Читать книгу Gabriel's Heart - Madeline George - Страница 14

Midnight. As far as Trina could determine, the entire train—with the exception of the engineer, of course—was asleep. No one would hear when she gave Gabriel Hart a piece of her mind. No man would embarrass Katrina McCabe and get away with it unscathed.

Trina eased into the corridor and looked carefully up and down, making sure no one was out and about at this hour. Even the excited, rowdy children at the end were sound asleep. The train’s motion had slowed considerably, now that they were higher in the mountains. The gentle swaying and rhythmic clicking of the machinery locking the cars together proved extremely conducive to sleep. But Trina had no intention of sleeping.

She tiptoed to Gabriel’s door and listened. No sound within. Dreaming, no doubt, of how he’d humiliated her in front of her father. Just because she’d squeezed his leg a couple of times was no excuse for what he’d done. Why, all she’d wanted was to shake him up a little—show him that she was in control of the situation. He’d spoiled it by…

A noise. Footsteps inside. A door bumping. The water closet? Trina waited a minute, then straightened her spine and knocked lightly. She certainly didn’t want to wake her father. No response.

She knocked again, harder this time.

The knob turned and Gabriel looked out.

Before Trina could say anything, he opened the door wider, grabbed her arm and pulled her into the room. With one smooth motion he closed the door and turned the lock.

“Mr.—”

“Shut up.” He leaned toward her stammering mouth.

“But—”

“Shut up.” He clamped his mouth over hers and pulled her hard against him.

Trina couldn’t move, his hold on her was so tight, and she couldn’t breathe because he was kissing her…kissing her so…deliciously. She gave in and kissed him back.

Gabriel took a step toward the bed he’d fallen into over an hour ago, and pulled Trina along with him. Her tongue in his mouth made his head swim, and the feel of her against his bare chest conjured up pictures in his head—and sensations in his loins—of her bare skin next to his. But she was trussed up like a turkey, and it would take at least ten minutes of dedicated work to loosen all the stays and laces associated with that confounded corset she was wearing. How did women tolerate such a torturous device? Was she so fat she had to hold in the rolls in order to appear slender? He decided, right then and there, to find out for himself.

“Buttons…” she mumbled against his lips.

Gabriel laughed out loud.

Trina couldn’t believe her ears. He’d wake the whole train if he didn’t stop all that noisy laughing! Trina clamped her hands behind his neck and brought his mouth down to hers again to shut him up.

Gabriel didn’t mind. He fumbled with the small, round buttons, but they frustrated him completely. He took hold of each side of the blouse and ripped the rest of the buttons off.

Trina let out a little shriek, but decided what was done was done. Hungrily she pulled him closer, amazed he could produce such a fever pitch in her. Never had she felt so…well, so alive! So excited! So anxious. It wasn’t what she’d come for. Was it? Perhaps it was. Perhaps—Oh, dear God. Oh…dear…oh…

Gabriel found her breasts beneath the blouse and camisole. Even though they crowded upward because of that infernal corset, he could tell there wasn’t an extra ounce of fat on this woman. No, indeed. She didn’t need a corset. Or any clothes at all, for that matter. In fact, he suspected, buck naked she might be the most beautiful thing he’d ever laid eyes on, bar none.