“My bike. I’ve got plenty of room for you on the back.” Again with the amusement that got under her skin like a burr under a blanket.
“Thank you, but I believe I’ll drive.”
“Of course you will. In that case I’ll see you up there, sweetheart.” He didn’t wait for a response, hanging up almost immediately, leaving Honor feeling vaguely frustrated and annoyed.
Of course you will. The arrogance implicit in that small sentence. As if he knew her. Knew everything about her.
The kitchen across the street was empty, the man making his coffee long gone. But this time Honor didn’t notice.
If Gabriel Woolf wanted to play head games with her, then dammit she’d play them.
But if he thought he was going to win, then he was in for a nasty surprise.
CHAPTER FIVE
At the top of the hill Gabriel pulled the Norton up on the side of the icy road and checked his GPS. Not far to go now. The hotel should be just up ahead and around the corner. Kicking down the stand of the bike, he raised the visor of his helmet to take a good look at the surrounding view. Mountains and forest heavily covered with snow, an icy lake to his left. The snow lent a muffled, dense quality to the silence around him that reminded him of his lodge in the Rockies. A peace that he’d never found inside a church, much to his mother’s disappointment.
But it had always been that way with him. Once, a teacher at school had shown him a book about nature and there had been pictures of mountains, forests, and lakes. Places the noise and the dirt and the squalor of the city hadn’t touched. Afterward he used to dream about going to such places because he imagined them to be cleaner, purer than the shitty tenement he lived in with his mother. Quieter, too. More peaceful.
Dreams about going and living in a cabin in the woods, by a lake. Where he’d fish for his mom and they’d be happy.
Fuck, what an innocent he’d been back then.
Gabriel sat back on the bike, inhaled, then let it out, his breath clouding in the cold air. Alex had his clubs and the women he lost himself inside of. Zac had his Caribbean island. And Eva … well, who knew what Eva had since she never revealed anything about herself. But this was his. The forest. The silence. A break from the anger that seemed to devour him whole whenever he was in the city.
The ride from New York had taken him over five hours, but he hadn’t minded. Speed and the wilderness and silence in his head. Sometimes that was all he needed.
At that moment his phone buzzed in the pocket of his motorcycle leathers. Briefly, he debated not answering it since when he was away, he was damn well away, but then again, it could be Honor.
Dragging the phone out, Gabriel glanced down at the screen. But it wasn’t from Honor. It was from Alex.
You want to go out tonight? Second Circle. 9 p.m.
Gabriel hadn’t told his friend about this week he’d planned with Honor. He hadn’t told anyone except a few of his people, and as far as they were concerned, he was in an important meeting for a week and wasn’t to be disturbed. No one needed to know what he was doing or what his plans were.
He stared at Alex’s message. The guy clearly kept tabs on his sister but did he know Honor wouldn’t be around this week either? Would he put two and two together? He might, considering Gabriel had already made it known he was interested in Honor’s investor quest.
Perhaps a different kind of man might have felt guilty about using his best friend’s little sister in such a way. But guilt was the one emotion Gabriel never let himself feel. Not when his mother had had enough for both of them.
Besides, it wasn’t as if he had anything to feel guilty about. He had his rule. He wouldn’t harm her. What he wanted was information and he’d use whatever he could to get it. Even the attraction that burned between them. Christ, he’d be stupid not to.
No, Gabriel texted Alex back at last. I’m out of state this week. Catch you when I get back.
There was a moment’s pause, then a reply pinged back.
All the more chicks for me then.
Gabriel snorted and stuck his phone in his pocket. Then he kicked the bike’s stand up, opened the throttle, and pulled out onto the road.
Ten minutes later he turned onto a long driveway that led through densely packed, snow-clad trees. Eventually it opened out onto a wide sweep past an elegant wood-and-stone building—the main lodge.
Gabriel cast a professional eye over it as he pulled up and parked his bike, approving the simplicity of the architecture. The building wasn’t fussy, with clean lines, a steeply pitched roof, and wide eaves. It had clearly been built to a high-spec and from what he could see, the workmanship was solid. There was nothing cheap or shoddy about this place. Tremain had obviously spent, and spent big on it.
A valet ran out as he got off the bike but Gabriel warned the guy off with a look. No one touched the Norton, let alone drove it. Grabbing his only piece of luggage, a battered leather kit bag, Gabriel slung it over his shoulder and headed for the entrance, pulling off his helmet as he went.
The interior of the hotel was all dark wood, thick carpet, and subtle lighting, giving it an air of quiet, discreet luxury. As he approached the reception desk, the concierge, a precisely coiffed blond woman, looked up and gave him a welcoming smile. “Ah, Mr. Woolf. Good afternoon. We’ve been expecting you. Are you ready to check in?”
Gabriel didn’t bother with pointless niceties. “Is Ms. St. James here yet?” he asked brusquely.
The woman’s smile didn’t falter, which was kudos to her professionalism. “Not as of yet. She did say she’d be here about four, which is any moment now.”
That was good. If she wasn’t here yet, he had a chance to check on the accommodations she’d arranged for them. Because he was betting she’d placed herself a long way from where he was, and that just wasn’t going to happen. He wanted them to be close together. Mainly so he could unsettle her, get under her skin, because people who were unsettled often let slip things they didn’t mean to say.
“What rooms have you got us in?” he asked, leaning an elbow on the desk.
The woman’s gaze flickered over him in a way he’d long come to recognize. Helpless interest. Lucky for her, she wasn’t his kind of prey.
“Ah … Ms. St. James has organized one of the cottages by the lake for you and a room in the main lodge for herself.”
Of course she had. “Change it,” Gabriel ordered. “Ms. St. James will be in the cottage with me.”
The only surprise the receptionist betrayed was a slight tightening of the mouth. Good. Perhaps she’d be allowed to keep her job when Gabriel became owner.
“Certainly I can do that,” the woman said. “But perhaps I should check—”
“I think you’ll find Ms. St. James will be perfectly happy with the arrangement.” He let his mouth curve, giving the woman a meaningful look.
She picked up on his meaning right away, at least judging from the flush that crept over her face. “Oh, I see.”
“I’m sure you do.”
“I’ll change the arrangements immediately, Mr. Woolf.”
He let his smile linger. “Excellent decision.”
“What’s an excellent decision?”
Gabriel didn’t move for a second, keeping his back to the hotel’s entrance, anticipation curling tight in his gut. So Honor had arrived. What perfect timing.
Slowly, he turned around.
Honor stood in the middle of the foyer, small, fine-boned, and immaculate in a tailored black trench coat belted tightly around her narrow waist. In one hand was the handle of a little wheeled suitcase, following behind her like a dog on a leash, while the other held her cell phone. The cold had brought a flush to her cheeks, making her blue eyes seem even bluer. She tucked away her cell into the purse she wore over one shoulder and raised an eyebrow at him in that way he remembered from their meeting at the club. Imperious and slightly mocking.
He leaned back against the reception desk on his elbows, taking in the sight of her and not bothering to hide it. Shit, he couldn’t deny there was chemistry between them. Intense chemistry.
How long since he’d experienced attraction like this? A long time. Maybe never …
“Were you trying to tease me, baby?” he drawled.
A wary look flickered in her eyes. “Tease you?”
“Yeah. With the sleeping arrangements.” He gave her a slow smile. “You had us in separate rooms.”
The flush in her cheeks deepened. She glanced at the receptionist briefly before looking back at him, and he could see she was already assessing the situation, trying to figure out what was going on. After a moment she said, “I thought you would prefer it.” Her expression gave absolutely nothing away
Goddamn but she was good.
“After one little argument?” He shook his head. “Sweetheart, no. What I prefer is you in my bed.”
Her jaw tightened, her gaze flicking to the receptionist again, gauging the woman’s reaction a moment before coming back to him. “I see.” Her voice was rock-steady and still as cool as the fall of snow. “Well, by all means, change it if you like.”
So. No protest. No argument. She wasn’t going to give him any of the expected reactions, was she? Interest curled like a hook, digging into him. Fuck, that was good. No, that was fantastic. Because he didn’t want this to be easy. Things were always so much sweeter when you had to fight for them. He should know. He’d fought like a bastard for everything he had.