‘‘Agreed,’’ Drake said, hesitating a moment. ‘‘He will in all likelihood be expecting such a move, you know.’’

Gabriel didn’t answer, but the smile that curled his lips left me shivering again . . . this time with cold.

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

‘‘Alone at last,’’ Gabriel said in his best dramatic voice, his dimples at odds with the lascivious grin he was giving me as he closed the door and leaned against it.

I stopped admiring the room and eyed him slowly. Although Drake seemed to wear the color of his sept frequently—mostly in his shirts—Gabriel wasn’t clad in silver. Instead he wore a pair of faded jeans and a scarlet shirt, opened just enough to show a beaded necklace from which hung a silver version of his sept emblem. He was the sexiest man I’d ever seen, and I was just a fraction of a second from leaping upon him when there was a knock at the door. It opened, bumping against him.

‘‘I’m so sorry, I didn’t know you were there,’’ Aisling said when Gabriel moved away enough for the door to open completely. She smiled happily at us both. ‘‘I just wanted to check that everything was all right. There’s a bathroom attached, in case you didn’t know, just through the door opposite.’’

‘‘Thank you. I’m sure we’ll have no problem finding it,’’ I said, trying not to drool on Gabriel.

She bustled into the room, tweaking the cover on the bed before going over to a large antique wardrobe. ‘‘There should be some extra blankets in here, if you get chilly. Oh, and everything’s been fireproofed, so you guys can . . . well . . . I’m sure I don’t need to explain it.’’

‘‘Everything is lovely,’’ I said, feeling awkward. Gabriel ignored Aisling to watch me with the intensity of a panther about to pounce. It just about blared his intention to indulge in wild, unbridled lovemaking, and although I had every intention of fulfilling that thought, it was a bit embarrassing to have everyone know it.

Drake suddenly appeared, herding his wife out of the room and down the hall with an apologetic glance at Gabriel. ‘‘Kincsem, you should have been in bed an hour ago. You will tire yourself.’’

‘‘I’m pregnant, not an imbecile, Drake! It’s quite obvious they want to be alone, but I just wanted to make sure they had everything first. There’s nothing more annoying than being caught short during the middle, if you know what I mean . . .’’ Aisling’s voice drifted down the hall after her.

Gabriel sighed, closed the door, and leaned against it in a repeat of his earlier action. His eyes blazed with blatant promise as he examined me thoroughly. ‘‘Alone at—’’

The door thumped open again, hitting him hard enough that it sent him staggering forward a few steps. He whirled and glared at the black dog that stood in the doorway.