Read Online Still Mr. And Mrs. by Patricia Olney - Free Book Online

groaned involuntarily.
    “Wasn’t there something about starting a fire?” she murmured.
    “More like a raging inferno,” he whispered, knowing he should be pulling away.
    “Well, set me on fire, Gabe.”

SIX
    Rebecca felt as if she were falling into a bottomless pit.
    Gabe’s strong hands circling her waist, caressing her back were even better than she’d remembered.
    A sigh escaped her lips.
    He grasped her arms in his hands and brought them close to his chest, wrapping her in his warmth.
    Then he briefly touched her lips with his.
    She struggled to take in a deep breath, bringing into her senses everything that was him. The soft touch of his mouth, the sweet taste of his tongue, the smell of him, clean and masculine.
    She hoped the moment would continue forever.
    “I dreamed about you last night,” he whispered.
    She opened her eyes and focused on him, his chiseled features, his soft mouth, his dark eyes.
    “I’m surprised it wasn’t a nightmare.”
    He gave a deep, throaty laugh. “In fact, it’s becoming nearly impossible to stop thinking about you.”
    She touched her bottom lip with the tip of her tongue, aware that his gaze followed her movements.
    “What do you say we order pizza for just the two of us tonight? We can share a quiet evening, you and me. Alone.”
    Without any warning at all, his demeanor changed. He squeezed her hands as he tensed.
    “As tempting as that sounds, I can’t.”
    Much too quickly, she felt her smile dim, and her hopes sink.
    “I have a dinner meeting at the country club.”
    “Tell them you’re busy,” she said matter-of-factly.
    “Ah, Reb.” His voice took on that cool tone she hated. “I can’t.”
    The emotion and love she’d seen in his eyes moments before were suddenly gone, replaced bythe serious look she’d seen far too many times. It was as though they’d pushed each other too far, and Gabe was the first one backing off.
    Running away was more like it.
    She stiffened more with hurt than anger. “Sounds like you won’t.”
    He brought her hand up to his mouth. “Dammit,” he swore, pressing his lips to her open palm. “Please be reasonable.”
    “I’m trying. Really I am.”
    “I want this merger to go through more than you can imagine.”
    “Why?”
    “Because the company is slipping.”
    She took in a steady breath, amazed that he actually admitted something was wrong. He’d never opened up to her about anything when they were together.
    “Jonathan has made an offer that the board thinks is too low,” he continued. “This is my family’s company we’re talking about. I don’t like being forced into a corner.”
    She’d learned that lesson the hard way. She’d forced him into a corner once before and now they were headed for a divorce.
    “What about our agreement? The baby? We need some time to discuss it.”
    “I can’t deal with this right now.” He sounded impatient. “Make an appointment with my secretary the first Monday after this whole mess is over. I promise we can discuss all the tiny details.”
    “Fine, I’ll get in touch with your secretary.” She slipped her feet into her sandals and wrapped her towel around her waist.
    “I’m sorry.” He grabbed her hand. “I don’t mean to act as though I don’t care about what you want. You’ve been more than generous with your time and everything else. You don’t know how much I appreciate it. But this merger has to be my first priority. You understand?”
    “Maybe if you’d spent even half as much effort fighting for our marriage as you are fighting for your company, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”
    She headed toward the guest house, knowing he was watching every step. She looked over her shoulder, having at least a little satisfaction in seeing that she was right. He looked about as bad as she felt.
    “I hope you get what you want, Gabe,” she said, and walked into the house.

    Gabe saw Reb the instant he walked into the garden room the next morning. She