He sighed and began rubbing his eyes. “Yes, I’m sure it was in poor taste to display them. And it was certainly in poor taste to subject you to them when they’re personal in that way. That’s why I felt it necessary to remove them before I brought you into my bedroom. But the photos were taken with their consent. In a few cases they begged, actually. You’ll notice that I’m in more than one of them too, so I was far from simply a prurient observer.”
She forgot her question about which photograph was of Paulina and drew back in complete and utter astonishment. “That’s you?”
“Yes.”
“The one I was asking you about, that’s you?”
His eyebrows knit together. “Don’t act so surprised. I thought you found me attractive.”
“But you’re naked in that photo.” Feeling very flustered, Julia began waving a hand furiously in front of her face, fanning her heated skin.
Gabriel laughed heartily and drew her closer. “I am naked in all those photos.” His voice oozed sex as he crooned in her ear. “That photo was my favorite too, even though in the end I didn’t like the woman very much.” He smiled a slow, smoldering grin and kissed the top of her head. “I’d like to take your picture.”
“I don’t think so.”
“You’re beautiful, Julianne. A photo of you—of your smile or your profile or your elegant neck—would be far lovelier than any of the art I own, including Holiday’s painting.”
She shook her head.
“I’ll ask you again someday. Now, how about a reservation tonight at Scaramouche? It’s one of my favorite restaurants.”
“I don’t think dinner out is a good idea.” Julia was still trying to catch her breath.
“Why not?”
“Didn’t you say we shouldn’t be seen in public?”
Gabriel frowned. “But I know the owner. I can reserve the chef’s table where we’d be away from prying eyes. Unless you’d rather go to Harbour Sixty to see Antonio. He has been pestering me to bring you back.”
“Really?”
“Really. He told me all about the meal you shared with him and his family at the Italian-Canadian Club.”
“Antonio was very kind to me.”
Gabriel nodded and moved as if to kiss her, but she placed a hand on his chest.
“I can’t go to dinner with you tonight. I have a meeting with Katherine Picton tomorrow and I’m not ready for it.”
“Tomorrow?”
“She invited me to tea at her house. She kind of scares me.”
“Wait till you meet her. She looks like someone’s grandmother, but don’t let that fool you—she’s brilliant and definitely no-nonsense. She’ll expect you to address her as Professor Picton, and she doesn’t do small talk or speak of anything personal.”
“Only pretentious Oxonians prefer to be addressed as Professor,” murmured Julia.
He frowned until she winked at him.
“She’s very formal, but she’s a hell of an academic, and if you can work with her, it will be very good for you. Just be on your best behavior, and I’m sure she’ll take to you. As much as she is capable of doing.”
Julia shivered, and Gabriel responded by tightening his arms about her.
“Don’t worry, she’ll be interested in your proposal. I’m sure she will want you to change it, but if I were you, I would accept her corrections without argument. She knows what she’s doing.”
“I’m sure she has more important things to do during her retirement than supervise graduate students.”
“She owed me a favor. I told her I had a brilliant student who I didn’t feel comfortable supervising because she was a friend of my family, and Katherine agreed to meet you. She’s pretty skeptical about today’s youth—she doesn’t think they’re as talented or as hard working as they were when she was in graduate school. So she didn’t promise me anything.”
“You didn’t have to do that for me.”
Gabriel wound a lock of her hair around one of his fingers. “I wanted to do something nice. I’m sorry you weren’t able to go to Harvard.”
Julia looked down at her hands. “It led me back to you, didn’t it?”
He smiled, even with his eyes. “Yes, it did.”
After an intense moment, he shifted his body so he could check his Rolex. He groaned.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I have to go. I have a meeting.”
“I should go too.”
She climbed off the couch and walked quickly to her knapsack, slinging it over her shoulder and searching for her coat.
Gabriel crossed the room in three strides and put his hands on her shoulders. “Stay. I won’t be long, and I’ll come right back.”
She brought her lip between her teeth and grazed on it thoughtfully.
He poked his thumb in between her teeth and her lip, effectively freeing her scraped flesh. “Don’t. It troubles me when you do that.”
He withdrew his thumb quickly lest she misread his intention, but not before accidentally making contact with her tongue. It was difficult to tell whose accident it had been.
“What’s your meeting about?”