Page 4 of His Fantasy Bride (Things To Do Before You Die)

He stared at the door as if willing it to open. What would she say?

When nothing happened and another five minutes passed, he took a deep breath and stepped toward the door. He almost expected it to be locked but the handle turned, and he pushed it open.

It led into a long, narrow room, but his surroundings faded because there she was.

She stood only a few feet away, a startled expression in her wide blue eyes. He pushed the door open further and stepped into the room, enveloped instantly in a wave of feminine perfumes. She took a step back.

He released the door, and it swung shut behind him, the click loud in the silence.

She stared at him for long moments. He stared back. She was the same but completely different. She’d always worn her hair in a tidy blond bob, cut off neat at the shoulders. Now it was pulled into a high messy pony tail and the blond was mixed with bright magenta streaks. Her face was free of makeup, where before she’d always worn a small amount, subtle and understated. Now her skin was clear, her lips dark pink, pouty. His eyes skimmed over her face and then back—she had a diamond stud in her nose, and he started in shock.

It occurred to him that he would never have looked twice at this woman. She reminded him too much of his students, young and edgy and off-limits. It was one of his unspoken rules—never get involved with anyone at his work, and certainly not a student.

But Gabrielle wasn’t a student, and she was twenty-four—five years younger than him. At least, that’s what she’d told him, though now he was beginning to question everything.

He’d always thought her classically beautiful. Now she looked…sexy. Her heart-shaped face had a dimple in the chin. Her nose was small, her cheekbones high, and her eyes huge and midnight blue.

He cleared his throat and dropped his gaze.

Merda.

She still wore the purple leotard, and it was skin-tight and clinging to her curves.Cristo, he could see her nipples pressed against the soft material, and the blood drained to his groin. Her breasts were small but rounded. He was pretty sure she was naked beneath the thin material and saliva flooded his mouth.

She still hadn’t spoken, just stood there staring back at him, her gaze fixed on his face. Then she took a step toward him. Her hand reached out, and she stroked a finger down over his cheekbone.

Of course, the scar. That was new.

“What happened?” she murmured and even her voice had a sexy edge, low and husky. He’d always thought she had a beautiful voice but never considered it sexy. Maybe this wasn’t Gabrielle. A twin sister? With the same name? Unlikely.

“Vito?”

He shook his head. What had she said?

Her finger caressed the curve of his cheek. The scar? That was it. He cleared his throat. “An accident. On a cruise ship. I was hit by a burning cable.”

“Ouch.”

He shrugged. “It could have been worse.”

Her hand dropped to her side, and she studied him, her head cocked. While she wasn’t short for a woman, she only came to his shoulder, and this close, looking down, he could see the swell of her breasts above the tight material. He tried to focus on her face.

“It suits you,” she said after a minute. “You were too perfect before.”

If he was so goddamn perfect, why had she run? The first flickers of anger licked along his nerves. She’d clearly moved on with her life—a completely different life than he had imagined.

“Why?” he asked, and the word came out as a growl, harsher than he’d intended.

She took a step back, her eyes widening. He’d never spoken to her in anger. He always kept his temper in check. Anger never achieved anything, but now he could feel it churning in his gut, rising up, unfamiliar, and tipping him further off balance.

She looked away, licked her lips with a small pointed tongue and heat flared up, mingling with the rage. Her gaze returned to his face, and she focused on his lips.

“Gabrielle?”

“I think I need to kiss you.”

At first, the words made no sense. They were certainly not what he expected, but then nothing about this encounter was like anything he’d imagined. And he could think of absolutely nothing to say. Then she took a step toward him, and his mind slid into chaos. He tried one last time. “We should talk—”

She stopped him with a finger to his lips. “Later. Kiss me first, and then we’ll talk.”

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