Druid Temptation (A Druid Quest Novel Book 2) (21 page)

“What are you doing?”

“The lessons in manners.” She repeated the lessons back to him word for word. “Sit straight, your back should not touch the chair. Feet next to each other, elbows off the table, hands always in sight. Choose your utensil and take small amount of food. Never slurp, never spill. Lean forward and eat over the table.” She paused to gather her thoughts. “Napkin in your lap. A lady never takes more than a few morsels of food from each dish served. You place the utensils on the plate…” she looked at her bowl, “er, bowl to indicate you’re finished, and wait for the next course.”

“Enough.” Exasperation tinged his words. “How will you ever get enough to eat that way?”

Diana repressed a smile and spoke with a straight face. “Sneak into the kitchens after the servants retire?”

Gabriel snorted a laugh, and she grinned back at him.

“I didn’t realize what utter rot some of the rules were for women. I like your healthy appetite. Watching you eat is a pleasure.” Much to his delight, Diana blushed at his unintended innuendo.

The chair creaked as he shifted in his seat, growing more uncomfortable as his cock hardened. Jack rested his chin on his knee, his evil smile gleaming up at him, and he nearly leapt out of his chair. Though it was absurd, he’d swear that the damned dog was issuing a threat—keep it in his pants or he would bite it off.

Gabriel tried to push the beast away, but instead of backing up, the blasted dog promptly sat. Unable to cross his legs for protection, he clasped his hands in his lap.

“Gabriel?”

His head jerked up hearing his name. “Pardon?”

“Is something wrong?” She tilted her head, watching him closely.

“Of course not.” As much as he hated to admit it, Jack was right, and he changed the subject before he forgot his vow again. “Are you nervous about the ball?”

Jack retreated under the table, but the blasted beast didn’t leave, lurking just out of sight like a bloody hungry shark ready to take a bite.

When he turned his focus back toward Diana, he noticed the spark had gone out of her eyes, and he regretted asking the question. “I know you are uneasy about being paraded out in public, but you needn’t worry. You won’t be alone for even a moment.”

“It’s not that.” She waved a hand. “I understand the need to attend the ball. Yet…I…” she blew out a heavy breath. “I don’t like being the center of attention. For over a year I’ve worked hard to be invisible, and now you are asking me to throw away what has always kept me safe.”

“Until now.” He felt like a bastard when her face crumpled. “Diana—”

“No, you are correct.” She picked up her fork, but instead of eating, she twirled it in her fingers.

“You don’t like the city, do you?” He was surprised by the revelation, since his first wife adored this type of life. He’d believed all women did.

“No,” she smiled sadly. “The walls seem to close in on me. I feel—”

“Trapped?”

“Yes.” Her beautiful eyes looked up at him in surprise. “That’s it exactly.”

“Then let’s make a pact.”

Diana studied his face, then set down her fork. “I’m listening.”

“When this is over, we will return to the country. We’ll only need to visit London once or twice a month.” He watched her eyes, imagining he could see her thoughts. She nibbled the corner of her lip, and he once again became aware of her body.

The soft peach gown hugged her willowy figure, accentuating her tiny waist. Because she was slim, the curves revealed by her new wardrobe had surprised him, and his cursed body reacted predictably. The image of her in pants flashed in his mind, the curves of her legs and bottom already seared into his brain.

As a younger man, a lush woman had been his ideal.

Until Diana.

Now all he could imagine was feeling her sleek body under his hands. The way her legs would wrap around his waist…

Jack grabbed his boot, nearly yanking him out of his chair, and Gabriel jerked back to the present just in time to hear Diana’s reply.

“I agree.”

Gabriel wanted to cheer at the small victory. From the corner of his eye, he saw Jack creep out from under the table, his body low to the ground. As much as he hated to admit it, he owed the mutt. He straightened his jacket and a paper crinkled in his pocket, reminding him about his plan. “Did you like the flowers?”

“They’re beautiful. You brought the outdoors to me.” Pale blue eyes lit up and shimmered in the early evening candlelight. She touched her arm and smiled. “How did you know I had my eye on this blade?”

Though he refused to admit it out loud, he noticed everything about her. He reached into his jacket and set a slim box on the table.

Diana stilled, twisting her hands in her lap as she stared down at the box like it would bite her. His heart pounded in his chest, suddenly nervous that she wouldn’t like his choice.

“What is it?”

When she didn’t pick it up, Gabriel nudged the box closer to her. “Open it and find out.”

With great reluctance, she opened the box, then gasped. Nestled inside were two decorative hair pins, only these were six inches long and sharpened to a deadly tip. When she made no move to touch them, he began to wonder if he made a tactical error. “I can take them back and get you something else if you don’t like them.”

When he reached out to close the box, she quickly grabbed his wrist to stop him. “I love them.”

A weight lifted from his shoulders. “They will look beautiful with the gown you’re wearing tonight.”

Diana blinked up at him in confusion. “You don’t have to buy me things.”

He scowled at her. “You’re my wife.”

“Even more reason why you don’t need to buy me things to win my affections.”

Gabriel rose to his feet, the mood of the evening shot to hell. “Is that what you think I’m doing?”

Diana stood, not backing down as she faced him. “You’ve given me enough. You don’t need to spend your fortune on me, too.”

The last thing Gabriel wanted was her gratitude. “I have more than sufficient funds to indulge you with a few trinkets. Believe me, they won’t put me in the poorhouse. I purchased the gifts because I thought you would enjoy them. Because when I saw them, they reminded me of you.”

When he reached for the case again, she leaned over and snatched it up. “You can’t have them back.”

Gabriel paused when he noticed the way she clutched the gift to her chest. “Why not?”

She bit her lip, tracing her finger possessively over the delicate hair clip, directly over the tiny crescent moon stamped on the base. “Because you gave them to me.”

His disappointment vanished. “I want to see you wear them. Why don’t you slip them into your hair while I bring the carriage around front? I have one more surprise for you.”

Diana hesitated for a few more seconds, then dashed toward the house, her eyes glowing with pleasure. He was grinning when he reached into his pocket and removed the creased paper. He’d checked the list at least a dozen times that day, tweaking and making adjustments. As he looked over the remaining items, he planned the next stage of her seduction.

B
y the time
Diana hurried down stairs and rushed out the door, the carriage was waiting. The driver opened the door as she approached, and she was surprised to find Samuel already seated inside.

Diana gathered her skirt and scrambled inside, a tad breathless from hurrying, more than a little curious about their mysterious destination. “Do you know where we’re going?”

“Of course, but it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if I spoiled it for you.” Samuel’s eyes sparkled with delight.

A minute later, Gabriel bounded out the front door, a spring to his step. He carried himself with such confidence that people couldn’t help but notice him. He was dressed in his normal black, but had changed his vest to a dark blue in what she would guess was his evening wear.

He looked big and intimidating, and she found every aspect of him fascinating.

He glanced up and their eyes connected. When he reached the carriage, he nodded in approval. “The gift suits you.”

Diana reached up, but didn’t touch the clips, not wanting to disturb them. “They’re beautiful. Thank you, again.”

Gabriel entered the carriage, seating himself next to her when Samuel made no attempt to scoot over. Gabriel’s masculine scent wrapped around her, the heat of him soaking into her bones, and she wanted nothing more than to soak up that comforting warmth.

As the carriage began to move, she noted that half the birds took flight, ready for their evening patrols, and it amused her to see them swooping along next to the carriage. The ride took only twenty minutes, the traffic surprisingly light.

When the carriage stopped, Diana peered out the window, amazed to find not a building, but a garden paradise instead. “Where are we?”

Gabriel leapt out of the carriage, then turned to help her down. “A local garden. They employed a genius designer to build a hedge maze that takes about an hour to traverse. The center holds a fountain and benches. I thought you might enjoy a little of the outdoors.”

“A maze!” The prospect thrilled her, and she marveled at his thoughtfulness. For a big, gruff man of few words, he was amazingly observant, doing everything in his power to make her feel at ease. She could have kissed him for it if she didn’t think it would embarrass him.

Gabriel’s hand came to rest against her waist, propelling her along, and she snuggled closer than was strictly proper. The hitch in his stride brought a smile to her face.

As they neared the maze, she spotted Ashmore, Rand and Tallie waiting for them.

“This is going to be so much fun.” Tallie swept forward and linked her arm with Diana’s. “What say you we make this interesting and challenge the men to see who can reach the middle first?”

Diana grinned at Tallie’s playfulness and eyed the gentlemen. “I don’t know, are you sure it will be fair?”

Tallie snorted and grinned. “We could place bets. The first person to the middle will be able to claim a wish from the losers.”

Rand gave Tallie a wicked grin. “You’re going to regret that later, my dear.”

Tallie batted her eyelashes and smirked. “Not unless I win. We’ll enter in five minute intervals that will be deducted at the end.”

“I’ll go last and time everyone.” Samuel pulled out his watch and winked. “Mazes are a particular fascination of mine, and I don’t want to beat everyone to the middle.”

Ashmore entered first, followed by Tallie. She heard them giggling and cursing over the tops of the hedges. Every once in a while, she would see Ashmore trying to jump high enough to get his bearings, and she laughed at their antics.

She snorted when Rand persuaded Gabriel to enter first—by shoving him when he let down his guard. After five minutes, Rand waved for her to enter next.

The wind died, the noise fading the farther she traveled into the maze, until only the trill of birds remained. She could hear people moving about behind the hedges, and nearly ran into randomly placed statues.

The lush shrubbery made it impossible to slip through the hedges and cheat. Diana unerringly followed the passageway with ease, sensing which direction to turn, never once meeting a dead end. She felt the others fall behind her, heard them curse and laugh as they lost their bearings again and again.

Less than twenty minutes after entering, she managed to find the fountain in the center. Water cascaded over the rim, sparkling in the torchlight as dusk fell. The small colored fish swimming in the pool fascinated her. Trailing her fingers over the water, she watched the fish swim to the surface to investigate. She ran the tip of one finger over the tail fin of the boldest when she heard footsteps approach.

Diana sighed as a shadow fell over her, and the fish fled.

“You scared them away.” She glanced up when a harsh shove sent her crashing forward. Instead of taking a dip in the pool, her head bounced painfully off the fountain with enough force to knock her sideways. With a curse, she turned, her vision too blurry to see more than a shape of a large man standing over her.

When he reached for her, Diana gathered her legs to her chest and kicked out, her feet thumping into the man’s gut. He grunted as he stumbled backward, and she used the time to get to her feet.

She pulled the knife Gabriel had given her, only to have her assailant kick out, hitting her wrist with enough force to knock the blade from her grip. He came at her with a flurry of punches and jabs that she struggled to dodge. A blow landed against her stomach with enough force to knock the air from her lungs.

Instead of panicking, Diana brought the heel of her palm up and slammed it into his face, pleased when she heard the bones of his nose crunch. Blood gushed down his face, and he danced out of the way, giving her a bloody grin.

Williams hadn’t hired this man. He was too well trained.

He was a watcher.

Though he didn’t want her dead, he would do whatever he could to incapacitate her.

She might not be stronger, but she was faster.

And if she wanted to get out of this alive, she needed to be ruthless.

Diana lifted her fists, and he mimicked her movements. When he neared, she kicked out, her boot cracking into the side of his knee. The man cursed and swung out with his meaty fists. Another blow landed to her ribs, but he overextended his arm. Taking advantage of his mistake, she grabbed his wrist, pulled it straight and brought up her knee.

The man roared as his elbow popped out of joint, and he shook her off like a rabid dog. His left fist nailed her in the side of the head, knocking her back a few feet.

“Here, now, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Samuel’s outraged shout echoed in the silence, and he charged into the middle of the clearing. Her ears rang from the blow to her head, but she could almost swear that the two men were speaking Latin, but it was too fast, too quiet for her to translate.

The two men struggled, but Samuel was no match for the much younger man. When Samuel fell, Diana hurried forward, landing two blows to the man’s kidneys before he turned and backhanded her.

She stumbled back. Much to her surprise, Samuel was much spryer than she’d given him credit, and he jumped on the man’s back, giving her precious time to recover.

Then Samuel went flying over the man’s head, landed with a heavy thud and didn’t move.

Diana pulled out the two hair clips. He easily caught her wrist, stopping the needle-like blade from slamming into his chest. He squeezed until her fingers went numb and she lost her grip, but he was too slow for the second strike. He jumped back, so, instead of stabbing him in the leg, the tip left a bloody gouge across his thigh. The edge of the metal caught on his pants and was ripped from her hand.

“Diana!”

Her heart leapt in her chest when she heard Gabriel’s bellow from somewhere in the maze, and the man took advantage of her distraction by charging her. His shoulder slammed into her stomach and lifted her off her feet. She hammered her elbow down on the back of his head again and again until they both landed on the ground, with him, unfortunately, on top.

Dozens of birds screeched and launched in the air, dive-bombing her assailant, clawing and pecking at him. The man swung wildly, giving Diana time to claw her way out from underneath his bulk.

While the man was busy fending off the birds, Diana yanked down some of the vines from the maze and twisted them into a rope. The branches bit into her hands, but she ignored the pain. She crept up behind the man, then slipped the vines over his head and wrapped them around his throat, bracing a knee against his back for leverage.

She used her weight to counter her lack of strength and pulled until his body was bowed backwards. He clawed at the ropes to no avail. Samuel pulled himself to his feet, speaking Latin again. Only when the man choked back a reply did Samuel give her a nod. “If you release him, he will call off the attack.”

Diana twisted the vines tighter. “What about next time?”

Samuel shook his head. “The ball is tomorrow. This was their last effort. You’ll be too much in the public eye, and beyond their reach.”

She wasn’t sure she believed him. She was missing something important, but her head, the side of her face, and her ribs hurt too much to concentrate. It was only when the man dropped to his knees and lifted his hands in surrender did she finally relent.

She wasn’t a murderer.

Blood dripped from her hands as she pulled away, her knuckles bruised and sore, her body one giant ache.

“Diana!” She heard more cursing, the hedges shivering as if something big was plowing through them.

The man launched himself to feet and took off running. When she would have given chase, her assailant slammed his shoulder into Samuel, knocking the old man to the ground. Diana cursed and skidded to a stop. She knelt, when it dawned on her what had been bothering her, and she recoiled away from the old man. “How do you know about the Watchers?”

Before he could answer, Gabriel and Rand burst through the hedges, their clothes torn, their hair covered with twigs and leaves. The men saw her disheveled appearance and Samuel lying on the ground and rushed forward. “What the hell happened?”

Rand knelt at Samuel’s side, loosening the man’s tight collar. Gabriel grabbed her arm, his hold gentle as he helped her rise. The pallor of his skin worried her. “I was careless and let down my guard. A man attacked me, and Samuel interrupted. The man took off when he heard your voice.”

Gabriel’s eyes promised a slow death as he gently brushed a finger over the tender side of her face. “We need to get you to safety.”

Rand stood, helping Samuel to his feet just as Ashmore and Tallie stumbled to the center of the maze. “In case the man comes back again, we’ll take Samuel with us, and follow you home.”

Tallie stooped, then quietly came toward her and handed over a bloodied hair clip, awe in her eyes. “You’re going to have to teach me how you managed to fight him off.”

Gabriel collected the other one, along with her knife, and turned toward Diana, carefully picking up her injured hand. “Do you think you can lead us out of the maze?”

Diana didn’t like the way he shut down, his calm demeanor barely concealing the seething rage below the surface. “Of course.”

Finding the exit to the maze was more straightforward, and they emerged in less than ten minutes later. Gabriel bundled Diana up in the carriage. As soon as the door shut, Gabriel growled and pulled her into his lap.

She opened her mouth to protest, then wisely shut it when he carefully picked up her hands and inspected each injury.

“Where else are you hurt?”

“I’m unharmed. Besides the damage to my hands, I’m only a little banged up.”

“Where?” Gabriel lifted his head, the stark devastation in his blue eyes struck her harder than any blow.

She touched her ribs, then pointed to a few bruises she received on her arms while blocking the man’s blows.

He carefully probed each area, only relaxing when he assured himself that she was just bruised, and truly unhurt. He cupped her face and turned her head to inspect the tender side of her jaw.

“I’m going to be fine,” she insisted. “I’ve been hurt worse than this in training. He wasn’t trying harm me, not really.”

In response, he pulled her head down to his and kissed her fiercely, with no gentleness, no finesse, just pure possessiveness.

Diana groaned in response, twisting around to press herself closer, craving his nearness. His mouth demanded a response, relentless with a need that wouldn’t be appeased. When the carriage began to slow, his hands tightened on her hips, and he reluctantly lifted his head. She nearly whimpered at the loss, her lips tingling from his rough possession.

The lust in his gaze sent a shiver of pure desire down her spine.

“Until this is over, you’re not to leave my sight. One way or another, this ends tomorrow.”

* * *

G
abriel watched
her like a hawk for the rest of the evening. Her only reprieve was when she pleaded a headache and went to bed. He didn’t scold her or take her to task over the evening’s fiasco. While she admired his restraint, she didn’t trust it. He was plotting something, and she wanted to smack him for his idiocy.