“Oh, I just heard a few things,” Honor said carefully. “There were rumors that … he wasn’t going to Vegas after all, but a casino in New York.”
“What?” There was puzzlement in her mother’s voice. “No, of course he wasn’t in New York. He was in the casinos in Vegas, that’s what the bank said.”
So, no, her mother didn’t know. Honor rubbed her brow tiredly. “Yes, well, that’s what I thought,” she said.
“Where did you hear these rumors? From whom?” Elizabeth asked.
Oh dammit. She shouldn’t have said anything. “They’re just rumors, Mom.”
“I need to tell Guy.” Her mother sounded upset. “I don’t want rumors going around about Daniel. This family has been through quite enough as it is.”
“Don’t worry,” Honor said, going into soothing mode. She couldn’t face upsetting her today. “Let me deal with it, okay? It’ll be fine.”
Her mother took an audible breath. “All right then, darling. But do let Guy know if it gets out of hand. You know how lies like that upset me.”
But were they lies? She hadn’t asked Gabriel whether what he’d told her was true or not, only taken it for granted that it was. Perhaps she needed to demand some proof.
At that moment she heard the cottage door shut and footsteps coming down the hall. A second later, Gabriel appeared, a tall, dark figure in black leather, filling the doorway.
What perfect timing.
“I will,” she said into the phone. “I have to go, Mom. Take care, okay?”
Ending the call, she laid the phone down carefully on a nearby side table then turned to face him. He said nothing, hitching his shoulder against the door frame, watching her in that disturbingly perceptive way of his.
“How do I know you’re telling the truth about my father?” she asked abruptly, breaking the thick silence.
“Why would I lie?”
“For any number of reasons, I should imagine.” She folded her arms. “I wouldn’t trust you as far as I could throw you.”
“That’s your prerogative, I guess. But hey, you don’t have to take my word for it. If you want proof why don’t you give your brother a call? I’ve got his number.”
“You said he doesn’t want to speak to me.”
“He doesn’t. Good luck with getting him to answer.”
The anger simmering in her gut froze solid, her throat closing. Once, years ago, she’d found out Alex’s number and given him a call. He’d never answered and never responded to the message she’d left. She hadn’t tried again.
Hating the knowing look in Gabriel’s eyes, she turned away. He knew she wouldn’t call him and she hated that he knew. She wasn’t a coward, but the hurt her brother’s silence had caused went deep.
What would knowing the truth change anyway? Whatever happened with Alex and your father, it was a long time ago. You can’t fix it now.
No, she couldn’t. Which made it easy to deal with in many ways.
“Thanks, but I’ll pass,” she said, moderately pleased with how calm her voice sounded. “It doesn’t matter anyway since it all happened years ago.”
“Are you sure you don’t want his number?”
“Quite sure.” She found a chilly smile from somewhere. “I’ve got quite a few work calls to make and e-mails to check, so if you haven’t got anything else you need me for this afternoon…?”
Gabriel ignored the question. “You’re sure you’re okay? I know all that about your father was a hell of a thing to dump on you.”
“Why did you then?”
“You wanted to know how Alex and I met.”
“No, talking about Alex, period. You were the one who brought up the subject, not me.”
He was still leaning casually against the door frame, but the look on his face was anything but causal. There was a hard, almost calculating glint in his eyes. As if he was debating what to tell her.
“You did it on purpose, didn’t you?” she said suddenly, not sure how she knew, only that the glint in his eyes had warned her. “Why? And the ride … That wasn’t just a ‘let’s get out into the fresh air’ thing, was it?”
He didn’t move. “What makes you say that?”
A burst of adrenaline shot through her. He was playing with her. Like he’d done from the beginning, because that’s what he was. A game player. “There wasn’t any reason for you to bring my brother up. Or tell me about my father, but you did.”
“I thought you’d want to know.”
“Really, Mr. Woolf? Or was it because you’re involving me in another one of your games?”
He raised a brow. “Games?”
“Don’t be so disingenuous. It doesn’t suit you.”
A thick, heavy silence fell.
Gabriel smiled. A slow-burning, wicked smile. “You’re a smart woman, Honor St. James. Too smart maybe.”
She took a silent breath. “You bastard.”
He didn’t even have the decency to look ashamed of himself. “You’re right, I am a bastard. And you should never make the mistake of thinking otherwise.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t.” The low-level anger that had been there ever since he’d told her about Alex and her father began to boil. Yet something else was there, too. That heady, illicit thrill. She’d seen through him and now she was certain the gloves were going to come off. Part of her was … excited by the thought. “You must want something from me pretty badly to use information about my brother against me.”
“Let’s be clear. I didn’t use it against you. I mentioned Alex because I thought you needed to know. But sure, the ride itself wasn’t purely out of the goodness of my heart.”
“Oh?”
“No. I wanted to go riding with you so I could have that fucking hot little body of yours up against mine on the back of the bike.”
She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry.
The look in his eyes glinted. “Don’t look so surprised. I’ve always been up-front about what I wanted from you.”
He had. Brutally so, in fact.
Dangerous. So dangerous.
Yes, and she should be telling him where to go. Or at least packing everything up and leaving him here. But she couldn’t. There was this investment hanging over her head still and besides, leaving would be tantamount to letting him win.
What happened to going with the flow?
No, she wasn’t supposed to be fighting him, giving in to the burn of excitement that matching wits with him gave her. But then she couldn’t allow him to get the upper hand either. Because once he had it, she’d never get it back.
So how to handle him? She could be ruthless when she chose to—hell, you didn’t get to have your own investment firm by being a pushover, after all—and no one could ever accuse her of being weak. She couldn’t afford to be.
You know how …
A small electric thrill shot down her spine, mixed with a healthy dose of trepidation. Oh yes, she knew. She’d always sworn to herself she’d never use that particular weapon, certainly not when it came to business. And not only that, it would be a temptation that would push her own control to the limit.
Then again, this would be another calculated risk, wouldn’t it? If she was aware of the dangers, she could handle it. Handle him.
“Yes,” Honor said levelly. “You have. And I suppose I don’t need to ask you what that is.”
He shifted against the door frame, folding his arms, the glint in his eyes becoming hotter. “No. Though I don’t mind saying it again if you need a reminder.”
“You want me?”
He didn’t look away. “Of course. You.”
She didn’t want to think about how that made her feel, that he wanted her enough to be a complete bastard about it. That he would use anything he could to have her. “Why? You could have any woman you wanted. You don’t need me.” She paused. “Oh, I know, it’s because I resisted, isn’t it?”
“Why wouldn’t I want you? You’re beautiful. Fucking smart. And we have major chemistry going on. Plus you’re one hell of a challenge mentally and that excites me. Why wouldn’t I use what I could to get you into my bed?”
Don’t be flattered, for God’s sake!
But it was too late. She was, the warm glow of it sitting in her stomach along with the anger and excitement, that fizzing electricity.
No one had wanted her like that in a very long time …
She folded her arms. “If you think I’m going to fall into your arms after that, you’ve got another think coming.”
“After you saw through me so easily? Not in the slightest.” He pushed himself away from the door frame, still smiling. Wicked. Dangerous. “Which means the next move is all yours, baby.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Gabriel balled up his napkin and tossed it onto the table. The chair opposite him had remained stubbornly empty the whole evening and he supposed he deserved it.
No supposing. You did deserve it.
Irritated, he sat back and took another cursory look around the hotel restaurant. Another example of thought and great workmanship. The place had a quietly luxurious vibe to it, lots of vaulted ceilings and exposed roof beams. A huge brick fireplace with a roaring fire. Tables in alcoves with armchairs for seating and lots of crystal glasses and snow-white tablecloths. During the day there were probably views out across the lake but the outside was now in darkness, the only thing visible was the snow heaped up outside the glass, making the interior feel warm and cozy.