direction—’
‘You know very well what I meant!’ She glared her exasperation.
He shrugged. ‘There will be no other women in my bed but you, Isabella,’ he taunted.
‘I’m not going to be in your bed, either, Gabriel!’
Bella did not believe she was going to be in his bed, which, as far as Gabriel was concerned, was a totally different matter. ‘You have named your own conditions for our marriage, Isabella,’ he rasped. ‘Now I wish to tell you mine.’
Her eyes widened. ‘You have conditions, too?’
‘But of course.’His mouth quirked. ‘You did not think that I would allow you to have everything your own way?’
‘Forcing me into marrying you is hardly that!’ she scorned.
Gabriel gave another shrug. ‘You have a choice, Isabella.’
‘Not a viable one!’
‘No,’ he acknowledged simply. ‘But it is, nevertheless, still a choice.’
Bella sighed her frustration, just wanting this conversation over and done with now. She was tired, both emotionally and physically, and she needed time and space alone now in which to sit and lick her wounds. While she came to terms with the idea of marrying Gabriel Danti!
How different it would have been if this had happened five years ago. How different Bella would have felt if their night together had been the start of something that had eventually resulted in Gabriel asking her to marry him. She had been so infatuated with him then, so totally seduced by Gabriel’s lovemaking, that Bella had absolutely no doubts she would have said yes.
Instead, what they were now proposing was nothing more than a business transaction. A marriage of convenience because both of them wished to ensure that Toby’s life, at least, continued in happiness and harmony.
‘What’s your condition, Gabriel?’ she asked.
He didn’t answer her immediately, but instead walked slowly towards her, only coming to a halt when he stood mere inches away from her.
Bella eyed him warily, her nails digging into the palms of her hands as she knew herself to be totally aware of the warmth of Gabriel’s body, the clean male smell of him, the golden lights that now danced in the warm darkness of his eyes as he looked down at her.
‘What do you want?’ she snapped apprehensively, to which he gave a slow, seductive smile. A smile Bella took exception to. ‘I was referring to your condition, Gabriel,’ she added hastily.
‘My condition at this moment is one of—’
‘Your verbal condition to our marriage!’ Bella could see for herself, by the languorous desire burning in that dark gaze as it roamed slowly over the firm thrust of her breasts, and the hard stirring of his body, exactly what Gabriel’s physical condition was!
‘Ah. Yes. My verbal condition, Isabella,’ he murmured, ‘is that, in order to ensure the continued harmony of both your own family and mine, I suggest it would be better if they were all to believe that our marriage is a love match.’
Bella gasped in disbelief. ‘You want me to pretend to be in love with you?’
‘Only in public,’ he qualified.
She glared at him. ‘And in private?’
‘Oh, simply in lust will do for the moment,’ he said softly.
Bella’s gaze narrowed. ‘You arrogant son-of-a—’
‘Insulting my mother will achieve nothing except to annoy me intensely, Isabella,’ he warned her.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she came back sarcastically. ‘My intention was to insult you, not your mother!’
Gabriel was aroused, not insulted. Marriage to Isabella promised to be a feast for the senses—all of them!
She had been beautiful five years ago, like a delicate and lovely flower that blossomed to his slightest touch. But, Gabriel now realised, he had plundered only one of her petals then. Motherhood and a successful career had ensured there was now so much more to Isabella Scott, and he found it all desirable…
He smiled slowly. ‘I am not insulted, Isabella,’ he assured huskily. ‘Intrigued, perhaps, but not insulted.’
‘Pity,’ she muttered.
Gabriel’s smile widened. ‘You agree to my condition, then?’
She eyed him, totally frustrated with her lack of anything resembling control of this situation. ‘I assure you I no more want my parents and siblings upset about the choice I’m making than you want to distress your father.’
‘And so…?’
She glared her dislike of him, then grudgingly conceded. ‘And so, in public at least, I will try to ensure that it appears as if our marriage is something I want.’
‘Good.’Gabriel murmured his satisfaction as he lifted his hand and curved it about the delicate line of Bella’s jaw, instantly feeling the way she tensed at his lightest touch before moving sharply away. ‘Neither your family or my own will be convinced of our—ease with each other, if you react in that way when I touch you!’ he growled disapprovingly as his hand fell back to his side.
She gave a dismissive snort. ‘I promise I’ll try to do better when we have an audience!’
‘To merely try is not good enough,’ Gabriel told her coldly.
‘It’s the only answer I can give you for now,’ she told him wearily.
Gabriel studied her through narrowed lids, easily able to see that weariness, along with the air of defeat Bella no longer tried to hide from him.
Yes, he had won the battle by forcing Isabella’s compliance in the matter of marrying him, and in claiming Toby as his son.
But Gabriel felt little triumph in that victory as he sensed that, in doing so, he might have put the success of the entire war he was waging in jeopardy…
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘YOU make a stunning bride, Bella!’ Claudia smiled at her tearfully as she put the finishing touches to the veil before stepping back to admire her sister’s appearance.
Bella could only stare numbly at her own reflection, in a beautiful white satin wedding gown and lovely lace veil, in the full-length mirror on the door of the wardrobe in the bedroom that had been hers as a child.
Whoever would have thought, having agreed to Gabriel’s marriage proposal, that only five weeks later Bella would be standing here dressed in this beautiful white wedding gown and veil, preparing to drive to the church with her father, on her way to becoming Gabriel’s bride?
Gabriel’s bride.
Gabriel Danti’s bride.
Oh,
