Page 20 of A Duke's Lustful Riddle
His heart ached at the thought of his father, but he also knew that he and the late duke never got along. It was not as if he had just walked away with no stated reason behind his exit.
“Please, it is not what you are thinking. My father and I never really saw eye to eye.” Gabriel could hear the pleading tone in his voice, and he hated himself for it.
“I don’t want to hear it. Your father needed you and you weren’t there so do not act like you care now.” Gemma’s curt tone indicated that she was not in the mood to listen to Gabriel’s explanation.
With that, Gemma huffed and stalked away from Gabriel. There he was once again, missing the point entirely.
Gabriel was taken aback by the glint in her eyes, fierce and accusing, and he found himself defenseless against it. Gemma couldn’t possibly understand him and his father’s relationship. She was not privy to the many arguments about his future and the disdain his father had for his dreams. As Gemma walked away, Gabriel sighed deeply. He wasn’t getting this properly handled at all.
It only took a minute before he started following her, determined to make amends and help her find the treasure.
“Gemma! Wait…please. Maybe, I can help you solve the riddle,” Gabriel called out after Gemma.
Gemma stopped in her tracks, turning to face Gabriel head on.
“Do you think that your help is truly needed?” Her face and voice said that she did not believe him at all.
“I cared for my father, I truly did, and you are right. I wasn’t there when he needed me, but I am here now. Please let me be of some service to you and to his memory.” Gabriel placed extra emphasis on the word, ‘please.’
Gemma stared at Gabriel with a very intent look on her face before turning and continuing through the maze. Gabriel hurried to keep up with her pace.
The pair made it to the center of the maze and the tension had grown between them with each passing moment of silence. Gemma could feel her heartbeat quickening with each step.
At the center of the maze stood a tall fountain.
The fountain was large, and the water was flowing freely from the spout in the center.
As they moved closer to it, there was a dark spot in the pool of the fountain. A mass that neither had seen there before.
Gabriel rolled his sleeves up and reached into the fountain, pulling out a wooden box.
“Well, it looks as if the duke really did leave a treasure behind,” Gabriel said, holding the soaked box. “I can hardly believe that my father did this, after all of our controversy and strife.”
“Well, open it,” Gemma demanded as she clapped her hands together in excitement.
Opening the box, they found a letter inside which held a riddle as to where the next clue could be found. Miraculously, it had been stored in such a way and within a bag so as to keep its words and message intact.
Gemma read the clue aloud as Gabriel gazed at her.
He was momentarily distracted by a loose lock of hair caressing Gemma’s face. His hand moved of its own volition, tucking the wayward strand behind her ear.
Chapter 10
As Gemma read the letter from the box, she felt a hand brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. The touch was feather-light, but it sparked a rush of heat inside her.
Gemma found herself caught off guard. There was that quickening of the pulse once again.
The soft touch sent a shiver down her spine, a sense of electrifying awareness that she was now becoming somewhat used to by now.
Her heart pounded in her chest, the rhythm matching the flutters in the pit of her stomach.
The world came to a standstill, the only thing that existed in that moment was Gabriel’s hand against her skin. The warmth of his touch seared into her senses.
Gemma looked up and met Gabriel’s gaze.
For a fleeting moment, she saw something deep inside his eyes. A glint of something more than the dutiful guardian. Something that mirrored the storm of emotions whirling inside Gemma’s heart.
She found herself drawn to him. Yearning for the softness she had just witnessed.
