But, given that dynamic, he should have predicted the fall of his marriage. He’d returned to his brutal work schedule, misreading—or perhaps, he’d thought afterwards, deliberately ignoring—the demands being made on his time with ever-increasing intensity. The drive to succeed was too ingrained to ignore.
Within weeks of Rosa being born, it had been evident that the union wasn’t working, and really, it had just been a matter of time before a beautiful woman fine-tuned to expect male adoration found it in another man.
Gabriel had learnt many lessons from that experience, not least that he knew where he stood in the cutthroat world of making money, but when it came to women...? Well, in his world, trust in women was a commodity in very short supply.
Never again would he make the mistake of entering into any kind of relationship unless the rules of the game he was interested in playing were made crystal-clear. At all times, he would have complete control over his emotions.
As far as he was concerned, he’d tried longevity, and he wasn’t cut out for it.
He had his daughter and that was all that mattered.
So now, here, to end up kissing some woman he’d known for five minutesbecause he hadn’t been able to help himselfstruck him as a full-on admission of weakness.
The fact that this particular woman belonged to the same kind of world from which his dearly beloved ex came stuck in his craw even more.
‘That shouldn’t have happened,’ he rasped, scowling. ‘Accept my apologies.’
It infuriated him that his libido was still in full throttle, red-hot and pulsing as he watched her wipe the back of her hand across her mouth.
Her scowl matched his, and for a second he was wrong-footed by that reaction, because given the circumstances most women would have been trying to find a way towards a repeat performance.
She’d folded her arms and was now staring at him with open hostility. ‘No, it damn well shouldn’t!’
‘In which case, why did you enjoy it so much?’ he asked and was gratified by the slow burn of colour in her cheeks.
‘I did notenjoyit! You took me by surprise.’
He’d taken himself by surprise too.
‘It won’t happen again. Look...’ He shook his head, but he could still feel the urgent throb between his legs telling him that, whatever he happened to be saying, his body was contradicting every word. ‘I’ll be going to Chicago tomorrow. Staying overnight on business. Let’s forget about what just happened and get back to square one.’
Izzy continued to glare.
Her whole body was on fire, as if a match had been struck. He’d kissed her and she’d gone up in flames like a heady teenager instead of a woman recovering from a broken affair. She should have pushed him away. She should have remembered that she was going to be careful when it came to involvement with the opposite sex. At the very least, she should have recalled just how much she disapproved of him and his tactics with the cottage.
Was she so stupid that she was going to allow him to charm her, the way he had charmed Evelyn?
When the much-maligned nanny Bella left the sick bed and headed back to the call of duty, would Izzy cheerfully be dispatched, knowing that all she’d managed to achieve was to make his life easier by babysitting his daughter so that he could work, because he had charmed her into silence?
She was red-faced with mortification.
‘I don’t think that this arrangement is going to work,’ she said with staccato jerkiness in her voice. She’d taken a few prudent steps back but those flames were taking their time dying down.
‘Why not?’
‘Because I... It would be uncomfortable...after this. It’s not something that’s going to just disappear because you say so...’ After that kiss, how on earth would she be able to look at him without instant recall? How would she be able to fight the treacherous thought that one kiss wasn’t enough?
‘It would be only as uncomfortable as we allow it to be,’ he said tersely. ‘If you really don’t think you’d be able to face me after this, then I can’t stop you from leaving. But here’s something to think about: maybe you wouldn’t be able to face me for a completely different reason. Maybe you wouldn’t be able to face me without wanting a repeat performance.’ He looked at her in darkly brooding silence for a couple of tense seconds, then he brushed past her and began heading towards the commanding staircase that divided the sprawling mansion.
After a few seconds, Izzy sprinted behind him, heart hammering inside her. This was not how this conversation should end. This was not where this devastating kiss should take them, towards unresolved conclusions and angry exchanges. She reached out, tugged the sleeve of his shirt and he slowly turned around.
‘It was just a kiss. You’re right. Why should either of us feel uncomfortable?’ She stumbled over her words and lowered her eyes. Standing on the step above, he absolutely towered over her, and she had to crane her neck just to meet his eyes.
He wasn’t going to make this any easier for her, and she couldn’t blame him, but he had said what he’d said, and she had to clear the air without her emotions getting the better of her and dictating her behaviour.
The silence lengthened. ‘Things happen and...’
‘And...?’ he said softly, eyebrows raised, eyes still cool.
