Chapter 16
Despite his best efforts, Gabriel could not stop staring at his wife.
She was sitting across from him on the couch.
Still dressed in the same magenta and green gown that she had worn to Mr. Jones’ party, it was ruffled now, and the left side had slipped down her shoulder.
She was leaning back, one arm draped over the back of the couch, while in the other hand she held a glass of brandy that she was drinking freely.
Most of all, it was her smile that he could not break from. Her full lips peeled back, the way her hazel eyes sparkled with humor and just a hint of mockery, and her teeth shining beneath her lips the wider her smile stretched.
She was beautiful, and there was no other way to say it.
Gabriel had always found her attractive, of course, but he had been able to resist those feelings because he had felt little for her.
She was boring. She was reserved. She was the exact opposite of him in every way.
Yes, he had known of that hidden side, and he had wanted to see it, but without considering the danger of what would happen when he did.
It was free now, Sophia was living in this newfound freedom, and Gabriel was beginning to see the problem. One that he walked right into.
“I feel that I should apologize,” she laughed as she took a sip of brandy.
“For?” he asked her.
“Mr. Jones,” she said. “I can’t help but feel that I ruined any chance you have of doing business with him.”
“Oh…” He rolled his eyes. “There are plenty more where he came from.”
“Do you think that vase was expensive?” she snorted. “I sure hope it was.”
He laughed. “Careful, Sophia, keep acting this way and I might have to ask who you are and what you have done with my wife.”
“Is that not the point…” She flashed her eyes suggestively. “I thought you wanted to see this side of me.”
“I wanted to see the fun side,” he corrected. “This right here…” He flicked his wrist dismissively. “It is rather unappealing and brash.”
“What!”
“Joking,” he chuckled. “Just a joke.”
“Good.” She narrowed her eyes at him, but the smile stayed on her lips. “To be honest, I did not think I had it in me.” She had another deep sip. “Or maybe I didn’t want to think that I did? I guess that I was scared of what might happen.”
“And what did you think might happen?”
“I don’t know…” She had another sip of her drink, eyeing him above the lip in a way that made his pulse quicken. “Nothing good, I was sure.”
“I wouldn’t get too excited,” he said. “All you did was knock a vase off its shelf. Let us not act as if you stripped down into your shift and sprinted through the back yard crying out like a hawk.”
“Maybe I will next time,” she said as if serious. “Anything is possible.”
“I cannot wait to see it.”
They laughed together at the absurdity of the conversation.
It was the first time they had spoken this way since marrying, and Gabriel was surprised by how comfortable he felt.
He had always suspected that there was more to his wife, but to see it now in action, he was starting to realize how much he liked it.
More than that, he liked her.
Not just her looks either. And not just her silly sense of humor. It was the delight she took in the small and unimportant. Like a child stepping outside for the first time, everything was new to her, everything was exciting. And he could see from the wicked look in her eyes that she wanted more.
“So, what’s next?” she asked him as she finished her brandy. She then looked around for a place to put the glass down…
“Don’t even think about it,” he warned her.
“What?”
“Tossing the glass,” he said. “Yes, you are now free to do as you wish. And clearly, you enjoy the fact. But there are still rules in this world, and I expect you to follow them.”
She blew through her lips. “I don’t play by the rules anymore. Didn’t you know?”
He scoffed. “See if that same bravado lasts when you wake tomorrow with a hangover.”
“It will.” She sat up and glared at him. “Do not think so little of me.”
“Sophia…” He sighed and touched his chest. “I hoped by now you would understand that I am the only one who does not. This is my victory as much as yours.”
“Oh yes, there it is. Finding a way to make it about you.”
“Isn’t everything?”
She rolled her eyes. Then she widened them at him, grinning wickedly as she clutched the glass as if she meant to throw it… only to gently place it on the ground. “Happy?”
“You have no idea how much.”
They were sitting across from one another, but not so far that the distance was felt. With the way that Gabriel leaned forward on his knees, there was perhaps one foot between them.
The fire burned low in the room’s only hearth. The night was silent beyond the room. Almost on instinct, Gabriel’s eyes flicked to the spot beside where his wife sat, done so that she would see him doing it. She frowned, raised an eyebrow and then she shuffled across as if to offer him the space.
Gabriel swallowed as he saw the situation play out in his head.
The atmosphere was slowly transforming around them both. The crackle of the fire. The heat that came from it, washing across their bodies. Gabriel had drunk a little, Sophie was clearly tipsy, and as they spoke they plied one another with coy smiles and suggestive gazes.
This marriage was never meant to be about romance.
Gabriel had no intention of falling for his wife.
He was not the type to covet, and he was certainly not one to become besotted.
In fact, he had chosen Sophia because he had assumed she would never want him like that.
She did not seem the type to fall for a man with his reputation.
Only… Sophia was no longer the woman who he had married.
I suppose that’s the great irony, isn’t it. I married a woman who I did not want with the precise intention of changing her. And now that she is changed, I want her… and she wants me.
He licked his lips as he considered. He tried to ignore the beating of his heart and the shaking of his legs as he glanced over her body, sprawling along the couch. Her beauty was one thing, but it was her personality, the freedom inherent in her actions, that drew her to him.
All he had to do was stand up, sit next to her, and he was certain of what would happen.
“I should…” He hesitated, seeing her perk up. “I think it is time that I…” Pulse racing, desire rising. “My bed awaits,” he forced himself to say. “It has been a big day, and I need my sleep.”
He saw the reaction in her immediately. The way her shoulders slouched. The light leaving her eyes. And the disappointment evident in the way her face dropped.
“Oh…”
“I enjoyed myself tonight, Sophia.” He stood quickly as if to make the point. “I hope you did too.”
“I did…” She looked at him hopefully. “More than I thought possible.”
“Good,” he smiled at her. “And this, I hope you know, is only the beginning.” A beat passed as they looked at one another, and the urge to take her hand and pull her into him was so strong he had to fight against it. “Good night, Sophia, I’ll see you in the morning.”
He turned and he left. Damn near fled, to be truthful.
Gabriel shook as he rushed to his room, and his stomach roiled with guilt.
He had done nothing wrong, he knew. In fact, he felt as if that might have been the most honorable thing he had ever done in his life.
But then why did he feel so awful? And why did he feel as if he had just made a huge mistake?