Seducing His Wife

by Elizabeth Lennox

  Gabby stood up in the small confines of the bathroom, about to move around Teague, make her way back to the airport. This whole trip had been a bad idea. Confronting Teague herself had been one of the stupidest ideas she’d ever come up with and she wasn’t even sure why she’d done it. Maybe just to prove to herself that she could, that he didn’t have that kind of power over her any longer.

  It didn’t matter, she told herself. She’d just go back to Boston, admit to Toby what was going on, and ask him for help. Toby would know what to do, how to get out of this situation.

  She should have gone to him before. In fact, she should have told him that she was still sort-of married a long time ago. But she hadn’t thought…she didn’t want…

  Darn it, those tears were starting again!

  “I need to go.” She moved to get around him, but his big body was in the way.

  “Just stop right there,” he told her softly. Gabriella suspected that he was trying not to laugh at her, so she couldn’t look at him. “Take a shower, clean off the cement, and just relax. Have you had anything to eat today?”

  Gabriella looked around, realized that she was in a very nice bathroom but not sure where. “Um…where am I?” she asked as politely as possible. She hadn’t thought any of the condominiums in the building were finished.

  “You’re in my trailer, honey. Just relax and clean yourself up. Use anything you need in here. I won’t jump you.” With those words, he walked out of the bathroom and closed the door, leaving her to stare in astounded silence.

  She looked around, amazed that a trailer could look so…nice! The bathroom was unlike anything she’d ever seen in a trailer before. The fixtures were nice enough to be in a luxury home and it was bigger than she’d thought possible. The bathroom in the barely standing trailer she’d grown up in had a toilet that sometimes flushed, sometimes didn’t, a barely-there sink that leaked, and a shower that spewed tepid warm water at best or cold drizzle at worst with a ripped curtain where she’d had to stand sideways in order to fit into the joke someone had called a shower stall.

  She considered not showering, simply to defy his order to clean up, but one look in the large mirror made her gasp with horror. The elaborate twist she’d put her hair into this morning was a bedraggled mess with half of it hanging down over her ear and clumps of cement clinging to the ends. Her mascara was no longer on her lashes. Instead, it was streaking down her pale cheeks and her lipstick had been mauled off hours ago.

  Her suit was trashed, she thought with misery, and her stockings, well, those had been torture devices anyway.

  Stripping down, she was careful not to get any cement on the floor, knowing it would damage the slate. Carefully folding her clothes so that the cement was on the inside of the folds, she cringed at the cost of getting that suit cleaned. Was it even possible? Gabby could just imagine the expression on the dry cleaner’s face when she dropped off the cement hardened suit and asked if she could have “same-day” cleaning.

  Switching on the shower, she was amazed that hot water came out immediately.

  When she was under the warm spray, she closed her eyes and tried to hide her misery. Or at least wash it away. She’d really made a muck of this day, hadn’t she? She washed and conditioned her hair, scrubbed her face, and washed her body, feeling hugely better once she turned off the water.

  But now that she was out of the shower, what was she going to wear? She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her body, not sure what to do. She could rinse out her clothes, but she wasn’t sure that the suit would rinse. It was supposed to be dry-cleaned. She could…

  Looking around, she suddenly realized that her clothes were gone! Someone had stepped into the bathroom while she was showering and taken her clothes!

  Tightening the towel around her breasts, she was all fired up to rage at Teague for his invasion of her privacy when she spotted the tee shirt and sweatpants on the bed. Had he left those out for her?

  Immediately, all of her anger dissipated with the evidence of his thoughtfulness.

  All things considered, that was very sweet of him, she thought.

  Slipping the tee shirt over her head, she tied the ends around her waist since it was enormous on her. Obviously, it was one of his shirts. And the sweatpants? Well, they were about twice her size. She tugged the string snug around her waist and knew that she looked ridiculous with all the extra material, but she didn’t really have an alternative. She hadn’t brought any other clothes with her, thinking she’d just fly into Seattle, find Teague, get the divorce papers signed, and fly home the same evening. Simple plan.

  Unfortunately, nothing was simple when Teague was involved. Her life had tumbled onto a crazy path the last time she’d been around him. And now? Well, suffice it to say that things were on par once again.

  Stepping out of the bedroom, she stopped short when she spotted Teague. He was so tall, so incredibly handsome! Those broad shoulders and all of those muscles, hidden under the red and blue flannel shirt, but she knew they were there. She’d touched them all before and knew what he, and they, were capable of.

  All of it tapered down to a lean waist and long, muscular legs. Her eyes lingered on his thighs, thinking of the times her hands had felt the muscles there, her fingers tingling when she remembered how he’d moved her hands from his thighs to his…

  “Hungry?”

  Gabriella’s eyes snapped higher, looking up into his green eyes that were such a stark contrast to his black as sin hair. Had he realized where her mind had gone? Her cheeks warmed and she closed her eyes, trying to get herself back under control.

  “I made grilled cheese sandwiches,” he explained, looking at her curiously. “And soup.”

  Her favorite meal, she thought. He remembered. Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. It had been a special meal her mother had splurged with after church on Sundays. Oh, the memories; she and her mother sitting at the tiny, beaten table, thinking they were so rich as they dunked their perfectly grilled sandwiches into the tomato soup. They hadn’t been able to afford it every Sunday, but when they could…! Oh my, such a special treat.

  She looked down, her mouth watered and her stomach growled, betraying the words of rejection she’d been about to utter. When she looked up into those green eyes, she knew that he knew that she’d been about to say no to the soup and sandwiches.

  Changing her answer, she smiled and relaxed slightly. “Thank you. It smells delicious,” she told him honestly and with more than a little gratitude for another sign of his thoughtfulness.

  She watched as his mouth relaxed. His firm lips, those sinful lips that could do things to her body…

  “Have a seat,” he invited and slid a perfectly grilled sandwich onto a plate.

  She abruptly moved over to the table, amazed once again at how nice this trailer seemed. She and her mother hadn’t even had matching chairs. Good grief, they hadn’t been able to afford chairs back then! She and her mother had gone to the landfill and scourged for furniture, excited when they’d found chairs even though they’d been mismatched and pretty beaten up. The two of them had felt like princesses that night when eating dinner.

  Sitting here in the present, with an enormous man across the table from her, she was suddenly shy, painfully aware of her clothes and lack of underwear. She couldn’t figure out anything to say so she picked up her spoon and took a mouthful. The tomato soup, such a simple meal, tasted even better than she remembered.

  They ate in silence for several minutes, Gabriella inhaling the food since she realized she hadn’t eaten in over twenty-four hours. “This is really good,” she complimented. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Finish up and I’ll take you out to get new clothes. The others are ruined.”

  She sighed, her head bowing in horror at her predicament. “I’ll be fine,” she told him, thinking of just walking and…nope, she couldn’t walk anywhere since she had no shoes.

  “I’ll take you,” he told her again, this
time with a tone of voice that meant he wasn’t going to argue with her. He stood up and rinsed off the dishes, storing them in the dishwasher. That took less than two minutes and she was standing awkwardly in his small den area, her feet bare and her pink toenails looking ridiculous.

  “Pink,” he commented after looking her up and down. “I remember you used to have red toenails.”

  She looked down again and shrugged. “Pink seems more…”

  “Dishonest,” he snapped. A moment later, he took her hand and tugged her out of the door. “Come on,” he said and grabbed a set of keys off of a hook by the doorway. He was down the stairs with Gabriella about to follow but he turned around and swung her up into his arms.

  “What are you doing?” she gasped, trying to pull back. He couldn’t hold her in his arms this time around. This was different, she realized. She wasn’t crying this time and she was painfully aware of his strong arms around her back and legs. “I can walk!”

  He completely ignored her assertion and plucked her up, lifting her into his arms and holding her close.

  “Not without shoes,” he replied firmly as he shook his head adamantly. “Not at a construction site.” And with those words, he walked over to a big, black truck and plunked her in the passenger seat. “Behave!” he ordered her with a look that sent shivers throughout her whole body.

  Gabriella jerked when the door slammed shut. She sat stiffly in his truck as a man walked up and started talking to Teague. She watched, amazed at the aura of authority that surrounded Teague. He was a good foreman, she thought. He looked like he belonged, and yet, there was also that strange, overwhelming confidence, that sense of authority.

  She looked away, trying to calm her heart down. She wasn’t interested in Teague! She was immune to his charm, to his body! She was…wow! Her eyes looked around at the interior of the vehicle.

  This wasn’t just a truck. This was a TRUCK! The black exterior and black interior made her mouth drool with jealousy. It looked and felt like this puppy could climb a mountain and then haul said mountain into someone’s backyard! And yet, it had every fancy gadget possible; eight cylinders, maximum torque, crazy towing capacity…all with leather seats and…oh my.

  She pulled herself together when she saw Teague walk around to the driver’s side. Feigning indifference to his truck, she stared through the windshield as she pulled on her seatbelt.

  “How long are you going to be here?” he asked.

  She considered her options. At Toby’s urging, she’d quit her job two weeks ago to finalize the details of the wedding. Since he was paying for the entire wedding, she hadn’t felt the need to continue in a position, although she was definitely going find another position after their two week honeymoon. She refused to be dependent on a man for anything, so a job, something that would give her independence, was mandatory for her self-esteem. Gabby remembered how quickly she’d started to become dependent on Teague, just for his touch or his smile, and they’d only been together for a few days.

  With her shoulders pulled back and her heart hammering in her chest, she glared up at him, trying to appear confident and strong, even though all she wanted to do was ask him to touch her, to feel that….

  Remember Toby, she told herself. Remember his kindness and his gentle nature. Remember that Toby never made her feel crazy or out of control. “As long as it takes to get you to sign those divorce papers,” she told him firmly, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at him.

  He chuckled and shrugged one of those massive shoulders. “Full wardrobe it is.”

  She opened her mouth to tell him that it wouldn’t take that long, but she wasn’t going to give in to him. And then a thought occurred to her. “Did you happen to grab my purse out of the muck?” she asked, panicked and amazed that she hadn’t thought about it yet.

  “Yeah, it’s in the back of the truck,” he told her, moving his massive truck into traffic and turning right. The powerful engine sped them down the highway.

  Relief surged through her and she relaxed ever so slightly. “I’ll need it to buy another outfit. And if you can recommend a hotel…”

  “Forget it.”

  She blinked at Teague’s harsh words, not sure what they meant. “Fine. I can find my own hotel,” she snapped back at him. “Listen, could you just let…”

  “No.” His eyes remained fixed on the highway, maneuvering through the traffic easily in his massive truck.

  She slumped down in her seat, trying to figure out a good approach. But the man was just…rude!

  When he pulled into a parking lot, she was relieved. “Stores!” she sighed with happiness.

  “Stay there,” he barked.

  Gabriella was sick and tired of his rude behavior. Shoes or no shoes, she wasn’t staying put like a good dog! Unfortunately, she was too slow and by the time her anger had nudged her into action, he was already around to her side of the truck.

  When his strong hands moved to lift her once again, she pulled back as far as the passenger seat would allow. “You’re not carrying me again, Teague,” she hissed furiously. No way could she be in his arms again.

  He looked at her with determined patience, hands on his hips, and blocking her exit from the massive beast that was his truck. “You’re not walking around out here without shoes on, Gabby.”

  She gritted her teeth. “My name is Gabriella!”

  He leaned in closer. “You’re name is Gabby Steele,” he came back, his voice smooth and oh so sexy. “Shut up and let me get you some shoes!”

  Without any further argument, he simply reached in and lifted her out of the truck. But this time, instead of carrying her in his arms, he tossed her over his shoulder. She was so shocked that she sputtered for several moments, too furious to react.

  They were almost inside the mall when she found her voice. “Put me down, you humongous oaf!” she snapped at him, her hair falling into her eyes so she couldn’t even see where they were heading. “Teague! This is not dignified! Put me down!”

  “Neither are you,” and he had the audacity to smack her bottom.

  She froze for a long moment, taking in the fact that he’d just…that he’d... “You did not just spank me, Teague Steele!” she gasped, her hands resting on his back, trying to look around and not allowing her hands to come even remotely close to his perfect, hard butt.

  “I’ll do it again if you continue to misbehave,” he warned her.

  He was walking into the mall as if she weighed no more than a grocery bag. When he flopped her down, she was stunned to realize that they were now in a sporting goods store. “What in the world am I going to do in here?” she asked him in amazement.

  He pulled out a package of socks and grabbed her foot, stuffing one into a sock.

  “I can do that!” she said and pulled her foot away.

  He didn’t argue with her this time. Instead, he handed her both socks then stood up and grabbed a box, setting it down in front of her. “Try these on,” he told her and walked away. A moment later, there were three more boxes in front of her.

  She opened the first box and stopped, looking down in surprise. “These are work boots,” she pointed out.

  He ruffled her hair and she smacked his hand away. “Nothing gets by you,” he teased. “Try them on. Choose two pairs.”

  She shook her head, too confused to be angry with him messing up her hair. Again. “But…I don’t want work boots! I don’t like boots! They hurt my ankles.”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “If you’re hanging around, trying to bother me, then you’ll need work boots. Dainty little shoes like the ones you were wearing today are dangerous at a work site. Don’t worry about your ankles. The stiffness wears off.”

  She looked up at him, her mouth going dry at the site of him in front of her, looking like he had that one morning…

  She pulled her eyes away and looked down at the boxes, jerking her mind back to the present and not allowing her mind to go back to her dangerous past with this man. �
��Fine!” she snapped and pulled on a pair. When they fit, she shrugged. “These are fine. I won’t be here that long.”

  “Try on another pair.” When she looked up at him, his smile was evil. “Hey, you never know when you’ll go face down in another cement pond, right?”

  She was so angry with him after that taunt, she couldn’t even speak. But she knew that she had absolutely no idea what went on at a construction site, so she grabbed another box and opened it up. Another pair of work boots;, this pair looked similar, but were slightly different.

  “These fit fine as well,” she told him after she’d slipped her foot inside and laced them up. “Where’s my purse?”

  “I got this,” he told her with a wink. “You have to save up your money for Prada.” A moment later, he walked away with the boxes, leaving her to put one pair of the boots on and follow him.

  Oh, she was really going to get him for this, she thought with relish. She had no idea how, but eventually, she was going to humiliate him just as badly as he was humiliating her right now. She looked ridiculous, walking around in enormous sweats and a tee-shirt that was ten sizes too big and now…boots! And not the nice, pretty leather kind that made a woman look sexy! Oh no, these babies were the hard, tan leather that clunked along, weighing about ten tons whenever she picked her foot up.

  If Toby or his friends could see her now, they would laugh. And cringe! And she would never hear the end of it! Those Boston society folks had very good memories!

  There was no way she could ever tell Toby about this. He would be horrified!

  She was walking towards the cashier when something occurred to her. How in the world did Teague know that she’d been wearing Prada shoes?

  Looking over at him, she was mystified by the man.

  “Let’s go,” he called out to her, having paid for the boots and the socks.

  Gabriella fumbled with her boxes slightly but eventually was able to follow him out of the store. “I need a pair of jeans,” she told him.