And then there was Gabe. Ana felt faint. He was even bigger, more powerful than she had allowed herself to remember. How could she have forgotten how green his eyes were, how black and curly his casually cut hair was? And how could she not have remembered that wicked grin that quirked his lips. And his lips… Gabe’s two friends appeared to be teasing him, and his grin darkened, his expression hardened, and then he met her eyes. Ana fought to keep from swaying. She wished she had eaten more today, or perhaps less. Anything that would keep her stomach from pitching. And damn, when did it get so hot? She felt dizzy, thought she might be sick. She swept the room, frantically looking for her father or Kai to rescue her, but they were nowhere to be seen. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, and when she opened them he was standing before her.
“Good evening, Ana.” Gabe’s voice shot familiar sensations through her that she’d tried to convince herself she’d imagined. He reached out for her hand and smiled at her. “You look lovely, Ana.” Glancing at her gown, he winked. “I see it wasn’t necessary to alter this dress, it already allows you freedom of movement.”
For a brief moment, she wished she hadn’t chosen to wear the outrageous gown Kai bought for her yesterday in San Francisco. It was a silvery slip of a dress cut low over her bosom. She choked when Gabe’s eyes drifted to the visible swells and his smile broadened. She didn’t have to follow his gaze to know that he had focused on the most shocking element of the dress; the hemline. It was intentionally uneven, in places rising to just below her knees. It was a shocking liberty just now being seen in the haute couture salons in Europe. He glanced down and his eyes twinkled.
“Your ankle must be healed, Ana, to allow you to wear those outrageous shoes.”
If she could have kicked them off, she would have. The four-inch satin heels now seemed frivolous, even to her. Heat rose in her cheeks and she struggled against another wave of dizziness. She started when he grasped her elbow. Even though her skin burned where his fingers touched, she was grateful for his support.
“What would be even more outrageous than those shoes — and I’ll grant you, Gabe, they are outrageous, would be if you failed to introduce us to that vision beside you.”
Ana looked up at the blond-haired man who was smiling down at her. She felt Gabe’s grip tighten. His voice had a decided edge when he spoke.
“Ana, these are my partners, the men I told you about. This golden boy here is Gunnar, and don’t let his looks fool you. No one who ever faced him in a gun battle lived to tell about it. And this imposing gentleman is Lucas, but we call him Eagle.”
The darker-skinned man reached out and grazed her fingertips with his. A smile touched his lips, lightening his expression dramatically.
“Or as your aunt called me ‘Mr. Eagle.’”
Ana now knew what the three men were laughing about in the doorway; but she was still horrified at her aunt’s rudeness.
“I apologize for my aunt, Eagle. She can’t hide her distaste for what she calls ‘pretend Americans.’” When Eagle’s eyes widened, Ana added, “My brother and I, and, of course, my father, are also included in that group.”
Gabe watched Eagle’s expression soften and was grateful that Ana had the courage to call out her aunt’s insult. He watched intrigued as Ana focused on Eagle’s face. His burly friend reddened slightly under her scrutiny. She frowned, and her eyes narrowed in concentration.
“Forgive me for staring, but your eyes are unusual,” Ana murmured, looking hard at Eagle’s face. For a moment Gabe thought she might reach up and touch it. The way Eagle shifted back, Gabe saw he wasn’t the only one surprised at her frank inspection.
Ana blushed and stammered. “Forgive me. I… I don’t get out much. I’m told, at least by my aunt, that I’m much too direct. And… not ladylike.”
Eagle smiled. “I’m not offended, Ana. I appreciate people who are direct.” He glanced down at her dress and added, “Just for the record, your aunt is not only rude, she is blind.”
Ana flashed him an appreciative smile, then as if encouraged by his response, she leaned forward.
“At first glance you look like you are Indian. But you are also Chinese, aren’t you?”
Eagle was clearly surprised. “Few people get by the Indian part, or as I’m more commonly called, the Injun part, but yes I do have Chinese ancestry.”
Ana nodded. “When I was a little girl, a group of Chinese men came from China to visit my father. One of them was tall like you which was impressive enough to a young girl. But what I remember most was his face. He had your cheekbones and his eyes were like yours, Chinese, oriental. When I asked my father about him later, he said that Chung was from the Aleutian Islands and that for many centuries the people from the neighboring continents mixed with one another creating people who look like you.” She blushed slightly, then added with a shy smile. “I never forgot him. He was very handsome.”
Gabe was touched. Eagle, clearly smitten, flushed then bowed to the lovely young woman.
Beside them, Gunnar coughed. “Is there a chance that any of your childhood memories involve Vikings? You know, the tall blond haired Adonis’s who crossed dangerous seas to conquer uncharted territories? The fearless men known for their striking good looks and ability to sweep women off their feet?”
Ana laughed, a rare tinkling sound like Christmas bells in the snow.
Gunnar stepped forward and threw Gabe a mock glare. “That does it, Gabe. On behalf of myself and Eagle, who apparently has swallowed his tongue, I withdraw our implied agreement with your outrageous assertion of a few moments ago.”
Seeing Ana’s questioning frown, Gunnar explained, “Our leader and partner here asserted that you were off limits. Not open to our dishonorable intentions. Sorry old man. That was before either Eagle or I had spent two minutes with this glorious creature. Game on, partner.”
Gabe grinned in return, but his eyes were cold, his grip on Ana’s elbow tightening further. His voice was soft.
“It isn’t a game, Gunnar. And the rules I outlined earlier stand.”
Gunnar threw up his hands and turned to Ana, a look of wonder on his face. “You, my lovely, have done what I never thought possible. You have swept this “unsweepable” man off his feet. A remarkable accomplishment. I congratulate you!”
Before Ana could recover from her shock long enough to respond, a hearty voice called out across the room.
“Gabriel McKenna as I live and breathe! I never thought I’d see Rory McKenna’s boy at a party in northern California. How the hell are you, son?”
Chapter 21
Ana turned at the sound of the greeting, to see a distinguished grey-haired man striding across the room toward them. A wide smile crossed his face as he approached and stuck out his hand to Gabe.
When Gabe let go of her arm, Ana looked up, surprised to see the muscles on his neck tighten and a slight tic twitch beside his eye. While she missed his supporting grip she was most troubled to see the tension in his body.
He gripped the older man’s hand and nodded politely.
“Good evening, Senator Webster.”
Ana was surprised at the lack of warmth in Gabe’s voice but the senator didn’t seem to notice.
The senator continued, gazing at Gabe, his hearty voice touched with amazement. “My God, son, who would have thought I would see you here. I haven’t seen you since you were a boy.”
Gabe agreed coolly. “Yes, sir. It has been a long time.”
The senator continued drawing those around them into the conversation. “For any of you who don’t know him, this is Senator Rory McKenna’s son. Hell, Gabriel, I saw your father ten days ago. If I’d known you were going to be here I would have invited him to join me on my journey out west.”
Ana saw the muscles on Gabe’s neck tighten further; they were hard, corded.
His voice was pleasant, which made his words all the more shocking.
“It’s just as well you didn’t, senator. I haven’t seen or spoken with my father for twelve years.”
An audible gasp from someone in the group next to them seemed to remind the senator that they were being overheard.
Ana was relieved when Senator Webster flushed and lowered his voice.
“My apologies, son. I seem to remember now that you and your father are estranged.”
Gabe’s smile was cool. “Except that ‘estranged’ implies we once were not.”
The senator started. “I… I guess… I meant… now I remember hearing that you and your father had a falling out.”
To Ana’s surprise, Gabe was merciless. His smile could chip ice. “Again, Senator, just so we are clear. A ‘falling out’ implies there was once a ‘falling in’ which was never the case between my father and me.”
Both Eagle and Gunnar had moved next to Gabe when the senator approached. If anything they closed in more. Ana didn’t need to see their faces to sense their concern. She felt the same need to protect Gabe, to grip his arm as he had held hers, but she was afraid he would push her away.
The senator couldn’t hide his embarrassment. But given that he was a politician, Ana decided, he couldn’t leave a potential constituency without smoothing over any rough edges, if only on the surface.
“Well, son, I will tell you this. You don’t look anything like your father. Of course you’re both tall, and before he went to fat, he had your kind of lean strong physique. No, Gabriel, you don’t resemble your father, but you are the spitting image of your mother. I swear to god, you could be her twin. That black hair, those emerald eyes. Your mother was once the toast of Boston society, the most beautiful woman any of us had ever seen. It’s too… too bad—”
Gabe cut him short. “Yes, senator, I’m told my mother was quite beautiful.” He stepped back. “It was nice to see you, sir. I trust your visit to California will be a profitable one. If you’ll excuse me, one of my clients is seeking my attention.” With a polite nod he turned and walked across the room toward Dominic, who was eyeing him with interest.
~~~
For the next hour, Ana found herself in the center of one tedious conversation after another. It seemed as though every unctuous eligible man in California had trekked out to her father’s villa to impose himself on Ana. She dreaded what would happen when the dancing began. Because her father had explained to both Kai and Ana the purpose of the evening, Ana understood why Gabe, Eagle and Gunnar had left her after the altercation with Senator Webster. She watched each of them insinuate themselves easily into various groups of men or engage in a serious conversation with one of the influential guests. Her father refused to list the possible suspects. On some level she was glad. Knowing their names would make it all too real.
Hearing a peal of laughter, she was startled to see Gabe and Gunnar chatting pleasantly with the Hamilton twins. Acknowledged as the most beautiful eligible young women in the county, Ana had to agree their fire-red curls and pale ivory skin were attractive. That there were two of them compounded the issue, made them that much more remarkable. They were both taller than Ana and very slender. Out of the corner of her eye she watched them flit and flutter around the two gorgeous men. She wanted to ignore them as if it didn’t matter, as if it meant nothing to her. But she was shocked when Sarah sidled closer to Gabe and flicked something off his lapel. Her stomach clenched when the brazen hussy tugged on his arm and pulled him closer to her. Leaning up against him she whispered in his ear. When he smiled down at her and said something that made Sarah blush and lower her eyelids flirtatiously, Ana’s stomach dropped. As though an icy hand gripped her chest and slowly squeezed the air out of her lungs, she struggled to breathe. Fighting a wave of dizziness, she looked longingly at the stairway to her chambers… but it was too far away and she needed air — now. She wove her way across the room heading to the balcony. She yanked the door open then closed it behind her, fighting to breathe.
After several long minutes leaning with her back against the door, she was calm enough to make her way across the balcony. As she had the first night she met Gabe, she clung to the railing, staring unseeing at the garden below. Her mind was a snake pit of images. She remembered when the three handsome men appeared at the entrance. Every woman in the room no matter their age or marital status had turned to watch them come in. Ana reminded herself of the cruel reality she had almost forgotten in the excitement of seeing Gabe again.
Gabe, along with his striking partners, was the essence of the Ace Angel. Angel’s Avengers. They were gloriously handsome, powerful men who went from town to town, leaving a trail of women in their wake. Women like the Hamilton twins who would twitter and blush and ultimately confess to their eager friends all the details of their amazing escapade. The kind of details that Ana was sure that Molly was recounting for the kitchen maids about her romp in the barn.
Sobs clogged her throat remembering the twinge of excitement she felt when Gabe stood beside her griping her arm possessively. When Gunnar teased him about being swept off his feet by Ana. Ana sniffed at the memory, thinking how miraculously he had recovered. All it took was an hour and two tall red-haired beauties. Her determination to put him out of her mind, to push him away forever, rebounded. She chided herself for her foolishness. She had spent the last three days convincing herself that when this was over, the nightmare finished, she would forget him, go on with her life. Congratulating herself that she had resisted one of the great womanizers of all time, the infamous Ace Angel.
Startled, she heard the door open and heard footsteps coming toward her. For a brief moment she shook with excitement, then anger overcame her. How dare he? Had he seen her leave? What had he done? Taken a short break from the gorgeous Sarah Hamilton, told her he needed a little air so that he could slip outside to torment the foolish girl he called the Princess? In that instant her fury raged. She whirled on him prepared to strike him if he came within ten feet of her.
Her outrage evaporated in a swamp of disappointment when she saw Peter Harcourt standing in the doorway. He was holding two glasses of champagne in his hands, with a Cheshire cat smile. Wide, toothy and unappealing. Seeing him, she felt a little like Alice — as though she were tumbling down a long dark tunnel where nothing made sense and everything was upside down.