Falling For You

by Nicole Taylor

  She wrapped her arms around his neck as he tightened his hold on her.

  They kissed deeply for a long time, finally releasing all the pent up passion they had held in check for so long.

  Eventually, they reluctantly let go of each other, abating their desire, knowing instinctively where it could lead. Leiliana sagged against Gabriel’s chest as he sunk into the couch. They stayed like that for a while until their breathing normalized.

  “Do you want dinner?” Leiliana heard Gabriel’s words rumble through his chest.

  “Are you hungry?” she lifted her head to look up at him. He looked so alluring she really wanted to kiss him again.

  He nodded. “You aren’t?”

  She shook her head and traced a finger over his lips. “Not for food.”

  He chuckled low, “Careful there, Princess. I’m only made of flesh and blood.”

  She giggled and turned her face into his chest, deeply inhaling of him. “If you’re hungry, go ahead and order. I’ll just get a salad.”

  He wound up ordering a burger and fries for him and a seafood salad for her.

  Between bites, they chatted. Eventually, Leiliana wiped her fingers with the napkin and placed her plate on the ottoman. She took up her cup of tea and sat back with a contented sigh. Watching Gabriel as he ate his chips, she couldn’t help the happy feeling that flooded her soul. Gabriel was such an amazing man, not only in looks but also in character. Why had she resisted him for so long? Thinking about it, how had she maintained the will to do so? He was all she had ever wanted in a man. Michael Chappelle, on his best day, could not hold a candle to Gabriel. Despite spending less than two weeks with him, she felt closer to Gabriel than she had felt to Michael, whom she had dated for almost a year.

  This train of thought reminded her that she needed to share that chapter of her life with Gabriel.

  “His name was—is—Michael Chappelle,” she said softly.

  Gabriel was chewing his last bite of the burger when she said this. He swallowed the food, and asked. “Who’s Michael Chappelle?”

  “My ex-boyfriend.”

  Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “You mean the Michael Chappelle? The internet billionaire? The fella who founded that online backup and storage service?”

  She nodded. “Lamport Holdings made him an offer to purchase the service a few years ago when it was fairly fledgling. That’s how we met. I approached him about the acquisition.”

  Leiliana now remembered the meeting with Chappelle. He had arrived looking like he was headed for the gym. He was wearing leggings, a slim fit sports tee, and a cap. She didn’t understand why someone would come to a business meeting looking that way. She had been quite insulted frankly. But then he had smiled at her and explained that he had flown there straight from a rowing race at his alma mater, Harvard. It had been a race to raise money for terminally ill children, and because he didn’t want to be late for his meeting with her, he hadn’t stopped to change after the race. She had been immediately drawn to him after that.

  Michael was handsome, bold, and charming. She had tried to resist, knowing that it would be risky to get romantically involved with someone with whom she was doing business. But her resolve didn’t last very long. Before she knew it, she was being swept completely off her feet.

  Her father had known she was seeing Michael, and he had shared his reservations with her. As much as she respected her father’s opinion, she had been very offended that he questioned her judgment. “There’s something about him I don’t quite trust,” he’d said to her. She’d just felt he was overprotective of his little girl.

  They had been dating for eleven months when she discovered that her father’s hunch about Michael had been correct.

  Michael Chappelle was in no way what he appeared. He was a liar and a schemer. She hadn’t doubted him at first when he told her he was working late or that he had to return to the office to deal with this thing or the other. Nor when he would say he had to go off for the weekend on business. She used to tell him he worked too hard. And he would retort that they were a lot alike. They would have a good laugh over that.

  The day someone sent her a video of Michael having sex with another woman, she ended up being sick in the bathroom. After she had calmed herself, she argued that it couldn’t be true. There was no way that Michael would do such a thing to her. People were able to manipulate videos these days. Perhaps someone had done so just to hurt her.

  They were to go out on a date that night, and when he turned up, she played the video for him and watched him closely as his face suffused with color.

  “How did she get my number?” She didn’t know why she had said those words. Indeed, it had been the Holy Spirit because she had no idea if the one who had sent the video was male or female.

  “Joanne? She sent this to you? I can’t believe that she would do that. I told her that I had no intention of breaking up with you that conniving little—”

  “How could you do this!” she yelled.

  He turned away from her, dragging his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, baby. It just happened once. It was a moment of weakness, okay?”

  She had been enraged. She had rushed up to him and begun pummeling him. “You liar. You liar. It was not one time. All those times you claimed you were working late. You were with her, weren’t you?”

  He took her by the shoulder to keep her off of him.

  He shook her. “Stop it. Get a grip on yourself!” he shouted.

  Tears were rolling unabashedly down her cheeks. “Tell me the truth, Michael. Just tell me the truth.”

  He stared at her, then his eyes flicked away. He dropped his hands and moved away from her.

  “Okay fine. I was seeing her as well as other women while we were dating.” He rounded on her. “Is that what you wanted to hear?”

  She was stunned. How could she have been so stupid!

  “Why? Why would you do such a thing?”

  He grabbed his head and then looked at her, almost plaintively. “Don’t be so hard on me, baby. I needed someone to satisfy my needs, and there were plenty of women willing to do that.”

  He reached for her. “You’ve still got your precious virginity. You got what you wanted, and I got what I wanted. This will only be a problem if you make it one.”

  She recoiled from him as if he were some offensive thing.

  “But you told me you respected my position,” she said, still unable to believe what she was seeing.

  He chuckled mirthlessly and then dramatically threw up his hands. “Sure. Why not. I respect it. I never promised I wouldn’t have sex myself, though. That’s your personal decision. Why should I let it impact me negatively? I would have preferred to be exclusive with you, but really you left me no choice. Like I told you, a man has needs.”

  “You said you were a Christian,” she said helplessly, vaguely aware that she was almost rambling.

  “I am. Just not the brand you are – the brand who takes all the enjoyment out of life. No sex before marriage, no partying, no drugs, no this, no that. You and your list of rules!” he screamed at her like a lunatic.

  She felt a shiver run through her. At that moment, she felt numb. No longer was she angry or hurt. Not at that moment. She simply felt as though she was a detached observer of her life.

  “Those are God’s rules. Not mine. He created us. He knows what’s best for us. He gives us the self-control to do his will. You can choose to go your own way, do your own thing, but to your detriment.”

  “Well, I don’t believe any of that.’

  “Why didn’t you tell me before? Why didn’t you say that it wouldn’t work between us?”

  He made a dash and grabbed hold of her, drawing her to himself. She felt like throwing up, his very touch was so revolting, but she swallowed back the bile in her throat. “It can work, baby. If you’ll just see it my way. You can hold on to your virginity while I get my satisfaction elsewhere until we’re married.”

  “Married?” she
whispered, aghast at the man’s twisted logic. “Do you think I would ever marry a man like you!”

  Even though negotiations with the company had been finalized, Leiliana terminated the deal. No way would she do business with someone who was so sick and amoral. Lamport Holdings had paid a hefty price for breaking the contract but after she explained to her father what had happened, he agreed with her. For Lord Lamport, integrity was an essential characteristic of any person with whom he was in a business relationship.

  Leiliana had been embarrassed and disappointed with herself for months afterward. How could she have been such a poor judge of character?

  She shared all this with Gabriel now. Then she lowered her eyes, awaiting Gabriel’s response. She wasn’t sure if he agreed with her stance. Did he, like Michael, believe that she was being unrealistic regarding her position on pre-marital sex? What brand of Christian was he?

  He was silent for a long time.

  When he did speak, his voice sounded strained, like a tightly wound coil ready for release. “What. An. Idiot. I’d truly like to have one round with him! Just one!” he exclaimed.

  Leiliana laughed in surprise, relieved that Gabriel was on her side. “For a long time, I closed off my heart. I felt I couldn’t trust my own judgment. In truth, I think I felt like I couldn’t trust God. I questioned why He would have let me get involved with that man in the first place. Recently, I realized that it wasn’t God’s fault at all. It was mine. I wanted Michael. I liked what I saw, and I didn’t really ask God about it. I accepted him at face value. His looks. His demeanor. Even his professing to be a Christian, I just accepted it instead of being guided by the Holy Spirit. That’s why I’ve been so cautious ever since then. I’ve been afraid to follow my heart. Afraid that I would make the wrong choice again.”

  “What changed your mind tonight?”

  “I realized I needed to listen to God and not lean to my own understanding. I’ve seen enough of your character to know that you’re not anything like Michael. I can feel the Holy Spirit telling me that I can trust you, Gabriel.”

  His eyes lit up. He reached out and tenderly caressed her cheek. “You can trust me, Leiliana. I promise you that. I love the fact that your standards are high. You challenge me to be a better man. I wouldn’t trade you or your values for the world.”

  “Gabriel,” she whispered. He slid his hand to the back of her neck and leaned his head towards hers. This time when he covered her mouth with his, she sunk her fingers in his hair. She moaned and moved closer until she was sitting on his lap. Their kiss deepened once more, she could feel Gabriel’s body respond to her, and she began to feel as though she would drown in desire.

  Suddenly, Gabriel wrenched himself away. He slid her off of his lap and stood abruptly. He walked across the room, drew his hand through his hair, and cleared his throat.

  “I think we need to call it a night,” he said.

  “Are you throwing me out of your room?”

  “I am afraid so. You’ll thank me in the morning.”

  ~*~*~*~

  Leiliana and Gabriel returned to Dublin with a new understanding. They were now a couple. Instead of immediately returning to the negotiating table, they spent the morning of their return hanging out on the patio of Gabriel’s house. They cuddled together in an outdoor lounge chaise they had bought two days ago laughing and talking about every little thing. The afternoon found them in Hanley’s Furniture store haggling over bar stools and accent chairs for the living and family rooms.

  As Leiliana watched Gabriel negotiating with the dealer, it occurred to her that he enjoyed haggling with the man over price more than choosing the furniture. No wonder he was enjoying ‘hammering out the details’ of their merger. For her part, while she certainly enjoyed browsing stores and selecting furniture, she was mostly enjoying his company.

  Her phone pinged, and she glanced at it. She startled slightly when she read the message. It was from her father asking how things were going. Ordinarily, that wouldn’t have alarmed her. It was just that if he knew what she was up to at that moment, he would not be amused. She was supposed to be working on a merger, not decorating the home of the man with whom she was negotiating.

  Except, this was no longer merely a business transaction. Gabriel was so much more to her than that. But her father didn’t know this, and she wasn’t about to tell him. Not yet, at any rate. She didn’t want him to think she was repeating the same mistake she had with Michael Chappelle.

  When Gabriel called out to her, she was typing a quick reply, telling her father that everything was going fine, but she wasn’t sure two weeks would be enough time. She hadn’t shared that with Gabriel yet, but she really didn’t feel like leaving him so soon.

  She pocketed the phone at that point and then joined Gabriel.

  He was examining a dining table.

  “You like this one?” she asked. It was attractive with its sleek, wooden finish and modern design.

  “It’s a dining table and pool table all at once,” he explained. As he was speaking, a sales clerk came over to them.

  “Do you play pool?” the woman asked, looking from Gabriel to Leiliana and then back again.

  Gabriel answered her with a smile. “Yes, on occasion. I like this table. It’s the best one I’ve seen yet,” he commented, running his hands along its lines.

  Leiliana almost rolled her eyes. To her mind, a pool table was a pool table, and a dining table was a dining table, and never the twain should meet.

  “Yes, we call it the fusion table. This is revolutionary. A dining table that both the pool player and his wife can live with.” She gave Leiliana a wink.

  Before Leiliana could correct the woman that she wasn’t Gabriel’s wife, he drew her to his side. “So what do you think, love?” he asked softly, staring down at her.

  Leiliana swallowed. “It’s attractive but when you decide to play pool, are you going to do so in the dining room?” It was a rather absurd notion to her mind.

  Gabriel laughed. “You look positively appalled, darling.” He glanced over at the sales clerk. “Perhaps it’s not for every pool player’s wife. I think we’ll continue to look for a dining table that’s just a dining table.”

  “We’ve got a great selection of those,” the woman said, smiling.

  Gabriel nodded. “Thanks for your help.”

  “Cheers, let me know if you need anything,” the woman replied pleasantly.

  “Why did you give her the impression we were married?” she asked as soon as they were out of the woman’s earshot.

  “I did no such thing. I merely suggested to her that, based on your reaction, one couldn’t assume that a pool player’s wife would like the table. Besides, is the thought of being my wife so terrible?”

  She looked up at him. Was he trying to feel her out? He hadn’t even told her yet how he felt about her. He had said he had strong feelings for her, but he hadn’t used the L-word. She knew she was in love with him. There was no use denying it to herself any longer. But she didn’t want to be the first one to say it. Suppose he didn’t quite feel that way. She didn’t want to force him to say something he didn’t feel just to please her.

  She smiled and looked down at her shoes. “I don’t think it would be terrible at all.”

  He drew her closer to his side and then leaned down and kissed her ear. “That’s music to my ears, lassie. So what do you think of that one?” Gabriel asked, pointing to another table.

  She glanced at it. “Let’s have a closer look.”

  It had a grey iron base and a glass top and was surrounded by eight ivory imperial chairs. “You can’t get away from the white, can you?” she asked.

  He shrugged helplessly. “Guess not. So, what do you think?”

  “It’s beautiful. I love it. I can picture it with a vase of silk orchids in bold violet and—”

  “Can we just buy it and go, please?” He looked like a man hunted. She bit back a smile.

  After they left the store, G
abriel grabbed her hand. “It’s a grand aul day today. As we’re in the city, why don’t we have a picnic at Trinity Park.”

  “But we haven’t got any food prepared.”

  “We don’t?” he asked with wide eyes.

  “We do?”

  He nodded, “That’s what I was doing when you saw me on the phone earlier. I was talking to a friend who owns a restaurant around here and asking her to fix me up a picnic basket.”

  “You’re a sly one, aren’t you,” she said with a smile. But she was wondering who this female friend of Gabriel’s was and if she should be worried.

  “I just felt you deserved a treat. Between outfitting my house and this merger, it seems to me you need a little downtime,” he said. “Besides, I just want an excuse to spend more time with you doing something other than talking business.”

  Gabriel’s friend turned out to be a sixty-year-old grandmother who had worked as a cook at his gran’s inn until the inn had closed. Now she owned a small eatery in town that catered mainly to the work crowd.

  She warmly greeted Leiliana, who chided herself for her initial feelings of jealousy.

  What followed was one of the best days of Leiliana’s life.

  Trinity Park was massive, and apart from the plethora of trees and plants, there was a zoo and a sports field.

  It was mid-June now, and the temperature was warm and windy. Leiliana was glad she had worn her hair in a low ponytail and also that she had worn jeans instead of a dress or skirt. Particularly when she spied what the wind was doing to the skirts of a few ladies who had to keep their hands holding them down. It was so much more fun to keep her hand intertwined with Gabriel’s big warm one.

  As they strolled the grounds, they talked about their families and their experiences growing up. Gabriel asked Leiliana many questions that sent her back down memory lane. He mostly listened to her, and she really felt appreciated.

  They found a spreading tree to rest beneath. Gabriel propped up with his back against the tree and stretched out his long legs. Leiliana cuddled up close to him, resting her back against his chest. He kissed the top of her head unexpectedly, and she felt a warm glow spread through her body.