His Reluctant Bride (17 page)

The night might have been a disaster for their marriage but the party was a resounding success. Every guest seemed to be having a great time and though Nik spent most of his time caught up with business associates and a couple of his best friends he noticed that even Gabby seemed to finally be enjoying herself. He noticed though that she was relaxed and laughing but every time he got close to her or bought her over a glass of champagne she would tense up and act wary of him. Not that anyone else noticed but Nik had spent a lot of time studying his wife and he wasn’t impressed with the realisation that she acted like she was scared of him. He didn’t know what he had ever done to make her wary of him but they needed to get their marriage back on track and they needed to do it soon.

Gabby had to admit that the party hadn’t been as bad as she had imagined it would be, especially considering that she had forgotten about it until she had arrived home. She’d actually had quite a good time and had caught up with a lot of people that she hadn’t seen since her parents had died. She had become kind of a recluse since their deaths and hadn’t attended many of the parties or events that she had been invited to as she struggled to come to terms with everything. It was still exhausting though as she tried to keep her smile in place and enjoy herself while she was so hyper aware of Nik. She didn’t think they had spent this much time together in the same room in months and it was disturbing her sense of equilibrium. She could feel his eyes on her constantly and it unnerved her more than she could admit.

It was actually a relief when Nik’s cousin approached her and managed to move her away from the other guests with the excuse that she was needed in the kitchen. It was a relief to have room to breathe and Luca was a charming companion. He was a huge flirt with a wicked sense of humour and had the extra bonus of being drop dead gorgeous. He was able to charm many a woman in to his bed but for some reason that charm had never worked on Gabby even when she was single. He was however one of her favourite members of Nik’s family and could always be counted on to keep her entertained.

“Ah, if only you had agreed to become my wife when I asked this could have been our party,” Luca said on a dramatic sigh as he held one hand over his heart and gave her a soft pout that made her laugh.

“But we would only have made each other miserable,” she told him with a dramatic sigh of her own.

“Would have been a hell of a divorce party though,” Luca said which made her smile to hide how close to the truth he actually was.

“But how could the party have topped your last one? Weren’t you arrested at the last one?” Gabby asked and Luca laughed.

“It’s not a bachelor party until someone gets arrested,” he replied and she laughed. Luca was a party guy who saw no need to grow up and follow his father in to the business world just yet. He loved women and he loved life. Before her marriage he had flirted with Gabby a few times but she had never seen him in that way. Luca was a good guy but he wasn’t the type of man she could ever have seen herself settling down with. Surprisingly she had once dreamed of settling down with Nik but that was before she had realised what kind of man he was and how he used women only to discard them when he got bored. If it wasn’t for her parents will he would never have looked at her twice never mind married her. It was humiliating that everyone at this party was congratulating her on catching and keeping one of the town’s most eligible bachelors when the truth was that Nik had never wanted her and had probably been continuing to use those same women although more discreetly. His secretary had even told her as much. One month after their marriage when she was feeling particularly low Gabby had rung Nik just because she needed to know that there was one person in the world she could still count on. Instead his secretary had answered his phone with a breathy hello and then informed her that Nik was indisposed in the shower and that they would probably need at least another hour before he could call her back. Gabby thought maybe he was preparing for a meeting but Carli left her in no doubt of what she meant. She even told Gabby that she knew that their marriage was fake which was why she was sure that the fact she was sleeping with Nik meant nothing to her. Gabby had come away from that call with the knowledge that Nik would continue to have lovers no matter his commitment to her and that she was all alone in the world with only herself to count on.

The ten minutes breathing space she had anticipated turned in to half an hour and she barely noticed the time passing as Luca kept her in stitches by recounting some of his more outrageous nights including the night he had managed to convince some woman that he was a French duke.

“And she really bought that?” Gabby asked with a laugh to which Luca took her hand in to his and raised it to his lips.

“But of course, Ma Cherie,” he said in a heavily accented voice that made her laugh even harder.

“Here you are,” said a voice behind her and Gabby spun round with a gasp to find Nik framed in the kitchen doorway with a frown on his face.

“Here I am!” she agreed brightly and noticed the way his eyes narrowed on Luca.

“Our guests were wondering where you had got to,” Nik rebuked softly and Gabby winced at his clear disapproval.

“When will you divorce my cousin so that I may have you all to myself?” Luca asked with his usual dramatic flair as he reached out and spun her in to his arms making her smile despite herself. The smile soon disappeared though when she noticed Nik’s clenched fists and the scowl he aimed at his cousin.

“Sadly one woman would never be enough for you, Mon amour!” Gabby informed him as she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek before extricating herself from his grip and turning to her husband whose scowl had intensified but it disappeared as his cousin turned to face him.

“You’re not trying to steal my wife now are you Luca?” Nik questioned and his cousin laughed.

“Who wouldn’t try to steal such a beautiful woman?” Luca asked and though Nik smiled she could see the dark glint in his eyes that told her he wasn’t pleased about that statement.

“I’m afraid I have to steal her back before our guests think I have misplaced her,” Nik said and Gabby had no choice but to offer a smile to Luca as she approached Nik and allowed him to put his arm around her waist and lead her back in to the party that was slowly winding down.

It was another hour before the last guest left and Gabby felt like she was dead on her feet. She had only attended a few parties in the last year and with everything that was on her mind at the minute it had made for an exhausting evening. But as the door closed on the last guest she let out a sigh of relief at the thought of going to bed. But her plan was short-lived as Nik caught her arm before she could take more than a step and gently spun her back to face him.

“I think we need to talk,” he told her firmly and she closed her eyes briefly as the alcohol and tiredness made her long for her bed.

“Can’t it wait until morning?” she asked but when she opened her eyes he was shaking his head.

“I don’t think it can,” he said and Gabby reluctantly let him lead her to his office while the cleaning and catering crew he’d hired cleared away all the remains of the party under the watchful eye of his housekeeper.

Nik ushered her in to his office and she reluctantly took a seat on the small sofa that sat at the back but was unprepared for him to sit next to her, so close that their bodies were touching. She was even more unprepared for him putting his arm round her and she stiffened beneath his touch.

“What do you want?” she said on a sigh as she shuffled away from him only to be thwarted in her attempts to put space between them as he moved even closer than before and twirled a strand of her hair around his finger.

“I wanted to finish our discussion from earlier,” he said softly as he turned his body to face her.

“There’s nothing left to discuss,” she told him firmly as she attempted to leave but he placed a hand on her arm to stall her.

“Is my cousin the reason you want to divorce me?” he demanded and she stared at him in disbelief. Was he serious?

“You’re insane!” she snapped attempting to stand up again but he simply pulled her back so suddenly that she gave a gasp of surprise as she landed across his lap.

“Swear to me that it’s not my cousin,” he calmly said as his arms came round her to hold her in place even as she glared at him.

“Don’t be so ridiculous!” she snapped and he smiled at her fiery temper.

“Glad I don’t have to put one of my relatives in the hospital,” he said and she stared at him in shock.

“Why would you even threaten to hurt your own cousin?” she demanded and he raised one brow.

“If he dared to touch my wife then he knew what he was letting himself in for,” he said with a shrug. Gabby could only stare at him in disbelief. He didn’t want her for himself and would gladly cheat on her with any woman who came across his path yet if another man so much as looked at her he went all jealous caveman.

“Let me go!” she ordered through gritted teeth and Nik smiled as he released her and watched as she stumbled to her feet.  She was only stood up for a moment though when all the exhaustion seemed to hit her at once and she swayed on her feet. Nik let out a curse and caught her in his arms just as she would have fallen.

“How much did you drink?” he demanded as he looked at her larger than normal pupils and realised that she was drunker than he’d thought.

“I’m not drunk, I’m simply tired,” she informed him haughtily and he sighed as he carried her from the room. They must have been in there longer than he’d thought for the caterers and cleaners were gone and their housekeeper had obviously retired for the night.

“Not drunk my ass,” he muttered and she sent him a mutinous glare.

“You’re the ass,” she responded and he shook his head with a smile. This was the most temper she’d shown in the year of their marriage and he realised how much of a ghost she’d become as she simply drifted through life.

Much as he was tempted to take her to his bed and start their marriage right there and then Nik decided it would be wiser to let her continue sleeping in her own room for the night. When they did start their marriage properly he wanted her to be completely sober.

When he reached her room he slid her down to her feet but kept her there for a moment longer as he searched her face for some clue as to what was going on in her mind.

“Goodnight!” she snapped as she attempted to pull away but he pulled her right back against his firm body.

“You forgot something,” he said and before she could say another word his head descended and he captured her lips with his own. Gabby didn’t want to respond but he knew just how to please a woman. A light kiss turned in to something deeper and she gasped at the sensations he was creating. Nik took advantage of that gasp as he plundered her sweetness with brutal intensity and turned an innocent kiss in to something so steamy that she almost wished he would take it further. But just as she thought he would sweep her off her feet and in to his bed he pulled away.

“Sleep well princess,” he murmured and then he pressed his lips to hers once more before moving away to his own room leaving Gabby to hold on to the doorway for support as she stared after him. It was several minutes before she could pry herself away and get ready for bed. Damn the man! Why the hell did he choose now of all times to actually show some kind of emotion towards her, even if that emotion was only lust?

It didn’t matter that he had kissed her though because as of tomorrow the ball would start rolling and soon her and Nik would be over.

Nik lay in bed and sighed deeply. He didn’t know why he had waited until tonight to make his move but he could still taste his wife and he wanted more of her. She might not realise it but that kiss was the start of their marriage and by tomorrow she would realise that he meant for their marriage to survive.

Gabby awoke the next morning with a pounding head and shaky nerves. In just a few hours the ball would be set in motion and she would be a step closer to her freedom. She was certain that when Nik calmed down he would see the benefits to going their separate ways, it was just his damn pride that was wounded. A man like Nik didn’t like to admit that they weren’t good at everything and a broken marriage would certainly do that.

Still, to be on the safe side Gabby hid in her room most of the day as she used her laptop to catch up on work and then when she ran out of work she browsed for where she could go with her new found freedom. She wasn’t hiding from Nik, she told herself, but she was busy with work and packing. Except that even when she was done with all that she continued to stay in her room nervously chewing on her lip and flinching every time footsteps passed her door. Finally she could stand it no more and she picked up her phone and called Cartwrights.

“Cartwright and sons, Claire speaking. How may I help?” said a friendly voice and Gabby took a deep calming breath.

“Hi Claire. This is Gabby. I mean Gabriella Kostas. Mr Cartwright was supposed to call me when he’d had some papers drawn up,” Gabby said certain that it was just an oversight.

“I’m sorry Mrs Kostas but we don’t appear to have you on our system. Are you sure you’ve got the right place?” Claire said after a moment and Gabby frowned in confusion.

“What do you mean I’m not on the system? I was just in there yesterday and Mr Cartwright said he was going to handle my case personally,” Gabby said still sure that it was a mistake.