Gabriel shot his cuffs and adjusted his tie, eyes ashen as he stared at her. “We’re leaving.” He jerked his head for her to precede him.
* * *
Luli was still dressed like a seventy-year-old woman, but Gabriel didn’t tell her to change. He just wanted away from this place.
He was furious over what had just happened. He had nearly killed the man—who was in his fifties and no match for Gabriel’s deadly training. It hadn’t even been self-defense. The butler had been rude and rough, but Gabriel didn’t think his intention had been to physically hurt Luli, only to force her from the house.
Even so, a haze of bloodlust had blinded him. He had acted on instinct and was still disturbed by his brief loss of control. Why had he reacted so strongly? He would intervene in any situation where someone was being bullied, but he wouldn’t commit homicide.
The primal male in him had been roused by a threat to his mate, was the problem. His ears were still ringing from their kiss. He had meant to keep it a chaste peck, but her lips had been so soft. He had lingered, enjoying the tremulous way her mouth flowered open against his. Nothing had prepared him for the impact when she pressed into the kiss. A bolt of pure lust had jabbed through him, tightening his arms around her.
The rush of blood when her soft curves had collided with his frame had left his groin throbbing with the beat of his heart. It had been all he could do to set her back from him and keep an impassive look on his face when he’d wanted to snarl at the men to leave so he could consummate their marriage right then and there.
He was used to being pursued by women. It was a game where he allowed himself to be pounced upon and played with and always walked away when he grew bored.
This situation with Luli was entirely different. He had thought last night, when he had talked her into this marriage, that he had secured the perfect partnership. He could have the sensual wrestling he enjoyed while everything he valued—including detachment from the sort of emotion that weakened lesser mortals—would be protected.
Then he’d tasted a depth of passion unlike anything he’d ever known. It roused a beast that had reacted to the butler’s manhandling with atavistic violence.
“Why have you never stood up for yourself with anyone here?” His tone was thick enough with leftover rage she flinched, expression defensive.
“What would I say? Make accusations that would get me thrown out with nothing? He wasn’t wrong. I did ingratiate myself with her.”
The irony was, her openness about currying favor made her seem vulnerable, provoking the protector in him again. None of this made sense.
He led her down the front steps, still waiting for a miracle where his grandmother came back to life and made clear that he was either correcting her wrong against Luli or told him he was falling for the greatest trick a gold-digger had ever pulled.
“Is that all the luggage, sir?” the chauffeur asked, setting Gabriel’s single case in the trunk.
“And that.” He nodded at the bag Luli carried. It was the cheap fabric kind the kitchen staff no doubt took to the market stalls for produce.
What had her childhood been like that she thought living like this had been a step up? How could such a beautiful, healthy, bright woman be in such a position?
He’d spent half the night reading her code. She hadn’t been bluffing about blowing things up, but she’d also layered in fail-safes in case she was also locked out. The most critical functions were being monitored electronically so the many people employed by Mae’s various enterprises wouldn’t be too badly impacted if no one was at the wheel.
Such a perplexing woman.
“What are you doing?” he asked as he realized she was hovering on the bottom step, balking at coming forward to get in the car. The rain had let up, but the humidity was around 1000 percent, making his suit cling to his skin. “Did you forget something?”
“I’m scared.” Her clean features were pale in the flat light of overcast skies, her mouth tense, her brow furrowed.
“Of?”
“You. What I’ve done. Where we’re going.”
He was having second thoughts himself, but a clench of barbaric implacability insisted he take her away from this place.