They had been hungry, ravenous for each other, the moment they had stepped into the lift. In fact, they had barely made it to the bedroom at all before ripping each other’s clothes off!
And it had been totally different from what had happened in Majorca. Then she had been full of girlish expectations, and had been hopelessly in love.
This afternoon, despite the fact that it had been the first time for her, their lovemaking had been wild, uninhibited, and totally adult.
What scared her was that it could happen again at any time.
And what scared her even more was that it wouldn’t!
How ridiculous was that?
Rufus continued to look at her for several long seconds through narrowed lids, his gaze piercing, as if trying to see the thoughts behind her violet-blue eyes.
Gabriella withstood his look for as long as she could, her own gaze cool, her expression still coldly challenging.
Luckily it was long enough, with Rufus giving a disgusted snort before turning to leave.
‘Oh, and Rufus…?’ She stopped him at the door.
He drew in a deeply controlling breath before slowly turning back to look at her. ‘Yes?’
‘I should hang onto the apartment, if I were you,’ she advised derisively. ‘For the future use of you and—whoever!’
So that he had no doubts whatsoever that she wouldn’t be the one sharing that bed with him again!
His pale green eyes glittered with angry need to retaliate as he glared down at her. ‘I’ll do that,’ he finally bit out mockingly. ‘For my future use with—whoever…’he added with soft challenge before turning and striding forcefully from the room.
Gabriella heard a door slam further down the hallway seconds later, and could only presume he had gone to the room that used to be his father’s study, but was now his…
She collapsed weakly down in her chair now that she was alone, at last giving into the bewilderment she had felt ever since leaving his apartment.
She hadn’t been able to get out of there fast enough, after it had hit her what she had done. And she certainly had no intention of letting Rufus know he had been her first and only lover.
She didn’t want him to ever know that.
Chapter 5
‘Exactly what are you supposed to be doing?’
Gabriella wobbled slightly at the top of the stepladder she was standing on, only just managing to keep her balance before turning to look down at Rufus as he stood at the bottom of the ladder staring up at her with critical eyes.
She probably looked a mess, Gabriella acknowledged with an inward cringe. Her hair was tied back with a scarf but several tendrils had come loose to fall wispily about a face flushed and hot from her exertions. A face bare of make-up. And her purple tee shirt and black denims were looking a little the worse for wear, too, from where she had been removing paintings and dusty artificial plants from around the coffee-shop all morning. There was probably a smudge of dirt on her nose, too, knowing her luck!
Whereas Rufus looked wonderful, as usual, in the dark business suit and cream shirt with matching tie he had worn in to work today.
Not that Gabriella had known that until now—the two of them had travelled separately into town this morning, Gabriella waiting until Rufus had left to drive himself to Gresham’s before catching a train, and this was the first time she had seen him since she’d arrived a couple of hours ago.
‘What does it look like I’m doing?’ she came back impatiently as she carefully made her way down the stepladder.
Losing her balance and falling into Rufus’s arms was the last thing she wanted to do after keeping him at arm’s length the whole weekend.
Not that it had been all that difficult to do!
Rufus, whether from habit, or because of Gabriella’s criticism Friday evening—or simply a desire to keep Holly safely away from her—had taken Holly into work with him on Saturday and then out for the day on Sunday, the two of them not arriving back at Gresham House until after dinner on both evenings, Rufus then putting Holly to bed before disappearing into the study for the rest of the evening.
Leaving Gabriella to spend a very lonely weekend rattling around Gresham House on her own, a house definitely meant to hold a very large family rather than one lone, bored female.
‘I thought you said you were getting workmen in to deal with the refurbishment to the restaurant?’ Rufus frowned darkly. Gabriella was obviously working here alone, as sheets had been put up to cover in the area, and a closed notice outside with the announcement that Gabriella’s would be opening in two weeks’ time.
That ‘closed’ notice, as far as Rufus was concerned, did not apply to him.
‘So I am.’ She reached the bottom of the ladder, dusting her hands together as she did so. ‘They’re starting tomorrow. But I thought I could do the preparation work myself, taking down all the old artwork and such,’ she dismissed with a shrug. ‘And I hate plastic plants.’ She wrinkled her nose delicately.
‘You prefer the real thing, do you?’ he mocked.
Gabriella met his gaze steadily. ‘In everything, yes.’
He hadn’t even been aware she was in the building until a member of his senior staff had mentioned the fact that it was good to see the work had started on the new restaurant.
He had resisted coming down to see for himself for at least—oh, half an hour or so, fighting down the restless need he had to see Gabriella again.
She looked beautiful, Rufus acknowledged irritably, even as he saw by the stack of paintings and false potted plants that she must have been working for some time.
Her hair, that glorious abundance of ebony curls, was hidden beneath a purple scarf, and her eyes glowed the same colour, framed by lashes long and sweeping. There was an almost luminous glow to her creamy cheeks, just the slightest smudge of dirt on her nose, and her purple tee shirt clung lovingly to the curve of her breasts, and also allowed a glimpse of bare midriff above the low-waisted denims that showed off the long length of her legs.
He had deliberately taken Holly out for most of the weekend, half as a need to get completely away from Gabriella, the other half, he had recognized disgustedly, a need to punish her for not having the same physical need for him as he was undoubtedly developing for her.
A need that was, after only a few days of living together, driving him insane.
Quietly.
Achingly.
Completely insane!
And now she was here at Gresham’s, too, looking more desirable than ever even without the sophistication of make-up and smart clothes.
‘I prefer the real thing, too,’ he said, challenge in his voice. ‘It’s a pity it’s often so hard to find.’
‘Keep looking, Rufus,’ she derided. ‘I’m sure you’ll find it one day!’
‘Maybe I don’t want to find it,’ he came back dismissively.
She shrugged. ‘Your choice.’
Yes, it was, and after Angela he had known only too well what artifice was. Gabriella’s mother had only confirmed his opinion of women! Now Gabriella used her desirability in exactly the same way.
And still he wanted her!
He grimaced self-derisively. ‘One of the staff mentioned you were here and I thought you would probably want to come upstairs to the senior management dining-room for your lunch?’
Gabriella looked up at him and frowned, not quite trusting the invitation. After all, he hadn’t exactly shown any consideration for her welfare over the weekend, now, had he?
Her brow cleared as she found the answer, her smile derisive. ‘Do you think your staff will expect you to put on a show of newly married bliss, too, Rufus?’ she taunted, knowing that there couldn’t be a Gresham’s employee who wasn’t aware of the fact that the two of them had been married last Friday.
The newspapers on Saturday morning, as Rufus had expected, had been full of the story, several of the tabloids actually having their photograph on the front page, one screaming that headline, GRESHAM HEIRS MARRY, just as he had predicted, too. The reporter—obviously also male—hadn’t recognized the colour of her dress as buttermilk, either!
But they had been a one-day wonder, thank goodness, with yet another government scandal taking over the headlines in the Sunday newspapers.
His mouth tightened. ‘I’m sure that my staff, as you put it, are too discreet to comment on our marriage at all!’ Although he had received several good wishes and congratulations himself this morning when he’d walked through the store.
‘It is a little hard to believe, isn’t it?’ Gabriella came back with dry dismissal.
Rufus wondered if she knew how arousing this constant need she had to fight with him actually was, as it kept alive the constant flame of sexual awareness between them. Probably not. She wouldn’t be doing it otherwise!
He gave an impatient sigh. ‘I made the suggestion about lunch, Gabriella, because I think it would appear odd if you didn’t eat in the same place as your husband.’
Her grin was of pure malevolence. ‘That must be a little hard for you to accept, Rufus!’
‘Not at all,’ he came back smoothly. ‘But you might want to—freshen up, a little,’ he drawled mockingly, ‘before joining the rest of us upstairs.’
Gabriella waited until he had strolled away before sticking her tongue out at his broad back. A childish gesture, maybe, but it made her feel—