LITMIR.BIZ

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frowned. ‘What the—’

      ‘Did you ever marry, Bella?’ Gabriel cut icily across her protest, his mouth twisting derisively as his dark gaze moved over the bareness of her left hand. ‘I see not. Perhaps that is as well,’ he added insultingly.

      Bella took an outraged breath. ‘Perhaps it’s as well that you have never married either!’ She came back in just as cutting a tone.

      He gave a humourless smile. ‘Perhaps.’

      ‘I don’t think the two of us sitting here exchanging insults is in the least harmonious to Brian and Dahlia’s wedding tomorrow, do you?’ she challenged.

      Bella’s heart sank every time she thought of attending that wedding.

      She had been looking forward for weeks to this trip to San Francisco. But meeting Gabriel again, knowing he was going to be at the wedding tomorrow, too, now made it an ordeal Bella didn’t even want to attempt to get through.

      But she had no idea how to get out of it, either…

      Gabriel watched the emotions as they flickered across Bella’s beautiful and expressive face, taking a guess at the reason for her look of trepidation. ‘Your parents and brother are here for the wedding also?’

      ‘Yes,’ she confirmed quietly.

      He gave a ruthless smile. ‘And they, like your sister just now, have no idea that the two of us have ever met before.’ It was a statement, not a question.

      ‘No,’ she sighed.

      Gabriel gave a mocking inclination of his head. ‘And you would prefer that it remain that way?’

      Bella sent him a narrow-eyed glance. ‘Yes!’

      ‘They would not understand our having spent the night together five years ago?’

      ‘I don’t understand it, so why should they!’ Bella exclaimed. ‘That night was totally out of character for me. Totally,’ she added vehemently as she remembered just how eager, how gullible she had been.

      Gabriel almost felt a hint of sympathy for Bella as he noticed that her hands were trembling slightly as she wrapped her fingers about her fluted glass sitting on the table in front of her. Almost. The fact it was champagne that bubbled inside the glass, the same wine that Gabriel had once dribbled all over this woman’s body, before slowly licking it from the sensuous softness of her skin, precluded him feeling in the least sorry for Bella’s obvious discomfort with this unexpected encounter.

      He shrugged unsympathetically. ‘I am sure that we all have things in our past that we wish had not happened.’

      Bella wondered briefly if he could possibly be talking about that horrific car crash and Janine Childe’s accusations, but then she saw the hard glitter in Gabriel’s eyes as he looked at her, and the contemptuous curl of his top lip, and Bella realised he had been referring to her, that she was something he wished had not happened in his life, either.

      She swallowed before speaking. ‘Then we’re both agreed that it would be better for everyone if we both just forgot our—past acquaintance?’ She deliberately used his own description of that night five years ago.

      The grimness of his smile lacked any genuine humour. ‘If only it were that simple, Bella…’

      If only.

      But it wasn’t. Bella, more than anyone, knew that it wasn’t.

      Much as she hated meeting Gabriel again like this, let alone having to sit through this insulting conversation, she also thanked God that this initial meeting had taken place this evening. It could have been so much more disastrous if it had happened at the wedding tomorrow instead…

      She straightened, pushing her wine glass away from her so that she didn’t risk knocking it over. ‘Let’s make it that simple, Gabriel,’ she offered. ‘We’ll both just agree to stay well away from each other for the rest of my stay in San Francisco.’ Which was only three more days, thank goodness; her father hadn’t been able to take any longer than a week away from his medical practice.

      Gabriel’s gaze narrowed as he took in the smooth creaminess of Bella’s skin as she flicked her hair back over her shoulders. Deliberately drawing attention to the full swell of her breasts above the fitted purple gown? Somehow, going on their previous conversation, Gabriel didn’t think so.

      ‘One dance together, Bella, and then perhaps I will consider your suggestion,’ he murmured huskily.

      Her eyes widened. ‘One dance?’

      ‘They have begun dancing at the party now that all of the guests have arrived,’ he pointed out dryly, the earlier soft strains of background music having given way to louder dance music.

      Bella looked confused. ‘You want to dance with me?’

      ‘Why not?’ Gabriel wanted to know.

      Her cheeks were very pale. ‘Because—well, because—Can you dance? I mean—’

      ‘You mean considering I am so obviously disadvantaged?’ Gabriel rasped harshly, his expression grim as he acknowledged that she had obviously noticed that, as well as the scar on his face, he also favoured his left leg when he walked.

      Not that the disability was anywhere near as bad as it had been five years ago. Gabriel had spent several months in a wheelchair after the accident, several more painful months after that learning to walk again. That he now had the scar and a slight limp as the only visible sign of the car crash, even if unsightly, was a miracle.

      Bella gave an impatient shake of her head. ‘You’re about as disadvantaged as a stalking tiger!’

      ‘I am pleased that you realise that,’ he growled—and had the satisfaction of seeing the heated colour that instantly flooded her cheeks. ‘I am definitely able to dance, Bella. As long as the music is slow,’ he added challengingly.

      Slow…! Bella inwardly groaned. What Gabriel really meant by that was he could dance to the sort of music where a man held the woman closely in his arms…Her mouth firmed. ‘I was actually thinking of excusing myself and going to bed—’

      ‘Was that an invitation for me to join you?’ he smoothly inserted.

      ‘No, it most certainly was not!’She flushed slightly as she almost screeched her indignation with the suggestion. Definitely an overreaction to that sort of temptation…

      He shrugged. ‘Then I believe I will return to the party once you have left and ask that Brian introduce me to your parents.’

      Bella glared across the table at him. ‘You rat! You absolute, unmitigated—’

      ‘I will tolerate the name calling once, Bella.’ Gabriel’s tone was steely. ‘But only once,’ he warned coldly. ‘It is your choice.’Then his tone softened almost to pleasantness as he relaxed back in his chair to once again look across at her with mocking eyes. ‘Consent to one dance with me or I will ask to meet your parents.’

      ‘Why?’ she groaned protestingly. ‘Why do you even want to dance with me?’

      ‘Curiosity, perhaps…?’

      ‘Curiosity about what?’She voiced her bewilderment.

      His gaze roamed over her slowly, from the darkness of her hair, across her face, and then lower, to the swell of her breasts.

      Bella could barely breathe as she suffered that slow perusal, rising abruptly to her feet when she could no longer bear the deliberate insult of that gaze. ‘One dance, Gabriel,’she said, abruptly giving in. ‘After which, I would prefer it if you didn’t so much as speak to me again!’

      He smiled before rising more leisurely to his feet. ‘I will let you know how I feel about that after we have danced together.’

      Bella shrugged off the hold Gabriel would have taken of her arm, instead walking

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