“I gave you my word I would not touch you.” His breathing grew erratic, but he couldn’t resist devouring her with his eyes.
For every step back, she followed until his back smacked against the wall. He stopped breathing completely when she slipped her hand over his shoulder and lightly traced her fingers along his neck.
Since they were nearly the same height, only a small distance separated their lips.
The feel of her was sheer torture, and he loved every minute of it.
Her sweet breath fanned his lips, and he found himself leaning forward slightly in encouragement.
Thoughts became fuzzy.
Only one thing circled his brain.
One kiss would never be enough.
Devil take him, but he couldn’t force himself to walk away again.
The dangerous curiosity in her eyes caused him to practically quiver in anticipation.
She lifted up on her toes. Just when he thought her lips would brush his, she turned her head, her breath brushing against his ear. His cock practically quivered in response. “I never promised not to touch you.”
His heart thudded as her meaning became clear.
She nipped at his bottom lip, and he groaned.
His resistance crumbled and his good intentions vanished, his body shaking as he tried to anticipate what she would do next. It had been too long. He wanted her too much to deny himself. When she slid her hand down his neck, then across his shoulders, he felt her nails scrape down his chest, and his control snapped.
He whirled and shoved her against the wall, putting his hands next to her head so he wouldn’t grab her and accept her too-tempting invitation. She gasped and peered up at him from under those beautiful lashes. “Do you know what you’re doing to me? You’re playing a dangerous game. You should go. Now!”
It killed him to say the words, his voice so rough with desire it sounded like a growl.
Instead of scurrying from the room in terror, she leaned up and put her lips on his. His will broke, the beast who wanted to lay claim to her escaped its leash, and he sank into her kiss and devoured her.
His fingers dug into the wall, and he leaned forward, dying to feel the length of her against his body. Instead of passively allowing him to take what he wanted, Diana wrapped her arms around his neck and threw herself into the kiss, nipping and taking what she wanted.
A groan rumbled up his chest at her obvious enjoyment, leaving him quivering like an untried adolescent.
She leaned back, her hands sliding over his shoulders and down his chest, and she looked up at him, her lips glistening, her breathing ragged. “Are you sure you want me to go?”
“God, no.” He spoke without thinking. Her siren smile nearly dropped him to his knees.
Nothing could’ve prepared him for when she tugged on his neckcloth and pulled it free. His vest buttons were no barrier to her quick fingers.
“Diana…”
He reached for her hands, but she raised a brow at him. “Uh-uh. No touching…for you. Hands back on the wall.”
Gabriel was helpless to disobey.
She was stopped by his shirt.
A fierce frown marred her brow, and his gut churned when he thought she might call a halt. Then she reached out, yanked the shirt from his pants, slipped her hands underneath and boldly placed her hands on his chest.
They both sucked in a startled breath, and he froze while she explored him.
The soft brush of her fingertips was the most erotic thing he’d ever felt.
A brisk knock sounded on the door, and Mrs. Ketterling swept into the room. “That beast of hers is causing havoc in the kitchen. He needs to be taught his place.”
Gabriel stiffened, using his body to shield Diana and preserve her dignity. “That will be all.”
Mrs. Ketterling glared daggers, her mouth pursed in righteous fury.
Diana chuckled, resting her forehead against his shoulder, then leaned closer to whisper in his ear. “I can’t wait for the next lesson.”
Gabriel gulped, nearly whimpering as Diana slipped away to deal with her cursed dog. They were barely out the door when the housekeeper spoke.
“This used to be a respectable household until you came along. Your unseemly behavior is ruining everything.”
Gabriel whirled and pushed away from the wall, outraged at Mrs. Ketterling’s lack of respect. His hand had curled around the knob when Diana’s laugh carried through the door.
“We’re newly married. You can expect us to sneak away, and often. If you find happiness offensive, I’m sure you can find some other employment more suited to your sense of propriety.”
His balls tightened to hear her mention that they would be sneaking away frequently…she willingly chose to be alone with him! That she would defend him, even to their staff was staggering, and Gabriel felt himself fall even further under her spell.
He was more determined than ever to track down Williams and finish this nonsense using any means necessary.
He refused to believe this would be their only chance to be together. He’d been a fool not to use every opportunity to be alone with her and strengthen the tentative bond growing between them.
As Gabriel opened the door and headed up the stairs, he managed but three steps when Mrs. Ketterling’s strident voice echoed in the foyer. “Lord Mendenhall. We need to speak.”
“Later.” He continued up the stairs, intent on escape.
“It is about your wife.”
Displeasure burned along his veins, and it infuriated him that she would question his authority. He turned and stalked down the stairs uncaring about his rumpled state. “What is it?”
She stepped back, pulling her voluminous skirts away from him, her face puckered in disapproval as she took in his state of undress. “She’s a bad influence on this house. She and her dog are disrupting the household and must be dealt with. They need to be taken to task, and should be sent back to the country until they learn respect and their proper places.”
Gabriel scowled down at the shriveled old crone. “A wife’s place is beside her husband.”
Arms crossed, she pursed her lips. “She must be taught manners—”
His blood began to boil. If the hag said one more word against Diana, he wasn’t sure he could be responsible for his actions. He leaned in closer, angling his body so he appeared bigger and more threatening. “Perhaps you didn’t understand me. She is my wife. That is not going to change. Ever. No matter what you might wish.”
“She’s an embarrassment, and not the proper influence on your daughter. Your first wife would be ashamed—”
“Mrs. Ketterling, if you are not satisfied with my employment, I suggest you leave. Every household settles into a new routine when a man marries. It is a wife’s duty to run or change the household as she sees fit. I stand by my wife in all things.” Gabriel tightened his lips. “Do you understand?”
Her entire body quivered with outrage. She boldly glared at him and snapped, “Yes, my lord.”
After watching her bustle off, Gabriel turned and headed up the stairs, making a mental note to have Milles help Diana look for a replacement. He would not subject her to such abuse.
Once in his room, Gabriel tossed his jacket and vest across the bed. He stared at his crumpled shirt and couldn’t help but grin, a little smug about how it became so mussed. He hauled the shirt off over his head and threw it over the back of a chair and quickly washed.
As he lifted his head, he saw a blur of movement from the corner of his eye. He straightened and whirled just in time to see a tail disappear out the door.
“Son of a bitch.”
Still dripping wet, Gabriel charged after the mutt without a second’s hesitation.
It was time that mangy beast learned who was alpha in this household.
Diana was ready to murder Jack. She trudged up the stairs after searching for him everywhere. He knew he was in trouble, and was intent on remaining hidden. When she heard the distinct click of nai
ls on the floor, she rushed up the rest of the stairs.
She opened her mouth to yell at Jack, and practically swallowed her tongue to see a near-naked Gabriel charging toward her down the hall. His bare chest struck her dumb, his broad shoulders massive and roped with muscles, and she itched to trace the contours for herself. Water trailed down his skin, and she licked her lips as she followed one tiny droplet, suddenly parched.
Hair peppered his chest, and her fingertips tingled at the need to touch him again, never having imagined such an awe-inspiring sight.
Diana didn’t realize he had stopped until he started to back away, and her eyes shot to his. She became very conscious of his bedroom door just steps away.
The dog nudged her, breaking the spell, and she looked down to see he’d stuffed a shirt into her hands. She barely resisted lifting the material to her face to catch Gabriel’s intoxicating scent. Humor quirked her lips, and she lifted a brow. “Yours, I presume?”
Jack took care of the awkward situation. With a quick grab at the shirt, he pelted back into Gabriel’s room. They both gave chase in time to see the enormous dog try to squeeze himself under the bed.
“Jack! Get out here this instant.” Diana stood by the bed, tapping her foot, impatient with the game, conscious of the large mattress just inches away from her, and the delicious temptation of Gabriel behind her. Jack’s tail thumped, showing his enjoyment, and she dropped down on all fours to peer under the bed.
Bumps sounded as Jack crawled to the other side. She wiggled farther under the bed, her fingers barely touching fur when Gabriel cleared his throat. “Diana?”
At Gabriel’s strangled voice, she turned her head to look at him…only to find him staring boldly at her bottom. She blushed, imagining how each wiggle had become the center of his focus. “I think I can learn to like that mutt of yours.”
“Uh, the dog…” She trailed off at his heated look. Jack took advantage of her moment of inattention to bolt. Relieved to cover her awkwardness, Diana ignored Gabriel while she backed out from under the bed and took off after Jack before she did something she would regret…like behave like a hussy and proposition him again.
She’d lavished him with enough temptation for one day.
His first wife had broken him down. It would take more than one day to repair the damage and convince him that she found him utterly fascinating and so sexy he put other men to shame.
Diana chased the dog into the garden and found Ashmore sitting by himself on the bench. Slowing her pace, she studied him critically. “There is no war injury, is there?”
He shot her a cheeky grin. “No.”
She wandered closer, unable to sort him out. “Why are you helping us?”
He raised a brow as he contemplated her question. “My family has caused a lot of damage over the years, myself included. Most of the people in London society are raised differently than others. The upper crust is a tight-knit group, and they worry constantly about their images, propriety, and duty more than their emotions. There’s lots of posturing—like one big unhappy family.
“They also consider themselves above the masses. The elite. They work every day to appear perfect. If you fail to achieve that perfection, you pay the price.”
Diana sat down on the bench opposite his, noting the air of infinite sadness surrounding him. “You lost someone.”
“A lifetime ago.” He fell silent for a moment, his smile just a ghost of his normally cheerful self. “I didn’t figure out that we were a bunch of spoiled children until too late. You and Gabriel have the potential to be so much more. Don’t throw it away or give up on him.”
Ashmore stood, the pain on his face vivid and heartrending. “Gabriel is balanced on an edge, and my family helped put him there. You are his last chance at sanity. After being on the other side of that line, it’s the last place I would want anyone else to suffer.”
Chapter 13
Gabriel woke the next morning, a chill snaking under his skin. Bolting upright, naked as the day he was born, he watched Jack charge out the door with his blanket. Snatching up the sheet, he wrapped it about his waist and blindly gave chase.
It would be the last time that blasted dog of hers challenged him.
He was through the connecting door when he realized his mistake. He skidded and stopped dead on the threshold. Instead of landing out in the hallway as he expected, he ended up in his wife’s room.
“Jack, knock it off.”
Gabriel slowly backed away when he heard her sleepy voice, and caught the sight of her bare leg peeking out from beneath the covers.
He watched as her dog covered Diana with his pilfered blanket and some of Gabriel’s outrage faded. She pulled it close, buried her nose in the fabric and inhaled deeply, and snuggled deeper under the covers as she fell back to sleep. Unable to deny himself, Gabriel allowed himself to be lured closer by the enchanting sight. He straightened the covers, allowing his hands to brush the silken strands of her hair, and froze when she rolled over, almost as if seeking his touch. He sat at the edge of her bed, unable to pass up the chance to study her unchallenged, unheeded that his sheets fell to his waist.
An intricately crafted tattoos swirled along the contours of her back. The blue scrollwork was exquisite, and must have taken hours to craft, not to mention extremely painful. He frowned as he carefully traced a line as it disappeared beneath her gown.
He pulled back, not wanting to intrude on her privacy, when he noticed the lines deepened and turned a brighter shade of blue, as if lit from within. Curiosity and fascination held him in place.
Diana shifted restlessly and sucked in a sharp breath, her back arching as if she was in pain. She whimpered, and Jack whined in sympathy, jumping on the bed to lick furiously at her face.
As Diana woke, the lines faded to a dull blue, and Gabriel watched her hug that damn dog. Jealously bit hard. He wanted to be the one she turned to for comfort. Hating that he couldn’t gather her in his arms, he spoke more harshly then he intended. “What the hell just happened?”
Even before he finished the sentence, Diana had a knife in hand, the razor-sharp blade tight against his throat. He resisted the impulse to react in spite of the thrill of the chase speeding up his pulse, and lifted a brow in challenge.
Fading aches from her power lingered in her bones. Diana blinked past the vision and stared up in confusion when she finally recognized Gabriel. She yanked the blade back in horror, shoving it back under her pillow, struggling to get her eyes to focus on the present and not the disturbing images she’d seen in her sleep. Her fingers trembled at the near miss. Avoiding his gaze, she slid out of bed. “What are you doing here?”
She glanced around the room, still expecting an attack, adrenaline coursing through her while she waited for him to speak. When no danger presented itself, she finally turned toward Gabriel.
And cursed when her eyes immediately became riveted by the sight of his very naked, very splendid chest.
Gabriel’s breath caught at the sight of Diana silhouetted against the sunlight streaming through the window. Her rumpled appearance sent his thoughts spinning into chaos, and his cock instantly hardened. He bunched the sheets in his lap to cover his obvious arousal, struggling to think clearly.
As his scrambled brain caught up with her question, he raised a brow and looked at Jack, then his blanket spread across her bed.
Diana appeared baffled for all of a few seconds. “Jack!”
The dog lay down, bowed his head, and covered his eyes with his paws.
“Bad dog.” Diana waged her finger at the mutt until he slinked off the bed and out of sight. She folded Gabriel’s blanket, avoiding his eyes, and silently handed it to him. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why he insists on antagonizing you.”
Gabriel ignored the blanket, intent on getting answers. “You were having a nightmare.”
“Not really.” Diana held the blanket protectively in front of her, plucking at the pattern. He didn’t sense she was lying, but she
sure as hell wasn’t telling him the truth.
“Then what just happened?” Diana shrugged, and Gabriel leaned forward to capture her hands, halting her agitated destruction of his blanket. “Please. Tell me.”
Diana immediately pulled away, his touch seeming to fluster her more. “It is part of who I am. While I’m asleep, I don’t have the control I normally would awake.”
“Control over what?” Large, haunting eyes gazed up at him. As the time stretched, he could see her struggling with herself. To give Diana a reprieve, he switched subjects. “What are the marks on your back?”
“They are part of being a Druid.”
“Does everyone receive them?” The beast inside him roused at the thought of someone touching her so intimately and putting her through such pain.
Diana heard the censure in his voice, but when she braved eye contact, instead of disgust, she saw only concern. Taking a deep breath for courage, she told him the truth. “They’re not tattoos. Not exactly.”
“Then…” He prompted when she stopped.
“They’re something every Druid receives when they undergo training.”
“Like an initiation into a cult.” His voice grew harsh and critical, and she glared at him.
“They’re not given to you. They’re like a birthmark.”
“Birthmarks don’t form or cause pain like that.”
He scowled, and she was charmed by his fierce protectiveness. Diana tried to find the words to describe the process to an outsider. “We are born with the birthmarks like everyone else, but as we begin our training, they begin to change and become more detailed. Only when we master our craft will the design finally be complete.”
Her answer caught him off guard. He appeared like he might actually believe her. “And if you never train?”
“They fade. But you have to understand, we are born with a duty to help others.”
“You don’t need to be a Druid to make a difference.” He stubbornly crossed his arms, the corded muscles distracting her for a few seconds.
“If I denied who I am—and what I’ve been trained to do—people like Pastor Williams would be free to prey on innocents. What right do I have to turn away from this?”
Druid Temptation (A Druid Quest Novel Book 2) Page 17