Page 41 of His Untouchable Heart

Gabrielle laughed as I carried her through the doorway and dropped her onto the mattress, her hair spilling across the pillows. She bounced lightly and pulled me down with her, her arms still looped around my neck.

“I cannot believe this is real,” she whispered.

I kissed her before I could answer. Just a slow press of my mouth against hers, my hand sliding beneath her back to draw her closer. She responded immediately, the tension from the day melting off her shoulders as her fingers threaded through my hair.

I rolled to my side, pulling her with me until we were tangled together, our legs interwoven, her dress bunching beneath my palm.

“You know I’m not going anywhere,” I murmured against her lips. “Not tonight. Not tomorrow. I’m in this with you, Gabrielle. I’m falling in love with you.”

Her breath hitched just slightly. “I know. I feel the same.”

I cupped her face and brushed my thumb across her cheek. But just as I leaned in, she stiffened. Her fingers gripped my arm, and her body went still.

“Gabrielle?” I pulled back, heart thudding with a different kind of urgency now.

She blinked, her lips parted, face suddenly pale.

“I—I think I’m dizzy,” she said, pressing a hand to her forehead.

I sat up instantly. “It might be the motion of the yacht. Let me?—”

“No,” she cut in, already pushing herself away from me. “No, it’s not that.”

She stumbled to her feet, one hand catching the edge of the bed for balance. Then she bolted for the bathroom, her bare feet slapping softly against the teak floor.

I followed on instinct, catching the door just before it shut. The sound of retching came almost immediately, sharp and painful.

“Gabrielle?” I called gently, not opening the door. “Hey… I’m right here.”

Another round of vomiting answered me. I clenched my fists uselessly at my sides.

This wasn’t motion sickness. It wasn’t too much wine—she’d only taken a few sips.

Something was wrong.

And suddenly, I didn’t care about the yacht, or the gallery, or Curtain, or anything else that existed outside this door.

I just needed her to be okay, so I let myself in.

Gabrielle was leaning against the cool tile of the bathroom wall, eyes closed, her breathing shallow and uneven. I knelt beside her, one hand supporting her back while the other reached for a towel to dampen under the faucet. When I pressed it gently to her forehead, she flinched at first, then let out a soft, broken sigh.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, not even opening her eyes. “I don’t know what that was.”

“It’s okay,” I said quietly. “Just breathe. You’re okay.”

Her skin was clammy, her hair sticking to her temples. I wanted to pick her up and fix everything, carry her back to the world where none of this was happening. But all I could do was hold her up and be there.

After a moment, she opened her eyes, glassy and disoriented. “Can you get Juliette?”

“Yeah. Of course.”

I hesitated only long enough to make sure she could sit upright against the vanity, then jogged barefoot down the narrow corridor to Juliette’s cabin. She opened the door on the first knock, her gaze instantly sharpening when she saw my face.

“She’s sick,” I said. “She asked for you.”

Juliette didn’t ask questions. She was already moving past me before I finished the sentence.

Back in the bathroom, she crouched in front of Gabrielle, her voice dropping into that familiar, firm rhythm of someone who had done this before. She pulled Gabrielle’s hair back, murmured something I couldn’t hear, and helped her to her feet.

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