Bound By Marriage(12)

She wasn't a pet or a child. And Gabriel Dumont was going to learn that  while he might be able to enslave her in bed, she'd give him nothing out  of it.

It was exactly what he'd asked for.

The drive to Kowhai the next day was predictably tense, even more so  because of what had happened the previous night. Exhausted by his  lovemaking, she'd fallen into a deep sleep. If Gabe hadn't given a  short, choked cry and jerked upright sometime in the darkest hours, she  might not have woken till morning.

Startled and half-asleep, she'd put her hand on his shoulder. "Gabe?"

"Go back to sleep." He'd gotten out of bed, uncaring of the moon's light on his nakedness.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Her voice had been soft, her heart unshielded. She'd forgotten she wasn't supposed to care.

"I said, go back to sleep." Brutal in its coldness, the sharp command  had thrown her tenderness back in her face. "Since you're up, it might  be better if you went back to your own room."

Stung, she'd done just that, but finding herself unable to sleep, had  spent the rest of the night working in her studio. Gabe hadn't slept  either-she'd heard him leave the house not to return till after dawn.                       
       
           



       

Now here they sat, both of them punchy from lack of sleep and a relationship going steadily downhill.

She finally couldn't take the silence anymore. "How long will your meeting take?"

"Not long." He shifted gears as they neared a hill. "I forgot to give  you your credit and debit cards so you'll have to use one of mine.  Remind me to give it to you when we get to Kowhai."

She could hardly refuse his money when she'd spent the past year living  on it, but it had never made her feel good about herself. Still didn't.  "If Richard likes my work and is able to sell it, I'll have some  income."

"That's not a problem, Jess. You're my wife." The words were almost absent-minded as he overtook a big truck.

Of course it was nothing to him-Gabe held all the cards in this  marriage. She'd been in his debt from the instant he'd saved her family  home.

He turned down the street leading into town. "I'll park at the post office."

"That sounds fine." Kowhai wasn't much but it was okay for a town in the  middle of nowhere. There was a grocery store cum post office, a bank,  the obligatory pub and even a small medical clinic along with some other  shops. "Doesn't seem like it's changed much."

"Henry's handed over the running of the grocery store to Eddie."

"At last! How's he handling it?"

"You can ask him yourself." He nodded toward the store as they eased into one of the parking spaces out front.

Eddie was standing outside soaking up the sun and saw her the second she  jumped out. Jogging over, he gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the  cheek. "Jessie! Hey stranger. Hi, Mr. Dumont."

Jess blinked at the formal way he'd addressed Gabe. "Gabe's got to head off so

can you help me get some packages to the post desk?"

Gabe interrupted before Eddie could reply. "I have time." Opening the door, he picked up the two biggest canvasses.

Nonplussed, Jess handed two more to Eddie and took the last one herself.  They weren't that heavy, just awkward to carry, wrapped as they were  for safe transport.

Eddie didn't speak again till Gabriel had left for his meeting. "You  have to fill out one of these." He slid a courier slip toward her then  lounged against the ledge that served as a table.

Jess began to complete the form. "Don't you have customers in the grocery section?"

"Sally can handle it-we're not too busy right now," he said, referring  to his younger sister. "So, married to Gabriel Dumont, huh?"

"Mr. Dumont?" she teased.

He shrugged. "That's what I always called him when I used to work in the  store after school. He's what, ten years older than you?"

"Nine," she corrected automatically, Eddie's tone beginning to irritate her.

"Yeah, well I was sure surprised to hear the news about the wedding."

Form filled in, she put down the pen. "Why?"

"Come on, Jess. When Damon left Kayla everyone thought it'd finally be him and you like it always should've been."

Of course Gabriel chose that moment to walk in. He passed her a credit  card, no expression on his face. "You'll need this. Meet you back at the  car in an hour."

"Okay."

He left without another word. Eddie winced when she turned back to him. "Sorry if I stuck my foot in it."

"Don't worry about it." If only she could follow her own advice. "But do  me a favor and stop talking about me and Damon in the same breath, all  right? I'm married and so is he."

"That's not what he said a few days ago at the pub. He didn't find out  about your wedding until it was over, you know. He never figured Dumont  would push you through it so fast. He said that if-"

"Don't." Jess raised a hand, palm out. "I don't want to hear it. How much for the courier?"

Taking the hint at last, Eddie processed her packages without further  commentary. But when she went to pay, he let out a long whistle.  "Platinum card, Jess? You sure have moved up in the world."

She chose to ignore the dig. People could believe what they liked. "Thanks." She took the receipt. "See you."

"Bye."

There was plenty of time left so she decided to say hello to some of the  other people she knew in town. However the first person she saw along  the sidewalk was no one she wanted to meet. Unfortunately, she'd already  been spotted.

"Jess!" Sylvie waved.

Knowing the gossip would spread like wildfire if she ignored the woman, Jess dug up her best fake smile. "Hello, Sylvie."                       
       
           



       

"What luck to see you here when I was thinking of you a second ago. I'm  throwing myself a birthday bash, an intimate dinner party. I'd love for  you and Gabe to come."

Jess couldn't think of anything she'd like less than to be stuck in a confined gathering with Sylvie. "I'll talk to-"

The blonde cut her off with a blinding smile. "Oh sorry, I should've said. I ran

into Gabe at the bank and he said he'd be there."

Pre-warned by that smug smile, Jess maintained her composure. If Sylvie  wanted to see her bleed, she'd have to find a sharper knife. "When's the  party?"

"This Saturday. Around seven for cocktails at my place. See you there."

Jess made a noncommittal noise and they parted ways. Straightening the  fingers she'd curled into fists inside her jacket pockets, she strode  toward the bank.

Gabe stepped out seconds after it came into view. Their eyes met and she  found herself watching him walk to her, stunned anew by the impact of  his presence.

Dear God. If he could do this to her in public, then she was in desperate straits.

"Were you looking for me?"

Shaken, she barely noticed the hint of a smile on his face. "I met  Sylvie on the way over." The memory was precisely what she needed to cut  through the cloudy haze of desire.

"And?" He raised an eyebrow.

"And don't you think it would be nice if you spoke to me before accepting certain invitations?"

"If you have a problem with going, we can cancel."

"That's not the point. I know what you think of this marriage," she  said, trying not to let emotion color her words, "but I deserve respect.  You should've spoken to me."

"It's a party, Jess." He put his arm around her shoulders and began walking.

"Nothing serious."

She went along rather than make a scene. "Maybe I don't want to go play nice with your ex-mistress."

With his body aligned to hers, there was no way she could miss his  sudden tension. "If I'm not mistaken, that implies I kept her. Sylvie is  more than capable of keeping herself."

Face burning at the subtle reminder that he was keeping Jess, she  refused to look up and meet his mocking gaze. "You know what I mean.  She's not my friend. I have no intention of going to that party."

"Fine. I'll go alone."

That answer only increased her fury. Taking her hands out of her  pockets, she folded her arms across her chest. "No, you won't."  Thankfully, they'd reached the car by then.

He stopped walking and released her. "Excuse me?" A very quiet, very lethal sound.

Difficult as it was to stand her ground, she wouldn't be able to face  herself in the mirror if she didn't. "You don't want me to see Damon.  Fine. But that works both ways. You don't get a free pass to socialize  with your old lovers either."

"The difference, Jessica darling, is that I don't go around avowing my  undying love for Sylvie. And I sure as hell don't crawl all over her  every time she so much as crooks a finger." He took out the car keys.  "You can come to the dinner or not, but you haven't been paying  attention if you think you have the ability to stop me from going."