Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

Gabriel shut his eyes at her plea, pain radiating in his chest.

Leaving was his only option. To stay, to continue, that would only complicate things. But worse, if he allowed her any closer, he would destroy her.

Her fingertips danced over his jaw, slowly undoing him, spinning him into some sweet hell where he was stuck with his want for this woman and his need to remain focused.

Temptation.

He grew his companies with self-discipline. He would save his family’s business as well with the same focus. And here came the governess who should have been a solution, and now she was up in the middle of the night with her thighs around his waist, sighing as his mouth claimed hers.

And he wanted more.

One kiss wouldn’t be enough.

And he must leave.

“Gabe.”

It was as if his heart was in a vice. He couldn’t breathe. Every muscle within him was drawn taut, and he thought if he gripped the tabletop any tighter it would crumble .

“I…” He dipped his head, dragging in a steadying breath. He must maintain control.

Her fingers crept up his chest and tugged on his shirt. Kate pulled as he attempted to push away, but he couldn’t resist. She lightly kissed his jaw and weaved her fingers in his hair, languidly, carefully touching each part of him, pushing him closer to the edge.

He hadn’t allowed himself such pleasure in years.

And right now, he couldn’t think of wanting anything else more than this beautifully infuriating woman in his arms, kissing him until he forgot about everything.

Her lips against his was a balm to his soul.

And now that he dared taste a sip, she would be his poison.

“Christ,” he groaned, ducking his mouth next to her ear. “Ye must think me a monster.”

She shook her head, digging her heels into the back of his thighs in response.

“Tell me what ye want, Kate. Tell me, and I promise ye can have it.” He would do anything. “I swear it, ye willna come to harm because of me.”

Except he was lying. He knew nothing good would come from their pairing. He wasn’t seeking a wife, and she was under his employ.

Miss Katherine Bancroft should be off-limits.

She tugged at his hair at the nape of his neck, and a shiver chased down his spine. The cockstand in his trousers was more than uncomfortable. When he refused to move, she tugged again, and this time he allowed his lips to cut across the sharp edge of her cheekbone.

Her palm cradled his face, and her lips ghosted up over his jaw until meeting his mouth. With the lightest press, Kate kissed him. She tasted of honey and cinnamon and apples, and he swore he must have had too much whisky earlier in his office because his head swam at her mere touch.

“Wait.” He could barely force himself to stop from kissing her, even as his mind caught up to what was happening. “I didna… we canna.”

She broke apart, licking her lips as if to savor the last taste of him. Her mouth glistened, beckoning him .

The sight of it went straight to his groin. Damn it.

The very last thread of his control snapped, and Gabriel moved forward, braced both hands on her jaw, and drew her mouth in for another bruising kiss. She whimpered against his lips, reclining back on her elbows over the worktop, as if laying herself out for him. He wasn’t slow or soft, he didn’t treat her as if she were delicate. He kissed her with the same desperation that consumed him every day, the fear that everything would end far too soon for him like it had done for his father.

Kate arched her back, pressing against his body, then darted her tongue into his mouth. The room spun, or maybe it was the small little gasps she made as he moved one hand down from her jaw to rest over her breast.

“Please,” she whispered against his mouth.

At that sound of that small, lusty cry, Gabriel broke away and straightened. He cleared his throat and glanced away from the sight of her spread out before him as he struggled to put his present back in order and push the past away.

But it was too late.

His father had passed away suddenly at thirty-seven years old, and his older brother, a few months away from reaching his thirty-seventh birthday, met an early end because of his fondness of drink.

Gabriel had three years at best, he figured. Three years would never be long enough to love a woman such as Katherine Bancroft. Three years could see the castle’s properties in good standing order, could see his nieces in an established finishing school that would ensure good marriage prospects, and perhaps a family distillery that would allow his family to live comfortably.

There wasn’t time.

And loving Kate wasn’t a possibility.

No matter how much he wished to kiss her.

Often.

No matter how much he wished to bed her.

All the damn time .

No matter how much he wished he could allow himself to love her.

They bid one another good night.

Kate’s cheeks were flushed and her eyes bright and shining. And somehow, Gabriel had remained the picture of control, before retreating to his room to pore over a pile of boring letters and requests from tenants.

Anything to cool his blood. And sorting out a mess of Dunsmuir not having a land steward for three years did the job perfectly.

But after trying to concentrate for several minutes, he pushed the papers aside and closed his eyes, still haunted by the ghost of her lips on his mouth. The soft graze of her fingers against his jaw. How her legs wrapped around his waist, and she lay before him on the worktable, ready to give herself over for him to feast on.

He shut his eyes and dropped his head back against the tall chair, thinking only of her. Dreaming of what could have happened if he had allowed himself to lose even a sliver of control with her.

Gabriel didn’t wish to hurt her.

He wouldn’t.

But she was something he couldn’t deny himself either.

With a shaky hand, he undid his trousers, freeing his erection. He wrapped his hand around his hard cock and gripped himself, stroking up and down in one long sweep.

A shock of pleasure chased up his spine. It had been far too long since he had last been with a woman, but he couldn’t remember ever wanting someone as much as he wanted Kate.

If he had taken her on the worktable there, she would have tasted of apples and vanilla. Her lush lips soft, pressed against his or tasting his skin.

He quickened his stroke, bracing his other hand on the desk. The feeling of pleasure consuming him but filling him with an insatiable need. He swallowed a moan, certain he would have ripped her dress open to reveal her breasts in stays, the feel of them warm and soft, filling his hands. Her nipples would be blush like her lips and pebble at his soft, grazing touch. She would buck her hips against him when he bent down and took her nipple into his mouth, circling her with a sweep of his tongue. She would rake her fingers back into his hair and tug before pushing him down the length of her body. He would pull up her skirts and trace his fingers over the soft black curls on her quim before parting her, her heat spreading to his fingertips as he stroked, and she issued the softest of sighs.

He’d taste her well. Lick her and circle his tongue around that sensitive bud between her legs until she quivered, close to shattering around his fingers until she was greedy and pulled him to his feet. He wondered if she would call out his name when he finally thrusted inside of her.

What would she sound like when she chased her pleasure as he drove into her, not worrying about whether he would hurt her, only taking comfort in the feeling of her? Of how tight she was, how she quivered around him and screamed as he spent…

Gabriel groaned, quickening his pace until the pleasure raced through his veins, and he spent over his stomach.

His heart drummed in his ears, and he struggled to catch his shuddering breath as he stroked once, twice… melting back against his seat and slamming his eyes shut.

Madness.

He hadn’t the time to pursue her, and yet, one touch… one kiss wouldn’t be enough.

Gabriel craved her, and he feared this was only the beginning.