The Spaniard's Woman - Contemporary Romance (6 page)

She watched him as he stood up and deliberately removed the rest of his clothing and he heard her soft gasp as she took him in, fingers reaching out to explore the length of his arousal. ‘Well, little Rhianna?’ he whispered. He’d taken a condom out of his wallet and pulled it out of the packet before climbing back onto the bed. ‘Do you see what you do to me?’

All too clearly. She helped him, wanting to touch him, her hands sliding along the silken length of him with eager impatience.

When his mouth sought her breasts once more, the tension built again and by the time Gabriel moved to cover her body with his own, Rhianna was gone, lost to everything but Gabriel’s touch and the exquisite pleasure of rediscovery.

Chapter Five

Rhianna lay staring up at the ceiling but she saw nothing. She was momentarily alone in the bed, Gabriel having assumed she was asleep when he had gone into the bathroom to shower. Her body felt peculiar; bruised and tender, still buzzing from the aftermath of pleasure so intense that just the memory of it made her burn all over again. She bit her lip hard, tears welling in her eyes. In Gabriel’s arms she was a different woman. Everything else - everything - disappeared and she became his lover again, nothing more, a willing participant to every delicious act. Her lack of control made her hot with mortification because it seemed to prove that she would never be anything more than one of Gabriel Ortega’s women, a position she had honestly believed she had left behind years ago.

The idea of facing those knowing dark eyes was suddenly unbearable and Rhianna flung the covers aside and stood up, hesitating a little as she realized that her legs felt like they made of cotton wool. Ignoring the sensation, she dragged her clothing on with shaking hands as she listened to the sound of the water running in the bathroom. There was a moment of blind panic when she couldn’t locate one of her shoes but she discovered it beneath the bed. Grabbing her coat and bag, Rhianna cast one last look towards the crumpled bed sheets before heading out the door and walking swiftly towards the lift. He would follow her as soon as he realized she had gone and her head buzzed with half made plans.

What should she do and where could she go?

It was pointless to hope that, now he’d bedded her again, that he would be satisfied. She knew him better than that.

Stabbing her finger on the lift button, Rhianna was relieved when it arrived almost immediately. She needed to get back to Grady’s as quickly as possible. Her thoughts stalled for a moment as she caught sight of herself in the mirrored wall of the elevator. Her lips looked swollen, hardly surprising when she considered how much Gabriel had used them. Her silvery hair was disheveled, face still slightly flushed. She looked exactly what she was; like a woman who had just left her lover’s bed. Digging into her handbag, Rhianna found and small brush and dragged it ruthlessly through her hair, trying to restore order. She needed to find a taxi and go home. And from there...

Rhianna frowned, thinking hard. She had no choice but to take Dylan and disappear, if only for a week or two. She knew that Jenny would put them both up for awhile and perhaps Rhianna could take her friend up on her offer of that holiday in Byron Bay for a couple of weeks. Under the circumstances, Grady would have to go along with it. He could certainly be relied on not to tell Gabriel anything of her whereabouts. All she needed was to buy some time. There was no saying how long Gabriel was in Australia for but surely he would have family commitments, something that would force him home soon. Rhianna gave a bitter smile, thinking about his wife. What would this unknown woman be thinking? Even Spanish wives, often so tolerant of their husband’s arrangements, would find a prolonged absence unacceptable. The Spanish felt very strongly about family, which was why, Rhianna reflected miserably, Gabriel had ended their relationship in the first place.

The doorman found her taxi immediately and Rhianna considered what she had to do as they drove along the busy streets. It was early evening now and the journey seemed to take forever. Rhianna comforted herself with the knowledge that, if she was stuck in traffic, Gabriel would be also. As soon as she was home she would pack a bag for herself and for Dylan and they would go and beg for a couple of beds at Jenny’s. If Jenny wasn’t home then Rhianna resolved to spend the night in a motel somewhere. She refused to think of anything but the immediate future. Circumstance - and Gabriel - had left her no choice but to disappear for a time. Two incredible hours of Gabriel’s lovemaking had convinced her as nothing else could that, if she wanted any chance of severing their relationship and keeping Dylan away from his father, then she could not see Gabriel Ortega again. He was like a virus that she had no resistance too. The smartest thing to do was to avoid him.

It’s kill or cure, Rhianna decided grimly. The discovery that she was no more resistant to him now than she had been during their time together in Spain was a bitter blow.

Grady was home when she hurried through the door. Dylan had been waiting for her and he shot out of the kitchen to fling himself at Rhianna’s legs, wrapping his chubby arms around them. ‘Where have you been?’ he demanded, voice accusing. ‘We were gonna watch Finding Nemo when I woke up but you were gone!’

Rhianna stroked a hand over his hair. ‘I know, I’m sorry. I’ve been thinking about something special for us to do. How would you like to go on an adventure?’

Dylan looked up at her, his face lighting up. ‘A game?’

‘Just like a game.’ Rhianna agreed. ‘Why don’t you go and pack up Mr. Snoop and a couple of other toys to take along?’

His deep brown eyes were round. ‘We’re going away?’

‘Just for a little holiday and then we’ll come home again,’ Rhianna said quickly, ‘Would you like a holiday?’

Dylan nodded enthusiastically, although he didn’t really know what that meant. There hadn’t been a great deal of opportunities for holidays in the past. ‘Holiday!’

‘Okay, your job is to pack up your most favorite things to take.’ Rhianna knew she had to keep things casual but exciting. It wouldn’t do to alarm him and he would pick up on her anxiety if she wasn’t careful. ‘Think you can handle it?’

‘Yeah!’ Dylan bounded up the stairs and Rhianna sighed with relief. The first hurdle was over.

Grady came out of his office and raised an eyebrow. ‘Where have you been? Enid told me that you had a visitor this afternoon. I was beginning to get worried.’

‘Gabriel was here.’ Rhianna hesitated. She hardly liked to tell Grady that she and Gabriel had spent the better part of two hours in bed together. Apart from anything else, it was just to demoralizing to dwell upon. ‘He... I got him out of the house before he found out about Dylan.’

Grady cocked an eyebrow. ‘I see. And now?’

Rhianna took a deep breath. ‘I need a couple of weeks off. I want to take Dylan away for awhile.’

Grady frowned. ‘You think that Ortega’s going to come back here? Don’t worry about it. If he does, just go upstairs and I’ll send him on his way.’

Rhianna closed her eyes briefly, trying to envision
that
scene. Grady would certainly try to defend the citadel but Gabriel knew far too well how to breech it and he would insist on seeing her. ‘He won’t take no for an answer, Grady. My only option is to get away for a while. I thought I’d go and stay with Jenny.’

Her boss frowned. ‘You can’t just run away. Don’t you think it would be better if you stood your ground and faced him? Send him on his way, Rhianna. You’re a grown woman and you get to chose who you do and don’t have in your life.’

Unless somebody else decided for her... Grady’s idea sounded good, in theory. Rhianna knew that everything he was saying was true. But the memory of her total surrender that afternoon was a vivid reminder of just how ill equipped she was at standing her ground with Gabriel. And of course there was the issue of Dylan to consider. If Gabriel ever found out about Dylan there was no power on earth that would keep him away.

‘I can’t do it Grady,’ she said, her voice subdued. ‘Please understand, I have to take Dylan away for a while. Oh,’ she paused, turning back to face him again, ‘and I told him we were engaged so if you happen to see him...’

‘I’ll try not to look surprised,’ Grady agreed sardonically.

Rhianna ran upstairs, collecting a small suitcase from one of the hall cupboards as she went. She packed automatically, trying to think although it was difficult to focus on what she needed, her thoughts scattered and diffused. It took an almost superhuman effort not to think about the events of the afternoon. Just the memory of his lovemaking had the power to send her off course and the last thing she needed now was distractions. Having collected some basics for herself, she hurried into Dylan’s room. He was talking to his favorite toy, Mr. Snoop, an aged teddy bear with one eye slightly askew, where Rhianna had sewn it on after a mishap with the washing machine.

‘We’re going on holiday,’ Dylan told Mr. Snoop seriously, ‘An’ you have to be good.’

Rhianna gave him a big smile. ‘How’s that packing going?’

‘Done.’ Dylan held up his library bag. He’d emptied out the books and had stuffed various treasures in that he couldn’t do without. ‘Where we going Mommy?’

‘Maybe the beach. Would you like that?’ Rhianna was opening drawers, selecting clothing, trying to think what he would need. Warm clothing, if they were going to Byron Bay. The NSW coast could be nice in September but spring had only just begun and the temperature couldn’t be depended on.

‘The beach,’ Dylan repeated happily.

‘With Jenny and Paul. They have a house up there and we’re going to stay in it with them.’ Rhianna was talking while she packed. She snapped the case shut and grinned at him. ‘In fact, we might stay with Jenny tonight or we might stay in a hotel. Which would you prefer?’

Dylan had no clear idea of what staying in a hotel entailed but he seemed happy to explore the possibilities. He grabbed his library bag and jumped off the bed. ‘Hotel!’

‘We’ll see. A hotel might be fun.’

They headed down the stairs. She’d been back for less than fifteen minutes and now they were ready to go. Maybe there wasn’t any need for this haste - maybe Gabriel wouldn’t decide to chase after her until the next day - but Rhianna was unwilling to risk it. He would have been far from happy to find that she’d disappeared when he’d emerged from the shower. An angry Spaniard was inclined to act first and leave everything else to take care of itself. Rhianna
knew
that Gabriel would come looking for her tonight, which was why they had to leave
now
.

‘You’re sure about this?’ Grady was still in the hallway. He looked troubled. ‘I think you’re over reacting Rhianna.’

Rhianna shot him a warning glance, her eyes flickering towards Dylan who was putting his shoes on. Grady looked mildly irritated. ‘I’ll call you tomorrow.’ she told him firmly, ‘and yes, I’m sure.’

Dylan sat down on the bottom step so that Rhianna could tie his shoelaces.

So it was that when Gabriel walked in a moment later, he saw Rhianna kneeling in front of a small boy. The child’s foot was in her lap, the fair head very close to the dark one. Both mother and son looked around at him in the same instant and Gabriel froze on the threshold, his hand still on the door handle. For the longest moment he stared at Rhianna, before his gaze shifted to the little boy and he took in the childish features; big dark eyes, small, square chin, olive skin and a wealth of dark curls. Gabriel’s eyes narrowed and his face took on a shuttered look as he did the mental math and the truth hit him.

That Rhianna had born him a son...

‘It’s usually considered good manners to knock,’ Grady’s acerbic voice broke the terrible silence, ‘and even better manners to wait to be invited inside.’

Gabriel’s eyes flickered towards Grady. ‘My apologies,’ he said, voice even. ‘But I had my doubts about anybody extending an invitation and my business is... pressing.’

Rhianna, frozen in place, stared at Gabriel in dismay. She knew from the expression on his face that he had instinctively reached the right conclusion about the identity of the child before him and she felt paralyzed with fear. Her time with Gabriel had taught her enough to know that, despite the coolness of his tone, he was furious. Instinctively, she slid a protective arm around Dylan’s shoulders. ‘Gabriel -’

His eyes had moved to the small suitcase and he was rapidly drawing his own conclusions. ‘Going somewhere, Rhianna?’

Rhianna flinched but was saved from replying by Grady. ‘I don’t think Rhianna’s movements are any of your concern,’ he snapped, ‘I don’t know what business you think you have with her but I think you can save it for another time.’

‘What you think is immaterial.’ Gabriel said coldly, ‘Whatever claims you believe you have on Rhianna, as of this moment they are null and void.’ His eyes returned to Dylan and his expression visibly softened. ‘And who are you?’ he inquired, in quite a different tone of voice.

Dylan had been staring at Gabriel, wide-eyed but at this his eyes flickered uncertainly towards his mother. Dylan was usually fine with strangers but the tension in the air was almost a tangible thing and he sense that all was not well. Rhianna gave him a reassuring squeeze. ‘It’s alright,’ she murmured. ‘How about you go and see what Enid has made for us for supper?’

‘But... our holiday?’ Dylan whispered.

‘We’ll talk about it in a minute honey. Off you go and let me... let me talk to Mr. Ortega, okay?’

Dylan rose to his feet and shot another uncertain glance towards Gabriel, who smiled. ‘Don’t worry,
hombre jovin.
I merely wish to speak with your mother.’

Dylan paused, head tilted, eyes suddenly inquisitive. ‘What was those words?’

Gabriel’s smile widened a little. ‘
Hombre jovin
? Why, I called you a little man in Spanish.’

‘Spanish,’ Dylan repeated thoughtfully. Rhianna silently cursed Gabriel. Rising to her feet, she touched Dylan’s arm.