Leiliana did not know how long she continued to stand there, lost in her own world, but then her phone began to vibrate in her bag. Leiliana shifted the red wine from one hand to another and deftly balancing the two, reached inside her clutch bag, and removed the phone. It was her brother Benjamin.
“Hello, Ben.”
“Leia, can you talk? There’s something I need to discuss with you.”
Benjamin was currently in Brussels, working with a team on a building project.
“I can. Just give me a moment to move to somewhere less noisy.”
Balancing the phone between her ear and shoulder, her bag under her arm, the red wine in the other hand, Leiliana walked toward the lobby area.
“Yes, Ben. You were saying—”
Things happened almost all at once. Leiliana collided with a solid object, causing the contents of her wine glass to splash everywhere.
She looked down at the front of her pristine white jumpsuit in shock.
A second later, she redirected her gaze to the culprit. It was the handsome stranger from across the room.
Chapter 2
H is face reflected horror and sincere regret for what had happened. “I’m so sorry. Are you all right?” he asked. His voice sounded as strong and masculine as Leiliana had imagined it would. What she hadn’t expected was that smooth Irish burr.
She felt a silly smile creep across her face. My, he was even dreamier up close. Now she could see the color of his eyes. Green. A beautiful enchanting, captivating green…
“Miss, are you all right?”
There was concern in his tone. Leiliana landed on earth with a thud. This was now becoming ridiculous. She was standing here mooning over this man like a simpleton instead of dealing with her business.
“No, I am not,” she responded angrily, annoyed at him for the impact he was having on her nerves. “You have done quite enough, sir,” she snapped. He, who, even with a few spots of red wine on his own shirt, looked like he had just walked off the cover of GQ, dared to look shocked. As though he had a legal right to go around unnerving women.
“Are you implying this is my fault?” he asked.
“It is very much your fault. You need to watch where you’re going.”
“You walked into me.” He looked around helplessly as though seeking confirmation from the few bystanders who were curiously viewing the match.
“I beg to differ. I was searching for a quiet place to have a conversation when you ran into me–”
“That’s not what happened at all. When I rounded the corner, I saw you coming, yammering on that.” He jabbed a finger at the incriminating phone. “You weren’t paying attention to where you were going, and you slammed into me.”
“You should have avoided me, then. You just admitted you saw me coming. Why didn’t you step to the side?”
“Step to the side?” he asked, outraged. “Who do you think you are? The queen of England?”
Ignoring his taunt, she continued to make her point. “So, if you are the injured party, why were the first words out of your mouth ‘I’m sorry.’ Answer that.” It was her turn to do some finger jabbing.
He glared at her. “Because I was raised right.”
“That’s where you’re wrong! You were not raised right! You are a rude, arrogant, lummox! I have got to be on stage, presenting an award in less than half an hour, and you have ruined my outfit. Thanks to you, I now have to find a way to fix this mess!”
He narrowed those green eyes on her until they became jade slits. She could swear she saw glints of steel. With such a stare, she almost lost her nerve and backed down. But with great effort, she stood her ground, refused to flinch, and ignored the discomfort in her spirit that told her she was dead wrong.
Then, as seconds ticked by, a remarkable thing happened. The man slowly relaxed his body, and his mouth tugged upwards.
“I’m very sorry for what happened, miss. If you accompany me to the front desk, I’m sure we can come up with a solution to the problem of your soiled outfit. I’m willing to pay for a replacement or dry cleaning services.”
Leiliana gaped at him.
What had just happened? How had this guy gone from yelling at her to now being so polite? Leiliana was immediately convicted. She became painfully aware that this was not her finest moment. In front of these spectators, she had just made a fool of herself. And all because she was trying to deny her attraction to this man.
She cast furtive glances around and noted the stares. “But I have to make a presentation very soon…,” she muttered.
With the patience of a loving mother dealing with an irritable child, he lowered his head and said, “That’s all the more reason why we need to deal with it now.”
To her mortification, Leiliana felt her eyes pool with tears. She spoke very carefully because she did not trust her voice. “But suppose they can’t fix this?” Her voice cracked, and she pursed her lips as tears started spilling onto her cheeks. She felt like sinking through the floor.
Immediately, the man closed the space between them and whispered in her ear. “You don’t want to do this here. Not with so many prying eyes. Walk with me, will you?”
She nodded and took a deep fortifying breath. At once, she almost swooned as the intoxicating maleness of the man’s woodsy, musky scent filled her lungs. Mercy, was there no escape from the emotional onslaught this man wrought on a woman’s nerves?
As he put his arm around her and guided her to the reception area, he pushed something in her hand. She looked down and realized it was a handkerchief.
“Wipe your face,” he said quietly. She glanced up and realized he wore a casual at ease expression as though nothing unusual had just taken place.
She wiped her tears and barely resisted the urge to blow her nose in the man’s hankie.
She held it out to him. “Thank you.”
He pocketed it with a smile.
They were now a few feet away from the reception desk. There was something Leiliana needed to say to him before they got there, though. She stopped walking. “I mean, thanks for everything you did just now.” She looked down at her shoes. “I acted rather badly, but you’ve been quite the gentleman. I’m very sorry.”
He smiled. “Your apology is accepted, Leiliana.”
Her head jerked back. “How do you know my name?”
He chuckled. “If your identity is supposed to be a secret, why do you let the press regularly photograph you.”
Leiliana had to laugh a little at that. “I’m sorry. My nerves are frazzled. I haven’t had a proper night’s sleep in a while.” Of course, that was only half the reason for her nervous state, but she couldn’t share with him that the effect he was causing was the other.
She looked down at herself and sighed. “What a mess. I feel like returning to London right now.”
“I told you, we can fix this. Don’t worry.” He jerked his chin to the front desk reception clerk. “I’m sure that this hotel has an emergency laundry service.”
As soon as they reached reception, the young front desk clerk whose nametag revealed him to be François greeted them warmly.
Without giving details, Gabriel explained that wine had spilled on Leiliana, and she needed to have her outfit laundered in time to get on stage shortly and present an award.
François nodded sympathetically. “I will make an inquiry. Just give me one moment, please.” He made a call and spoke in hushed tones to someone in French.
“He’s asking housekeeping if they will be able to do a rushed job. It seems like one hour is the best they can do.”
“You speak French?” the man asked.
She nodded. “Yes.”
François came back to them. “I’m sorry. The quickest turnaround time is one hour,” he said apologetically.
Leiliana turned to Mr. Handsome. “That’s a risk. I’m not sure exactly where my role will come in the program.”
“Didn’t you travel with a change of clothing at all.”
She shook her head sadly. “I didn’t. I came here straight from London, and the jet is waiting to take me back.”
He pushed off the counter where he was leaning and turned to address François.
“Where’s the nearest mall?”
“Beaugrenelle. It’s about eight minutes away by taxi.”
“What time does it close?”
“8:30 p.m.” François said.
He checked his watch. “It’s just after 7p.m. right now. So that gives me a little time.” He turned to Leiliana. “I don’t want you to worry. I have a room here which you are free to use. You can change into one of the bathrobes and have the outfit laundered. In the meantime, I’ll dash over to the mall and find you something to wear. Is that acceptable?”
Leiliana blinked rapidly. Her eyes were threatening to pool again. Swallowing with difficulty, she replied, “You’re very kind.’
“It’s so nice that you no longer consider me a rude, arrogant lummox,” he said with a teasing twinkle in his eyes.
She bit her lip and glanced down at her shoes.
He placed two fingers under her chin and gently tipped up her head.
“I’m just kidding. All’s forgiven.”
The way he watched her, never mind his touch was doing crazy things to her insides. Mercifully, he moved his hand away to reach into his breast pocket. He handed over his hotel room key card. “Room 640.”
“Thanks,” she replied.
He took out his phone and began typing something. Moments later, he held out the phone to Leiliana. “I need your phone number so I can send you a photo of the dress before I purchase it. I also need your dress size. So type it under Notes.”
She provided the requested information and returned the phone to its owner.
“See you soon,” he said with a smile. As he turned to walk away, Leiliana realized that she had neglected to extract a vital piece of information from him.
“Hang on!”
He looked over his shoulder with a questioning eyebrow.
“What’s your name?”
“Walsh. Gabriel Walsh.”
~*~*~*~
“That was why he looked so familiar,” Leiliana muttered to herself as she got into the elevator and selected the sixth floor. How could she have failed to recognize a man whose face had been splashed all over the media about three years ago? Perhaps it was because his hair had been longer, and he had worn a beard back then. Whatever the reason, it still surprised her that she hadn’t recognized him. She felt a tremor run over her. This really was quite an exciting turn of events.
She remembered when the story broke three years ago. Gabriel’s father, Barry, an international commodities dealer, hedge fund manager, financier, and businessman had been charged with a litany of crimes including income tax evasion, wire fraud, and racketeering. It had been the biggest tax evasion case in U.S. history.
Learning of the plans for the indictment, Barry Walsh fled to Switzerland. In a bizarre twist of events, his son, Gabriel, then the CEO of Barry Walsh and Company, was arrested and subsequently pleaded guilty to multiple counts of tax evasion and paid millions in fines. However, Barry himself remained a fugitive from the law.
Like a phoenix, Gabriel had seemed to rise from the ashes. While his father remained an outlaw, he renamed the company Walsh Enterprises. He then systematically changed the company’s focus from merely commodities trading to alternative energy services and products.
She had never really given him much thought. Until now. If first impressions counted for anything, Gabriel Walsh had made an excellent one. On the other hand, she was sure she had made a terrible one with her accusatory behavior.
The moment Leiliana stepped into Gabriel’s room, she smelled his cologne and images of his beautiful smile, and intoxicating green eyes filled her mind.
She entered the bathroom, intending to disrobe quickly so that she would be ready when housekeeping arrived. As she unzipped her pantsuit and stepped out of it, she saw a bottle of cologne. She picked it up, uncapped it, and sniffed. Yes, this was the one he was currently wearing. Terre d’Hermes. Very nice.
Using a wet washcloth, she wiped the wine residue off her skin. A minute later, there was a knock on the door. Leiliana grabbed a robe, quickly put it on, then took up her jumpsuit and conducted the transaction with the maid.
When she entered the sleeping area, she took a seat on the bed and noticed a maroon leather-backed Bible. She thought at first that it might be a hotel Bible like Gideons. When she opened it, she found to her surprise that there was an inscription inside in cursive black ink. It read: “To Gabriel, from Grandma. May God always be your guiding light.”
Was Gabriel a Christian? This seemed at odds with his criminal past.
Searching for more insight into this enigmatic man, Leiliana began to reverently leaf through the pages of the Holy Book. She stopped at a highlighted passage in Joshua 1:9.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
Before she could ponder why Gabriel would have highlighted this particular passage, her phone gave a message alert.
“Just reached Beaugrenelle,” Gabrielle wrote.
“Great,” she responded.
As she awaited further communication from Gabriel, Leiliana decided to see what more she could find out about him. Moments after launching her phone’s browser and typing his name, his handsome face popped up on several sites. She clicked through the photos until she saw one that made her heart sink. It was of Gabriel with a gorgeous woman immediately recognizable as Dot Judd. Like a moth to the flame, Leiliana clicked on the image. It took her to a tabloid website. The article said that socialite Dot Judd and fiancée Gabriel Walsh, son of billionaire commodities dealer Barry Walsh were planning to marry that summer. The editorial had been written a little over three years ago, just before the scandal had broken.
Leiliana clicked on another article about Gabriel, which was published several months later. It said nothing about him being married. It did mention that he had been engaged to marry Dot Judd. It went on to say that the two had broken up, and immediately afterward, Dot had eloped with Dimitri Lebedev, son of a wealthy Russian businessman.
A moment later, a message from Gabriel slid across the screen. Leiliana hastily exited the website as though he could see what she had been up to, which was quite absurd.
She opened his message and looked at the images he had sent her. There was a black halter neck dress which stopped mid-calf, a full-length red dress with a tight V-necked bodice and pleated skirt, and a straight white sheath dress.
They were all her style. Elegant and beautiful, yet modest. How had he known what to select?
Impulsively, Leiliana messaged Gabriel.
Leiliana: Which one do you like best?”
Gabriel: “The red one.”
Leiliana: “Go ahead and purchase it, then.”
He sent her a thumbs-up emoji.
Leiliana’s phone rang. It was Benjamin. Leiliana remembered that she hadn’t returned his call. She answered and apologized for not getting back to him, explaining the mishap. She didn’t share that she was now in the hotel room of the man with whom she had collided. That was so out of character that Benjamin would probably think she was joking around anyway.
After the call ended, Leiliana picked up Gabriel’s Bible and continued to leaf through it, noting the highlighted passages and, in some cases reading the notes he had made. While it appeared that this man was serious about his faith, she couldn’t know for sure. She had had experience with a wolf in sheep’s clothing before, so she had to be cautious.
Still pondering this, Leiliana stretched herself out on the bed, intending to close her eyes for just a few minutes.
~*~*~*~
When Gabriel reached his hotel room with the package from Beaugrenelle in hand, he felt strangely excited. He knew that Leiliana Lamport was in his room waitin
g for him, and just the thought of that gave him a thrill.
The moment he had met the woman, he had been captivated. She had him going there for a moment when she went full-blown prima donna. He was about to let her have it when the Holy Spirit spoke to him. He was reminded that between stimulus and response, he had the power to choose his reaction. So he decided to calm himself right down. It was something he had learned in boxing. The person who could control himself when boxing was the one who succeeded, not the raging bull who was out of control. When that happened, mistakes were made.
Then she did an about-turn. She became vulnerable and human and feminine, and he felt his defenses crumble. He felt a primal desire to protect her from the curious scrutiny. He had shielded her from their eyes and removed her from the situation. She had seemed so grateful, and he had felt ten feet tall. He had seen a side of her he could not forget. A side he found attractive and intriguing. She was not this hard woman she seemed to want to present. Instead, she was soft and sweet.
She allowed him to help her even though he had no doubt that left alone, she would have figured it out herself. He had thought nothing of running over to the mall to select that dress for her. In fact, he hadn’t had that much fun with a woman in years.
He knocked at the door to announce his entry, not wanting to startle, then he swiped the lock with the extra key card.
When he entered, he was met with silence.
“Hello,” he said softly.
Silence.
He walked cautiously through the room.
“Leiliana,” he called.
There was evidence she was in here. Her shoes were lying next to his loafers.
He got to the bedroom and pulled up short.
Leiliana was lying across his bed, fast asleep, her hand resting on the delicate pages of his Bible.
Gabriel placed the shopping bag on the bedroom bench and went over to the sleeping woman.
The bed shook a little as he knelt in it with one knee and leaned over Leiliana.
Falling For You Page 2