A Yuletide Seduction

‘Now, Gabe,’ Felicity cut in laughingly, linking her arm through his, ‘I can’t have you upsetting Jane,’ she scolded lightly. ‘Let’s go back to the dining-room and have a liqueur, and let’s leave poor Jane in peace.’ She slanted an apologetic smile towards Jane. ‘I’m sure she would like to get home some time before morning. Come on, Gabe,’ she encouraged firmly as he still made no effort to move. ‘Or Richard will think we’ve run away together!’

Gabriel Vaughan didn’t join in her throaty laughter. ‘Richard need have no worries like that on my account. You’re a beautiful woman, Felicity,’ he added to take the sting out of his initial remark, ‘but other men’s wives have never held any appeal for me.’

Jane drew in a sharp breath, swallowing hard. Because she knew the reason ‘other men’s wives never held any appeal’ for Gabriel Vaughan. Oh, yes, she knew only too well.

‘I’m sure Richard will be pleased to hear that,’ Jane dismissed with a calmness that had now become second nature to her. ‘But Felicity is quite right; I do still have a lot to do. And your coffee will be going cold.’ She turned to smile at Paula and Rosemary as they returned from serving coffee and liqueurs. Their timing couldn’t have been more perfect!

She willed Gabriel Vaughan to leave the kitchen now, before her calm shattered and her legs collapsed beneath her.

She had believed she had succeeded in pushing the past to the back of her mind, but at this moment she had a vivid image of three years ago when her own photograph had appeared side by side with this man’s for days on end in all the national newspapers.

She had wanted to run away and hide then, and to all intents and purposes she had done so. And although he wasn’t aware of it—and she hoped he never would be—the man who had once haunted her every nightmare, waking as well as asleep, had finally caught up with her!

He was still watching her, that intent blue gaze unwavering, despite the urgings of his hostess to return to the dining-room. His behaviour, Jane knew, was bordering on rudeness, but, as she was also aware, he was very conscious of the fact that he had the upper hand here this evening. In the process of buying out Richard Warner’s ailing company, backed up by the millions of pounds that was his own personal fortune, he had no reason to do any other than what he pleased. And at this particular moment he wanted to look at Jane…!

Finally—when Jane was on the point of wondering just how much longer she could withstand that stare!—he visibly relaxed, smiling that lazily charming smile, his eyes once more that brilliant shining aqua. ‘It was a pleasure meeting you, Jane Smith,’ he murmured huskily, holding out his hand to her in parting.

Paula and Rosemary, after one wide-eyed glance in her direction at finding their hostess and one of her guests in the kitchen chatting away to Jane, had busied themselves washing up the dessert dishes Jane hadn’t been able to deal with because of the interruption. And Felicity was smiling happily, still filled with what she considered the success of the evening. Only Jane, it seemed, was aware that she viewed that hand being held out to her—a long, ringless hand, filled with strength—as if it were a viper about to strike!

‘Thank you,’ she returned coolly, not about to return the pleasantry. If there were any ‘pleasure’ attached to this meeting then it was definitely all on his side!

But she knew she had no choice but to shake the hand held out to her. Not to do so would be inexplicable. At least, to everyone else in the room. She knew exactly why she didn’t want to touch this man—his hand or any other part of him. And if he knew, if he realised, he wouldn’t be holding out that hand of friendship either!

His hand was cool and dry, his grip firm. Not that Jane gave him much chance to do the latter, her hand against his only fleetingly.

Those startling blue eyes narrowed once again, his hand falling lightly to his side. ‘Perhaps we’ll meet again,’ he said huskily.

‘Perhaps,’ she nodded noncommittally.

And perhaps they wouldn’t! She had managed to get through three years without bumping into this man, and if she had her way it would be another three years—or longer!—before it happened again. And as Gabriel Vaughan spent most of his time in his native America, with only the occasional swim into English waters in his search for fresh prey, that shouldn’t be too difficult to achieve!

‘I should be in England for several months.’ He seemed to read at least some of her thoughts, instantly squashing them. ‘In fact,’ he added softly, ‘I’ve rented an apartment for three months; I can’t stand the impersonality of hotels.’

Three months! They could be as long, or short, as he made them!

‘I hope you enjoy your stay,’ she returned dismissively, turning away now, no longer able to even look at him. She needed to sit down, her legs shaking very badly now. Why didn’t he just go?

She moved to put the clean dessert dishes back on the pine dresser across the room, and by the time she turned back again, he had gone.

Jane swayed weakly on her feet, moving to sit heavily on one of the pine chairs that stood around the kitchen table. In reality, Gabriel Vaughan could only have been in the kitchen a matter of minutes—it just seemed much, much longer!

‘Gosh, he was handsome, wasn’t he?’ Rosemary sighed longingly as she finished drying her hands, seeming unaware of Jane’s distress.

Handsome? She supposed he was. She just had more reason to fear him—fear him realising who she was—than she had to find him attractive. Although it was obvious from Paula’s appreciative grin that she too had found Gabriel Vaughan ‘handsome’.

‘Looks are only skin-deep,’ Jane dismissed sharply, feeling her strength slowly returning. ‘And underneath those trappings of civilisation—’ there was no denying how dazzlingly attractive Gabriel Vaughan had looked in his dinner suit, or the charm of his manner ‘—Gabriel Vaughan is a piranha!’

Paula made a face at her vehemence. ‘He seemed rather taken with you,’ she said speculatively.

Jane gave a derisive smile. ‘Men like him are not “taken” with the hired help! Now, it’s time you two went off home to your husbands,’ she added teasingly as she stood up. ‘I can deal with what’s left here.’

In fact, she was glad of the time alone once the two women had left for home. She could almost convince herself, as she pottered about the kitchen putting dishes away, that everything was once again back to normal, that the encounter with Gabriel Vaughan had never happened. Almost…

But there was absolutely no reason for their paths to cross again. Lightning really didn’t strike twice in the same place, did it? Of course it didn’t! Just as having Gabriel Vaughan enter her life once again wouldn’t happen…

Everything was cleared away, the last guest having taken their leave, when Felicity came back into the kitchen half an hour later. And she looked so happy, so vastly different from the worried woman Jane had spent the afternoon with, that Jane didn’t have the heart to tell her of her earlier misgivings about the evening having been quite the success Felicity obviously considered it had been. The other woman would no doubt find that out for herself soon enough. After Gabriel Vaughan’s meeting with Richard, no doubt!

‘I can’t thank you enough, Jane.’ She smiled, looking tired, the evening obviously having been more of a strain than it had earlier appeared. ‘I don’t know how I would have managed without you.’

‘You would have been just fine,’ Jane said with certainty; Richard Warner obviously had a treasure in his young wife.

‘I’m not so sure.’ The other woman grimaced. ‘But tomorrow will tell if it was all worth it!’

It certainly would! And Jane really hoped this nice couple weren’t in for a deep disappointment. Although, given what she knew of Gabriel Vaughan, it didn’t auger well…

Felicity yawned tiredly. ‘I think I’ll go up to bed. Richard’s just bringing through the last of the glasses. But leave them, Jane,’ she insisted firmly. ‘You must be much more tired than I am—and I’m staggering!’ She walked to the kitchen door. ‘Please go home, Jane,’ she added with another yawn, turning before leaving the room. ‘By the way, you made a definite hit this evening.’ She raised auburn brows pointedly. ‘Gabe was very interested.’

Jane forced herself to once again remain outwardly composed, revealing none of her inner panic. ‘How interested?’ she drawled lightly.

‘Very.’ Felicity smiled knowingly. ‘I shouldn’t be at all surprised if you and he meet again.’

She drew her breath in sharply. ‘And what makes you think that?’ she prompted tautly, still managing to keep a tight control over her nerves. Although it was becoming increasingly difficult to do so, the longer they discussed Gabriel Vaughan!

Surely he hadn’t continued to be curious about her once he and Felicity had returned to the dinner party? There had been two other couples present, and Richard’s recently divorced sister had been included to make up the eight; and Jane certainly didn’t think any of them would have been interested in listening to a conversation about the caterer!

‘Well, he— Ah, Richard,’ Felicity moved aside so that her husband could enter the kitchen to put down the glasses. ‘I was just telling Jane that I’m sure she and Gabe are going to meet again,’ she said archly.

Richard shot an affectionate smile at his wife. He was in his early thirties, tall and blond, with young Robert Redford good looks, and had a perfect partner in his vivacious wife. ‘Stop your matchmaking, darling. I’m sure Jane and Gabe are more than capable of making their own arrangements. If necessary,’ he added with a rueful glance at Jane.

‘It never hurts to give these things a helping hand.’ Felicity gave another tired yawn.

‘Will you please go to bed, Fliss?’ her husband said firmly. ‘I’ll just see Jane out, and then I’ll join you,’ he promised.

And Jane wanted to leave; of that there was no doubt. But she had felt a chill inside her at Felicity’s last statement. What had the other woman done to give a ‘helping hand’?

‘Okay,’ Felicity concurred sleepily. ‘And I do thank you so much for doing this for us at such short notice, Jane. You’ve been wonderful!’

‘My pleasure,’ she dismissed lightly. ‘But I can’t help but feel curious as to why you should think Mr Vaughan and myself will meet again,’ she persisted.

‘Because he asked for your business card, darling,’ the other woman supplied happily. ‘He said it was so that he could call you when he gave his next dinner party, but I have a feeling you’ll hear from him much sooner than that! Don’t be too long, darling.’ She smiled glowingly at her husband before finally going upstairs to their bedroom.

‘I’m sorry about all that nonsense, Jane,’ Richard said distractedly, running agitated fingers through the thickness of his blond hair. ‘Fliss has been so worried these last few weeks, and that isn’t good for her in early pregnancy. But take it from me: Gabe Vaughan is the last man you should become involved with,’ he added grimly. ‘He would gobble you up and spit you out again before you had a chance to say no!’

Gabriel Vaughan was the last man she ever would become involved with!

She had been frozen into immobility since Felicity’s announcement of having given Gabriel Vaughan her business card, but she moved now, hurriedly putting on her jacket. ‘I didn’t realise Felicity was pregnant,’ she said slowly. The other woman was so slim and elegant, the pregnancy certainly couldn’t be very far along yet, and Felicity hadn’t mentioned it. She had no doubt this happily married couple were pleased about the baby, but at the same time she realised it had probably happened at a bad time for them, what with the uncertainty about Richard’s business.

‘Only just.’ Richard gave what looked like a strained smile. ‘Felicity is longing to give me a son. Although at this rate there will be no business for him to grow up and take over!’ he added bleakly. He shook his head self-derisively. ‘Much as I also appreciate all that you’ve done this evening, Jane, unlike Felicity I think it’s going to take a little more than an exceptional meal to convince Gabriel Vaughan that my company is worth saving rather than being gathered up into his vast, faceless business pool!’