Page 31 of A Diamond Deal with Her Boss
Abby didn’t say anything because her tongue was suddenly glued to the roof of her mouth.
‘I thought,’ Gabriel said conversationally as he strolled towards the bed, sending her nervous system into panicked overdrive, ‘You would have been asleep by now.’ He slipped under the covers and propped himself up on his side to look at her.
‘Are you finished working already?’ Abby wondered how likely it was that she could introduce some kind of work-related issues into whatever brief, embarrassing conversation she would have to have with the wretched man who looked infuriatingly bright-eyed and bushy-tailed from what she could make out in the darkness.
‘It’s after one. I might not need much sleep, Abby, but an entire night without any would test even me.’
‘I thought you mentioned that you might be sleeping in the office.’
‘Is that why you’re still awake?’
‘Of course not!’
‘Oh, good. Because, were that to be the case, then I would have to question your assertion that you could share a bed naked with me and not notice my presence.’
‘I never said that.’
The conversation was being conducted in hushed whispers and that made Abby feel as though they were being naughty kids indulging in something that would get them into trouble should they get caught. She cleared her throat and frantically tried to think of a good way to end the conversation, because her whole body was on fire.
In between the self-indulgent buying of designer clothes, she’d somehow contrived to forget that she meant to buy a set of drab pyjamas. Probably because such an item hadn’t been stocked in any of the boutiques she’d entered. Rich women who wore silk and cashmere obviously didn’t do flannelette as well.
‘My mistake,’ Gabriel murmured. He shifted. Thought about that glimpse of the very sexy night gown he had glimpsed on the single passing occasion.
‘Well...’ Abby faked a yawn. ‘I should get some sleep. Busy day tomorrow if we plan on touching base with the CEO of Mira Holdings.’
‘No plans there.’
‘But I thought...’
‘I know. However, as you can surmise by now, all plans are in a state of flux. I don’t want my grandmother suspecting that this is anything but the real deal, and as a guy who is supposedly newly loved up, rushing off clutching a briefcase with a row of pens in my top pocket isn’t going to cut it. I’m keeping on top of things in London, getting through essential emails, and I’ve done what I can do about the deals I had lined up to work on over here—but that’s about as far as I can go for the rest of the time we’re here.’
‘You grandmother obviously doesn’t know you,’ Abby couldn’t resist saying in a tart undertone. ‘If she thinks that you would actually take time off to relax when there’s work to be done.’
‘Maybe she thinks I would if I were loved up enough.’
‘And would you?’
‘Never been there, so couldn’t tell you.’
‘I should get some sleep.’
‘You looked beautiful tonight.’
Abby’s breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened. She clamped her thighs tightly together but she could feel the dampness between her legs and the push of her nipples against her soft, silky nightie. With every pore in her being, she was aware of just how scantily dressed she was under the protection of the cover.
‘Don’t say that,’ she whispered.
‘It’s the truth,’ Gabriel said huskily. This was playing with fire, and he had promised himself that it was something he wouldn’t do, but something was pulling him towards the fire and he wanted to plunge his hands in just to see how it would feel. ‘Don’t tell me you didn’t notice all those men looking at you.’
‘I don’t notice stuff like that,’ Abby squeaked. ‘It was probably the dress.’
‘You’re running yourself down. That creep really did a number on you, Abby. Is that why you hide behind those drab clothes?’
‘I don’t hide behind drab clothes!’ But she giggled, because he was just so predictable in certain ways. ‘I come to work, Gabriel. I’m not going to wear thigh-high boots and micro-minis!’
‘Shame. It would be interesting to see how you would look in that get-up.’
‘I’m going to sleep now.’
