Everything went still. No one made a sound, even their breathing seemed to have been frozen inside their chests. Miguel and Rafael were the first ones to recover and both quickly strode over to Gabriel and Angelo. Miguel stood behind Gabriel while Rafael took his stand beside Angelo, both prepared if necessary.
"Well? Is no one talking?" their father said, eyes darting between Gabriel and Angelo.
His boys were trying to avoid looking at him, their gazes fixed on the floor. Louisa's face grew hot when Don Fernando's dark eyes turned towards her. He was an intelligent man and she was afraid he would correctly surmise the gist of the situation. Fortunately, he seemed to decide that this was not the right time or place to discuss his suspicions. With a sigh, he turned back to his sons.
"Bueno, since you two brutes seem to have swallowed your tongues, and your machismo at the same time, I will let you two settle whatever it is you need to settle between yourselves. But a replay of this barbarismo and I will not hesitate to give you both no more than a few smart smacks on your thick behinds."
Both sons squirmed at his words, their faces turning pink with embarrassment. A poorly stifled laugh from Louisa brought her back to Don Fernando's attention.
"Ah, hija! It's so nice to see you again!" Don Fernando said. His delight at seeing her shone clearly through his light brown eyes, the stern look displayed on them earlier completely gone.
Fernando maneuvered his wheelchair past his sons and towards Louisa. Both Gabriel and Miguel quickly strode over to their father to help him move his wheelchair but the older man waved them away.
"Tio Fernando, I'm so glad to see that you're feeling better now," Louisa replied, smiling at her godfather as she moved towards him, her arms outstretched to catch the older man's hands. She bent down to plant a soft kiss on her godfather's cheek, but Fernando reached up to pull her into a tight hug. When he finally let go he reached up and patted her cheek affectionately.
"I've missed you so, my dear," Fernando said, holding Louisa's hands.
"I've missed you, too, Tio," Louisa replied. She did, indeed, miss the man she considered her second father. It's been almost a year since she'd last seen him. Their last conversation, a few months back, when he asked her to take over the interior finishing of the hotel, had to be done over the phone because she was in Hong Kong closing a deal with a major shopping mall.
"There you are!" Aurora said, walking briskly towards her husband.
"Why didn't you wait for me to come wheel you out here?"
Fernando let go of Louisa's hand and turned towards his wife, smiling mischievously.
"I got tired of waiting for you, mi esposa," he answered, glancing at his errant sons with a raised eyebrow.
"Hija! I'm so glad you're already here," Aurora said, hugging Louisa when she came forward to greet her godmother.
"Hello, Tia Aurora. We arrived this morning. Papa is in the stables, as usual," Louisa replied, returning the older woman's embrace, "but I'm sure he'll be coming back here any minute now."
"Well, then! Let's all go have lunch in the gazebo. Fernando misses eating al fresco so I instructed our cook to have it set up there." Aurora said, gesturing to her sons to help push their father's wheelchair out of the house.
Miguel quickly stepped forward and did as instructed, ignoring his father's grumbling while Rafael took their mother's arm and escorted her outside.
Louisa was about to follow the group when a strong hand clamped down on her upper arm. She wasn't surprised to see that it was Gabriel's.
"Come, I'll be your escort. I'm sure your father will be there waiting for us already. Not unless you'd like to have a private moment with me first?" Gabriel whispered the last in her ear, his lips almost brushing against it. Goosebumps crawled up her arms.
She would've brushed off Gabriel's hand if not for Angelo standing right behind them, his eyes boring holes at Gabriel's back. The younger man would not hesitate to intervene on her behalf if he saw her annoyance. Not wanting to invite another confrontation, she swallowed her irritation and allowed Gabriel to propel her towards the sliding glass doors. Relief washed over her when Angelo walked past them and exited without a word.
However, instead of going outside, Gabriel turned in the hallway and pulled her into a dimly-lit room. He only let go of her arm to lock the door behind him. Fear washed over her. She'd never been alone inside a dark, locked room with a man before. Much less a tipsy one with an ax to grind.
"Gabriel! What are you doing? They'll all be wondering where we are," Louisa cried, her heart constricting upon seeing Gabriel's intense gaze.
"Yes, they will," he replied, his eyes never leaving her face.
"Well then, we should go out there now, don't you think?"
"We will. After."
"After? After what?" Louisa croaked, a large lump had lodged inside her throat. The hairs on her nape prickled when Gabriel gave her an impish smile. They stared at each other for what seemed like a lifetime, frozen in their places.
Then, Gabriel started moving towards her.
She started moving back.
And as they continued moving – him, towards her, her, away from him, Louisa could not help but feel like the proverbial mouse being stalked by a hungry, salivating cat.
She jumped when her feet hit a solid object behind her. She lost balance and fell flat on her back, on what turned out to be a feather-soft bed.
Her awkward fall sent Gabriel quickly pouncing on her (well, he didn't really pounce, but that's how it appeared when he tripped on her feet and fell on top of her).
Suddenly, they were face-to-face, chest-to-chest, stomach-to-stomach. Gabriel's warm, hard body was squishing her into the mattress. Louisa cursed her body for responding with anticipation.
Without a word, Gabriel's lips came down on hers, his hot, liquor-scented breath, both titillating and frightening at the same time. His tongue was insistent, demanding entrance, pushing against her lips, nipping and laving them apart, obliging her to respond in kind. It was not like the gentle kiss in the garden. This kiss was raw, needy, and oh, so dangerous. It was a kiss full of wanting. A kiss screaming of desire so unbridled it couldn't be denied.
Despite her initial fear, Louisa found herself returning Gabriel's mind-shattering kiss with the same fervor. All those years of dreaming of him, of his touch, of his kiss, exploded within her she would have shattered if she bottled it up much longer. Her arms moved of their own accord, wrapping around Gabriel's neck, pulling him closer to her, wanting, needing, aching to feel his heartbeat against her own.
She heard Gabriel emit something between a growl and a moan as his tongue delved deeper, demanding possession of her very soul. His hands were everywhere; on her hair, her neck, her hips, her breasts. She felt his fingers fumbling against the buttons of her blouse, his lips moving to trace a fiery path down her neck, towards her now half-exposed chest.
His fingers were gentle but insistent in pulling down the cup of her bra. When his lips latched onto her distended peaks, she almost screamed from pure, unadulterated pleasure. Louisa ignored the warning bells inside her head. She had been kissed before, but not like this, and not there. They were moving too fast, she knew, and she was giving in too easily. Shouldn't she be resisting his onslaught, even half-heartedly? Deep inside, though, she wanted this. She needed this. And she was, by all intents and purposes, his to claim anyway.
Yet, this isn't right, her mind screamed.
But it feels so right, so good! her heart countered.
As the battle between her heart and mind raged, Gabriel's lips recaptured hers, making her lose track of all sane thought. Louisa arched her back, her legs moving up and encircling Gabriel's waist, pulling his lower half closer to her. The hard proof of his desire throbbed against her thigh and the warning bells were suddenly clanging deafeningly inside her head.
She should stop, but she couldn't, she wouldn't. She didn't stop even when Gabriel's hand moved down to her belt and fumbled with its clasp. Instead, she pulled him closer with her legs, reveling in his strength, his power, his maleness.
Louisa realized then, betrothal or no betrothal, she needed to have this man, right here, right now. Pride and honor be damned!