Gabriel's Heart [The Men of Treasure Cove 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (12 page)

Alex knew that probably was not the only reason for the hasty decision, but after the conversation they had on the plane, what other reason was there? He knew that Gabriel could be a greedy son of a bitch at times, and he took what he wanted without thinking of the others involved. So he wasn’t totally shocked when Gabriel made that statement. The only thing that was worrying him now was Annie. She hadn’t said a single word to either of them. Her silence was deafening.

The long drive from the airport to Gabriel’s home in Devonshire passed without any incident. Arriving at the vast estate, Alex remained silent.

Alex knew the moment Gabriel walked into the ducal home, his demeanor would change. It always did when he was in residence. He worried how Antoinette would react to the change. She had seen so many faces of Gabriel, and he had convinced himself that this was a side she would never be ready for.

Alex watched as Gabriel led the way. Following him toward the house, the doors opened wide. Greeted by Gabriel’s butler, Mr. Cutler, Alex just sighed. An elderly man, dressed in a stark black suit with a white shirt, Mr. Cutler looked older than Moses. He never understood why Gabriel kept him around. The old man needed to be set to pasture. Even at Cutler’s age, he still had this look of superiority and arrogance around him, something that he never liked. The man, still after all these years, gave him the heebie-jeebies!

“Has Ms. Danforth prepared the rooms?” Gabriel asked, walking past the old man down the long hallway.

“Yes, Your Grace. All has been attended to as requested.” The old man slightly bowed.

“Please have Cook prepare a light meal and have her send a tray of tea to my study. Alexander and Antoinette, please follow me,” Gabriel ordered as he began walking down the long hallway.

Not wanting to cause a scene, Alex took Annie’s hand and smiled. Walking behind Gabriel, Alex watched as Annie looked around the home.

“When I was a young girl, I thought this house was a fairy tale castle, but looking around it now, all I see is an old drafty home that smells of mold and crusty cheese. At one time, this house tickled my fancy as my brothers and Gabriel used to chase through the rooms, laughing as I played. So much has changed,” Annie whispered to him.

“It’s the same house, love. You are older and seeing it with different eyes. The fun is still here. All you have to do is seek it out.” Alex smiled down at her.

Walking into the ornate study, he watched as Gabriel took a seat at the large mahogany desk.

“Please close the door, Alexander,” Gabriel asked. Doing as requested, he quietly closed the door and went to sit on one of the leather-bound chairs next to Antoinette.

No one spoke.

Alexander did not know what to say. He wanted to know what was going on in that devious head of his. He could see Gabriel working everything out. What he was planning Alex had no idea. As for the announcement of marriage, Alexander was not so sure that was the best course at the moment. Too much had happened, and he feared that jumping into a situation just to save the woman was not well thought out or logical.

“Are you going to ignore me the whole time we are here?” Alex asked, stiff and ready to snap. He could handle many things, but silence was not one of them.

“What shall you have me say, Alexander? You know how I feel about Antoinette. I know you think I am being rash, but let me assure you, I am thinking clearly,” Gabriel said, looking directly at him.

“Gabriel, we need to talk about this marriage,” Annie said softly, interrupting them.

Alex knew this wasn’t the time to talk about it, but he also wanted the matter resolved.

“There is nothing to discuss, little bird. You and I will marry. I cannot be separated from you again.”

Alex sighed. This was not going to end well. He already saw the tension in Gabriel shoulders, his eyes cold and calculating. When Gabriel got that determined look about him, not even sweet Antoinette was going to persuade him. “That’s not a proposal, Gabriel. Try again.” He grinned.

“I don’t need your help, Alex,” she shouted, getting to her feet.

Alex watched and smiled when she rounded on Gabriel, letting him know exactly how she felt. “Like hell I will! I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last man on earth. Got that, Gabe? I don’t care what you decree! I will only marry for love! So get that through your thick British skull, ’cause hell will freeze over before you and I ever marry,” she shouted furiously. Alex watched as she then stormed out of the library, leaving Gabriel with a shocked look upon his face.

“Way to go, Gabriel. Maybe next time, you can order her to kneel at your feet, right before you command her to kiss your ass.”

“Shut up, Alexander.”

* * * *

Gabriel sat stunned. He just watched the one woman he wanted more than anything in this world refuse to marry him and walk away, again. Not that he could blame her. He knew he had just messed up, again, but he knew no other way. A leopard cannot change its spots overnight. Regardless, he had to fix this situation fast.

The moment he saw Antoinette Hicks, there was something about the little imp that drew him to her. So full of energy and mischief, she could command a room and have everyone at her beck and call with a flitter of her beautiful smile.

It was then that Gabriel knew she was going to be more than her brothers could handle. So offering up his services, he and her brothers did their best raising the young hellion. Over the years, he was available to talk, guide, and give advice. When her brothers saw that she was becoming attached, they asked that he step back, and he did so, even though it tore him apart.

So for the last ten years, he stayed in the background, lending advice when asked, but always making sure that she was safe.

It wasn’t until the night of the McDaniel party that everything Gabriel had fought against came crashing down. He never expected to see her at the party, and only went to make sure she was okay. What he saw floored him. Still, seeing her slipping out of her clothes and slowly sinking into the warm waters of the hot tub had his cock at attention in a nanosecond.

She was positively stunning.

Hidden in the background, he never thought that she saw him until she said his name, a soft whisper in the night, like a longing of a lover seeking her mate. She called to him, beckoning him closer. She never flinched when he rested his hand on her shoulder, only looking up at him with so much love and trust shining in her eyes.

It was in that moment that he knew that he truly loved her.

That night, he gave into the obsession and took what he truly wanted. The ten-year age gap faded away, along with the memories of helping to raise her. She was no longer the little girl in pigtails that followed him around, but the woman of his heart. The only one who could ever touch his soul or shatter it into a million pieces.

Since that night, he had been living in an eternal hell. There was nothing he could do to erase her scent, her touch, or her feel as he soared to heaven and back. That night she had taken a part of his soul and never gave it back, and now, she wanted nothing to do with him.

Sighing, he looked out the window into the cold gray dampness that surrounded his childhood home. He could hear his grandfather laughing at him, telling him what a fuckup he was. And he was. This was his entire fault. He should have known better. He should have walked away. He shouldn’t have slept with her. He had already broken too many rules concerning her, and now he was going to break another.

“What are you going to do now?” Alexander asked.

“I don’t know. She is terribly angry right now and rightly so. I treated her horribly months ago. I am surprised she allowed me near her on the plane. I just can’t think where she’s concerned. When I am near her, I feel an overwhelming need to control her, make her submit, to make her mine. I can’t explain it. I just want to wrap her in my arms and never let her go. She means everything to me,” he said, looking at his best friend.

“Then don’t you think you should tell her that? I am sure she would like to know how you feel. It might help,” Alex advised him.

“What about you?” Gabriel questioned, hoping that Alexander would say what he truly wanted.

“What about me? She is in love with you, Gabriel. I was aware of that before anything happened. As for me, she has not made up her mind yet because she is waiting on you. Believe it or not, this relationship isn’t going to work until you get over yourself and tell that woman how you feel and what you want. “

Gabriel sighed. God, he hated when Alexander was right.

Chuckling to himself, Gabriel realized that they were more alike that he originally thought. Only a true Sexton could be so complicated, yet free with his affections. “But you love her too.”

“I do love her. She had my heart moments after we met,” Alex admitted.

“And you think she will accept me as I am?”

“You two have a history, which is more than I have with her. I am new, something fun and exciting. You are the person she has loved since childhood. She has built you up in her mind as this prince who will sweep in and save the day, making everything all right.”

“I’m not so sure I can do that.”

“What are you saying, Gabriel?” Alex asked, getting to his feet. Gabriel knew it was now or never. Could he let Alex near Antoinette permanently and not want to kill his best friend? Could he push his jealousy aside and let his love have everything she desired? There was only one way to find out. So, bracing himself for any outcome, Gabriel proceeded.

“I know Antoinette better than most people. You say you’re something new, and that she loves me, but I say differently. I watched you to on the plane. I saw you two huddled together sleeping. You may not realize it now, but she has formed a tender spot for you. And if she wants us both, I won’t stop her from getting her wish.”

“You’re willing to share her?” Alexander asked with a shocked look on his face. Gabriel wanted to laugh, but he knew it was not prudent. This was serious, and he needed to maintain a clear head. The decisions made now would affect the rest of their lives.

“Only with you.”

“Why me? Why now?” Alex questioned.

“I have my reasons. Now, I better go fix this mess before she gets too out of hand. She can be quite stubborn when the mood pleases her. Think about what I am offering, Alexander, because this is a one-time offer. I won’t offer again,” Gabriel said, leaving a stunned Alexander to ponder his decision.

He found her upstairs in his room, looking out the window over the vast property. Quietly moving forward, he took a deep breath as he walked up behind her and slowly wrapped his arms around her waist. He took it as a good sign that she did not kick him in the balls as she only leaned into him, letting him hold her.

When her head fell back against his chest, he took a breath. “I’m sorry, little bird.”

“Me too,” she whispered.

“I never meant to let you believe that I didn’t care about your feelings. It’s just everything has happened so fast, and now with Alexander, I am simply playing everything by ear. You have to give me time to catch up,” he softly said, kissing the top of her head. Lord, she felt so good in his arms, as if made specifically for him.

She was perfect.

“Did you know that I have been in love with you since I was twelve? That’s why I never had a boyfriend for very long. None of them had one ounce of what you possessed.”

“Your brothers would kill me if they ever knew how I actually felt about you. Though, I suppose that Jeff probably knew. He still isn’t happy about it. That’s why he asked me to back off. You were so young, with your whole life ahead of you. I didn’t want to stop you from having a life you deserved.”

He released his hold when Annie turned to face him. “I never asked you to. It was my life, Gabriel. I knew, even at twelve, what I wanted. I was so angry when my brothers told you to step away, but nobody ever asked me what I wanted. You all took control of my life. Not a one of you considered what I wanted.”

“And what do you want, Antoinette? Tell me and I’ll do everything in my power to give it to you.”

“I want you, you oaf! All I have ever wanted was you!” she cried.

His mouth was on hers in an instant. He no longer cared about anything but this woman in his arms. So soft and sweet, she was what he wanted as much as she wanted him. He didn’t know what they were going to do, but in this moment, he did not care.

The softness of her lips caressed his as he inhaled her. Sweet, she tasted of sin, an intoxicating blend of spice and honey. A heady taste to make him yearn for more.

Slipping his arms around her, he pulled her closer. Her chest was touching his. He was sure she could feel his heart beating rapidly. He didn’t care. She loved him, and that was all that mattered.

Her warm embrace tantalized him. Shivers of excitement flourished. He felt young again, a young man. She did this to him. She made him feel with her sly, subtle ways. She was life, and she was breathing for him, giving herself once again to him, a precious gift, which this time, he would cherish.

Sweeping her up into his arms, he walked her over to the bed, never taking his mouth from her. Laying her down, he lowered his body to hers.