by Faye Avalon
Maddie’s chest tightened as she remembered how he’d confessed to having lost sixty percent of the company. He’d long since given her back the ten percent that was hers, saying that Gabe had sold the shares back to him, having made a reasonable profit. At the time, Maddie had assumed Gabe had let them go because he’d simply lost interest and had found more profitable areas in which to invest his money.
The remaining thirty percent of the company was still in her father’s name, but he’d signed the shares over to Maddie while undergoing treatment for his gambling addiction.
Thankfully, Oscar had only been interested in the prestige that came with being the majority shareholder in Mallory Hotels, so he’d left the nuts and bolts of the business to Maddie. Being plunged in at the deep end meant she’d had to learn fast. She’d hired top-notch people to run the various departments of Mallory Hotels, had attended copious executive meetings and worked hard to keep abreast of company affairs.
When she’d made her arrangement with Oscar to get back control of her father’s company, she’d hired esteemed and trusted lawyers to go over the contract she’d signed with him to ensure what they’d agreed was watertight.
Oh, damn sure she’d learned. Never again would she take anything at face value.
“I did want to bring Mallory Hotels to the French Riviera,” Gabe said. “But the deal fell through.”
“Huh. Wonder why?”
He shrugged. “Things change.”
Maddie tapped her finger to her chin. “Why did you sell my shares back?”
“Like I said, things change.”
Maddie took a moment to choose her next words. She didn’t want them misconstrued so that Gabe could wangle out of answering. “Are you planning to get control of Mallory Hotels from Oscar? Is that why you wanted to stop my wedding?”
She half expected another shrug. Another enigmatic answer. But he took his time, running his finger around the rim of the wine-glass as if contemplating. “I wasn’t prepared to let you hook up with a creep like Kingston.”
“That’s not good enough. I need details.”
His expression darkened, his nostrils flaring again, as if he was growing frustrated by her prodding and pushing. Too bad. She wasn’t letting up until she had answers.
“Details, Gabe.”
“He’s bad news. You think you can’t trust me? You have no idea what you’d be letting yourself in for with him.”
“Oh, you’re dead wrong. I know exactly what. I’ve got the best lawyers who’ve checked the contract inside out, and backwards and sideways. I’m confident that we’ll both get what we want from the arrangement.”
From Gabe’s huff, it was evident he didn’t share the sentiment. “You’re not still determined to go through with it?”
Why did he make her feel as if she were a recalcitrant teenager who had just declared she was taking a gap year in the middle of a war zone? “No real reason not to. It’s a way for me to get what I want.”
He gave a more emphatic huff. “Not going to happen.”
Tired of his posturing, she leaned forward. “Then tell me why, and don’t keep beating around the bloody bush. We haven’t seen each other, haven’t spoken, for more than two years. Yet you want me to believe that you’re looking out for me now? I don’t buy it, not for a second.”
He sucked in a breath, fixed her with a hard stare. “Okay. You want the truth? I’m having him investigated.”
“Investigated? For what?”
“You name it. I’m sure whatever arrow you aim will hit a dodgy target somewhere along the way.”
“That’s ridiculous...”
He leaned forward, his forearms resting on his thighs. “He’s no reformed character, Maddie. Okay, I’m following rumours right now, but I’ve already got enough dirt on him to make it count.”
He clasped his hands together and leaned closer toward her. “When the shit hits the fan, he’ll take you down with him.”
“How?”
“You’ll be his wife. And while you might have the best lawyers checking over the clauses in your marriage agreement, they won’t know about other contracts he has in effect, other clauses and their implications.
“He’s a slippery bastard,” Gabe went on, his expression dark. “It’s a simple matter to forge someone’s signature, and plenty of people use their spouse’s name to offset assets...and liabilities.”
The chill that rippled down Maddie’s spine had nothing to do with the night air filtering through the terrace doors. She’d always secretly feared that Oscar might still be skirting the law, and that his unscrupulous dealings might sully the company’s reputation. It was the main reason she wanted control of the business safely back in Mallory hands.
“This dirt you’ve got on him, is it current or historical?”
Gabe scratched the beginnings of stubble across his chin. “Both. When I heard he’d gained control of Mallory, I made enquiries. It didn’t take me long to scratch that dirt. Knowing you’d agreed to marry him, I dug deeper.”
Maddie ignored the warmth that rippled through her with the knowledge that Gabe had reacted to the news of her impending marriage. He wasn’t doing any of this because he had any real feelings for her. Guilt perhaps, that was more likely. Plus, she couldn’t entirely dismiss the likelihood there was something in all this for him.
“What do you actually have on Oscar?”
“Enough to know you could be an unsuspecting patsy in his seedy dealings.”
Was it true? Or was Gabe playing her?
“How much of your father’s business does Kingston actually own?”
Maddie bristled. She didn’t want to reveal that information to him, not when she wasn’t sure what or who to believe. Nor did she want anyone knowing the full extent of her father’s problem.
Except after what Gabe had just told her, protecting her father’s reputation might be the least of her problems.
When it came down to it, she had to make a choice. To believe Oscar, or to believe Gabe. Considering their history, she was surprised to realise that she didn’t have to think too hard.
“Oscar owns sixty percent. I own the remainder.”
And she would guard those shares with her life if she had to. Keeping them safe had formed a major part of her prenup with Oscar. Forty percent of Mallory Hotels would remain in her possession throughout the marriage, and would form no part of marital property rights in the event the marriage was annulled or if they divorced.
“What percentage did Kingston agree to sign back to you on your marriage?”
“Fifteen percent. To give us back controlling interest. Oscar considers the boost to his reputation by marrying into Mallory’s potentially more lucrative to him than the shares.”
Gabe nodded and fixed her with his steely grey gaze. “I’m asking you to trust me, Maddie. I’m asking you to give me a week. Let me prove to you that I’m right about him.”
Her mind reeled with the implications of that, but Maddie knew she had to learn the truth. Which meant giving Gabe the benefit of the doubt. He’d asked for a week. Surely one week of uncertainty was better than fifty-two spent in abject regret.
One week. With Gabe.
Whatever she found out about Oscar she would deal with. What she wasn’t sure she could handle was spending a whole week with Gabe. She’d been thinking in terms of hours, days, during which they could have a brief rekindling of their affair, before she went back to London to take whatever step she’d decided upon.
But a week? Could she handle it? Handle him?
Damn sure she could.
“Okay. One week. But you’d better not be playing me, Gabe. If I find out you are, you’ll discover that a week is a hell of a long time to suffer the consequences.”
* * *
Gabe wasn’t usually prone to questioning his decisions. He
weighed the pros, the cons, then acted. He rarely looked back. But asking Maddie to stay the week? Fuck. He wasn’t sure he’d survive it.
Not because of her threat—God knew he wasn’t playing her—but more because it had taken one look, one touch, one taste and he was doubting every survival instinct he possessed.
He needed to stay focussed on the reason she was here, the need he had to protect her from the likes of Kingston. Gabe knew the type. He’d been fathered by such a man. A brute who lied, cheated and, if those two traits didn’t serve his purpose, used his fists to get what he wanted.
As he watched Maddie disappear into the bedroom, an image of his mother flashed across Gabe’s mind. He’d long since come to terms with the fact that as a young boy it hadn’t been in his power to help her, to save her, but damned if he would stand back this time and see another innocent woman destroyed.
While Gabe still had nightmares about the night his mother died, he knew that Kingston would have no hesitation selling out his own if it saved his worthless hide. Gabe would bet that the deal by which Kingston now owned sixty percent of Mallory Hotels had been brokered using dirty money and, should the shit hit the fan, Kingston would claim Maddie’s father was fully aware of its source. Given that Derek Mallory had likely wagered and lost the shares while involved in questionable gambling activities, it was inevitable that he’d be implicated.
In her desire to help her father, Maddie was primed to fall for the lines Oscar spun. Gabe would relish bringing that son of a bitch to justice. Kingston wasn’t about to get his greedy hands on the rest of Mallory Hotels, and he sure as hell wasn’t getting Maddie.
Gabe hated that she saw him as the bad guy. Okay, he wasn’t blameless, far from it, but he wasn’t entirely guilty, either.
He went into the guest bedroom, collected the case his driver had left there and then took it to his own room, where he snapped the lock and opened the lid. He heard the shower turn off in the adjoining bathroom, and his mouth went dry as dust as Maddie stepped out with a towel wrapped around her damp, milky flesh.
She stopped dead when she saw him and raised her chin. “Who said the week we’ve negotiated includes extracurricular activity?” The heat in her eyes belied that particular point. “What happened before was a one-off. For old times’ sake.”
He couldn’t stop the grin. “Maybe I’d believe that if you weren’t wearing that towel so low that it’s giving me a flash of very appealing nipple.”
Her fingers tightened around the ends of the towel, but she made no attempt to hoist it upward. “Maybe you should get bigger towels.”
He took a step toward her, blood already raging in his veins. “Maybe you should just give up the pretence of wanting to hide those incredibly desirable breasts from me.”
“You’re a piece of work, Gabe.”
She didn’t resist when he started to peel the towel away, but tightened her grip again when she glanced over his shoulder. “Are those mine?”
He kept his hand on the towel, knowing she’d spotted the case. “Looks like.”
Frowning, she stepped around him. “This is my personal stuff.” She fingered the selection of clothes and accessories, then unzipped the large cosmetic bag. “Bloody hell, Gabe.”
“I enlisted the help of your friend,” he said, forced into defending himself when amber fire shot his way. “And don’t blame her—I can be very persuasive.”
“Huh. I’m betting Laura didn’t take much persuading. She doesn’t trust Oscar.”
“Wise woman.”
He hadn’t wanted to involve Maddie’s friend in his plans, but he’d needed help getting her clothes and keeping her away from her phone during the drive to the church. Laura’s initial reluctance had vanished when Gabe told her of his fears for Maddie.
Maddie toyed with the cosmetic bag. “You could have come to me, you know. You could have just told me. Let me draw my own conclusions, make my own decisions. I’m furious about the way you’ve gone behind my back. As if I’m incapable of reasonable thought.”
“If I’d come to you, tried to talk to you, you’d have blown me off. Told me to mind my own business. You’d have ended up marrying that low life.”
“So instead you chose to take away my power.”
“Shit, Maddie.” He pushed his fingers through his hair. “Be honest. You wouldn’t have seen beyond our history. You’d have questioned my reasoning and concluded that I was just trying to hijack your plans.”
“Because I’m spiteful as well as stupid.”
Frustration shone in her amber eyes. Gabe turned her to face him, taking the cosmetic bag from her tight grasp and dropping it on the bed. “You’re neither of those things, but you can be freaking stubborn when you set your mind to it.”
He drew her close, running his hands up and down her arms in an effort to soothe them both. “I get it, okay? If someone manipulated me into doing something I hadn’t wanted or planned, I’d be pretty pissed, too.”
She looked him straight in the eye. “I need to know what you find out. I can’t make decisions based on half-truths or filtered information.”
Shit.
He’d tell her what he discovered, but only if it didn’t put her in harm’s way. If protecting her meant bending the truth, he’d do it. Whatever it took, he’d keep her safe.
Thankfully, she didn’t press the issue, although the way she raised her eyebrows left him in no doubt that she was aware he hadn’t answered her. She turned away so that her back was to him. “It’s been a long day. I’m going to hit the sack.”
She hesitated, then dropped the towel, allowing Gabe to devour her delectable nakedness. The sensual curve of her spine, the beautiful shape of her backside, those long legs. For several moments he continued to stare, his lungs tight, his blood heating.
Looking over her shoulder at him, she raised her eyebrows. “You know, since I’ve never been one to cut off my nose to spite my face, I’m thinking as long as we’re here and we understand each other, there’s no reason for us not to take advantage of the situation.”
While Gabe swallowed down a dry throat, Maddie turned around, giving him a stunning full-frontal view of her incredibly desirable assets.
She moved toward him. “I’m thinking we’re both adults. We’re attracted to each other. We both enjoy sex.”
The breath backed up in his lungs. “No argument so far. Especially if this is an invitation to enjoy some of that extracurricular activity.”
She pursed her lips. “I didn’t plan on having sex with you, but now that we have, there doesn’t seem to be any point pretending we don’t want to do it again.”
“Still no argument.”
Slowly, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “It will be completely separate to anything else that’s going on. This is just screwing. Just us enjoying ourselves. Agreed?”
“Hard not to agree when you’re pressing yourself against me.”
“So that’s a yes?”
It took him a moment to get his thoughts together. His whole concentration spiralled on the spot where she ground herself against his cock. “Yeah,” he grated, hiking her up until she wrapped her legs around his waist. “Just us enjoying ourselves. Just screwing.”
With which he dumped them both on the bed and proceeded to make good their pact.
CHAPTER SIX
GABE WASN’T A man prone to indolence, especially on a weekday. Usually he was up at five, straight down to the gym for a quick workout, then shower, breakfast and out to his office building overlooking Monaco’s harbour before the majority of the principality stirred.
With Maddie here, he’d planned to work from his home office, but that was before they’d jumped into bed right off. He’d be a liar if he didn’t confess that he’d hoped for this turn of events, but he hadn’t allowed himself to take it for granted.
Now, after a night of
robust sexual activity, he wasn’t sure he even had the inclination to open the lid of his laptop. Instead, he preferred watching Maddie curled beside him, her arm across his chest and her breasts pushing warm and bountiful against his ribcage.
His cock, already at full mast, jerked. So he leaned down and kissed her forehead, hoping to wake her.
She drew in a sleepy breath and sighed. “Is it morning?”
“Yeah. Want breakfast?”
“Hmm. What’s on offer?”
Her voice was muffled against his throat, and the vibration set up all manner of interesting sensations in his groin. “Well, there’s eggs, maybe some bacon, croissants.” He bent to kiss her mouth. “Or, if you prefer, there’s a very enthusiastic cock that would love some early-morning attention.”
She laughed, then turned her head to look up at him, all doe-eyed and rumpled hair. Fuck, but she was beautiful.
“Oh, poor thing. It’s been severely neglected for most of the night, hasn’t it?”
She brushed her hand slowly down his chest, over his abdomen, her fingers curling around the base of his erection. All his attention went to where her hand got busy, where her fingers travelled lightly up and down the length of him.
He closed his eyes, enjoying the slow, easy slide of wake-up sex.
Keeping one arm around her, he cupped her breast with his free hand, squeezing her nipple so that she moved her heated core against his hip. Her movements on his cock quickened, along with his breathing. He was about to shift her onto her back so he could open her legs and drive himself inside her, but instead she put both hands on his chest and hiked her leg across his body to straddle him.
Her pussy pressed hard against his stomach, and she shimmied erotically against his skin.
“That’s some sexy dance,” he said, the sound of his voice low, deep and slightly desperate as his cock throbbed. “Want to take the action a little lower?”
She grinned, licked her lips and shimmied some more.