It hadn’t just been an encounter to Gabriel. No matter what Bryn might think, how many previous lovers he might have had, he had never experienced anything even remotely like the pleasure he had felt with Bryn tonight. She was so beautiful she took his breath away. Responsive beyond belief. And the caress of her hands, the touch of her lips on his body, his shaft, had been so unbelievably arousing he had almost lost control.
He gave a shake of his head. ‘I have the feeling that this was your first encounter too?’
Her cheeks warmed with colour. ‘I’ve been a little busy the past five years, okay? Building a new life in Wales for myself and my mother. Getting my degree. Working to pay off the student loans, and the rent, and painting madly in my spare time. Besides which—’ she drew in a ragged breath ‘—I would have felt compelled to explain about the past to anyone I became seriously involved with, and I’ve never cared enough to want to do that. I’m sorry if that makes me a lousy lover, but I—’
‘You’re not a lousy lover, Bryn,’ Gabriel cut in forcefully. ‘Far from it,’ he added huskily. ‘I just— I’m surprised that you chose me, of all people, to be your first.’
‘You of all people,’ she echoed bitterly. ‘I suppose it is a bit ironic,’ she murmured self-derisively. ‘But it has a certain rightness about it too, if you think about it. You already know about my past, who I am, who my father was, which means I don’t have to confess anything to you.’
In just a few short minutes everything between them had changed once again, and she was back to being her usual defensive and antagonistic self.
Or maybe that responsive woman was the real Bryn?
Gabriel didn’t know anymore, and for once in his life he wasn’t sure what to do next. Wasn’t sure if there was any way they could move forward with Bryn in the mood she was in right now. ‘Could we have dinner together tomorrow evening?’ he asked tentatively.
Bryn’s chin rose stubbornly. ‘Not if it’s going to result in us having some sort of post-mortem regarding what happened tonight, no.’
‘Damn it, Bryn—’ He broke off exasperatedly. ‘I’m desperately trying to put things right between us, but I could really do with a little cooperation from you.’
‘It’s a little late in the day for that, isn’t it?’ she scorned.
‘I’m really trying here, Bryn,’ he bit out between gritted teeth.
She eyed him suspiciously. ‘Put things right between us how?’
He sighed. ‘We’ve skipped over a couple sequences of a relationship, and I’d like to maybe take those two steps back and start again.’
Bryn looked at him searchingly, not sure where he was going with this. ‘We had a sexual encounter, Gabriel, not a relationship.’ An encounter that had been life changing for her, although she had a feeling that it was Gabriel himself who had made tonight so special; he was not only an exceptional and experienced lover, but a caring and considerate one too. Even with her own lack of experience Bryn knew that not all men were like that, so maybe she should be thanking Gabriel for the consideration he had shown her, instead of arguing with him.
And maybe she would be—if she didn’t feel so confused about how she had allowed tonight to happen in the first place.
Nor did she understand why Gabriel had been thrown so off balance by her lack of experience; didn’t men prefer no-ties-no-expectations sex?
And, damn it, she couldn’t allow herself to become any more deeply involved with Gabriel than she already was. As it was, she had no idea how she would even begin to explain to her mother about her dinner date with Gabriel, let alone what had happened tonight; accepting another dinner invitation from him would only add to the complication of this situation.
‘I appreciate the invitation, Gabriel,’ she told him dismissively. ‘And I understand what you’re trying to say, but I’m really not interested in taking this any further.’ She gave him a bright and dismissive smile.
‘You’re not interested in taking this any further?’ he repeated slowly.
‘No. You’ve said you’re willing to forget the past, so I suggest we do the same with what happened just now. Let’s both just forget it ever happened,’ she repeated evenly.
Gabriel had never met another woman even remotely like Bryn Jones. Nor did he ever remember wanting to strangle a woman as much as he did Bryn at this moment.
First, she had aroused him so much that the two of them had almost had unprotected sex on the sofa in his office, of all places, and now she was giving him the brush-off. Unbelievable!
And was that injured pride speaking, or something else?
This woman had him so tied up in knots that Gabriel had no chance of sorting out his emotions. Except to know he wanted to see Bryn again, to be with her.
‘Dinner tomorrow evening,’ he repeated firmly.
‘No,’ she refused flatly.
Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. ‘You already have a date tomorrow night?’
Bryn raised her brows in silent rebuke. ‘My shifts at work have worked out that I have three days off together, so I’m travelling home tomorrow morning to see my mother and stepfather. It’s also the reason I was working late with Eric this evening,’ she added challengingly.
‘I see,’ Gabriel murmured slowly, not willing to get into that conversation again, or the jealousy he had felt seeing her with Eric.
‘How are you getting there?’
‘By train.’
‘Let me drive you—’
‘Don’t be ridiculous, Gabriel,’ Bryn cut him off sharply, impatiently. ‘It’s bad enough that the two of us have met again. I don’t need to shock my mother by having you turn up on her doorstep with me tomorrow.’
His mouth thinned. ‘Are you saying she doesn’t even know about your participation in the exhibition at Archangel next month?’
Bryn snorted. ‘I wouldn’t even know where to start telling her of my reinvolvement with the D’Angelo family!’
‘Damn it, Bryn.’ Gabriel glared. ‘Your mother never hated me in the way that you do—’
‘You can’t possibly know that,’ she cut in dismissively.
As it happened, Gabriel did know that. But it appeared, from what Bryn was saying now, that Mary Harper had never told her daughter of their meetings after William went to prison.
‘Bryn, your father—’
‘I don’t want to talk about him!’ Her eyes flashed in warning.
Neither did Gabriel, but at the same time he knew it was a subject they couldn’t continue to avoid. ‘Bryn, he was a man, not a saint. Just a man,’ he repeated heavily. ‘His past misdemeanours weren’t allowed to come out in court because they would have prejudiced the verdict, but surely you know that your father was a professional conman.’
‘How dare you?’ she gasped furiously.
Gabriel frowned. ‘Not only that, but he brought about his own downfall.’
‘You already said that!’
‘But I mean this literally.’ He sighed. ‘Bryn, the reason I came to your home, talked to your father a couple times, was to try to talk him out of going through with trying to sell the painting. Because I knew, deep inside me, here—’ he held his hand to his heart ‘—that the painting was a forgery. I had no proof but that feeling, but that was enough for me to try to stop him from going through with it. The morning after I visited him the second time the headlines of the painting’s existence were blazing across half a dozen newspapers.’
‘You’re saying my father was the one who went to the press?’ Bryn gasped.
‘Well, I certainly didn’t. And if it wasn’t me, then it had to be him. If you don’t believe me—’
‘Of course I don’t believe you!’ she said scornfully.
He sighed heavily. ‘Then ask your mother about him, Bryn,’ he encouraged. ‘Ask her to tell you about all the years she suffered in silence through William’s schemes and machinations. Ask her if he went to the press. You have to ask her, Bryn,’ he repeated forcefully.
‘I don’t have to do anything.’ She gave a determined shake of her head. ‘I think—’ she breathed deeply ‘—that I may actually hate you for the things you’ve said tonight.’
Gabriel had no choice but to watch as Bryn left, accepting that if hate was all Bryn had to give him, then he would take even that hate.