The Spaniard's Woman - Contemporary Romance (9 page)

The air was cool against her heated skin as he pushed the shirt off her shoulders, sending it slithering to the floor. Her bra followed and she tipped her head back when he bent to graze his lips across her bare breasts. When he undid the zip of her skirt he pushed her panties down with it and Rhianna stood naked, trembling as Gabriel paused to take in the sight of her, eyes drinking her in like a man who had been in the desert for far too long. She heard the harshly drawn breath just moments before he pulled her against him and his mouth found her own. It was a furious onslaught, the brutal kiss of a man claiming his woman and Rhianna kissed him back feverishly, meeting the blatant assault with an eager heat that matched his own.

When he pressed her back onto the table she went willingly, the polished wood cool against her overheated flesh. She ached for him, every part of her eager for the satisfaction only his hard masculinity could give her. Even the few moments it took him to shed his own clothes and find a condom had her body crying out at the loss of him, but then he was back and Rhianna experienced the intense pleasure of skin sliding hot against skin. Gabriel parted her legs and she offered herself willingly gasping as he thrust into her, filling her, giving her the release she so desperately craved, his slow thrusts sending her over the edge into chaotic ecstasy while her body spasmed around him. Dragging in a sobbing breath, she pressed her face in his shoulder, wrapping herself around him as she climaxed, the world spinning out of control as the sweetest of pleasures carried her away and he followed, his low groan of release a ragged counterpoint to her own soft cry.

When Gabriel withdrew it was only to pick her up and carry her, holding her close as he walked into the bedroom and lay her on down on the cool sheets. He followed her down and once again, their bodies intertwined...

Rhianna woke with the dawn, pale light spilling beneath the curtains. Gabriel lay beside her, his arm curved around her while his leg pinned hers firmly down, as if he intended to keep her close, even in sleep. Rhianna turned her head cautiously and looked at the face that lay so close to her own and her heart turned over at the sight of the familiar curve of his cheek. In the pale gray light that filtered into the room, his face was relaxed in a way that rarely happened when he was awake.
I’ve never stopped loving him
, she realized without any real sense of surprise,
and I don’t think I ever will.

Not that the knowledge brought her any joy. Loving Gabriel undermined her at every turn. She hated herself for giving in to him when he touched her but unfortunately there seemed no way to turn off her emotions. Loving Gabriel wasn’t going to insulate her from the pain she knew that the future had in store for her - it never had. He might insist that she take him as her lover - and she might even hold a special place in his heart because she was the mother of his son - but that didn’t mean that he would remain faithful to her. Rhianna’s lips curved in a bitter smile. At some stage he would have to choose another wife because Spanish men - especially those from wellborn families - were expected to marry. One son was not enough to forge a dynasty and he would want more children in the future.

Rhianna flinched at the idea of revisiting the pain she had felt when he’d told her be was marrying somebody else three and a half years ago. And things seemed infinitely more complicated now that Dylan was on the scene. How would Gabriel deal with the existence of his first born when he decided to have more children? He could hardly bring a new wife home when he had his lover and her son installed at his family home. More importantly, how would Dylan feel if he was made to leave to make way for his father’s ‘other’ family?

Unless, of course, he intended to keep Dylan with him and pension Rhianna off.
Sudden tears flooded her eyes at the idea that she might not only have to face losing Gabriel all over again, but that she might very well face the prospect of losing her son as well. Not that there was any power on earth that would ever make her leave Dylan willingly, but it was possible she would have no choice. Rhianna had only a hazy grasp of Spanish law but she was willing to bet that it didn’t favor the mother.

What the hell had she let herself in for?

Taking a deep breath, Rhianna forced herself to think. Gabriel
would
marry again but it was less certain
when
that would happen. Surely, now that he had a son and heir, it might not be for several years. She wondered how long it had been since his wife had died. If it had occurred recently then Gabriel would still be in mourning. Although, if he
were
in mourning, he had a strange way of dealing with his grief, pursuing his old lover and forcing her into his bed again, she reflected grimly.

She stirred restlessly, unwilling to think about Gabriel’s wife. That part of his life could have nothing to do with her and the callous finale to their relationship still bit deep, knowing that she had been unacceptable. She knew she was behaving like a fool, dwelling on things that she had no control over but she couldn’t help it. As far as Rhianna could tell, the future held nothing but heartache no matter how much immediate pleasure it might promise. Her mind went back to the evening before and Gabriel’s deliberate seduction and she frowned when she remembered his scathing reference to her relationship with Grady. Did he really think so little of her that he believed she would ever sleep with a man for profit? Truthfully, she had absolutely no idea
what
Gabriel thought. He had waited until they were in Spain before telling her that he found her demands for a ‘platonic relationship’ to be unacceptable and he had demonstrated just how unacceptable he’d found it in the most physical way possible.

Rhianna recalled the touch of his mouth, his body as it had claimed her as his own and bit her lip in mortification. She had no more chance of resisting Gabriel than she had of depriving herself of oxygen; both, it seemed, were essential to her survival. Unless she somehow found the strength to stand up to him, Gabriel’s wishes were going to dominate the rest of her life. She could either accept that she would never be anything more than his lover, his mistress, or she could be the one to set the boundaries. All she needed was to find the strength to do so. So far she hadn’t been doing such a great job, she acknowledged wearily, falling into his arms whenever he touched her. Chemistry was a bitch.

It felt very early, surely not long past dawn although there was no clock handy so it was hard to be sure. Rhianna decided that it was time that she checked on Dylan. Releasing herself from Gabriel brought the predictable response, however. He opened his eyes as she tried to free herself and instead of escape, she found herself pulled onto his chest while he regarded her with sleepy dark eyes. ‘
Beunos dias,
my Rhianna,’ he murmured.

‘Good morning,’ she replied cautiously, unnerved to feel his hard body stir against her. Her eager capitulation the night before was a reminder of just how dangerous touching him was. She’d given him every reason to believe that she was willing to be his lover, no matter what she’d said back in Sydney. Perhaps that was why he was so ready to believe that she had had other lovers in the years they’d been apart; she’d certainly given him no reason to believe that she was hesitant about sex! ‘I was just going to go and check on Dylan.’ When his arm tightened about her, she added hastily. ‘I need to go to the bathroom.’

He gave her a slow smile. ‘Trying to escape me?’

‘Is that possible?’

‘No. We both know that it is entirely
im
possible.’ Raising his head, he kissed her lightly on the mouth. ‘Go and check on our son, then. We will have plenty of time later to satisfy ourselves.’

Meaning that he intended they spend a great deal of time in bed together whenever the opportunity presented itself. Rhianna felt a growing sense of panic. If she was going to make a stand for what
she
wanted then it had to be soon. She rolled off him quickly, then looked around her. She’d had no opportunity to unpack her clothing the night before and the things she’d been wearing were still in the other room after Gabriel had stripped them off her. She bit her lip, strangely shy at walking around naked when she knew full well his eyes would be following her every move. She felt vulnerable and exposed and desperately wanted something to wrap herself in.

Hurrying into the living room, Rhianna went across to her over night bag and unzipped the side pocket where she’d packed a few things that she knew she would need soon after their arrival. Pulling out a thin silk robe, she put it on, wrapping it around her firmly, then padded quietly across to Dylan’s room. He was still sound asleep. He’d kicked most of the covers off during the night and half lay across the bed, one hand firmly grasping Mr. Snoop. Rhianna’s mouth curved as she stared down at him. Dylan often waged a nocturnal battle with his bedding, kicking himself free of it when he grew too hot. Moving across to the bed, she gently pulled the covers over him again.

Unwilling to return to the bedroom and to the inevitable confrontation with Gabriel, Rhianna decided to take a shower. She gathered up some fresh clothing and slipped into the bathroom that led off the large living area, one of three the suite boasted. Rhianna closed the door behind her, thankful for a few minutes alone so she could collect her thoughts and work out what to do about her immediate future.

In the privacy of ornate bathroom Rhianna peered at herself in the wide mirror over the basin, dropping the robe to survey herself with critical green eyes. There were several faint bluish smudges on her shoulders, the lingering imprints of where Gabriel’s fingers had held her the night before. She had no recollection of him holding her so tightly, too carried away by her own dizzying passion to care for anything but what Gabriel had been doing to her. Her eyes looked enormous in her face while her thick hair was a tousled mess around her shoulders. Rhianna winced. The woman staring back at her was hardly the one she wanted to present to Gabriel’s mother, later in the day. It wasn’t an image that she wanted to show herself because it seemed to reveal a woman who was at a loss, her life disturbingly out of control. She needed a plan and she needed it soon.

Rhianna turned on the shower and stepped beneath the stinging spray, lathering her body with the sweetly scented soap. She gave a small squeal of surprise when the shower door opened.

‘Let me help you with that.’

Swinging around, to discovered that Gabriel had decided to join her. Her eyes skimmed over him and she drew in a quick, unsteady breath at the sight of his taut, well-muscled body. The shower, an enormous cubicle, sudden shrank to the size of a telephone box the moment he stepped inside. Instinctively, she covered her breasts with her arms, which Gabriel found amusing. He gave a soft chuckle, reaching for the soap in her hand. ‘Do you think to hide yourself from me, Rhianna? After last night when I reacquainted myself with every part of you?’ And so he had. Last night, when he had stripped the clothing off her body and she had stood before him, utterly exposed. She hadn’t protested, too aroused by the prospect of his lovemaking to think of anything but the need for him to touch her. And then later, as they had lain in bed together, he had been determined to take it slow, moving over her body again with lazy precision until she had once again been lost in mindless ecstasy. ‘Relax,
querida
.’

‘But Dylan might come in...’

‘Dylan is sound asleep. We will not be disturbed.’

Putting his hands on her shoulders, he turned Rhianna around and started to soap her shoulders and back, using long, smooth strokes. His touch was so assured that Rhianna found herself relaxing instinctively, the clamor of her thoughts drifting away as she fell beneath the sensuous spell of his experienced hands. They moved over her shoulders, running down her arms, each one in turn, gently working the muscles as he went. Gabriel pulled her back until their bodies were touching and Rhianna had the opportunity to discover just how much he was enjoying the experience, her back bumping against the swollen evidence of his arousal. His hands slid forward, the soap gliding over each of her breasts, his hands cupping each one before moving down across her stomach. He continued slowly downwards, washing between her legs, his fingers touching the most intimate parts of her, Rhianna groaned out loud, needles of intense pleasure shooting through her body. When he rose to stand upright again she could have wept with disappointment.

‘And now I will wash your hair
mi dulce
,’ he murmured.

He tipped her head back until the spray ran over her hair, saturating it, then began to work the fragrant shampoo through the length of it. Rhianna closed her eyes and forgot everything but the intense enjoyment his touch gave her. After rinsing the foam away he smoothed on the conditioner, fingers combing it through before he massaged her scalp with slow, rhythmic circles. It was one of the most sensuous feelings that Rhianna had ever experienced. Her entire body felt incredibly alive, and yet wonderfully relaxed at the same time.

‘Now me,’ Gabriel whispered, after the conditioner had been thoroughly washed away, ‘It is your turn to wash me,
si
?’

Half dazed with languorous euphoria, it took Rhianna a few moments to stir. Obediently, she turned and took the soap from him. She began with Gabriel’s chest, her eyes concentrating on what her hands were doing rather than looking him in the face. Her hands skimmed across the hard muscles and this time it was Rhianna who had the satisfaction of hearing Gabriel gasp as she stroked each rigid nipple in turn. Concentrating hard, she ran her hand over the hard plane of his stomach, enjoying the way the muscles contracted beneath her touch. Moving a little closer, her arms encircled him as they washed up and down his broad back. This close to him, it was impossible to ignore his excitement but his eager erection only added to her own escalating desire. When her hands dipped down to move over his buttocks he groaned some words in Spanish beneath his breath and Rhianna risked a look up at his face. Gabriel’s eyes were closed, his face tilted back, wearing a look of strain. Pleased to be the one who was in charge for once, Rhianna’s courage grew. Stepping back a little she reached down to run her fingers over the powerful length of him, grateful that he’d thought of a condom before joining her because the last thing she wanted to do was stop now. He gasped at her touch, his eyes flying open.