*
He was rootedto the spot, his eyes locked with hers, wanting desperately to kiss her. The very idea of favoring her set his pulse racing. An internal battle was raging within him, and his entire body answered the call. The bayonet between his legs responded, demanding satisfaction.
The ache was maddening, and as much as he tried, he couldn’t suppress it—nor, in truth, did he want to. It had been a long time since he’d bedded a woman, and never had he wanted to more than with Gaby. The way the little minx stood up to him was exhilarating. He had long ago decided he would not saddle himself with a woman who couldn’t think for herself. To live like that would be a tedium he could not bear. Yet, due to unforeseen circumstances, that was precisely the kind of woman he was courting. Cynthia would always depend on his judgment and do as he wished, like a compliant servant. The boredom would surely drive him to madness, or at the very least in search of entertainment outside of marriage.
He could see by Gaby’s expression that she knew she might have pushed him too far. She was worried, and rightly so. Something was going on with her that he needed to figure out. Her past, most of all.
Amnesia, my arse!If they were playing poker, he’d call her bluff. Maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad idea. He could challenge her to a game of strip poker. Now that would be something. His cock swelled at the thought of watching her slowly peel off each layer of clothing. Her long, wild hair brushed over her nipples. Nipples he ached to touch, to draw into his mouth and suck on—nibble, bite, and tug with his teeth, then soothe with his tongue…making her beg for more.
Damn! Damn! Damn!It wasn’t often that his saber’s need replaced his ability to think, but the vixen drove him mad with desire. He was sure she wanted him, and he wasn’t about to let the opportunity pass. He would subdue that cheeky mouth in the best way possible, and who knew where it might go with a bit of luck? If everything went well, he’d have her, and after, he’d hopefully be free of this cursed desire.
He grabbed her and pulled her against him. Naturally, she could feel his hardness press and pulse against her. There could be no denial of the effect she had on him.
Her eyes widened, and a gasp escaped those full, sensuous lips. A low, rich rumble of desire escaped him. “I do favor you, Gaby,” he rasped. “More than you know.” He held her gaze, watching as the meaning of his words registered in her beguiling hazel eyes. Ever so slowly, he lowered his head, claiming her lips.
Her body relaxed against him as she returned his kiss; by God, it was the most heavenly thing he’d ever tasted. Those ripe breasts, whose vision tormented his sleep, were firm against his chest. Shockingly, she wore no corset, and her protuberant nipples poked against him, the full, round orbs of her femininity pressing against his shirt. How he wanted to touch them. How he was certain that Gabriella D’Angelo would desire more, beg for more, he didn’t know, but he felt sure that the kitchen goddess would prove to be a goddess in the bedroom.
Her lips parted, his tongue gained entry, and the thought of another part of her body opening to him brought a low growl from him. In his wildest dreams, he hadn’t expected waves of desire to render him vulnerable. It was as if Gaby had taken over his entire being.
He held her face, delivering kisses to her closed eyes, delicious lips, and temple, kissing down the softness of her neck and then back up to the delicate shell of her ear. “Gaby…Gaby…Gaby. My darling girl, I want you desperately.”
Her breathless moan nearly undid him. He was close to tugging her down onto the grass when she pushed against his chest. “Jack, I don’t think…”
He silenced her protestation with his mouth and pulled her back against him. He’d been right—she was passion personified. Her kisses weren’t those of a novice. He hadn’t expected her to be. But the way her body fit against his, every inch contouring to fit his muscled frame, his mind was boggled to such a degree that the very possibility of spilling his seed just from the pleasure of kissing and touching her made him tremble as he sought to regain control. To feel such uncontrollable passion was not something to be taken lightly. He could only wonder at what awaited when he possessed her fully.
With concerted effort, he ground against her vulva and deepened the kiss. He swept his hands down her back, tracing the sinuous curves of her delectable bottom. Desire and dissatisfaction were one; he wanted to feel her skin and not the fabric of her dress. He wanted to kiss the smooth skin of her stomach that he’d glimpsed when he rescued her and then delve into her wet warmth and bring her to satisfaction.
Damn, we can’t very well make love here in the open on the grass. Though convincing my cock is another matter when my shaft’s only goal is to be lost in the perfection of her cunny.
“Come back to my rooms, Gaby.”
She pulled from his arms, and he searched her face. “I can’t. If I do, I will be lost. We should forget this happened. We would both be doing each other a disservice.”
“Are you mad? A disservice? Do you not feel the same powerful attraction to me as I do to you?”
“Jack, even if I do feel attracted, what good is it? It can only bring heartbreak. Cynthia Maxwell will arrive tomorrow, and you will begin your courtship. The worst scenario is I might be left with a child. You will recover your title, lands, and good name, and then you will return to your estate. Where would that leave me?”
Without realizing it, Jack had begun to pace. “What would you have me do, Gaby? How can I make it right so that we may explore this passion we both feel?”
She brushed at the tears beginning to fill her eyes, and his heart wrenched at the sight.
“There is nothing to be done, Jack. You can’t make it right. It’s best if we forget what just happened. No harm was done, and we will forget it in a few days or surely in a few weeks. I bid you goodnight.”
*
Gaby turned togo. She needed to get out of there before the flow of tears overwhelmed her. She’d allowed the kiss, welcomed it, and now she was bereft of it. There was no choice open to her. Their lovemaking would assuredly provide pleasure beyond any she’d ever known, but the rejection that must follow would be impossible to bear. There would be no tomorrow for them. No future.
Jack grabbed her arm and stopped her. “You can disabuse yourself of one thing. I would never abandon you under any circumstance if you were with a child. In truth, I have given this much thought. I’ve even imagined building a house here in Tuscany, a house for you once I’ve reclaimed my earldom. I could arrange my life to spend much of the year here with you. That is how I see our future.”
Gaby’s pulse pounded in her ears, and it wasn’t from joy. It was pure, unadulterated anger.
She whirled around to face him, punctuating every word that poured from her with an index finger to his chest. “You smug bastard. Do you think you can buy me like you would a horse? What a pretty picture you’ve painted. You, married to your countess who will bear you sons to inherit your earldom and carry on your name, and all the while, you will keep me, yourputana, in the countryside with your bastard offspring? You certainly have conjured up a fairytale future in your mind. I will never be your whore, Jack. Never!” She freed her arm from his grasp and ran down the path from whence she’d come.
Tears streamed down her face, and she whispered curses under her breath as she slowed to a walk. Why could the one man who evoked her passion never be hers? Gaby adored Lady Darling, but the thought of living here at the villa and one day seeing Jack return with his new bride would kill her as surely as a bullet from a gun. She had to find that painting and find a way back to the world she came from.
But even if she found herself stranded here in the past, she would have to find another position. Perhaps once the guests were gone, she could confide in Lady Darling and ask for her help. It occurred to Gaby that Jack would likely leave with Cynthia Maxwell and return to England to prepare for their nuptials.
She glanced back and could see the shadow that was Jack with his back to her. Overcome with a heart-wrenching pain, she lifted her skirt and ran toward the villa.
