“How is your meal?” he said gruffly.
“Delicious.”
“Try this.” He handed her a bowl of pastries. Their fingers brushed and she jerked away as if he’d burned her.
He scowled at her. “We’re attending Oliveira’s party in three hours. No one will believe we are a couple if you jump every time I touch you.”
Putting down her fork with a clang, she looked at him. “You’re right.”
He held out his hand across the table, palm up.
With an intake of breath, she placed her hand in his. He felt her tremble. Felt the warmth of her skin. A rush of desire went through him as his fingers tightened over hers. Coming to her side of the table, he pulled her to her feet.
For a moment, they stood facing each other beneath the warm, bright sun. A soft sea breeze ruffled her damp hair. She wouldn’t meet his eyes. Her gaze seemed fixated on his mouth.
She licked her lips, and he nearly groaned.
“I passed your test,” she whispered. “I’m touching you without flinching.”
“Holding my hand is not enough.”
She visibly swallowed, looking up. “What—what else?”
He put his arms around her, pulling her close. He felt the softness of her body, felt her curves pressed against him as he rested his hands on her hips. Her tight black dress squeezed her breasts still higher in the force of his embrace, plump and firm and begging for his touch. He stroked her cheek, tilting back her head. “Now I need you to look at me,” he said in a low voice, “as if you love me.”
Beneath her glasses, her wide-set blue eyes glimmered in the sunlight, shining like the sea.
“And I,” he continued roughly, “am utterly, completely and insanely in love with you.”
She trembled. Then she fiercely shook her head.
“This isn’t going to work. No one will believe you’d choose me over her.”
“You’re wrong,” he said. “Adriana is beautiful, yes. But that’s all she is. While you…”
Laura stiffened in his arms, lifting her chin.
He cupped her head with his hands. “You are more than just a pretty face.” He stroked her bare neck. “More than just a luscious body.” He rubbed his thumb against her full, sensitive lower lip. “You are smart. And too kindhearted for your own good. You sacrifice yourself to take care of others, even when you shouldn’t.” He pressed a finger against her lips to stop her protest. “And you have something else Adriana does not.”
“What?”
He looked down at her. “You have me,” he whispered.
Gabriel felt her hands tighten around him.
“Can you do it?” he asked in a low voice. “Can you pretend you’re in love with me? Can you make everyone believe that all you’ve ever wanted is for me to hold you like this?”
Her face was pale as she looked at him, trembling like a flower in his arms. When she spoke, her voice was almost too quiet for him to hear above the noise of the music and street party below. “Yes.”
“Then prove it.” He felt her soft curves pressing against his body, felt how delicate and petite she was in his arms. Laura was so beautiful in every way. He felt the press of her full breasts against his chest. Felt the tendrils of her long damp hair brush against his hands as he gripped her back. He breathed in the scent of her, lavender and soap, wholesome and clean.
He was hard for her. Rock hard. And yet she seemed to think she was inferior to Adriana da Costa, who aside from her beauty was nothing but a shallow, spoiled brat.
Suddenly Gabriel knew he had to tell Laura the truth.
“I want you, Laura,” he said in a low voice. “More than any woman. I’ve always wanted you.”
She gasped, her eyes wide. “You…”