shallow, a husky rasp, as her release began to burn, to explode, taking her over the edge of reason—
A soft knock on the study door sounded before Cristo Danti informed them, ‘Toby and I will be outside in the garden when you have finished talking.’
Gabriel had moved sharply away from Bella the moment the knock sounded on the door, his mouth tightening now as he saw Bella’s horrified expression before she pushed up from the desk and moved away from him to turn her back and rearrange her clothes. ‘Isabella and I will join you shortly,’ he answered his father distractedly as he pulled his shirt together.
‘There is no rush,’his father assured pleasantly before he could be heard walking back down the hallway.
Gabriel frowned at Bella’s back as she tried, and failed, to refasten her bra with fingers that were obviously shaking too badly to complete the task. ‘Here, let me,’ he rasped before moving to snap the hook back into place.
‘Thank you,’ she said stiffly, making no effort to turn as she quickly buttoned her blouse. ‘I—I don’t know what to say! That was—I’m not sure what happened…’
‘Oh, I think you are well aware of what almost happened, Bella,’ he drawled. ‘It pleases me that you did not lie concerning my scars,’ he added huskily.
Bella hadn’t lied about Gabriel’s physical scars; his inner ones were another matter, however…
She shook her head. ‘I don’t usually behave in that—in that way!’
‘It is perhaps some time since you last had a man,’ Gabriel pointed out dryly.
Bella turned sharply, a frown between her eyes as she glared at him. Exactly what sort of woman did Gabriel think she was?
The sort of woman who allowed herself to almost be made love to on a desktop, apparently!
The sort of woman who had almost ripped Gabriel’s shirt from his back in her need to touch his naked flesh!
Bella closed her eyes in self-disgust as she tried to reassemble her thoughts. She most certainly was not that sort of woman! Gabriel probably wouldn’t believe her even if she were to tell him—which she had no intention of doing; it was bad enough that she knew how out of character her response to Gabriel had been without him knowing it, too!—that there hadn’t been a man in her life on an intimate level since that single night she had spent with Gabriel five years ago.
How could there have been? For nine months of that time she had been pregnant with Toby. And since Toby’s birth Bella had centred all of her attention on him. She certainly hadn’t wanted to add any more confusion to his young life by giving him a succession of ‘uncles’!
She drew in a deep controlling breath before opening her eyes to glare at Gabriel. He had pulled his shirt back onto his shoulders, but hadn’t bothered to refasten it, and Bella could now see the fine pattern of scars that marred the smoothness of the olive-coloured skin. With his dark hair in disarray from her recently entangled fingers, and that unbuttoned shirt revealing his scarred chest, Gabriel looked more piratical than ever. Certainly more rakishly attractive than Bella felt comfortable with!
She raised dark, mocking brows. ‘I’m sure it’s been much longer for me than the last time you “had” a woman!’
Gabriel continued to look at her levelly for several tense seconds, and then a humourless smile curved those sculptured lips. ‘Not all women are as—understanding, about physical imperfection, as you appear to be,’ he said dryly.
Bella couldn’t believe that. If Gabriel were any more perfect she would be a gibbering wreck!
‘I believe that what took place just now proved that we would not lack physical gratification in our marriage,’ he commented wickedly.
Bella’s mouth tightened. ‘We are not getting married,’ she repeated firmly.
Gabriel looked unconcerned by her vehemence. ‘Oh, I think that we are.’
‘Really?’ She frowned her uncertainty, not liking the assurance in Gabriel’s tone at all.
Any more than she liked the smile that he now gave her. ‘Really,’he drawled confidently. ‘I am sure you must be aware of the benefits to you in such a marriage—’
‘If you’re referring to what happened between us just now, then forget it!’ Bella glared at him. ‘I can find that sort of “benefit” with any number of men!’
Gabriel’s mouth compressed. ‘There will be no other men in your life once we are married, Isabella. Now I am assured of your response, we will be married in the fullest sense of the word. As an only child myself, I am hoping it will be a marriage that will result in us having more children together. Lots of brothers and sisters for Toby.’
Bella was thrown momentarily off balance by that last claim as she easily imagined having more sons and daughters that looked exactly like Gabriel.
She gave a fierce shake of her head. ‘You can’t seriously want to spend the rest of your life married to a woman who doesn’t love you—’
‘Any more than you would wish to be married to a man who does not love you,’ he acknowledged curtly. ‘But the alternative is even less palatable. A long—and no doubt very public—legal battle for custody of Toby,’ Gabriel said grimly.
Bella gasped as her greatest fear was made a possibility. ‘You would do that to Toby?’
Gabriel gave a shrug. ‘If you leave me with no other choice, yes.’
Bella looked at him searchingly, knowing by the utter implacability of Gabriel’s expression that he meant every word he had just said. Marriage to him, or Gabriel would involve them all in a very messy legal battle.
She breathed in deeply. ‘All right, Gabriel, I’ll think about marrying you—’
‘Thinking about it is not enough, Isabella,’ he cut in harshly. ‘Especially,’ he added more softly, that dark gaze narrowed on her speculatively, ‘when I suspect you are only delaying the inevitable in order that you and Toby might return to England tomorrow, as originally planned, with your family, yes?’
That was exactly the reason Bella was delaying giving Gabriel a definite answer!
She chewed on her bottom lip. ‘I don’t believe it’s inevitable that the two of us will marry—’
‘I beg to differ, Isabella.’
Her eyes flashed deeply purple. ‘You’ve never begged in the whole of your privileged life!’
He lifted an autocratic eyebrow. ‘And I am not about to do so now, either,’ he said. ‘I want your answer before you leave here today.’
‘You’ll have my answer when I’m damned well ready to give it!’ she flashed back heatedly.
Although Bella already had a feeling she knew what that answer was going to be.
What it had to be…
CHAPTER SIX
‘WILL
