A cynical light came into her eyes. “You mean he thought it was a good way of blackmailing me into coming home if he ever needed me.” She shook her head. “It’s still all about him, isn’t it?”
Damien ignored that. “Your father wouldn’t expect you to take over if you weren’t capable.”
Her eyebrows shot up as realization dawned on her. “Oh, so he’s been keeping tabs on me, too.”
He had no idea, but it was highly likely. “Russell doesn’t always take me into his confidence.” The older man had been a friend and mentor but he’d never spoken about his daughter until recently. “Look, I’ll help you. I’ve delegated some of my own business dealings to others. I’ve got the time.”
A flicker of apprehension crossed her face. “To work with me every day, you mean?”
“Yes.” And if he got to make love to her sooner, all the better.
Her beautiful blue eyes hardened and narrowed. “What’s in it for you, Damien?”
He returned her look with a level one of his own. “I want to help Russell. I owe him a lot.”
Seconds ticked by. “That’s commendable of you,” she said somewhat sourly.
His mouth tightened. “I admire Russell and what he’s achieved.”
“And look at the price he paid for it,” she pointed out. “He lost his wife and then his daughter, and now he’s losing his company. Don’t admire him, Damien. Pity him.”
“So why aren’t you?” he challenged, and saw her startled look. “Come on, Gabrielle. Tell me. Why aren’t you showing your father some pity?”
She bridled. “I’m here, aren’t I?”
“Under protest.”
She dropped her gaze to the table. “That may be so, but I do love my father nonetheless.” Her eyelashes lifted. “But even if I wanted to help more, there are limits to what I can do.”
“How do you know? You haven’t even tried.”
Her lip curled with sarcasm. “Your understanding amazes me.”
He took his time before saying what needed to be said. “You’re the only one who can save the company from ruin, Gabrielle.”
“What about my mother?” she said as sudden hope swept across her face. “Perhaps I can sign over the shares to her and she could stop Keiran from taking over the company. She only needs to put in an appearance and you could do the rest.”
“You would ask that of your mother? When she’s having a hard enough time as it is?”
“Yet it’s okay to ask it of me?” She grimaced, and a slight flush tinged her cheeks. “That sounded selfish. I didn’t mean it like that.”
He inclined his head. “Caroline’s got enough on her plate looking after your father right now.”
She raised her chin. “And if I don’t choose to be a part of this?”
“I don’t think you’d forgive yourself if your parents lost everything.”
She exhaled a long, ragged breath. “You really know how to tighten the thumb screws, don’t you?”
“Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do but we do them anyway.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll try,” she snapped. “But once my father’s on the mend, I’ll be leaving and going back to Sydney. Don’t forget that.”
“You’ve already made that clear.” But he was more than satisfied.
For the moment.
She placed her napkin on the table and pushed to her feet. “Somehow I’ve lost my appetite. I think I’ll go to my room. Good night.”
It was more than clear she wanted time alone. Time he could afford to give her.
He inclined his head. “Good night, Gabrielle,” he said, watching her walk away with a sway to her hips that would draw any man’s attention. Yet he wasn’t just any man. He’d been her lover, if not her confidant.
And she’d walked out on him without a proper goodbye. It had left a loss he only recognized now that he’d seen her again. A loss that went deeper than he’d expected. And because of it, he could feel an odd sort of anger simmering beneath the surface. An anger he wasn’t ready to face. Perhaps once he had enough of her body he’d never have to face it.
Three
G abrielle retired to the spare bedroom and stood looking out the window at the harbor. Being around Damien wasn’t conducive to being clear-minded. He always seemed to be watching her, waiting for her to lower her guard. And keeping up that guard was exhausting when she had other things to think about.
God, it was mind-boggling that her father had given her forty percent of the shares in the business. Of course, she thought cynically, he hadn’t been able to bring himself to give her the remaining sixty percent of the shares—not that she wanted them.
No, he’d been hedging his bets. He’d given her limited control of the business, but had withheld twenty percent of the shares for himself just in case his incapacitation had proven temporary. And that was predictably her father. He could never let go of total control.
As for Keiran holding forty percent of the shares, well, that was a justified worry. Her cousin had always had his eye on the main chance, no matter what had been at stake, whether it be tripping her up as a kid so he could jump in the swimming pool first, or trying to suck up to her father during her parents’ separation. She had no doubt Keiran was capable of anything. She disliked him intensely. He was the one person who should not be in charge of a multimillion-dollar business.
As for Damien, it was typical he hadn’t told her about this before now. If she didn’t know him better, she’d think he was just like Keiran, keeping secrets to himself and using them for his own benefit.
Only, she knew he wasn’t like Keiran.
Not at all.
Damien wasn’t underhanded, just arrogant. She couldn’t see Damien tripping anyone to get in the pool first. He just wasn’t that kind of person. Damien would manipulate to get what he wanted—oh, yes, and he was good at that—but there was a difference. Damien wasn’t the type to lie or cheat if confronted over an issue. If Damien said something, he meant it. If he gave his word, he would stand by it.
Heavens, never in her wildest dreams had she imagined she’d ever be spending another night sleeping under Damien’s roof. And in separate bedrooms, too. And that was just as well. He’d been a sensual man when she’d met him and she knew he hadn’t changed. She could still feel the sensuality rolling off him in waves. Even now she remembered the force of his desire from the day she’d walked into that function with her father and she’d felt the pull of a man’s eyes from across the room.