone what had happened tonight; accepting another dinner invitation from him would only add to the complication of this situation.
‘I appreciate the invitation, Gabriel,’ she told him dismissively. ‘And I understand what you’re trying to say, but I’m really not interested in taking this any further.’ She gave him a bright and dismissive smile.
‘You’re not interested in taking this any further?’ he repeated slowly.
‘No. You’ve said you’re willing to forget the past, so I suggest we do the same with what happened just now. Let’s both just forget it ever happened,’ she repeated evenly.
Gabriel had never met another woman even remotely like Bryn Jones. Nor did he ever remember wanting to strangle a woman as much as he did Bryn at this moment.
First, she had aroused him so much that the two of them had almost had unprotected sex on the sofa in his office, of all places, and now she was giving him the brush-off. Unbelievable!
And was that injured pride speaking, or something else?
This woman had him so tied up in knots that Gabriel had no chance of sorting out his emotions. Except to know he wanted to see Bryn again, to be with her.
‘Dinner tomorrow evening,’ he repeated firmly.
‘No,’ she refused flatly.
Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. ‘You already have a date tomorrow night?’
Bryn raised her brows in silent rebuke. ‘My shifts at work have worked out that I have three days off together, so I’m travelling home tomorrow morning to see my mother and stepfather. It’s also the reason I was working late with Eric this evening,’ she added challengingly.
‘I see,’ Gabriel murmured slowly, not willing to get into that conversation again, or the jealousy he had felt seeing her with Eric.
‘How are you getting there?’
‘By train.’
‘Let me drive you—’
‘Don’t be ridiculous, Gabriel,’ Bryn cut him off sharply, impatiently. ‘It’s bad enough that the two of us have met again. I don’t need to shock my mother by having you turn up on her doorstep with me tomorrow.’
His mouth thinned. ‘Are you saying she doesn’t even know about your participation in the exhibition at Archangel next month?’
Bryn snorted. ‘I wouldn’t even know where to start telling her of my reinvolvement with the D’Angelo family!’
‘Damn it, Bryn.’ Gabriel glared. ‘Your mother never hated me in the way that you do—’
‘You can’t possibly know that,’ she cut in dismissively.
As it happened, Gabriel did know that. But it appeared, from what Bryn was saying now, that Mary Harper had never told her daughter of their meetings after William went to prison.
‘Bryn, your father—’
‘I don’t want to talk about him!’ Her eyes flashed in warning.
Neither did Gabriel, but at the same time he knew it was a subject they couldn’t continue to avoid. ‘Bryn, he was a man, not a saint. Just a man,’ he repeated heavily. ‘His past misdemeanours weren’t allowed to come out in court because they would have prejudiced the verdict, but surely you know that your father was a professional conman.’
‘How dare you?’ she gasped furiously.
Gabriel frowned. ‘Not only that, but he brought about his own downfall.’
‘You already said that!’
‘But I mean this literally.’ He sighed. ‘Bryn, the reason I came to your home, talked to your father a couple times, was to try to talk him out of going through with trying to sell the painting. Because I knew, deep inside me, here—’ he held his hand to his heart ‘—that the painting was a forgery. I had no proof but that feeling, but that was enough for me to try to stop him from going through with it. The morning after I visited him the second time the headlines of the painting’s existence were blazing across half a dozen newspapers.’
‘You’re saying my father was the one who went to the press?’ Bryn gasped.
‘Well, I certainly didn’t. And if it wasn’t me, then it had to be him. If you don’t believe me—’
‘Of course I don’t believe you!’ she said scornfully.
He sighed heavily. ‘Then ask your mother about him, Bryn,’ he encouraged. ‘Ask her to tell you about all the years she suffered in silence through William’s schemes and machinations. Ask her if he went to the press. You have to ask her, Bryn,’ he repeated forcefully.
‘I don’t have to do anything.’ She gave a determined shake of her head. ‘I think—’ she breathed deeply ‘—that I may actually hate you for the things you’ve said tonight.’
Gabriel had no choice but to watch as Bryn left, accepting that if hate was all Bryn had to give him, then he would take even that hate.
CHAPTER EIGHT
‘OKAY, YOUNG LADY, time to spill the beans!’ Bryn’s mother smiled as she placed a jug of fresh lemonade and two glasses down on the picnic table, joining Bryn. They sat outside in the garden at the back of the cottage where she now lived with Rhys Evans, her second husband.
‘Spill what beans...?’ Bryn straightened in her garden chair as she slowly pushed her sketch pad aside, her expression cautious as she watched her mother pour lemonade into the glasses.
Mary, a slightly older version of Bryn, with shoulder-length brown hair and deep grey eyes
, gave her a reproving glance as she dropped down into a seat on the other side of the wooden table. ‘This is your mother you’re talking to, Bryn. And you’ve been here for two days already and barely spoken a word since you arrived.’
‘I’ve been busy sketching.’ Bryn had found it soothing to lose herself in drawing the beautiful array of coloured flowers that scented her mother’s cottage garden, rather than think of the things Gabriel had said about her father before she left London.
‘I noticed,’ Mary dismissed. ‘Now tell me who he is!’ she prompted interestedly as she sipped her lemonade.
‘He?’ Bryn squeaked a reply. She should have known by now how impossible it was to divert her mother’s attention once she had made her mind up to something—which she now seemed to have done on the subject of Bryn’s distraction these past two days.
‘The man who’s making my normally chatty daughter so introspective.’
Bryn recognised her mother’s tone as being the ‘and don’t try telling me any nonsense’—in this case, that there was no man—‘because I won’t believe you’ tone.
And Bryn knew she had been unusually quiet since coming home to visit her mother and Rhys, that the last evening with Gabriel had left her in a state of confusion. About the things Gabriel had said about her father as much as about Gabriel himself.
She gave her mother a searching glance now. ‘Are you happy with Rhys?’
‘Absolutely,’ her mother answered instantly, a warm smile curving her lips.
Bryn nodded slowly. ‘And were you happy with Daddy?’
Her mother’s smile faded and a frown appeared between her eyes. ‘Where’s this coming from, Bryn?’
‘I don’t know.’ She stood up restlessly. ‘I just— I’ve watched you and Rhys together, the teasing, the easy affection, the total respect you have for each other, and—and I don’t remember ever seeing you and Daddy together like that.’
‘We were happy in the beginning. When you were little.’
Bryn gave a pained frown. ‘But not later on?’
Her mother grimaced. ‘It became...complicated. Everything was fine to start with, but then William became restless working in an office day after day, and started coming up with these get-rich-quick ideas—all of which failed miserably. You’re old enough to know these things now, Bryn. William used up all our savings on those ideas, and I never knew what he was going to do next. Or whether we would all still have a roof over our heads the following week.’ She shrugged. ‘That sort of uncertainty in a partner can test even the best of relationships to its limits, and our marriage was already pretty shaky. It very quickly deteriorated into chaos.’
A Bargain with the Enemy Page 11