Druid Temptation (A Druid Quest Novel Book 2)

by Stacey Brutger

  Diana had kissed him.

  Of her own volition.

  Then the old hag had to ruin everything.

  Gabriel paced the study and groaned at how quickly his control crumbled at her touch. His brain had simply shut down. One kiss, and what little restraint he had vanished. He had been primed and ready to lift her skirts and take her on the spot.

  Distracted, he raked his fingers through his hair and wondered if his vow not to touch her might not eventually kill him. He sat and flinched when his cock protested the movement. Only then did he see her mutt had followed him. The newly dubbed Jack gave him a toothy grin, and if Gabriel didn’t know better, seemed to be laughing at his predicament.

  “This is all your fault.” Gabriel glared. “You could have warned me.”

  Jack sneezed, shaking his head.

  “My God. Now I’m talking to a dog.” Gabriel deflated, wishing he knew how to deal with Diana. And if what she said was true about being a Druid, he would need help. Trusted help. Gabriel rubbed his brow, then straightened abruptly. He needed Samuel.

  He wrote a quick note, and sent a few coins off with a runner to the telegraph office.

  Determined to do something other than track down Diana and finish what they had started, he headed toward the door, intent on spending a few hours of manual labor in the stables to wear him out.

  “My lord, Mr. Patrard and Mr. Ashmore—”

  Gabriel did not wait to hear the rest. “Send them in.”

  “Gabriel…” Rand stopped as he caught sight of his friend. “Next time, remind me to send you home sooner. You look like hell.”

  Gabriel gave a short bark of laughter. “Tell me, Rand, how do you survive marriage?” Gabriel walked to the sideboard built into the bookcase, and raised a decanter, silently offering them a drink.

  Rand nodded, waiting to answer until everyone sat. He took a drink, then stared at his glass, a smirk on his face. “Sex.”

  Gabriel choked on a mouthful of brandy and gasped for breath as the fiery liquid burned down his throat. He already had too much sex on the brain. “Say no more,” he rasped.

  “Tallie sent me over. I saw Ashmore on the way and invited him along.”

  “How is Tallie?”

  “Wonderful, and already planning the ball. Invitations have been sent for four days hence.”

  Gabriel raised a brow, “So soon?” He’d expected to have more time to coach Diana and prepare her for society. Time for his lust to cool, so he could look at her without imaging ways to get under her skirts.

  “She said the sooner the better, what with all the—” He broke off, glancing discreetly at Ashmore.

  “If I am in the way, I can leave.” Ashmore rose as he spoke.

  Gabriel took in Rand’s discreet nod and waved a hand. “Stay.”

  Ashmore hesitated, then resumed his seat. “If I can be of any assistance…” He shrugged his shoulder. “I have some connections.”

  “We’ve run into a bit of difficulty…” Gabriel launched into the same story he told Rand and Tallie. The less either knew about Diana’s true heritage, the safer everyone would be. When he finished, they sat in silence to digest the news, and he refreshed their drinks.

  “So you think the incident with the horse this morning was targeted at you?”

  Gabriel shrugged. “Unless you can think of another alternative.”

  Ashmore stared at him intently. “My cousin Geoffrey is my heir. While I wouldn’t put it past him and my aunt to collude, he doesn’t have the balls for a direct attack.” He rolled his glass distractedly between his palms. “I don’t know what help I can offer. My name behind yours, of course. What would you have of me?”

  More than a little surprised, Gabriel sat back. “Why? There is no love lost between our families. In fact, I just kicked your aunt out of my house.”

  Ashmore winced. “I’ve never shared my family’s views. They’re a pit of vipers. With Aunt Gertrude back in the fold, they will be on the warpath, and worse than ever. Any help I can give you will keep me away from the house. That’s payment enough.”

  “I accept.” Gabriel could appreciate his dark humor. “Where are you staying?”

  Ashmore leaned back and took a lazy sip of his drink. “I am staying at the Stranton Hotel. You couldn’t pay me enough to stay with my family.”

  “The military hotel?” The hotel had a good reputation, just expensive enough to keep out the riffraff. “You’re welcome to stay here.”

  A buffer between him and Diana might be best. Ashmore didn’t answer immediately, and Gabriel upped the ante. “That way, we both can keep an eye on Diana. My daughter is also in residence, so the more protection, the better.”

  As Diana left the dining room, she heard the rumble of male voices from the study, and she was thankful she didn’t have to face Gabriel again anytime soon, not until she had her emotions under control. She lifted a hand to cool off her warm cheeks as she remembered her boldness.

  “Fool!” Jack seemed to agree, for he barked in reply. Afraid to attract attention, she shushed him and quickly left the hall.

  The staff was bustling around the house hauling trunks and boxes, though none seemed to mind the extra work…except Ketterling.

  The woman glared at Diana, obviously resenting what she considered a stepdown in station.

  Wishing to avoid the woman’s ire, Diana headed toward the stables. She found Conway mucking out the stalls. “Hello, Mr. Conway.” Diana gave him a nod and headed to greet the mare at the far end of the stables.

  “Lady—”

  “Diana.” She said it firmly.

  “Yes, miss.”

  Diana sighed but opened the stall. Without a word, she cleaned out the space, laid fresh hay, before finally grooming the horse.

  “You’ve done this before.”

  She turned to find Conway leaning against his pitchfork, watching her with admiration in his eyes. Glancing at herself, she could well understand why. Her once-neat dress was matted with hay, her boots crusted with offal, while strands of hair fell out of its knot to plaster to her face. She must make quite a spectacle.

  “Conway, have you seen—Diana!” Gabriel stopped short, skidding as he tried to keep from plowing into her, distractedly surveying her from the top of her head to the bottom of her boots.

  The flush to her cheeks gave her a healthy glow, and he’d never seen her look more beautiful.

  He lifted a hand and plucked a straw from her hair, unable to resist touching her.

  When he leaned forward to steal another kiss and finish what she started, Conway cleared his throat. Gabriel jerked away, stunned that after just one look from her, his principles and self-control ceased to exist.

  “Come into the house. We have work to do.” Without another word, he turned on his bootheel and marched away. Lost in thought, Gabriel failed to notice Jack and tripped over the mutt, barely managing to keep his footing. He straightened, turning to glare at the blasted dog. If he didn’t know better, he could have sworn the animal tripped him on purpose.

  “Do that one more time, and I will have you confined to the stables.” As if the mangy beast understood, Jack cowered and collapsed on his side with a whine.

  “Jack.” Diana rushed to Jack’s side and knelt, running her hands over the mangy beast. Gabriel couldn’t believe he was jealous of the damned dog. Imagining her running those same hands over him had his arousal hardening once more. If they hadn’t interrupted, he would now know every inch of her. Instead, he was left with his overactive imagination.

  Diana lifted her head and narrowed her eyes on him. “What did you do?”

  “Me?” Gabriel jerked back at the accusation. “Nothing.”

  Diana cocked her head, her eyes losing focus as she gazed at Jack. The air stirred around her, the hairs on his arm lifting. Then her head snapped up, and she planted hands on hips and faced him. “You threatened him?”

  Gabriel glared at Jack for getting him in trouble, and he tugged at his
collar. “Not exactly.”

  “Then what, exactly?” She advanced on him, and he surprised himself by backing away.

  “Uhhhh, we have company.” He avoided answering directly, self-preservation had him picking up his pace toward the house. “I invited Ashmore to stay with us. He could help us with some preventative measures.”

  Diana halted at the news, and he grabbed her arm, propelling her forward before she could escape. He welcomed the smallest opportunity to touch her, craved it like an opium addict.

  Her continual silence raised the hairs on the back of his neck, and he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She appeared more contemplative than angry. He wasn’t sure how to handle a woman who didn’t scream and throw tantrums. He kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

  He escorted her into the study, where Rand and Ashmore waited. Diana removed her arm from his grip, and he stiffened, immediately missing the innocent touch. She strolled into the room, and he realized he could sit and watch her for hours. He tore his attention away and swallowed hard, focusing on the task of keeping her safe.

  “Sorry about the mess.” She indicated her appearance.

  Gabriel winced. In the rush to get her inside, he’d given her no time to tidy herself. He waited for her to berate him, but she didn’t seem to give a fig about what anyone else thought. At Ashmore’s appreciative glance, Gabriel narrowed his eyes, suddenly rethinking his rash invitation.

  “You are lovely.” Ashmore lifted her hand with a smile and kissed her knuckles.

  Gabriel scowled, ready to trounce the young pup.

  The only thing that stopped him from putting thought into action was Rand’s hand on his arm. “Steady, old man.”

  Gabriel smiled in triumph when Diana adroitly retrieved her hand and retreated to his side. Gabriel couldn’t explain his deep possessiveness, but her reaction appeased the territorial beast within. To his shock, he realized that Diana never willingly touched anyone…anyone but him, and his chest swelled with the knowledge.

  “Ashmore and I are going to retrieve his possessions.” He couldn’t trust himself alone with her, not until he could curb the need to stop pursuing her. Their romance was moving too swiftly. She wasn’t in love with him yet, and until then, he had to keep his hands to himself.

  Diana nodded, and he saw her hand touch her spine, where she hid her knife. “I’ll keep watch over the house and Emilie until your return.”

  He almost changed his mind, but the more people who were here to protect her, the safer she would be. “We’ll begin your introduction into society tomorrow morning, so prepare yourself for training.”

  Diana grimaced. “Must we?”

  Ask her to fight, and she calmly collected her weapons. Ask her to go to a ball, and she flinched. Gabriel might never understand women, but he was learning to appreciate his wife’s uniqueness more and more.

  “Be up early.” Gabriel resisted the urge to kiss her as he headed out the door. Silence fell between the two men, but he saw the frequent glances cast his way. “Diana and I married in a rush to thwart Williams. We’re still getting to know each other. She’s well versed in the ways of country life, but she’s unaccustomed to the upper crust. I ask you not to flirt with her—she might misunderstand your intent.”

  “While she is a lovely woman, I don’t poach on other men’s wives.” Ashmore suddenly grinned. “I’ll have more fun teasing her out of her solitary ways, like the older brother she never wanted…unless you’ve changed your mind about me staying.”

  Gabriel immediately felt like an ass. “No, you are more than welcome in my house.”

  Ashmore gave him an intent look. “Your lady has a reserve that people will see as mysterious, and they’ll naturally gravitate toward her. You’ll have your work cut out for you.”

  Gabriel shuddered at the thought of all those men gawking at his wife.

  Ashmore watched him with knowing eyes and laughed. “She’s driving you insane.”

  “Yes,” Gabriel grumbled.

  Ashmore laughed again, and kicked his horse into a trot. Gabriel followed with a sigh. Ashmore was closer to the mark then he knew. Gabriel would lose his mind if anything happened to Diana. In such a short time, he couldn’t imagine life without her.

  He’d come too far to lose her now.

  Chapter 12

  Diana’s first lesson in social niceties was to be dancing. Excitement tingled down her spine. She took special care with her hair, and almost snorted at the image of her primping for a man. If any of her cousins could see her now, they would laugh themselves silly.

  She should tell Gabriel she knew how to dance, but she couldn’t resist the chance to spend time in his arms. Only, when she arrived downstairs, she found Gabriel and Ashmore waiting for her at the bottom of the steps. She gave Gabriel a quizzical look, her excitement dimming slightly.

  “We’ll use the ballroom for this lesson.” Gabriel cleared his throat and ran a hand down his jacket when she neared. “Ashmore will be your dance partner, while I play the piano.”

  Her smile slipped, and she did her best to mask her disappointment. “This is not necessary.”

  “Rand and Tallie are holding a ball for us in three days’ time.” He gave her a little push when she resisted entering the ballroom, and she almost stomped her foot when he refused to look at her. “Which means we will have to dance.”

  “I’m perfectly capable of dancing.” She stiffened when Ashmore strolled casually to her side.

  Gabriel crossed his arms and raised a brow. “Prove it. One dance.”

  “Only one problem.” Ashmore winked at her, then turned toward Gabriel. “An old injury while I was in service prevents me from dancing. I’ll play while you two dance.”

  They both spoke at the same time.

  “Perfect.” Diana beamed and could’ve kissed him.

  “No.” Gabriel backed up a step, immediately halting when Diana locked her spooky, pale eyes on him. He expected to find triumph, not a blend of hesitation and tentative hope.

  “Aren’t you the one who said I need to practice?” She edged closer, her lovely scent wrapping around him. Distracting him. Mesmerizing him. “One dance.”

  To have his taunt thrown back at him smarted. Before he had a chance to protest, the first notes of the waltz filled the room.

  He’d spent the morning fighting his possessiveness. The idea of watching her touch another man brought out his baser instincts, and he wanted to pound any man who touched her to smithereens.

  Diana was his.

  The beast inside him slowly receded as she peered up at him, and he found himself nodding, unable to deny her anything.

  He could control his lust long enough to survive one dance.

  But when he swept Diana into his arms, he realized he’d seriously miscalculated. She seemed delicate under his big hands, her lithe body swayed sensuously as he whirled her through the first turn. He was terrified to pull her closer lest he stomp on her. The last time he danced, his first wife had laughed and called him an oaf. As they spun and twirled through the steps, his palms began to sweat.

  When she brushed close on a turn, he faltered and struggled against the seductive urge to pull her fully against him.

  “Gabriel.” He flinched, then slowly looked up and braced himself for her ridicule.

  “Let’s try again.” As if on command, the music stopped and the song restarted.

  He couldn’t help staring, losing himself in the compassion and yearning in her eyes. Her mouth curved in a smile that sent his heart racing, her lavender perfume smothering any awkwardness, and he could almost believe the future he wanted so desperately was within his grasp.

  They moved in concert, and the music faded from his mind as they whirled around the room. Her supple body followed his guiding hand, and she swayed closer at every turn.

  When the song ended, he waited for another to begin, but Ashmore had disappeared. Unable to bear releasing her now that he had her in his grasp, he tightene
d his hold and kept dancing. “You know how to dance.”

  “You seemed almost disappointed that I’m not a country bumpkin. I did tell you it was unnecessary.” Amusement twinkled in her eyes. “If I remember correctly, you were the one who insisted I prove it.”

  A rueful smile curled his lips. “Where did you learn?”

  “School. Our training was a little different due to our abilities. Our lives could be endangered if we couldn’t learn how to fit seamlessly into many different situations and levels of society.” Her mouth quirked. “Dancing is a physical activity, and I excel in that arena.”

  His mind immediately landed in the gutter at her innuendo, his cock hardening so fast he nearly missed a step.

  As if she knew where his thoughts had gone, her face lost a little of its sparkle and panic clawed up his chest.

  “To tell you the truth, I didn’t want you to know I could dance. I wanted to see what it would feel like to be held in your arms. I’ve been longing for your touch since the day we met, and I wanted to see if the way you make me feel is real or a figment of my imagination.”

  Gabriel swallowed hard, his grip tightening, and he barely resisted the urge to kiss her and prove to her how right they could be together.

  “Most men don’t notice me like that…if they notice me at all.”

  Gabriel’s heart tripped at her confession, and he was fiercely glad men could be such fools. “Then they’re blind.”

  A beautiful blush filled her cheeks, awe lighting her face. “You see me for what I am. With you, I feel desirable. Being the focus of that kind of passion could become addicting.”

  Gabriel nearly dropped to his knees at her confession. His hold tightened with every word she spoke, inadvertently pulling her against him until her breasts brushed his chest.

  Completely seduced, he was in the midst of leaning in for a kiss when his conscience twinged. Very reluctantly, he straightened. “We can’t do this.”

  He wrenched himself from her hold, determined to retreat even if it killed him.

  Diana tilted her head and studied him. Her blue eyes turned liquid, the heat in them scorching as she slowly advanced.