Chapter6
Julian waited three long days to call Gabriella, but he finally picked up the phone and called her, his mind spinning with possibilities and various ideas of how he could get her into his bed. He’d come up with one that he was sure was a fail-safe plan for getting her beneath him, and satisfying his desire for her.
“Hello Julian,” she said in a low voice. She was still angry with him for dragging her to the yacht party and for driving home drunk with her, but if he hadn’t, she wouldn’t have gotten a chance to spend some time with Antonio and she probably wouldn’t have gotten to kiss him, and she did appreciate that very much.
“Gabriella… I’ve arranged for you to have a special shoot. We’re going to be doing a shoot up at Big Bear Lake and the shoot will likely go up in the April issue, so if you can prove to me that you’re the woman for the cover during the shoot, I’ll say yes and it will be yours.” He knew she’d go for it. She wouldn’t turn down the chance to be on the cover.
She gasped, and for the first time since she’d left the party at his house, she felt hope that Julian Medici might actually be doing something good and right, rather than something shallow and self-serving. She felt that he might actually be living up to his word and giving her the chance that she deserved.
She thought that he might actually be respecting the fact that she was determined to make it to the cover on her own without cheating by sleeping with him to get it. Confidence bolstered her and she smiled and nodded as she answered him.
“You know what, Julian? That sounds like a great plan. I’m really glad that you thought of me for it. I would be glad to go up to Tahoe with you and the photography team. When do we leave?” she asked, and he chuckled silently to himself and gave her the information.
She hung up, feeling completely elated that she was finally getting somewhere with him and that she would be able to get a chance at the cover. She’d wanted it for so long, and now it looked like it was finally going to be hers.
Julian picked her up a few hours later and she was surprised to see him in his own car, rather than traveling with any of the camera crew.
“Where is everyone?” she asked as he put her bag into the car.
“Oh, they’ll meet us up there,” he said offhandedly.
They got in and he drove them up into the mountains outside of Los Angeles. The scenery changed drastically from palm trees and warm air to pine trees, snow covered hills, and cold, crisp air. Before long, they were pulling up a long winding road to a remote property.
Gabriella had tried to talk to Julian about the shoot and about the possibility of her being on the cover for the April issue, but he kept changing the subject and she finally gave up on it. She turned her thoughts instead to the shoot and looked out of the window until they passed through an electric gate and drove a little further up the road to a massive lodge overlooking the lake.
He took their bags out of the car and walked into the house with her. She was again astounded, just as she had been seeing his mansion on the coast. His lodge was no less grand or stunning, though it was decidedly created to blend in seamlessly with the natural world in which it was placed.
The lodge was built with natural light wood, stone, and enormous windows that let in a great deal of light while simultaneously offering a spectacular view of the lake and the hillsides that led down to it. She was breathless with wonder staring at all of it, in particular the large river stone fireplace that rose up from the sunken floor in the den which faced the lake. There was an enormous tree stump in it waiting to be burned.
He came up behind her and leaned close over her shoulder. “Do you like it?” he asked in a low voice.
She turned with a start and pursed her lips slightly. “Yes, it’s beautiful,” she replied shortly, and then she looked around and turned her eyes back to him. “Where is everyone else?”
Julian shrugged. “I have no idea. I guess they’ll be along soon.”
Gabriella frowned. “Well, isn’t there a schedule? Isn’t this all supposed to start soon?’ she asked suspiciously.
He shook his head and took a step toward her. “We are shooting in the morning, so I’m not sure when everyone else will get here. You and I are the first to arrive, that’s all. Are you hungry?” he asked, indicating the kitchen.
She rolled her eyes slightly. It didn’t escape her attention that one of the first things both Julian and Antonio always asked was whether anyone was hungry.
“I’m fine, thanks. Where is my room?” she asked, hoping she could get some time away from him and a little peace in the beautiful setting.
He walked upstairs with her to the upper level and took her to a huge room at one corner of the house. The view took in the hillsides and the lake and she saw that there were French doors that opened up onto a balcony facing the water. There was an enormous jetted bathtub and a big shower made of cut and smoothed stone with skylights over it, flooding it with sunlight.
She looked around the room, well furnished with various wood pieces, and stared at the enormous bed that was set in one corner. It was easily the most beautiful bedroom she had ever seen her life.
“Will this do?” he asked with a sly smile.
She grinned and nodded. “It’s incredible! I love it. Thank you,” she said sincerely, turning to look at him.
He smiled back at her and took a few steps toward her, reaching out to run his fingertip down her arm as he often did. “It connects to my room,” he said quietly, his eyes steady on hers.
She clenched her teeth and shook her head. “Julian, don’t you get any ideas. We don’t need a connection between our rooms.”
He laughed and turned around to walk out of the door, leaving her with a look over his shoulder. “We’ll see,” he said quietly. He closed the door behind him and she glared hotly at it. She spent a few minutes looking around the room and then she unpacked, as she expected to be there for the full weekend.
After packing she walked out onto the balcony and soaked in the warm sun and the cool, fresh air. She was excited to see the snow covering everything and the half frozen lake. It was a rare sight for her to see snow and ice, and she liked it.
A short while later, she decided to look at the rest of the house, and she was relieved to see that Julian was nowhere in sight as she explored from room to room, examining the other bedrooms, and she found that it was true that there was a room connected to hers, but the door was locked from his side, and she wondered momentarily if he would try to unlock it and come into her room in the middle of the night.
She went downstairs and visited the den, the kitchen, and the dining room. It was when she wandered into the library that she got a surprise. Julian was sitting in a large cushioned chair reading a book and drinking straight out of a bottle of Jack Daniels.
Frowning, she was about to turn to leave when he looked up at her and closed his book. His eyes had the same glaze that she had seen in them when he was on the yacht drinking. He raised his hand and she hesitated near the doorway.
“Don’t go anywhere yet…” he said quietly, standing up. He set the half-empty bottle down on the large desk near him and he walked toward her, his eyes locked on her. “Were you looking for me?” he asked with a growing smile.
She shook her head. “No. I was looking at the house,” she answered shortly, and then she turned to leave, but he grabbed her arm and held her back.
“Don’t go so fast. There are things that we need to talk about,” he said with a sultry grin. She felt her skin chill and her blood go cold.
“What do we need to talk about?” she asked in trepidation.
He reached behind her and closed the door, standing between her and it. “We need to talk about why you’re up here with me and what you want to do with your career.” He spoke as if it was a simple and obvious fact.
She narrowed her eyes. “I’m up here for a photo shoot that you said might get me the cover I want and have worked so hard for.”
He shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe you’re up here with me because you want to be alone with me in this house for the weekend to give a little for what you want to get. Maybe you know that if you want that magazine cover, you need to work for it. You need to give me what you know I want so you can get what you want.”
She thought she might throw up and a realization hit her squarely, worrying her deeply. “No one else is coming up, are they?” she almost whispered. “There is no shoot, is there?” she asked in a hushed voice.
He laughed and reached for her, closing his hands around her arms and pulling her to him. “You’re a smart girl. I’m going to lay it all out on the line for you.” He brought his face close to hers and a wave of his whisky breath enveloped her and nearly choked her. She held her breath and turned her head away from him slightly, keeping her eyes on him.
Julian stared at her deeply. “You’re going to sleep with me, as much as I want you to, and then you’ll get the April cover. It’s that easy. If you don’t sleep with me, I’m going to fire you from the magazine, and I will personally wreck your career. You won’t be able to model anywhere.” He grinned at her, pleased with himself for having been so clever.
Her heart stopped in her chest. She couldn’t believe that she had heard him correctly. It couldn’t have been what he said. She blinked at him.
“You’re not serious…” she whispered desperately.
He raised one eyebrow. “Oh, I’m dead serious. I’m tired of playing this game with you, Gabriella. I’m tired of waiting. I’m tired of thinking that you’re going to come around and figure it out and do what you should do. I want you. I’m done waiting. This weekend up here with me… it’s for you to convince me that you’re good enough in my bed that I should put you on the cover.
I am taking you to my bed, and I am not letting you leave it until it’s time to go back to Los Angeles, and if I still haven’t had my fill of you then, then you’re going to spend some more time with me, but you will have sex with me, or you will no longer be working for the magazine.”
Gabriella felt fury and rage rise up in her and she yanked herself out of his grasp. “How could you do this? I’m one of your best models! You’d be willing to lose talent like mine just over sex? You aren’t in love with me! You don’t care about me! It’s nothing more than lust and conquest for you!” she raised her voice at him as her body began to tremble slightly.
“I’m not going to let you do this to my career, Julian! You can’t try to force me to sleep with you if I don’t want to! I’m not going to give up on everything I’ve worked for! I’m not losing it! You have tons of women who want to sleep with you! Go after them and leave me the hell alone!” she insisted.
He shook his head and reached for her again, but she backed away faster than he could move. He swayed slightly and stumbled a little. “Gabriella, I swear to god, you are playing with fire here! I want you and I will have you or you will be done in this industry! Do you hear me?!” he raised his voice back at her.
She felt like her whole world was slipping away from her in an instant. “No! Julian! Please don’t do this! Please don’t try to make me be with you! I don’t want you! Don’t throw away my whole career over something as stupid as sex!”
Hot tears stung her eyes and slid over her cheeks. She shook her head, pleading with him and his face contorted in disgust. “You think crying is going to change my mind? Do you have any idea how much I’ve already invested in you just in time alone? I want you, Gabriella! You’re mine!” he yelled at her.
She shook her head. “No, I am not yours, and I will never be yours, so you go to hell. Fire me if you think you have to, and lose one of your best models, and if you think it’ll make you feel good to wreck what I’ve spent almost all of my life building, then fine. Do it. I’m not sleeping with you.”
She turned away from him and pushed past him to the door, ripping it open and slamming it shut behind her when she left. She heard him open it back up and he screamed her name as she went up the stairs to her room and slammed that door as well, locking it behind her.
Gabriella thought that he might try to come upstairs to her room to hound her more, but she heard the front door slam and then she heard his car peel down the driveway and she looked out of the window trying to see what he was doing, but he was gone.
Weak with desperation over the probable loss of her whole career and her job at the magazine, she went to her bed and laid down on it, planting her face in the deep pillows and sobbing until she fell asleep.
She hadn’t realized she had fallen into such a deep sleep until there was a doorbell ringing insistently and she pushed herself up from the bed and saw that the sun was beginning to set. She looked around and realized that Julian must not be back yet, because whoever was at the door was being stubbornly insistent and wasn’t about to give up.
She pulled at her clothes and her hair, straightening herself up and she went downstairs to the front door. When she pulled it open she was shocked to see two highway patrolmen standing there in front of her, looking very grim.
“I’m Officer Brandt and this is Officer Yarrow, and we’re here about Julian Medici.” The taller one spoke seriously to her.
She sighed and folded her arms across her chest. “Did he get arrested for another DUI?” she asked sarcastically, certain that he probably shouldn’t have been driving after drinking all that he had, and even more certain that he hadn’t learned his lesson from the last drinking violation.
The two officers looked at one another darkly and then gazed back at her. “No Ma’am,” said Officer Brandt, holding his hat in his hand. “Julian was in an accident. He was drinking and driving, but he slid off the road and rolled his car. He’s in the emergency room. We weren’t sure who to call as there was no information in his car. Not even his cell phone.” The officer sighed and looked at her sympathetically.
Gabriella’s heart felt like it stopped in her chest. “No… is he… is he going to be all right?” she gasped as her hand flew to her heart.
The officer nodded and shrugged. “He’s in pretty bad shape, and he’s unconscious, but the docs say he looks like he will pull through all right. Is there any family member who could come to handle his business for him there at the hospital?” Officer Yarrow asked, piping up a little.
Gabriella nodded mechanically. “Yes… his brother. I’ll call his brother,” she said in a monotone voice.
The officers nodded and Officer Brandt handed her his business card. “If you need anything, please give me a call. I’m glad to help,” he said solemnly.
She nodded and took it from him. “I’ll be in touch with his brother and we’ll be over to the hospital soon,” she promised. The officers shook her hand and left, offering their apologies again before they were gone.
Gabriella closed the door and went back in the house, stunned. Julian had wrecked and was in intensive care. She had no idea how to help him, other than to call Antonio, and she was not looking forward to that call. She remembered that Julian had been in the library before their fight and she wondered if he had left his cell phone in there. She went in looking for it and was enormously relieved to find it laying on the desk.
Picking it up, she quickly found Antonio’s name and swiped the screen to call him. It rang several times before he finally picked it up. His annoyed tone was evident.
“What is it now, Julian?” he asked in frustration.
“It’s Gabriella,” she said softly, her stomach tightened into a knot trying to figure out how she was ever going to convey her message to him.
There was a pause at the other end of the phone. “Gabriella…. What…. What happened? Did he get pulled over again?” he asked, and she could hear in his voice that he didn’t really think that was what had happened, and that perhaps he was hoping that was all that had happened.
“No, Antonio. He wasn’t pulled over. He was drinking again and got himself into a car wreck. He’s in the hospital,” she said quietly.
He gasped and she heard panic shoot through his voice. “What hospital? Where?”
Gabriella frowned slightly. “We’re at the cabin at Bear Lake. It’s the hospital near here,” she replied.
“I’ll be right there. Stay at the cabin and I will come get you. Then we’ll go to the hospital together,” he instructed firmly.
“Okay,” she answered. That was all. He hung up and she stood there alone in silence.
Waiting seemed longer than it really was. Antonio was at the cabin in record time and didn’t even stop to really go in; he just pulled her out of the front door and put her in his car, and then they drove to the hospital together. He said nothing to her as he drove them, and he walked straight into the ICU as soon as he had the car parked.
The doctor met him and spoke with him privately while Gabriella stood aside to give them both some privacy. Antonio returned to her a few minutes later, looking as if the raw emotion in him had definitely taken its toll. He sighed and took her by the hand, leading her to some chairs and sitting with her.
“He’s in pretty bad shape. They are going to keep him in a medically induced coma to continue to ascertain the damage and to give his brain a chance to heal. He’s unconscious right now. They said it will be a couple of days before they let him wake up. He has sprains and broken bones, but nothing that won’t heal over time, although he’s going to be in a lot of pain recovering while it does heal,” he said quietly.
“I’m so glad he’s going to be okay!” Gabriella wiped a tear from her eyes. She might have been furious with him just before he left, but she was enormously relieved that it hadn’t ended worse than it did.
He frowned and lowered his brow slightly. “What were you two doing up here?” he asked. “Why was he driving drunk while you were obviously at home sober?”
She sighed. “He told me that we were coming to the cabin for a photo shoot to give me the magazine cover, and when we got to the cabin, I found out that there was no shoot, he just told me that to get me there, and he planned on making me sleep with him, trying to coerce me into doing what he wanted me to do, or he was going to fire me from the magazine and spread rumors to ruin my career. “
Antonio closed his eyes and took a deep breath as she explained everything.
“Then, when I told him I wasn’t going to sleep with him, he took off. He’d been drinking all day, and he was pretty well wasted, but I was upstairs and I didn’t know he was leaving, and I didn’t know he’d taken the car until it was too late and he was gone.” She left it at that and Antonio shook his head and stood up, raking his fingers through his hair and covering his face with his hands as he turned his back to Gabriella.
“Damn him,” he said quietly. “Why is it that he always has to do things the hard way? Always… with him… it’s the hard way.”
He stood there a moment in silence and she watched him, her eyes on his back as he thought. Then he turned slowly and walked toward her, taking her hand in his and pulling her to her feet. “We aren’t going to do him any good here. He’s drugged up and they aren’t letting him wake up anytime soon. Let’s go.”
Antonio led her outside and they got in the car and went back to the house. Barely a word was spoken in the car again as they drove, and he clenched his jaw every few minutes as he ran everything over and over in his mind. She had never seen him so put out and angry with his brother.
When they got to the house, he went into the library and found the near empty bottle of Jack Daniels, and looking thoroughly disgusted, he emptied the bottle in the sink and threw it out.
Sighing, he went to Gabriella in the den and sat down by her. She was looking out of the window, holding a cup of tea in her hand. She looked up at him and tried to give him a half-hearted smile.
“I’m so sorry about all of this,” she said quietly. “This has to be so hard on you.” Sympathy carved itself on her face.
He nodded and looked at her. “It’s not easy, but then, it never is with him. I’m so very sorry that he tried to force you into the position that he did. I’m outraged that he thought he could make you be with him when you don’t want him, and especially that he would threaten to jeopardize your career. It’s unthinkable.” Antonio shook his head and sighed heavily.
“Listen, I’ll talk to him about what he’s doing with you when he wakes up. I don’t want you to worry about your job at the magazine or anything else. He may be the only owner of the magazine, but I am still his big brother and I still have some kind of influence over him. I’ll do my best to make him back off that, and you should be able to keep your job, if you even still want it. I can’t imagine having him for a boss.” He cringed and returned her look of sympathy.
“Also, I’m going to be staying here until he is out of the hospital, so I won’t be able to drive you back and his car was totaled in the wreck, so we may have to get creative about how we get you back to Los Angeles, and it may take a few days. I’ll look into it. You are so welcome to stay here as long as you like. I’ll see about getting you back into the city as soon as possible.” He clasped his hands in his lap and leaned forward over his knees, shaking his head.
“I really am sorry about this, Gabriella,” he said softly. He was more than sorry, he was livid. He couldn’t believe that his brother had tried to force something with her the way that he had; or rather, he could believe it and he wished he couldn’t. Antonio moved to stand up and she reached over to him and took his hand.
“Thank you, Antonio.” Her voice was low and sincere. “I know none of this is easy on you. I’m here for you if you need to talk, or if you need anything at all.” Kindness reflected in her eyes, and he found himself staring into them, wishing he could lose himself completely in them.
She squeezed his hand and he looked down at their hands together and then looked back up at her, unable to speak for a moment as he found himself wishing he could hold her. He finally nodded and smiled and let her hands go as he stood up and went out to the car to get his bags.
Gabriella watched him go, his solid back vanishing out of the doorway. She shook her head, wondering how in the world two such different brothers ever came from the same family. He was kind and generous, thoughtful and compassionate, and Julian was everything that Antonio was not.
She knew Julian was lucky to have Antonio, but she didn’t know if he knew it. She thought about him then, lying unconscious in the hospital bed, and hoped that he would be alright, and she hoped that when he came out of his induced coma, that he might have a different perspective of everything.
She spent the day quietly, reading and relaxing, looking out of the windows of the house onto the lake. Antonio was in the library most of the day on the phone, doing business, she guessed, and trying to take care of things for his brother.
She went into the kitchen late in the afternoon to see what there was to cook for dinner, and found that it had been fully stocked for the weekend. After a short time, she had a meal prepared for them. She decided that the dining room might be too formal for just the two of them, so she took the meal into the den and lit the fireplace, giving them a cozy atmosphere, and then she went to the library to tell him that dinner was ready.
He finished his call and hung up the phone just as she came into the room. Giving her a genuine but small smile, he rose up from the desk and moved around it to her.
“Are you all right? Finding everything okay?” he asked in a gentle tone.
She nodded. “I am. I just wanted to let you know that I made dinner if you’re hungry. You’ve been in here all day, so I thought you could use something to eat.” She gave him a smile in return.
His eyebrows rose and he looked a little surprised. “Dinner! Yes… I hadn’t even thought of that. I have been so busy in here that it didn’t really cross my mind, but you’re right. I haven’t eaten anything today and I need to. Is it in the kitchen?” he asked curiously, following her out of the library.
She shook her head. “No, I thought it would be nice to eat together in here,” she said, heading to the den. He walked behind her and sat with her on the sofa before the large glass table that was laid out with the meal she had prepared.
“This looks wonderful!” He laughed a little and they sat down to eat.
She asked him about his cousin Marcus and he mentioned that Marcus was doing well, and she asked him about his family life growing up, and after a while he was reminiscing about days when things were much easier with Julian; when his brother wasn’t causing mayhem and mischief.
“He wasn’t always the problem child that he is right now. There was a time when he wanted to be as good as he could be, and it meant something important to him to be a Medici, but it’s been since college that he has acted like that.” He shook his head and looked up at her.
“I may not like how he is and what he does now, but I am grateful that he brought you into my life, even if it was an entirely selfish move on his part,” he told her with a sort of shy smile.
She grinned back at him. “That is one thing I’m really grateful for as well,” she replied, glad that if she had to be there, she was there with him rather than his brother.
He helped her take the dishes back into the kitchen and then they walked back into the den together and he sat beside her on the sofa before the fire, gazing at her with less inhibition than he’d shown since he got to the house.
“I don’t know why you still give my brother the time of day, or why you’re even still working at the magazine of your own accord, but I am glad that you are, because as selfish as it may be, it keeps bringing you back in my life, and I like that.” His eyes were steady on hers and they could both feel the growing heat between them; a heat that had nothing to do with the fire they were sitting in front of.
“Tell me about your family and what it was like growing up for you,” he said, watching her and letting everything and everyone else in the world go as he did. She shrugged and began telling him about growing up in San Francisco, her best friend Lila, and how much her life changed when she moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles. He asked questions and he listened, and she found that everything they shared made it all seem more interesting as they talked about all of it with each other.
Their conversation moved over many topics, and as the night descended outside, a feeling of coziness grew inside, as they sat before the fire with one another, both of them loving the closeness as they talked and got to know one another much better.
They drew nearer together as the night wore on, sharing soft touches on the arm or the hand and gazing into each other’s eyes as they spoke and shared the night, and both of them were wishing that they could be just a little closer, though neither of them made the move to do it. When the hours were late, and neither of them could stifle more yawns, they admitted to being tired and hugged each other goodnight.
Antonio pressed his mouth to her cheek and held it there for a lingering moment before he let her go, both of them just a little breathless, a little stirred with deeper emotions, with growing desire and need. They parted slowly and reluctantly, and both of them retreated to their bedrooms.
He took a cool shower, reminding himself that she was there because of his brother, not him, and that he had no business going after her, no matter how much he wanted her and wished that he could take her into his arms and have her.
She slipped into a deep bubble bath and stayed in it until the water was cold, though her desire for him was still as hot as it was when they had embraced just before bed. She slid into the sheets and let her head sink low in the pillow, wondering how it would all go with both brothers, and with her. She wished that no matter how it went, she could be with Antonio. She may have wanted him when they were in the city, but having spent time with him alone in the cabin had made her desire for him that much stronger.
***
Two days passed, and in those two days, Gabriella and Antonio had spent a good deal of time at the hospital and the rest of the time finding every excuse that they could to be around one another at the house, and talk to each other, and be as close as they could without going over any lines or unseen, unspoken boundaries.
They were both at the hospital when the doctors finally brought Julian out of his medically induced coma and he awoke. He was surprised to see Antonio, and he was angry with Gabriella. He told his brother that he wanted to talk to her alone, and against his better judgment, Antonio left them alone to talk.
Gabriella sat at the side of his bed, looking at him with a mixture of sympathy and disgust. “You’re lucky to be alive,” she told him, wondering if he even really knew it.
He looked at her in complete irritation. “You’re lucky to still be sitting here. Why haven’t you gone back to Los Angeles?” he asked in annoyance. “I told you that you had two choices, and you haven’t been in my bed yet, which means that you must be trying to lose your job.”
Fury rose up in her and she glared at him. “I’m here because of you! I’m here because you tricked me into being here, you lied to me, you got drunk and wrecked your car… which is in pieces by the way, and there hasn’t really been a way to get me home from here yet!
I wouldn’t be sitting here if it wasn’t for you! I’ve been in this hospital waiting for you to wake up, hoping that you were going to be all right, and now when you finally do wake up, all I get is your acidic attitude!” She tried not to snap at him, but she was wrestling with herself over just how horrible he had been to her, while hoping that he was going to be all right. It was a confusing blend of emotions.
“Well,” he said coldly, moving his bed to sit up a little higher. “Don’t let me keep you. You leave anytime you’re able to, go back to Los Angeles, and when you get there, you better give some serious thought to keeping your job with the magazine. I won’t make any decisions here, but when I get back, it’s do or die time, baby.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “Get out,” he snapped.
She bit her lip and held back tears as her chest tightened and she stood up, staring at him and wondering how anyone could be so horrible. She turned and walked out of the room and Antonio stood up quickly from the chair he had been sitting in when he saw her leave the room. He took one look at her face and knew that it had gone terribly. He was torn between going after her and going to his brother who had just woken up.
Sighing in frustration, he went in to see his brother. Julian was scowling when Antonio walked in the door. “What’s going on, brother?” he asked hesitantly, not even sure that he really wanted to know.
“That bitch is still here. Get her out, Antonio. I don’t want her up here,” he shot out viciously.
Antonio went to him and tried to reach out for him, but Julian pushed his hand away. “You can get out too,” he grumbled, and Antonio stood there in silence, looking at his brother and shaking his head.
“All right. I can see that you need to rest. I’ll be back tomorrow,” Antonio told him in a low-level voice, and then he walked out and closed the door behind himself. He found Gabriella in the car and he could see that she had just wiped tears from her eyes and her face.
He sat beside her quietly for a few minutes and then spoke as they drove back to the cabin. “I’ll talk to him. I’ll try to get some sense going in his head. He can’t treat you like that,” he told her encouragingly. “You’ll keep your job, if you want it, and it will all work out.” He hoped. He didn’t really believe what he was telling her, but he hoped.
She shook her head, looking out of the car window as the trees and snow swept past them. “He’s right. I don’t know what I’m doing up here. I never should have stayed. I should have gone the moment you got here. What does he need me up here for?” she asked without really wanting an answer. “I’m going to leave as soon as I can.”
Antonio felt like she was slipping away from him. If she went back to Los Angeles and quit the magazine or was fired as his brother was so adamant to have done, he wouldn’t see her again and she would be gone.
“There’s a storm coming,” he told her. “It’s a bad one. Winter storm. They were talking about it at the hospital and on the local news. You’re not going to be able to get out today or even tomorrow. I think it’ll be the day after tomorrow when you’re going to finally be able to go. You have to stay at the cabin until it passes, and then I guess if you want to go, you can.” He felt like he was suddenly racing a clock, and if he didn’t work hard at the small amount of time that he had left, he might lose her, and she would be gone forever.
She turned and looked at him in surprise. She hadn’t heard anything about a storm, but the dark clouds that had been chasing them back to the cabin were a strong indicator that he was right about what he was saying. She’d have to stay two more days and then she could go. Then she was going to try to figure out what in the world she would do with her career because her career working at Julian’s magazine was going up in flames.
They reached the house and went in together. She headed up to her room to freshen up and try to think about what she was going to do. She washed her face and fixed her makeup, and walked to the French doors that opened onto her balcony. There was a storm coming. She could see it sweeping over the lake below and the trying to catch itself on the lofty pine tree tops as it rolled in, thick, dark, and menacing.
She watched it for a few minutes and then she picked up her book and went down to the den and started a fire. She was sitting on the sofa, focusing on her book as the air outside filled with thick fat snowflakes, creating a wall around the house, when Antonio walked in and saw her there, and everything in him drew him to her.
He had been trying to keep thoughts of her from his mind all day, focusing on business and his brother, staying in the library to work, but she looked so inviting beside the fire, so beautiful and warm, and it was more than he could do to keep himself from her any longer.
Walking to the sofa where she was, he lowered himself down onto the cushions and she looked up at him, smiling as she closed her book and set it on the table.
“I know I shouldn’t be happy about this, because this isn’t where you want to be, but I’m so glad that you are here with me right now. I know it’s because you can’t get out, but I’d like to think that if you had a choice, you would want to stay here with me.” He felt bold and uninhibited, and he knew he had no business saying anything of the kind to her, but he wanted her to know it. He wanted to tell her just how he felt, to stop holding any of it back from her, and to give her the chance to choose him, if she wanted to.
She felt her heart skip as he spoke to her. She was so glad to hear what he told her, to know that there was more than just the chemistry that she felt for him. The hot kiss that they had shared on her doorstep hung heavy in the back of her mind and the heat from it wrapped itself around her and seemed to pull her to him.
Gabriella reached her hand out to him, taking his in her fingers, and she squeezed it gently. “I’m glad to be here, and I’m glad for this time with you, though I do wish that it had been something else that had put us together this way,” she said with a soft voice.
He was losing himself in her eyes and it felt like a magnet was pulling him to her as he leaned close, unable to keep his distance from her any longer. He lifted his hand to her cheek and held it, closing the distance between them and brushing his lips against hers. She gasped lightly, drawing her breath in as his mouth closed over hers and he kissed her tenderly.
Her heart began to race as she felt him move closer to her, and the rush of heat, electricity, and emotion that coursed through her made her want more of him than the slow sweet kiss he was giving her. She slid her arms around him and pulled him close to her, holding him as their kiss deepened and she grew breathless.
Antonio’s fingers drifted down from her cheek to her neck and then to her waist, where his hand closed around her and he pulled her nearer to him. She felt the butterflies erupt in her, all of them dancing wildly as if they were on fire, and the fire they ignited in her began to spread quickly throughout Gabriella’s body. The more he kissed her, the warmer she grew, and the more she wanted of him.
Following the whispering desires of her heart, she leaned herself back on the sofa and took Antonio with her in her arms, his kiss growing more urgent on her lips, his arms and hands tightening on her. He lifted his mouth for a moment as he laid on top of her, and he looked down at her, taking in her eyes, searching them to see what she wanted.
She smiled at him and touched her fingertips to his face, leaning up to kiss him. He kissed her in return and then looked at her once more. “Gabriella… I’m not sure what’s going on between you and Julian, but I want this to happen between you and me. What do you want?” he breathed, gazing into her silvery blue eyes again.
“I want you,” she answered softly. “Nothing but you. All of you.” She closed their lips together and wrapped her arm around the back of his neck, holding him against her, and there was nothing more she needed to say. He groaned softly as he moved himself over her, his kisses growing more urgent as mouth moved from hers to her cheek, and then down her neck to her chest.
She arched her back as his lips and tongue moved over the upper swell of her breasts, and he pulled open the buttons on her sweater, pushing the material away from her body and canvassing her skin with his hands. The sight of her cream-colored lacy bra frosting her dark breasts beneath made his groin ache for her even more, and he slipped his fingers beneath the delicate material, pulling it from her and letting it fall to the floor beside them.
Cupping her breast in his hand, he squeezed it gently and covered it with hungry kisses and teasing gentle bites as she gasped and curled her fingers in his hair. When he lifted his mouth from her, she reached for his shirt, pulling it off of him and bringing him to her, longing to feel his bare chest against hers, loving the warmth of it, and the intimate connection with him.
Minutes later they were nude; their bodies heated and pulsing with desire as their hands explored one another, their hearts raced, and every touch, every kiss made them even hungrier for each another. Electricity vibrated through her as his hands closed firmly on her thighs and he slid them apart, moving himself between them.
Her fingers and hands tightened on his shoulders and she breathed in short shallow gasps as she felt him push his erection into her, filling her slowly with his heat and desire. The pleasure was so intense that she closed her eyes and held herself tightly to him, unable to breathe or move at first until he began moving in her and she was compelled to respond, moving with him and sending fire through their bodies that neither of them had ever felt before.
His every touch and kiss with her, his every movement was with her in mind, giving her as much pleasure as she could take, and in loving her that way, he made her want to love him back the same. Tenderness and passion bound them and the fires between them grew hotter and more powerful until at last they clung to each other, their bodies trembling with ecstasy as orgasms overtook them both at the same time and everything in the universe disappeared except the love between the two of them at that moment.
Worn out with bliss, he laid on the sofa and rested her on top of him, kissing her tenderly and softly as their bodies calmed from the rush of passions they had shared. He traced his fingers along her skin, her face, her braids, and her lips, before kissing them lightly.
The warmth from the fireplace and their exhaustion from making love overtook them and they fell asleep in each other’s arms, dreaming sweet dreams until she woke in the early hours carefully rose up off of him. She looked down on him as he laid there in his slumber, smiling at how sweet he was, how beautiful, and how good a man he was. She sighed happily, glad that they had shared such an incredible night.
She slipped away silently and showered and dressed, just as the sun rose over a cold blue morning. The storm clouds had cleared and all that was left was a pristine blanket of snow covering everything the eyes could see.
She knew that it was time to leave. She had to get back to Los Angeles, she had to figure out what she was going to do with her career, and she didn’t want to be in the cabin when Julian came home from the hospital, especially after having spent a passionate night with his brother.
Gabriella called about the buses that ran through the town there, and a short while later, she had her bags packed and was ready to go. She took them down to the front door and left them, going to find Antonio. He was in the kitchen making coffee, and he looked up at her and smiled widely when he saw her.
“There you are! I wondered where you’d gone to.” He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight against him before lifting her chin and kissing her softly. He smiled at her and sighed happily. “Do you want some coffee?” he asked sweetly.
She shook her head. “No, I’m fine thank you.” She sat down at one of the bar stools beside the island in the kitchen and folded her arms, leaning on them and looking at him as he poured himself some coffee.
“I loved last night,” she said with a smile and he grinned and nodded.
“I did, too. If I hadn’t been so tired, I wouldn’t have slept so hard, and I’d have stopped you from leaving me on the couch. We’d probably still be in there together.” He gave her a meaningful wink.
She laughed a little and reached one hand back to run it over her braids. “Yeah, I’d like that, but I had to get up to get packed… get ready to go.” she said softly, raising her eyes to meet his. He stopped for a moment, frozen in place as he stared at her, her words trying to find some anchor in his mind and make sense to him.
He blinked and set his coffee cup down slowly. “You don’t have to leave. You can stay as long as you want to.” He paused a moment. “I want you to stay,” he said softly.
She drew in a breath and sighed, looking down and squeezing her arms with her hands. “I know you want me here, and I want to be here with you, but your brother will be back from the hospital soon, I have to figure out what I’m doing with the magazine and my career, and he can’t know that you and I were together, unless I’m fired already, and then I don’t care, but I don’t really know what’s going on right now. I have to get back to Los Angeles,” she said quietly.
He watched her speaking, he saw how unhappy she was about it, and he saw that she was putting responsibility first. He knew that it was the right thing to do, even if it wasn’t at all what he wanted. He nodded his head, knowing that he had no right to ask her for anything more than she had already given him.
Abandoning his coffee, he walked around the island to her and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to his heart. “I understand,” he said in a whisper in her ear. “I do. I just wish I could keep you here.”
She sighed and pressed her face against his neck. “I wish that, too,” she said softly.
They were silent for a long while, holding one another, and then he let her go and looked down at her. “How are you getting back?”
She shrugged. “I bought a bus ticket for today.”
He frowned and nodded. “Do you need a ride to the bus station?” he asked, looking away from her and focusing intently on his coffee cup.
“That would be helpful, yes, thank you,” she answered, feeling just as sad as he looked. She reached for his hand and as she closed hers around it, he looked back at her and took her into his arms again. He lowered his mouth to her ear and said quietly, “Thank you for giving me this time with you. It means a great deal to me.”
She nodded and hugged him tightly. “Me too. Thank you.” She lifted her chin and kissed him once more, long and slow, and then he let her go and they walked out of the kitchen. He carried her bags to the car, and they drove in silence, holding hands, to the bus stop.
He waited with her until the bus came, and then he held her close and kissed her tenderly once more before letting her go. He watched as she boarded and he saw her take her seat, watching him through the window. The bus pulled away, and as it disappeared down the road he felt his heart going with it.