The Yuletide Engagement & A Yuletide Seduction (6 page)

But the shawl did feel so warm, and it had such panache—its front drape fell to just above her knees; the other drape was thrown stylishly across one shoulder by Patrick. She didn't want to refuse it!

Patrick's hands moved up to cradle either side of her face as he looked down at her intently. “Just say, ‘Thank you, Patrick', politely,” he told her dryly. “Give me a kiss for good measure. And then we'll be on our way.”

She tried to swallow, knowing which part of those instructions had suddenly caused this obstruction in her throat. Verbally thanking him would be no problem—

“Too difficult?” he teased mockingly. “Okay, just kiss me and we'll forget all about saying thank you!”

That was the part that was bothering her! And Patrick knew it too. The light of challenge burned in those otherwise enigmatic grey eyes.

The problem was, if she “just” kissed him, as he suggested, would either of them be able to forget about that? Ellie knew that she wouldn't!

“Don't take too long deciding, Ellie,” Patrick told her dryly. “Or the party will be over before we even get there!”

Which, to Ellie's mind, wouldn't be a bad thing!

But she was prevaricating. She knew she was. Patrick knew she was, too. Why not just kiss him and get it over with?

“Thank you for my present, Patrick.” She stood on
tiptoe and kissed him lightly on the mouth. “But you shouldn't have—”

Patrick put silencing fingertips over her lips. “Don't ruin it, Ellie,” he told her huskily. “And do you call that a kiss?” he added derisively. “Sarah shows me more enthusiasm than you just did!”

Sarah was his cousin, and perfectly free to kiss him as enthusiastically as she chose. Ellie—who wasn't quite sure what she was to him—felt rather more constrained.

“How about you try again, hmm?” Patrick encouraged throatily.

He was suddenly very close. Ellie was able to feel the warmth of his body, smell his spicy aftershave, and as she looked up into his eyes she could see that his pupils were dilated, so that only a ring of grey showed about the eyes.

“Patrick…!” She groaned huskily, before she once again rose on tiptoe, her mouth soft and pliant against his as she kissed him with all the pent-up longing inside her.

Patrick's arms moved about her waist as he pulled her in against his body, although he let Ellie continue to control the kiss.

If you could call it control when she just wanted to melt against him and give in to the languorous yearning of her body!

“Wow!” he breathed slowly when Ellie broke the kiss, lightly resting his forehead against hers. “Now, that's what I call a kiss. You have hidden talents, Miss Fairfax,” he added warmly.

Ellie swallowed hard. “I—”

“Will I do?” Toby burst unceremoniously into the
kitchen, coming to an abrupt halt as he saw how close Ellie and Patrick were standing to each other. “Sorry.” He grimaced self-consciously. “I had no idea— I mean—”

“You'll do, Toby,” the older man told him dryly as he stepped away from Ellie. “I was just telling your sister how beautiful she looks this evening,” he prompted pointedly.

“Er—yes, sis, you look great,” Toby said, a perplexed frown on his brow. He still sounded slightly flustered—as well he might; the last thing he had expected was to see Ellie and Patrick in what must have looked like a clinch!

Ellie was a little puzzled as to why Toby was dressed in a black dinner suit and white shirt…

Patrick shot the younger man a searching look, and whatever he saw there in Toby's face caused him to give an impatient shake of his head. “Did I forget to mention that Toby is coming with us this evening?” he said blandly, turning to pick up his car keys from where he had left them on the table earlier.

Not only had he forgotten to mention it—but so had Toby!

E
LLIE
still had no idea, seated beside Patrick in the front of the car as he drove competently through the busy streets, why her brother should be accompanying them.

Obviously he was Patrick's assistant, but this was a family party, to celebrate—or commiserate!—with Sarah on her engagement to Gareth. Admittedly, Toby obviously knew much more of the Delacorte family than Ellie had at first realised, but what possible place did he have amongst such a gathering?

She gave a dismissive shake of her head, giving up on trying to work that one out; she already had enough to think about this evening without worrying about why her brother should have been invited too.

Patrick's present, for one thing…

Even now Ellie snuggled down into the warmth of the shawl, loving the feel of the soft wool against her arms. And Patrick had obviously been out and bought the gift himself. Which made it doubly precious.

That kiss, for another thing…

Given enough opportunity, she could quite get used to kissing Patrick. In fact, she couldn't think of anything she enjoyed more, could still feel the sensuous warmth of his lips against hers…

Stop it, she instantly ordered herself exasperatedly.
There was no point in getting used to Patrick kissing her. In fact, it might never happen again, so she had better get used to that!

The Delacorte house was ablaze with lights as Patrick parked the car outside. Over twenty cars were already parked in the long driveway—Jaguars, Mercedes, Rolls Royces and the occasional Range Rover, Ellie noted with a self-conscious grimace.

As Gareth had quickly realized when he'd come to work for Delacorte, Delacorte and Delacorte, Ellie was quite a favourite with George Delacorte, but she had never actually been to George and Mary's house before. She now found a butler opening the door to their ring, a maid taking their coats and wraps. The luxurious décor and furnishings of the house were all a bit overwhelming.

Did Patrick's parents have a house like this one too?

Probably, she acknowledged heavily. Even if, as she vaguely remembered Toby once telling her, as a bachelor of thirty-eight Patrick lived in an apartment of his own in town.

All this luxury made their own little house seem positively minute in comparison!

But then there was no point in comparison; the obvious wealth of Patrick's relatives only served to emphasise the differences between the two of them. Differences she would do well to remember.

There was the sound of voices and laughter coming from a sitting room that led off to the right of the huge reception hall, and it was to this room that Patrick took them, his hand lightly under Ellie's elbow. Almost as if
he knew that what she really wanted to do was turn tail and run!

“My family doesn't bite, Ellie,” Patrick told her mockingly now. “At least not on first acquaintance!” he added tauntingly.

“How reassuring,” Ellie drawled, taking a glass of champagne from the circulating waiter.

“If the two of you will excuse me…?” Toby muttered distractedly, before disappearing into the throng of people already crowded into the room.

Ellie watched his departure with puzzlement. “What—?”

“Let's go and say hello to George and Mary,” Patrick suggested lightly. “You had better hold my hand.” He held it out to her. “I would hate to lose you in the crush.”

Ellie would hate to lose him too; she hadn't recognised a single face in the room so far, apart from George and Mary Delacorte where they stood over by the huge fireplace, chatting to another middle-aged couple.

It was undoubtedly a large room, seeming to run the entire width of the house, with a huge bay window at one end and doors out into the garden at the other, but with fifty or so people in it there was barely room to move.

“We have a large family,” Patrick told Ellie ruefully as he managed to push his way through in the direction of the fireplace.

Ellie and Toby had several aunts, uncles and cousins too, but they would be hard pushed to fill even their small sitting room with the dozen or so that made up their family.

It didn't help her nervousness when she instantly saw the likeness between Mary Delacorte and the tall dark-
haired man who made up half of the other couple the Delacortes were chatting to. She knew she was right in the conclusion she had come to as the man gave a light laugh; his likeness to Patrick was unmistakeable.

Saying good evening to George and Mary was one thing, meeting Patrick's parents was something else entirely!

Ellie came to an abrupt halt before they reached the foursome, giving Patrick an accusing glare when he looked down at her questioningly. “I don't think that's a good idea, Patrick,” she bit out tautly.

He gave her a considering look. “Ellie, introducing you to my parents is not tantamount to making a declaration about our relationship,” he finally drawled teasingly.

“No, Patrick.” She gave a firm shake of her head. “Helping out with this situation concerning Gareth is one thing, but I won't complicate things by meeting your parents.” She determinedly released her hand from his. “You go and say hello to them. I'll go and find the ladies' room.”

He frowned darkly. “But—”

“I said no, Patrick.” Her gaze met his unwaveringly. “I'll be standing over by the bay window when you've finished talking to them.”

“Wearing a pink carnation in your lapel?” he returned, with obvious impatience at her determination.

She gave the ghost of a smile. “I don't have a lapel.”

Patrick shook his head as he looked down at her frustratedly. “You are undoubtedly the most stubborn woman I've ever met!”

Her smile was more genuine this time. “Nice to know
I have the distinction of being something,” she returned unconcernedly.

His expression lightened. “Oh, you're a lot more than that, Ellie,” he assured her dryly, before sighing resignedly. “Okay, no introduction to my parents. But try not to get lost, hmm?” he encouraged.

As it happened, despite directions from the busy maid in the hallway, she did get lost—several times—and it was almost fifteen minutes later when she came back down the stairs. Only to walk straight into Gareth—literally—as he began walking up them.

The words of apology died on his lips as he looked up and recognised her. The boyish smile turned to one of derision. “I thought you had decided not to come to the party after all when I saw your boyfriend was in there alone,” he bit out caustically.

Ellie straightened her shoulders, her hand tightly gripping her evening bag; Gareth was the last person she'd wanted to find herself alone with! “Obviously you thought wrong,” she returned, non-committal—about the “boyfriend” or the fact that she was there!

“Obviously,” Gareth acknowledged hardly. “I don't know what you're hoping to achieve by all this, Ellie, but—”

“I have no idea what you're talking about,” she interrupted firmly, glancing over his shoulder in the hope that Patrick or Toby might see her predicament and come to her rescue; neither of them was in sight.

He grimaced. “I realise that you're in love with me, Ellie, but—”

“You realise no such thing!” Ellie interrupted heatedly, knowing that briefly she might have thought herself in love with this man. But it had only been briefly. She
was most certainly over whatever she had once felt for him! “If I'm in love with anyone, it most certainly isn't you,” she added scathingly.

Gareth's gaze narrowed. “McGrath?”

She didn't know what she felt for Patrick—had spent most of the last twenty-four hours determinedly not giving herself time to even think along those lines.

Her chin rose challengingly. “And what if it is?”

He gave a pitying shake of his head. “Then you're wasting your time there more than you were with me,” he scorned. “Delusions of grandeur!” he added nastily.

“And what about you?” Ellie flushed angrily—more so because she knew what he said was true. “Isn't Sarah Delacorte just as much out of your league as Patrick is out of mine?”

“Ah, but I've already succeeded with Sarah,” he reminded her confidently.

“Not for long, if I have my way,” Ellie snapped furiously. “You— Let go of my arm, Gareth!” she gasped as he grasped her painfully on exactly the same spot he had the previous evening. And she had the bruises to prove it!

He ignored her, maintaining his grip, his face very close to hers now, his eyes glittering angrily. “Don't try and mess this up for me, Ellie,” he warned softly. “Because if you do—”

“Everything all right, Ellie?”

It was Toby who came to Ellie's rescue this time. Gareth released her in time for her to turn and see her brother strolling across the hallway to join them.

“Davies,” he greeted the other man coolly before turning to look at Ellie concernedly.

Ellie had a good idea what he would see too; she was
both shocked and dismayed by Gareth's verbal attack on her, and the bruises on her arm were hurting.

“Ellie, Patrick was looking for you so that you can go into the buffet together,” Toby said softly. “I think you should go and join him,” he added firmly.

She didn't want to rejoin Patrick; she just wanted to leave, to go home and lick her wounds—literally. Her arm really was throbbing, adding to the discomfort of the bruises already there.

“I'll just stay here and have a few quiet words with Gareth,” Toby continued lightly, before turning to the other man. “I don't think I've congratulated you on your engagement yet, have I?”

Ellie left them to it. These confrontations with Gareth were unpleasant as well as nerve-shattering. Although Patrick seemed to be right in his surmise that she only needed to appear in order to upset Gareth's self-confidence. She just wasn't sure she was up to the effect these meetings were having on her own self-confidence!

Patrick was frowning darkly as she joined him by the window. “Where on earth have you been?” he snapped. “I finished talking to my parents long ago. I— What is it?” he probed concernedly when Ellie's eyes misted over with tears. “Ellie…?” He lightly clasped her arm.

Ellie gasped at this added pressure on a spot that already felt black and blue, biting her bottom lip as her tears became tears of pain.

Patrick instantly released her when he realised he was hurting her. “Ellie, where have you been?” he asked slowly. “And why does your arm hurt?”

She shook her head, desperately blinking back the tears; she didn't want to make a complete fool of her
self—and Patrick—in front of his family. “I bumped into Gareth in the hallway—”

“That's how you hurt your arm?” he ground out suspiciously, eyes narrowed to steely slits.

“Not exactly,” she conceded awkwardly. “You see, I still have bruises there from last night, when he grabbed me, and—”

“Davies hurt you?” Patrick bit out, dangerously soft.

“I don't suppose he meant to,” she lied—knowing from the expression on Gareth's face earlier that he would greatly enjoy strangling her for what he saw as her interference! “You see—”

“Yes, I do see, Ellie,” Patrick ground out harshly, his narrowed gaze searching as he looked across the room towards the door. “Here's Toby,” he rasped. “I want you to stay here with him—while I go and have a few words with my so-called future cousin-in-law!”

“Patrick, no—” But she was too late. He had already left her side, muttering a few words to her brother in passing before going out into the hallway himself.

This was awful! She deplored Sarah's choice of future husband, knew Gareth for exactly what he was, but the last thing Ellie wanted was to cause trouble at Sarah's engagement party. And she was pretty sure, from the grim expression on Patrick's face as he'd left her side, that there was going to be trouble!

Toby smiled as he reached her. “Patrick wants me to take you in to the buffet; he's going to join us in a few minutes.”

Maybe this was the reason Toby had accompanied them to the party—this way Patrick had ensured that she was never left alone. Except she had been…

“Toby, Patrick is going to find Gareth and, from the looks of him, hit him,” she said agitatedly, staring anxiously towards the direction in which Patrick had so recently disappeared.

“So?” Toby prompted unconcernedly.

“Toby—”

“Ellie,” he cut in firmly. “I would have hit the man myself if I hadn't thought the bruises might show, but I had to settle for a few choice words instead. And talking of bruises…” He looked down at her searchingly. “Patrick said something about Gareth having hurt you just now?”

She sighed her impatience, wishing she hadn't given away the fact that her arm was bruised beneath the sleeve of her dress. “It doesn't matter,” she dismissed. “What matters is that Patrick is going to make a scene.” Her eyes were wide with distress at the thought.

Toby gave a confident shake of his head. “Patrick never makes a scene,” her brother assured her dryly.

No, he probably didn't—could probably get his point over by talking in that softly dangerous voice she had heard him use just now. But, nevertheless, she doubted Gareth would just meekly stand there and take whatever Patrick had to say to him.

“Come on, sis,” Toby encouraged lightly. “Let's go through to the other room and get some food.”

The last thing Ellie felt like doing was eating! How could she even think about food when Patrick and Gareth might even now be at each other's throats?

She hung back. “I just want to go home, Toby.” She sighed. “In fact, after tonight I need to rethink my whole life,” she added frowningly.

After tonight she wasn't even sure she could go on
working in the same building with Gareth, let alone anything else. If Gareth could be this threatening in the midst of his future in-laws, what possible chance did she stand of avoiding his wrath at the office?