Wife By Contract, Mistress By Demand

She was breathing hard, and not from the exertion of descending the stairs. Her face felt flushed and feverish, as every nerve, every inch of her sang with a desire that she could feel rapidly escalating out of control.

Rufus could sense Gabriella’s increasing tension as he maintained that firm grip on her elbow, giving her a sideways glance as he wondered at the reason for it.

Her eyes were glowing, her cheeks were flushed, and her nipples were pressing against her tee shirt in full arousal.

Dear God…!

He waited only long enough for them to enter the precarious privacy of the restaurant before pulling her into his arms and claiming her full, pouting mouth, while Gabriella met the fierceness of his kiss with a hunger of her own.

Her hands were everywhere, under his jacket, moving restlessly across his back before returning to unbutton his shirt, her fingers against his heated flesh now, and her nails digging into him in a caress that only increased the throb of his desire.

Rufus wanted to devour her, and he gave in to that need as he pushed her tee shirt out of the way, wrenching his mouth from hers as he bent his head to take one of her nipples into his mouth.

Gabriella groaned with pleasure, her fingers entangled in his thick blond hair as she held Rufus against her, the flick of his tongue against her taut nipple sending her into shuddering paroxysms of pleasure.

‘Not here, Rufus,’ she groaned as he opened the button on her denims and slowly began to slide the zip down. ‘There are people in the bookshop…!’ she protested weakly as her insides melted when she felt his hand hot against her abdomen.

His lips released her as he moved up to look down at her. ‘I have to!’ he told her achingly. ‘I have to, Gabriella!’ he repeated with a fierce ache, kissing her as he manoeuvred her against the wall, one of his hands capturing her breast and teasing the nipple as his other hand slipped downwards, beneath her panties.

Gabriella was lost the moment his fingers touched her, parted her, and found the roused centre of her, caressing, stroking, and filling her with heat.

Wave after wave of pleasure gripped her, shaking her foundations as she clung to Rufus’s shoulders for support, and she bit her bottom lip in an effort not to cry out as her release went on and on, convulsing around him.

‘Yes, Gabriella! God, yes…!’ Rufus raised his head to encourage throatily as she flamed in his arms, totally enjoying the feel of her pleasure, the taste of her, her head now arched back as she gave in to the pulsing pleasure.

His arms moved about her as, those quaking emotions finally quietening to a low throb, her legs gave way beneath her. Her face was flushed, her eyes dark and unfocused, and her hair a wild cascade of ebony curls that he longed to bury his face in.

‘Gabriella—’

‘I can hear someone!’ Gabriella gasped in panic as she tensed, that wild release still making her tremble, her senses heightened to feel, colour, and sound.

And, even if Rufus wasn’t aware of it, she could hear the purposeful click of someone’s shoes on the marble walkway as they headed through the book section in this direction.

She pulled away from him, not daring to even look at Rufus as she straightened her tee shirt and buttoned up her denims with shaking fingers.

She couldn’t believe what had just happened between them, the utter madness of what they had just done.

They were in the middle of Gresham’s, for goodness’ sake!

Anyone looking at them, at Rufus’s tousled blond hair, the colour high against his cheekbones, the fullness of his arousal—and no doubt her own disorderly appearance—would know exactly what they had just been doing!

She had just managed to make some sort of semblance of order to her clothing, and Rufus had buttoned his shirt and straightened his tie, when the sheet was pushed aside and Rufus’s secretary entered, her expression politely enquiring.

If she sensed or saw anything amiss she didn’t show it by so much as the blink of an eyelid, although her smile was slightly apologetic. ‘I’m sorry to disturb you, Mr Gresham, but the deputy manager of the New York store has been on the telephone. He needs you to call him back urgently.’ She directed that apologetic smile at Gabriella, too, now.

Gabriella felt decidedly uncomfortable, guessing that the other woman knew exactly what she had interrupted!

Mortifying!

Although Rufus, to give him his due, looked totally unconcerned. ‘I’ll be there in a few minutes, Stacy,’ he dismissed.

‘We’re all greatly looking forward to seeing the new restaurant you’re opening, Mrs Gresham,’ she told Gabriella warmly.

‘Thank you,’ she accepted huskily, deciding she liked Rufus’s secretary, after all.

Anyone who could remain this friendly as well as efficient when confronted with two people who had obviously recently been in the throes of passion had to be okay!

Although Gabriella wasn’t so sure about being called Mrs Gresham…

‘I’ll make the call and come back, Gabriella,’ Rufus told her huskily once they were alone again.

To finish what they had started?

It had been madness in the first place, certainly couldn’t be expected to continue after this interruption!

She swallowed hard, not quite able to meet Rufus’s gaze. ‘Perhaps it might be better if we—if we, discussed this at home, later this evening?’

Discussed it?

There was nothing to discuss. They couldn’t seem to spend more than half an hour in each other’s company without one or both of them wanting the other.

All the talking in the world wasn’t going to change that!

Rufus looked at Gabriella for several long seconds, knowing that for her the moment was over, that reality had set in with a vengeance, her face pale now, her eyes huge violet pools of uncertainty.

He nodded abruptly. ‘Until later, then.’

‘Yes,’ she confirmed huskily, still not quite looking at him.

And he wanted her to look at him, wanted to be completely naked and have her eyes, and then her hands, on him, to caress him, touch him, take him!

And he wanted her in the same way. Touching wasn’t enough. He wanted to look at her, too, every silken naked inch of her.

His hand moved to cup her chin as he raised her face to his, looking deeply into her startled eyes. ‘We need to talk, Gabriella,’ he told her huskily.

She looked even more startled, and then her gaze became wary. ‘What about?’

His mouth twisted into a humourless smile. ‘This, for one thing.’

By ‘this’ she knew he meant this totally uncontrollable response they had to each other. And she didn’t want to talk about that, could make no sense of it herself with all the animosity there was between them, too, certainly had no way of explaining how she felt to Rufus.

She moved away from that cupping hand, her chin raised in challenge. ‘Animal lust, Rufus?’ she dismissed hardly.

His mouth thinned even as his eyes narrowed dangerously. ‘I have to go, Gabriella,’ he rasped. ‘But we will talk,’ he added warningly before striding off determinedly.

Gabriella waited until he had gone before giving in to the tears she could no longer control.

Because, she realized achingly, she still loved him!

She had been in love with Rufus five years ago, and she was still in love with him now.

How and why didn’t seem important, only the fact that she was.

And it was a love that Rufus could no more return now than he had been able to five years ago.

Chapter 6

‘So you really went ahead and married him…’

Gabriella turned sharply at the sound of that mocking voice, almost overbalancing as she once again stood on the stepladder.

‘Toby,’ she greeted scathingly, her gaze narrowing as she looked down at him.

He was his usual rakishly handsome self in faded denims and black tee shirt beneath a brown suede jacket. Yes, Toby was tall, dark, and very handsome—and as usual he left her completely cold.

‘What do you want?’ she demanded coolly as she came down the stepladder.

‘Why, to offer my congratulations, of course,’ he drawled derisively. ‘And to ask how you’re enjoying being married to my dear cousin Rufus!’ he added tauntingly.

Her mouth twisted. ‘And why would you think I would be interested in telling you anything, about Rufus or anyone else?’

He shrugged unconcernedly. ‘Why not?’

‘You can ask that?’ she snapped, frowning. ‘After what you did to me—’

‘Tried to do to you, Gabriella,’ he corrected lightly. ‘And was it my fault you decided you weren’t interested, after all?’

Her eyes widened. ‘I never was interested in you in that way, Toby!’ she assured him forcefully.

He gave another shrug. ‘My mistake, then,’ he dismissed lightly. ‘And you can’t blame a man for trying.’

‘Oh, yes, I can,’ she assured him fiercely.

‘Why don’t you just let bygones be bygones, Gabriella?’ he reasoned. ‘I can assure you, I’ve already forgotten it.’

Her eyes widened incredulously. He had forgotten coming to her bedroom three months ago when she had been staying at Gresham House with James for the weekend? He had forgotten kissing her, pushing her back on the bed, trying to force her as he pulled at her clothes and muttered obscenities in her ear?

A scene that James—thank goodness—had walked in on and put an end to! Resulting in him banning Toby from ever entering Gresham House again.