Gabriel's Heart [The Men of Treasure Cove 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (7 page)

“Well, he has you.”

“Yes. We’ve been friends since childhood, but even that can’t help what he must have had to deal with.”

“I don’t understand?”

“You see, after his parents died, Gabriel was the only heir.”

“The heir to what?” Antoinette asked.

Gabriel stepped forward and cleared his throat, halting the conversation. “What are you doing here, Alexander?”

“Ah, Gabriel! There you are. I was looking for you when I found this lovely woman. Please join us.” Alex stood, smiling.

“Why are you here?” Gabriel asked again, lowering his voice, looking his friend directly in his eyes. He could see that the tone he used startled Alex, because when his eyes widened a tad, the smile left his face, and he became serious.

“After you ended our previous conversation abruptly, I decided to take a holiday and visit this lovely town. I arrived at your club, and then came to town to find you. But I met this lovely lady instead.”

“Stay away from her,” Gabriel said, taking a step closer to his friend, giving him no room for doubt. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Alexander. He trusted him with his life, but not with Antoinette. She was his.

Of course, he knew that she was never his to begin with, so there was no reason for him to be feeling all these emotions, but still, the idea of her with another man infuriated him to no end. For the longest time, he assumed she was his, solely his. He never gave any thought to her needs as a woman. Even though he could not claim her, he assumed like a complete ass that she would remain faithful to him, love him, and never look at another man.

Ridiculous, now that he thought of it. Antoinette was a young, vivacious woman with her whole life ahead of her. Not bound to him, she could see, date, or fuck whomever she chose. He made no promises. Hell, he walked away and never looked back. Apparently she was willing to do the same. He could not ask her to stop living her life just because he did.

Gabriel couldn’t think. His mind was in turmoil. Turning, he walked toward Kelly as she headed for him with his coffee and pie.

Everything he held dear and loved in his world would never be his. Silently chastising himself, he purged his mind of all thoughts, looked at Kelly, and said, “I’m sorry, my dear. I won’t be staying after all.”

“Are you sure?” Kelly asked.

Turning to the shocked woman at the table, he muttered, “I’m sure,” then quietly left the diner, the bell ringing loudly behind him.

* * * *

Annie sat silently, too stunned to speak as Gabriel left. The look upon his face was pure anger. She didn’t know why he was angry. She had seen him this way only once in her life, and that was at her graduation party. At the time, she knew why he was angry, and she felt the same. But this was different. He had nothing to be angry about. She was only talking with his friend.

She had only come to town to get some advice and figure out what to do next. This whole mess was confusing enough already, but Gabriel roaming around town was complicating matters further.

She had wanted to talk to him in private, but when she ventured over to the Pleasure Cave, he was not there. So, she headed into town for something to eat. That was when she met Alexander Ellis.

Sitting in the back booth, he had smiled at her when she walked into the diner. There was something about him, something warm and honest. Before she knew what she was doing, she’d walked over and introduced herself. He’d asked her to join him, so she did.

It wasn’t until he started talking that she’d noticed his British accent, and when she’d asked if he knew Gabriel, he had answered yes. So they’d begun talking about the one person she desperately needed to know more about.

Annie knew if she could learn enough about the man who held her heart, then maybe she could figure out a way to push past his walls that he had built. Just maybe there would be room for her in his life.

Tired of hiding her feelings, she could not do it anymore. Over the last year, she had watched as family and friends fell in love, married, and began to start families of their own. That was what she wanted. The problem was, the one man she could see herself with was the one man her family would never accept.

She never understood that part. Gabriel was an upstanding citizen, a business owner, and gave to the community religiously. He was friends with everyone, and always there to help when needed. He had moved to Treasure Cove over ten years ago and was welcomed by everyone. Yet he never dated anyone from the town.

Alone and quiet, he always stood in the back, lending his support but never openly joining in. He was a loner, his emotions and feelings hidden in the shadows. If one were to look closely, they would see the pain and weight of his life as it took its toll. He gave so much away with one look, yet he never asked or took what he wanted.

From an early age, she knew that Gabriel was different, an old soul, like herself. She wondered many times if that was why he appealed to her like no other. She remembered talking with him over the years as he would give her advice or just listen to her girlish fantasies. Yet when presented with the possibility of more, he walked away and never looked back.

Angry, she turned back around in her seat. He had no right to warn anyone away from her. He made his decision three months ago. What right did he have to dish out orders?

“What was that all about?” Alex asked, sitting back down.

“Oh, Mr. Grumpy is just moody. Ignore him,” she said, looking out the window, watching as he crossed the street.

“I’ve never seen him so angry. He looked ready to beat me to a pulp.”

“Ignore him,” she whispered, still staring out the window.

“He’s no longer out there. He disappeared behind the sheriff’s office a couple of seconds ago,” Alex said, bringing her back to reality.

Turning, she plastered a grin on her face. “Am I that obvious?”

“Just a tad. So why don’t you explain what that was all about?” he asked.

Sighing, Annie just leaned back, resting her head against the booth. How could she explain her past with Gabriel when she did not even understand it?

The only thing that kept her going was the realization that she knew what she wanted. The only hard part was trying to figure out how to go about getting it. The decision was easy. She knew that night at the McDaniel party what she wanted, and she thought she had succeeded, but Gabriel walking away was a possibility that she had never considered. Since then, she had been going over every mistake she made. Her biggest was returning to school, which she corrected as soon as possible. Even though it angered her brothers, she knew what she wanted. Being across the ocean in a different country was not going to help her achieve her goals.

Looking at the man before her, she smiled. Alexander was a blessing in disguise. A friend of Gabriel’s, he would know about him where others did not. She wondered if she could use him to get the information she needed. Would he be willing to help her out?

“You mentioned that you’ve known Gabriel since you were kids. How well would you say you know him?” she asked.

She watched as Alex leaned back, thinking about how to answer that straightforward question. When he did not speak right away, she wondered if he was hiding some dark secret about Gabriel, and she began to get worried.

“I know him well enough. Why do you ask?” he questioned.

“Curiosity, that’s all.” She smiled.

“Curiosity killed the cat, my dear,” he responded.

Annie watched as the carefree man she had been talking to moments earlier took on a hardened look. Alex was more than he seemed to be. She knew in that instant that Alexander Ellis knew more about Gabriel than he was letting on. Now, she only needed to figure out how to get that information, and if it would be beneficial for her. God she hoped so because she was not letting Gabriel walk away from her again.

“I think we need to talk,” she said.

“I believe you’re right. I’m not sure what about. Please enlighten me.”

“I want you to tell me everything you know about Gabriel.”

“And why would I do that?”

“Because I love him,” she admitted.

* * * *

Alexander looked at the woman before him and wasn’t sure what to think. He knew from the way his friend was acting that there was definitely something going on between the two of them, but what, he did not know. He needed to talk to Gabriel first. Yet the persistent woman before him was too damn intriguing.

Antoinette was beautiful and full of life, and Alex could see how she attracted Gabriel, but to what extent? Her stunning smile caused his heart to beat faster. Her expressive emerald eyes looked like sparkling gems, but it was her demeanor. Her sharp mind, the unusual way her mouth lifted in one corner when she thought no one was looking, that enthralled him. In just a few short minutes, Annie captured him. He felt young and randy again as if he were a teenage boy.

Unlike the women of his past, Annie was a breath of fresh air, their complete opposite. He found himself waiting for her to speak, wondering what she would say next. She was entrancing.

Could she be the one who had been plaguing him all these months?

God, he hoped not.

He wanted to get to know this young woman more.

“You love him?” he asked, looking at her as she sipped on her coffee. He noticed then, like Gabriel, she considered her reply. They were alike in that manner, yet different.

Yes, there was something going on between this woman and his best friend. He only needed to figure out what it was and if there was room for him.

Blinking, he wondered where that thought had come from. He had dabbled in the ménage scene before, always considering himself too selfish to share. Yet he knew his friend ran and operated one of the best BDSM Clubs in Treasure Cove and England.

Hell, he oversaw the club in London.

But one question remained. Could he share a woman? He didn’t rightly know, but looking at the woman before him, he could see himself considering it. He trusted Gabriel, always had. There was that one time when they had just graduated from Eaton, before he headed off to Oxford and Gabriel left for America. It was just that one time. Could he do it again?

“I’ve loved Gabriel since I was a young girl.”

“Ah, childhood love. So you’ve know him a while?”

“Since I was ten.”

“And how old are you now?”

“Twenty-five.”

“And after fifteen years you still love him. He is extremely fortunate to have your admiration. But what makes you sure he returns the favor?”

“I don’t know how he feels. He won’t say. He is better with actions.” She blushed, and Alexander sifted in his seat, his cock hardening. He knew right then that she and Gabriel shared a past. But was it over?

She was wreaking havoc on his body, and the more she talked, the more he became aroused. Alex needed to find out if there was anything between Annie and Gabriel, fast, because if he continued to sit here with her, he was going to ask her back to his room.

He wanted her. That he was sure of.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“I’m okay. So tell me, is there anything at present between you and Gabriel?”

“No. I had hoped for something, but he made it clear three months ago how he felt.”

“Gabriel ended it?” he asked, hoping like hell she was free.

“Yes. He was crystal clear.”

“Do you have plans for this evening? I would like to take you to dinner. We can talk more and get to know each other, if you would like to that is?”

He watched as that lip lifted, and then she smiled brilliantly. “Yes, I think I’d like that.”

“Good. I am staying at the Pleasure Cave. The chef there is fantastic. Shall I pick you up, say around seven tonight?”

“That would be fine,” she said, rummaging in her purse. Alex watched as she pulled out a pad and pen and quickly wrote down the directions to her home. When she handed him the little white paper, she slid from the booth.

Standing, he leaned over and quickly kissed her cheek. “Till we meet again,” he said, and watched as she left the diner.

Quickly paying the bill, he headed out in search of his friend.

Gabriel had spent the last twenty-four hours going over every concern that the club currently had. After spending hours on the phone with lenders, explaining and promising to clear the books, he finally finished. After placing the last ledger in his desk, he walked over to the window and looked out over the landscape. He drank down the double bourbon in his hand in one gulp.

The harsh burn was the only thing he felt. He welcomed the fire.

No matter how much he drank, he could not get her expressive eyes out of his head. The moment he left the diner, he immediately returned to his club and locked himself in his office. He refused to see anyone, and after what he witnessed in the diner, the only friends he had left were the fifty-year-old malt scotch and several bottles of Jack Daniels.

He never noticed that it was a clear day. The sun was shining brightly, and with the snow-covered hills, it was quite stunning. He wanted to get drunk. He no longer cared about anything. He didn’t care about his club, the residents, the money, or his friends.