Читать книгу Mistletoe Magic - Кэрол Мортимер, Кэрол Мортимер - Страница 17

‘WAITING up so that you can tell Father Christmas personally that you’ve been nice rather than naughty?’ an all-too-familiar voice drawled mockingly as Molly sat alone in the kitchen two hours later, drinking a mug of coffee.

She had drawn in a sharp breath at the first sound of Gideon’s voice, and released that breath in a heavy sigh as she registered the deliberate insult in his words. ‘My mother always told me that if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all!’ Molly snapped impatiently, leaning back in her chair to look at Gideon where he stood in the doorway.

Sam had settled Merlin down in the kitchen before going up to bed when they had all come in a couple of hours ago, and Molly and Gideon had followed him up the stairs to their own bedrooms. But, having undressed and gotten into bed, Molly had found herself unable to sleep. Finally she had given up the effort half an hour ago, in favour of pulling on a pair of denims and an old rugby top of Sam’s to come downstairs and make herself a pot of coffee.

From the look of Gideon he had also gone to bed. He was no longer wearing his dinner suit, but a pair of faded blue denims and a dark blue tee shirt, his hair slightly tousled.

In fact, he looked altogether too approachably attractive for Molly’s peace of mind.

He moved farther into the dimly lit room, the light over the Aga their only illumination. ‘Having now met Caroline, I appreciate what a graciously beautiful woman she is, and I stand corrected,’ he drawled, pouring himself a mug of coffee from the pot and pulling out the chair opposite Molly’s to sit down at the table.

Molly eyed him defensively. ‘Hard to believe such a “graciously beautiful” woman could be my mother, isn’t it?’ she snapped disgustedly.

Gideon gave a humourless smile. ‘I didn’t say that.’

‘You didn’t have to,’ Molly scorned. ‘You—’

‘Molly, I didn’t come down here to argue with you,’ he cut in quietly.

She eyed him warily for several long seconds, and Gideon steadily returned that gaze. ‘Then why did you come down?’ she finally prompted slowly.

He shrugged. ‘For the same reason as you, I expect; because I couldn’t sleep.’

Her mouth twisted derisively. ‘Worried in case Father Christmas doesn’t think you’ve been nice this year, either?’

He smiled as she neatly returned his jibe. ‘There is that, I suppose,’ he allowed. ‘But, actually, no.’ He sobered, frowning. ‘Molly, what do you think is going on?’

She gave him a startled look. Was it so obvious that she was in a complete turmoil concerning her recently realised feelings for this man? If it was, then she—

‘I’m talking about those telephone calls,’ Gideon continued evenly.

Molly glared at him. ‘I’ve already told you—they are not, as you suggested earlier, from any mistress of Sam’s!’

He nodded. ‘I’m beginning to agree with you.’

‘Big of you!’ she snapped scathingly.

Gideon gave a sigh. ‘Molly, whatever the argument might be between the two of us, let’s just forget it for a moment and concentrate on this other matter, hmm?’

Whatever the argument might be between the two of them…

It wasn’t exactly an argument any more, was it? Gideon either insulted her or kissed her. And as for her own feelings…

‘What other matter?’ she prompted impatiently, wishing she had never come down here for a mug of coffee. The last thing that was going to help her get to sleep was another of these heated conversations with Gideon!

‘The telephone calls—don’t jump in again, Molly,’ he said wearily. ‘Just hear me out, hmm?’ he suggested firmly. ‘You have to admit those telephone calls are odd, to say the least.’

‘Yes,’ she allowed abruptly.

‘Then Merlin disappeared and we found him shut in the garden shed,’ Gideon murmured frowningly.

‘Somehow,’ Molly confirmed.

‘Exactly.’ Gideon nodded. ‘What is it?’ He eyed Molly searchingly as she chewed on her bottom lip. ‘What else has happened?’ he guessed shrewdly.

Was her face really that easy to read? If it was, in view of the way she had discovered she felt towards this man, she had better start guarding her expression a bit more!

She shrugged. ‘It could just be nothing…’

Gideon sat forward tensely. ‘What could?’

She grimaced, not sure that the two of them weren’t just becoming paranoid. ‘There was a car in the driveway earlier. When you were all at church. But whoever it was they didn’t stay there—just turned around and drove away again,’ she added quickly as Gideon’s frown turned to a scowl. ‘It could have been Diana Chisholm, I suppose,’ she said suddenly, brightening slightly. ‘Maybe she got her house-call over quite quickly and thought she could join us in going to church, after all, and then she saw how late it was and changed her mind?’ She trailed off weakly as she realised she sounded as if she was grasping at straws.

‘Maybe,’ Gideon acknowledged slowly, not seeming to think she was grasping at straws at all. ‘It might be worth calling her tomorrow and checking that out.’

Molly frowned when she saw how grim Gideon still looked. ‘Gideon, what do you think is going on?’

‘I have no idea,’ he answered her honestly.

But the fact that he did think something was going on only reawakened Molly’s earlier feelings of unease—just when she had been prepared to dismiss her fears as being late-night jitters and tiredness.

There was no denying that it hadn’t only been thoughts of Gideon that had been keeping her from sleeping earlier.

Only thoughts of Gideon…

It was like saying it was only an iceberg—when you knew very well that ninety per cent of it was below the surface of the water, and—like Gideon—extremely dangerous to the unsuspecting.

But she had also been wondering if there was any connection between those telephone calls, the car she had seen earlier, and Merlin’s disappearance. Why she had been wondering that, she had no idea, but if Gideon’s thoughts and concerns were anything to go by she wasn’t the only one with a vivid imagination.

‘It’s probably nothing, you know,’ she told him ruefully.

‘Probably,’ he agreed unconvincingly.

Molly gave him a sharp look. ‘I don’t think you should mention any of this to Crys and Sam,’ she warned softly.

He gave her a piercing look. ‘I’m not completely stupid.’

She had never for a moment thought he was in the least stupid—many other things, but stupid certainly wasn’t amongst them.

She gave a deep sigh, standing up to place her empty mug in the dishwasher. ‘I think I’m ready to go back to bed.’

Gideon raised a dark blond brow. ‘Is that an invitation?’ he drawled mockingly.

It hadn’t taken him long to return to being that derisive stranger.

Molly eyed him tauntingly. ‘What do you think?’

He grimaced, smiling slightly. ‘I think I would be pushing my luck to expect you to say anything but no. But you can’t blame a man for trying!’

This man she could blame. Because once in this man’s arms it would be easy to forget that he didn’t like her, so good to forget that. But the repercussions certainly wouldn’t be worth it.

‘I suppose not,’ she answered dryly, knowing she should leave, but slightly reluctant to do so. These few minutes’ conversation, during the quiet early hours of the morning, had been something of a truce. Tomorrow, she didn’t doubt, they would be back to their normal armed warfare.

Gideon eyed the rugby top she wore. ‘Sam’s?’ he guessed dryly.

The top reached almost down to her knees, and the sleeves were pushed back so that the cuffs shouldn’t hang off the ends of her hands. But it was comfortable, and at three-thirty in the morning that was what she wanted to be.

‘I certainly hope so—otherwise I’ve lost an awful lot of weight!’ she teased lightly.

‘You’re perfect just as you are,’ Gideon said huskily.

Molly’s breath caught in her throat, her eyes wide as she stared at him. Had Gideon, of all people, just given her a compliment?

No, he couldn’t have done.

Could he…?

Gideon gave a slight smile as he saw the disbelief on her face that she was just too surprised to hide. ‘I’ve given you rather a hard time over the last few days, haven’t I?’ he murmured huskily.

Molly eyed him warily. ‘No harder than I’ve given you,’ she answered guardedly, remembering his anger earlier this evening when she had mentioned his feelings towards Crys.

Feelings, she realised with a sudden jolt, that he had been angry about her mentioning but had never actually denied…

Gideon stood up abruptly. ‘Don’t start letting your imagination run away with you again,’ he advised her harshly.

Molly’s chin rose defensively. ‘Isn’t that what we’ve both been doing these last few minutes?’ she challenged. ‘There is probably no connection at all between those telephone calls, the car I saw and Merlin getting lost,’ she said impatiently. ‘Emotions just seem to run a little high at Christmas time.’ She gave a derisive shake of her head.

‘Is that what it is?’ Gideon murmured softly, moving silently across the kitchen to stand only inches away from her. ‘Is that the reason that at any given moment I either want to smack your bottom or kiss you? And I’m never quite sure which it’s going to be until the moment happens.’ He shook his head. ‘Does that mean that in two days’ time this madness is going to stop?’ he added hopefully.

Molly stared up at him, too much aware of the silence of the sleeping house and its inhabitants not to know how dangerous this particular situation was. Especially as she knew herself to be in love with this man.

But how did Gideon feel about her? Like smacking her or kissing her, he had claimed, with little to choose between the emotions.

‘I expect it does.’ She nodded abruptly.

‘Pity,’ Gideon bit out, holding her gaze locked with his.

Molly moistened dry lips, swallowing hard. Exactly what had he meant by that? He couldn’t actually be enjoying this roller coaster of feelings every time the two of them were together?

‘You’re very kissable, you know, Molly,’ he added huskily, his gaze sliding to the movement of her tongue across her lips.

He eyes widened in alarm at how quickly the atmosphere had changed between them. From antagonism to intimacy in a matter of seconds. And it was wrong. All wrong.

She eyed him with deliberate mockery. ‘So I’ve been told,’ she taunted.

His head came up, his mouth tight as his narrowed gaze clashed with hers. Clashed and held, in the mental battle of wills taking place between them.

To Molly’s chagrin she was the first to look away, unable to sustain the challenge she had initiated between them because Gideon was standing close enough for her to be able to feel the heat of his body, to faintly smell the aftershave she knew he favoured.

‘You did that on purpose,’ he rasped suddenly, reaching out to grasp the tops of her arms.

Well, of course she had done it on purpose—how else could she have broken the intimacy that had been deepening between them by the second? Although she only seemed to have made the situation worse—Gideon was actually touching her now. And every time he did that her legs went weak at the knees.

‘Why, Molly?’ He shook her slightly. ‘What are you running away from?’

‘You, of course,’ she gasped, staring up at him incredulously. ‘It isn’t very comfortable for me being on the receiving end of your wanting to either smack my bottom or kiss me.’

Gideon became very still, his eyes dark as he looked at her. ‘At the moment I want to kiss you,’ he murmured throatily.

‘I know,’ she groaned.

She had known that for the last few minutes—would be a fool not to know that. But where would that get them? Nowhere, she knew. Which was why it would be better for everyone if it didn’t happen.

Except she wanted him to kiss her, too—ached to have him kiss her, to finish what they had started earlier!

‘Molly…!’ Gideon had time to murmur her name gruffly before his mouth once again claimed hers.

He was right. This was madness. But it was a madness Molly was no more able to stop than Gideon apparently was, and her lips parted to the pressure of his, her body curving against his hard contours even as her hands moved up over his shoulders, her fingers becoming entwined in the blond thickness of his hair.

These emotions had just been put on hold, she realised dazedly. Sam’s interruption earlier had been only a respite from a desire neither of them seemed able to resist.

Gideon raised his head slightly to look at her. ‘Why is it we’re always in the kitchen when I kiss you?’ he murmured self-derisively, his lips lightly grazing her temple.

‘Because it’s the warmest room in the house?’ she suggested huskily, aware of this man with every fibre of her body.

Gideon looked at her with dark, fathomless eyes. ‘I’m very warm. Aren’t you?’

Warm? She was on fire!

‘Quite warm,’ she answered softly, suddenly shy. The time, the stillness of the house, was making it seem as if they were the only two people on the planet.

‘Let’s go into the sitting-room,’ Gideon suggested gruffly, and he took her hand in his and turned to leave the kitchen.

Molly hesitated. The fire still glowed in the sitting-room. There was a sofa—a very comfortable one—in the sitting-room. And this was Gideon, a man who had expressed nothing but contempt for her.

She shook her head. ‘Gideon, I don’t think—’

‘No—don’t think,’ he encouraged throatily, turning back to cup one side of her face with the warmth of his hand. ‘Whenever the two of us start to think, collectively or singly, that’s when things go wrong between us.’ He bent his head to kiss her lingeringly on the lips. ‘Don’t think, Molly,’ he urged persuasively.

She couldn’t. Not when he kissed her with such aching passion. And she followed as he once again turned to leave the room.

She had been right about the sofa; it was comfortable. She sank back against the cushions as Gideon began to kiss her once again.

‘You did look very beautiful tonight in that red dress,’ he told her huskily as his lips travelled the length of her neck to the hollows of her throat. ‘But all I wanted to do all evening was strip it from you!’ he added achingly, before his lips returned to hers, fierce passion making any more talk between them impossible.

Molly’s heart had leapt in her chest at Gideon’s admission concerning her red dress, and her lips opened to his now as he deepened the kiss to intimacy.

His back was warm beneath his tee shirt, the muscles rippling beneath her fingertips as she touched him there, gasping slightly as his hands began to caress beneath her own top.

Only intending to come downstairs for a quick mug of coffee, she had merely pulled the rugby top and denims on over her nakedness, and Gideon groaned his approval as his searching hand encountered her bare breast.

It was Molly’s turn to groan as Gideon cupped and caressed her nakedness, her nipple already pert and inviting as a thumbtip moved across it in a light caress.

And all the time his lips continued to possess hers, and Molly was aware only of him, of the touch of his mouth and hands on her lips and body.

Her hands clutched convulsively in the hair at his nape as he moved his lips to her naked breast, and she seemed to stop breathing altogether as he drew the sensitive tip into the moist warmth of his mouth, his tongue a rasping caress.

Molly was aware of every muscle and sinew of him as he lay half across her on the length of the sofa, his long legs entangled with her own, the hardness of his thighs telling of his own desire—if she had needed any telling.

‘I want you, Molly,’ he groaned as his mouth returned to hers and his hands now caressed the fiery tips of her breasts. ‘God, how much I want you.’

She wanted him, too—too much to be able to say no to anything he asked of her.

His face was slightly flushed, his eyes glittering darkly as he raised his head to look at her, one of his hands moving to cup beneath her chin, his thumb running lightly over lips swollen from the hungry kisses they had just shared. ‘Say you want me, too, Molly,’ he encouraged huskily.

She didn’t have to say it—knew it had to be obvious when her whole body was on fire. Even the blood in her veins seemed to flow more heatedly, making her aware of every pulsing inch of her body, from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.

‘Say it, Molly!’ he urged again. ‘Tell me—’ He broke off abruptly. ‘What’s that?’ He frowned his confusion.

Molly frowned too as she became aware of a loud scrabbling noise somewhere in the house.

‘A sleigh with eight reindeer on the roof, do you think?’ Gideon suggested incredulously.

Molly gave a shaky smile. ‘Somehow I doubt that very much,’ she answered ruefully, very much aware of their closeness. Gideon’s bared chest was against her own, covered in that downy blond hair, as she had imagined it was.

‘So do I.’ Gideon gave a dazed shake of his head as he raised himself slightly. ‘What the—?’ He gasped as the sound of loud barking suddenly broke the silence around them.

‘It’s Merlin,’ Molly said concernedly, struggling to sit up.

‘I realise that, but—hell, if we don’t stop him he’s going to wake the whole house up in a minute!’ Gideon rasped, standing up to stride forcefully from the room with the obvious intention of silencing the dog.

Molly took a little longer to regain her equilibrium, still trembling with desire as she sat up to watch Gideon leave, her cheeks fiery red as she hastily pulled the rugby shirt down over her nakedness.

‘Saved by the dog’ didn’t sound quite the same as the original quote, but it was no less the truth, for all that. If Merlin hadn’t begun barking like this, shattering the intimacy between them, then she knew she would have told Gideon just how much she wanted him.

Too much!