was still as fierce as a warrior and as deft as a politician when it came to defending her claim to the castle. There were knights and grand duchesses in her family tree, and he was starting to see that he would be an idiot to underestimate her.
“Jane, a young woman just died. Do you really think under those circumstances that I’d be that heartless?” he demanded.
“This can’t be the first time you’ve tried to seduce someone to get what you want,” she said, crossing her arms.
“It’s not a habit, but on rare occasions, yes, I have seduced my opponents to get ahead. I seduce opposing lawyers, who are just as invested in seducing me I might add. I don’t go around bedding every woman I come in contact with just to win cases.”
“I’m basically representing myself,” she pointed out. “I can’t afford a lawyer, so I’m all I’ve got. I’ve been reading everything I can about German law, calling up the German embassy, getting translations, going to the library. All of it. I’m your opposing counsel, Gabriel, which basically makes me your number one target.”
Frustration mounted. There was no getting through to her tonight. His jaw clenched. A real pity, because he had enjoyed kissing her. More than enjoyed it. There weren’t a lot of kisses that would burn into his memory the way kissing Jane undoubtedly would. She had been all sweetness and hunger. Insatiable desire wrapped up in one curvy, delectable little package.
He held up his hands. Gabriel had never overstayed his welcome with a woman, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to start now. He’d deal with his raging hard-on in his own damn time. “Sleep well, Jane.”
She lifted her chin, casting him a withering gaze. “Goodnight, Gabriel.”
Without another word, he ducked out of her bedroom and headed into his. The only way to deal with his throbbing erection was to try to sleep it off, so he undressed and got into bed. Despite the wintery weather outside, he was feverish with lust. It took forever for him to fall asleep, and when he did his dreams were filled with Jane. His brain replayed that bone-melting kiss all night long, and only waking up to weak sunlight streaming in through the window saved him from the torment of not being able to have her.
He got out of bed, took an ice-cold shower to calm down, and started getting dressed. If he had told Jane the real reason he had kissed her, maybe she wouldn’t have thrown him out. She might even have invited him to stay the night. But he didn’t need a pity lay. If he was going to have her, he wanted Jane to be driven mad by desire the same way he was whenever she was near. Besides, the truth was too painful to share without ruining an amorous mood anyway. The hurt of reliving it would have been unbearable in the aftermath of the poor maid’s horrible death.
As he buttoned up his shirt he tried not to dwell on the past, but it was no use. Last night’s terrible events seemed to bring his memories flooding back now.
Gabriel was his parents’ second son. The spare to the heir that was his older brother, Jay. From birth his parents had put Jay on track to go to an Ivy League university and then on to an illustrious legal career. As the eldest son, Jay had been destined for greatness. Gabriel had been destined to stand in his brother’s shadow. Which had been fine by Gabriel as a kid. He hadn’t wanted the spotlight. If anything, he was happy for Jay. His older brother had been his best friend growing up, and they had been inseparable. Instead of the spotlight, what Gabriel had actually wanted was his parents to pay attention to him. To at least notice that their eldest son wasn’t actually an only child.
Then it had happened. Gabriel had gotten his wish in the most harrowing way imaginable. Like they had every summer as children, Jay and Gabriel had gone to their grandfather’s home on Long Island Sound. They had both gone out on a boat together but nearly got caught in a flash storm. In their bid to escape the rough waters they had turned back. But they hadn’t been able to outrun the storm, and with poor visibility they had crashed onto some rocks.
Jay hit his head, and even though Gabriel knew in his heart that his brother was