Italian Bachelors: Devilish D'angelos: A Bargain with the Enemy / A Prize Beyond Jewels

He ignored her request. ‘Bryn, are you even on any contraception?’ he prompted exasperatedly.

She shrugged. ‘I’ve never had a use for it. Don’t tell me a man like you doesn’t have a condom or two in his pocket somewhere? Weren’t you ever a Boy Scout?’

‘Bryn, will you please answer me?’ Gabriel sat up, taking her with him, looking down at her intently as he continued to hold both her hands captive in his. ‘How many lovers have you had?’

She blinked. ‘Why do you need to know?’

‘Because this is important, damn it!’ he groaned. ‘I really need you to answer the question, Bryn.’

She frowned. ‘Am I doing something wrong? You seemed happy enough a few minutes ago—’

‘I was very happy, Bryn. I am happy.’

‘You don’t look it.’

‘That’s probably because you keep avoiding answering my question,’ he said, sighing his exasperation.

Bryn sat back, completely unconcerned by her own nakedness; Gabriel had seen and touched and licked parts of her that no other person ever had, so it was a little late for her to feel in the least self-conscious now. ‘Are you going to make a thing out of this, Gabriel?’ she prompted impatiently.

‘That would depend on what “this” is,’ he answered cautiously.

‘Okay, let’s just get this out of the way so that we can move on.’ She sighed. ‘No, I haven’t had any previous lovers. Which actually answers your second question, doesn’t it, because if I haven’t had any lovers then I’ve obviously never felt the need for contraception either.’ She looked up at him uncertainly as he released her to stand up abruptly. A nerve pulsed in his clenched jaw as he stared down at her.

‘No lovers?’

‘Not until tonight, no.’ She slowly shook her head.

‘Sweet mother of...’ He ran an agitated hand through his already tousled hair as he began to pace restlessly. ‘You should have told me, Bryn.’

‘Why should I?’ she reasoned. ‘I should tell you that fierce pacing doesn’t have the same impact when you’re stark naked.’ She fell silent as he quickly pulled on his briefs, trousers and shirt, not bothering to refasten the latter. ‘Gabriel?’

He breathed raggedly. ‘Just give me a minute, please, Bryn.’

‘I believe there were two of us here tonight, not just me,’ she continued despite his warning. ‘And I don’t remember you bothering to ask me any of these questions before we both took our clothes off.’

No, he hadn’t, had he? Which was more than careless on Gabriel’s part. His only excuse—if it could be called one—was that Bryn affected him so deeply he couldn’t think of anything else but her when he held her in his arms.

He looked at Bryn now, still unsettled at learning that he was her first lover— Well, her almost lover. ‘Bryn, I would have— I wouldn’t have pushed so hard if I had known of your...inexperience,’ he said gently.

She frowned. ‘What does that mean?’

He shook his head. ‘Well, I wouldn’t have made love to you in my office, for one thing.’

‘Why not?’

He closed his eyes briefly. ‘Your first time should be in a bed, Bryn, preferably a four-poster—’

‘I never imagined you as a romantic, Gabriel.’

His jaw tightened. ‘Don’t mock me, Bryn. Not now.’

‘I’m not the one who just spoiled the moment!’ She rose lithely to her feet, her face pale as she turned her back on him and began pulling her own clothes back on, her panties and jeans no problem, the bra proving less cooperative, forcing Bryn to thrust it impatiently into her pocket before she pulled her T-shirt on and fluffed out her hair.

‘I could have hurt you, Bryn.’ He gave a pained frown as he realised what he had just said.

‘It’s five years too late for you to think of that,’ Bryn came back bitterly as she looked up from pulling on her shoes. ‘Besides, I don’t think either of us was thinking too clearly a few minutes ago. I certainly didn’t think I needed to give you a list, or otherwise, of my credentials as a lover before we proceeded.’

He sighed as she stood up to collect her bag in preparation of leaving. ‘You can’t just leave—’

‘Watch me.’

‘Why are you so angry, Bryn? Can’t the two of us at least talk before you go? Please, Bryn,’ he encouraged gruffly.

Her mouth thinned. ‘I don’t think we have anything to talk about. We had an...encounter, and now it’s obviously over.’

It hadn’t just been an encounter to Gabriel. No matter what Bryn might think, how many previous lovers he might have had, he had never experienced anything even remotely like the pleasure he had felt with Bryn tonight. She was so beautiful she took his breath away. Responsive beyond belief. And the caress of her hands, the touch of her lips on his body, his shaft, had been so unbelievably arousing he had almost lost control.

He gave a shake of his head. ‘I have the feeling that this was your first encounter too?’

Her cheeks warmed with colour. ‘I’ve been a little busy the past five years, okay? Building a new life in Wales for myself and my mother. Getting my degree. Working to pay off the student loans, and the rent, and painting madly in my spare time. Besides which—’ she drew in a ragged breath ‘—I would have felt compelled to explain about the past to anyone I became seriously involved with, and I’ve never cared enough to want to do that. I’m sorry if that makes me a lousy lover, but I—’

‘You’re not a lousy lover, Bryn,’ Gabriel cut in forcefully. ‘Far from it,’ he added huskily. ‘I just— I’m surprised that you chose me, of all people, to be your first.’

‘You of all people,’ she echoed bitterly. ‘I suppose it is a bit ironic,’ she murmured self-derisively. ‘But it has a certain rightness about it too, if you think about it. You already know about my past, who I am, who my father was, which means I don’t have to confess anything to you.’

In just a few short minutes everything between them had changed once again, and she was back to being her usual defensive and antagonistic self.

Or maybe that responsive woman was the real Bryn?

Gabriel didn’t know anymore, and for once in his life he wasn’t sure what to do next. Wasn’t sure if there was any way they could move forward with Bryn in the mood she was in right now. ‘Could we have dinner together tomorrow evening?’ he asked tentatively.

Bryn’s chin rose stubbornly. ‘Not if it’s going to result in us having some sort of post-mortem regarding what happened tonight, no.’

‘Damn it, Bryn—’ He broke off exasperatedly. ‘I’m desperately trying to put things right between us, but I could really do with a little cooperation from you.’

‘It’s a little late in the day for that, isn’t it?’ she scorned.

‘I’m really trying here, Bryn,’ he bit out between gritted teeth.

She eyed him suspiciously. ‘Put things right between us how?’

He sighed. ‘We’ve skipped over a couple sequences of a relationship, and I’d like to maybe take those two steps back and start again.’

Bryn looked at him searchingly, not sure where he was going with this. ‘We had a sexual encounter, Gabriel, not a relationship.’ An encounter that had been life changing for her, although she had a feeling that it was Gabriel himself who had made tonight so special; he was not only an exceptional and experienced lover, but a caring and considerate one too. Even with her own lack of experience Bryn knew that not all men were like that, so maybe she should be thanking Gabriel for the consideration he had shown her, instead of arguing with him.

And maybe she would be—if she didn’t feel so confused about how she had allowed tonight to happen in the first place.

Nor did she understand why Gabriel had been thrown so off balance by her lack of experience; didn’t men prefer no-ties-no-expectations sex?