Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
marlowe
T he morning after we return from Hawaii, I lay in bed drifting in and out of sleep. My limbs feel deliciously heavy, my mind flooded with memories of Gunner and me making love in our tropical hideaway.
I don’t want to get up. I want to stay right where I am, warm and cozy and wonderfully content. But something tugs at my consciousness, dragging me awake. When I open my eyes, I find Gunner sitting at my side watching me sleep.
He’s wearing dark suit pants and his hair is damp, water droplets rolling down his bare chest. The tenderness in his gaze fills me with a sweet ache.
“Morning, sweetheart,” he murmurs.
“Good morning.” I give him a dreamy smile, lying on my stomach with my head resting on my folded arms. “You’re up early. The sun’s barely out.”
“I know. Gotta head into the office and get up to speed on everything.” He buries his hand in my hair and leans down to seal his mouth over mine.
Waves of pleasure spiral through me, heating my blood. I breathe him in, my senses flooded with the intoxicating scent of his skin, his freshly shampooed hair and minty cool mouth.
He pulls slowly away, tracing my bottom lip with his thumb as I lift my heavy lids to meet his gaze.
“Hello again,” he whispers.
“Hello, yourself,” I whisper back.
He smiles softly, spreading my hair over the pillow. “Mrs. Calder and Mr. Leland won’t be back until tomorrow. So we’ll have the house to ourselves tonight.”
“Oh my,” I say with a naughty smile. “Whatever shall we do with ourselves?”
“Oh, I can think of a thing or two,” he murmurs, pressing his lips between my shoulder blades.
I shiver, my toes curling into the mattress. “Do you want breakfast? I can make you some French toast.”
“Mmm. I love your French toast, but I’ll have to take a rain check and grab something at work.” He starts kissing his way down my spine, licking and nibbling.
I release a breathy moan into my pillow. “Gunner . . .”
His low groan rumbles across my skin. “God, what I wouldn’t give to spend the day in bed with you.”
“Why don’t you?”
“Can’t. Got a big meeting with a top biotech firm. Multimillion-dollar contract at stake.”
I grin. “Multimillion, huh? Haven’t you made enough money?”
“No such thing.” He licks the dimple at the base of my spine, making me arch in pleasure. Then he strokes the back of my thigh and squeezes my ass cheek, coaxing another moan from my throat before he reluctantly pulls away.
I lick my lips, staring at the outline of his cock bulging against his pants. “Mmm,” I purr wickedly. “Sure you don’t want to stay a bit longer?”
His answering scowl is absurdly sexy. “Don’t tempt me.”
I laugh as he picks up a clean undershirt and tugs it over his head, the soft cotton accentuating every muscle in his chest. He disappears into the closet and reemerges in a crisp white shirt tucked into his pants. A beautiful silk tie hangs loose around his neck, and he’s wearing one of his many pairs of Italian loafers.
Rolling onto my side, I watch him push a platinum cufflink through the buttonhole at his wrist. Watching him dress is a pleasure I’ll never, ever get enough of.
As he expertly knots his tie, I stretch languidly under the luxurious sheets. Though I’m seven years younger than Gunner, I have only a fraction of his stamina. He’s always on the move, bursting with energy, vitality and virility. He can get three hours of sleep, work out like a machine, come back to bed and fuck me senseless, then shower and head out the door to conquer the world. I swear he’s superhuman. A beast in Brioni.
I let out a lazy sigh. “I need to get up, too.”
“No, you don’t,” Gunner says. “Take the day off. Get some rest and catch up on your reading assignments before class.”
“I’m ahead, actually.”
He flashes me a sideways grin. “Overachiever.”
I laugh. “Takes one to know one.”
“Touché.” He chuckles, straightening his tie. “Perspectives on Information. That’s the class you have today, right?”
“Yup.” I love that he memorized my schedule. “From three to six.”
His phone buzzes on the nightstand. As he walks over to pick it up, I yawn and indulge in another catlike stretch.
“Seriously though. I do need to get up soon. I have a meeting with my advisor before class.”
Gunner types out a text, thumbs flying over the keypad. “Who’s your advisor?”
“Dr. Ying Lee. Know her?”
“I do. She’s great. Fiercely intelligent and accomplished. You’re in good hands.” Gunner slides his phone into his pocket and leans down to give me a quick kiss, taking an extra moment to sweep his tongue over my lips. When I shiver, he rubs his nose against mine, a sweetly tender gesture that turns my insides to jelly.
“I’d better run before I end up back in bed with you.” He kisses the tip of my nose and smiles. “Have a good day at school.”
“Thank you.” I grin. “Hope your big meeting goes well.”
“They always do,” he says with that sexy alpha confidence that makes me swoon.
He grabs his suit jacket and winks at me before striding from the room.
Long after he’s gone, I lay there with a silly smile on my face, reliving every moment of our magical weekend together. He showed me the time of my life and made me feel cherished beyond words.
I want to do something special for him. Something romantic and memorable. But what do you give a gazillionaire who can buy the world with the snap of his finger? I don’t have the money to lavish him with expensive gifts and exotic vacations. I don’t have connections to arrange private musical performances for him.
Thankfully, I don’t need a fortune or the right contacts to show my appreciation to Gunner. The best gift I can give him should come from my heart, and I know just what?—
My thoughts are interrupted when the man himself comes striding through the door, yanking off his tie.
“You’re back.” I sit up in surprise. “What’re you doing here?”
He sends me a darkly predatory look. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you lying in my bed, all naked and warm and luscious.”
I laugh. “Are you serious?”
“As a fucking heart attack.” He steps out of his shoes and rips his shirt open, scattering buttons everywhere. “I got as far as the first traffic light before I had to turn around.”
My belly quivers at the pure lust on his face. “What about your meeting?”
“I’ve got a couple hours.” Eyes locked on mine, he unbuckles his belt and opens his pants, freeing his hard cock. Then he practically dives on top of me, crushing his mouth to mine and turning my breathless laughter into a moan.
after gunner leaves for the second time, I get up to take a shower and wash my hair. Since we got home late last night, I’m a little jet-lagged and could use a few more hours of rest. But I have things to do, so sleep will have to wait.
Letting my hair air-dry, I get dressed and head down to the kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee. As I sit at the center island, my phone’s ringtone goes off. It’s my sister.
I push the speaker button and answer, “Hey, you.”
“Holy shit!” Her loud squeal fills the room. “TMZ has pictures of you and Gunner!”
I almost drop my coffee mug. “What?”
“I just saw pictures of you and your boss slash lover romping on the beach in Hawaii!”
I gasp, staring at my phone in disbelief. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
“You think I’d joke about something like this?”
She wouldn’t. Not in a million years.
“But . . . we were on his private beach,” I say weakly. “How did TMZ get photos?”
“Hello? Ever heard of helicopters? Drones?” Ember laughs at my na?veté. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were going to Hawaii!”
“I didn’t know. It was a surprise and I only had, like, two hours to get ready before he whisked me off in his plane.”
“Oh, my God, Marlowe,” Ember breathes. “That’s so freaking romantic!”
“It was. Every minute of it.” I’m smiling now, the exquisite memories warming my body all over again.
“The article says he flew in the Austin Symphony to perform for you. Is that true?”
My smile softens. “He did. It was a wonderful surprise.”
“No kidding,” Ember says with a dreamy sigh. “The thump you just heard was me swooning to the floor.”
I laugh, tucking my hair behind my ear.
“He is so fucking gorgeous, Mar. I don’t mean to lust after your man, but the way he looked in those swim trunks had me drooling all over my damn phone. Holy hell, those shredded abs and those beefy thighs. How do you keep your clothes on around him?”
I grin. “Who says I do?”
Ember laughs wickedly. “You naughty girl. Wait till Mom finds out about you and Gunner. She’s gonna lose her mind. She’ll probably call Aunt Nora and everyone she knows to brag about her daughter bagging a billionaire.”
I frown. “I hope not.”
Right on cue, my phone buzzes with another call. One glance at the screen confirms that the news has reached our mother. Great. Just great.
“Now that you’re dating a famous heartthrob, the paparazzi will be stalking you everywhere.” There’s a sympathetic grin in Ember’s voice. “Congratulations. You’ve officially arrived.”
“Arrived where?” I grumble. “In hell?”
Ember laughs. “How can you talk about hell when you just spent the weekend in paradise? You looked like you were on cloud nine in those pictures. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so happy and carefree.” Her voice quiets. “You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”
My throat grows tight. “Of course I am,” I try to joke. “I’d be in love with anyone who whisked me off to Hawaii.”
Ember doesn’t laugh. She can see right through me.
I take a sip of coffee to wet my bone-dry throat. Our mother follows up with a text, but I ignore it.
“He must be getting pretty serious about you,” Ember says softly.
My heartbeat doubles. “Why do you say that?”
“Well, I mean, he took you to Hawaii ?—”
“That doesn’t prove anything. How many times have we seen celebrity couples making out on a yacht one day and breaking up dramatically the very next week?”
“True,” Ember concedes. “Celebrity couples are notoriously fickle. But Gunner seems different. When I googled him, I didn’t see any pictures of him frolicking on his yacht with bikini-clad supermodels. His brother, yes. But not him.”
“That’s because he’s a crazy workaholic who rarely takes vacations.”
“My point exactly! He wasn’t known for cavorting on tropical islands until you came into his life. Can’t you see what a big deal that is?”
I swallow hard and close my eyes, willing my stomach to stop flipping out.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Ember says in a gentler tone. “You don’t want to get your hopes up about Gunner because you’re afraid he’ll break your heart. Ever since Dad died, you’ve been going through life waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
“That’s not true,” I say, but the denial rings hollow. The reality is that I’ve been keeping men at a distance for so long, it’s become second nature. Gunner is the first man I’ve let anywhere close to my heart since losing my dad. It feels both terrifying and absolutely right.
“Guarding your heart is understandable. Smart even.” Ember snorts. “God knows there are a lot of losers out there, as my dating history proves.”
“My track record isn’t much better,” I point out wryly. “You just got a three-year head start.”
She chuckles.
I cradle my coffee mug between my palms. “You’re right about my feelings for Gunner. He’s the most amazing guy I’ve ever met. Despite our rocky start, I’m glad our paths crossed that night at the bar.”
“Wow.” Ember sounds awed. “You’ve fallen hard, haven’t you?”
“Head over heels,” I admit in defeat. “I want to be with him. I just . . . I don’t know if he’s the forever type.”
“Well, there’s only one way to—Shit, gotta run,” Ember blurts abruptly.
“What’s wrong?”
“My boss is coming and I’m supposed to be working on a brief. I’ll call you later to continue this convo and get the deets on your romantic getaway.” She makes kissing noises and hangs up.
Sipping my coffee, I thumb the phone screen to read my mother’s text message: Darling! So thrilled about you and Gunner Ransom! You look fabulous together. You even look good in your bikini—keep cutting out those carbs to get your stomach even flatter! Now that you’re officially dating Gunner, I’m eager to meet him. Let’s check our calendars and pick a date!
I drop my head on the counter and groan. Caroline Somerset will be the death of me, I swear to God.
When the doorbell suddenly rings, I’m half afraid to find her waiting on the doorstep with her full set of Louis Vuitton luggage.
Twisting my damp hair into a topknot, I head out of the kitchen to answer the door.
I freeze when I find myself face to face with Gunner’s ex-fiancée. I would have preferred my mother, and that’s saying a lot.
The icy blonde lowers her sunglasses to look me up and down, her red lips curling into a sneer. “Nice tan.”
I swallow uncomfortably. “Mr. Ransom isn’t?—”
“ Mr. Ransom?” she jeers mockingly. “Is that what you call him when you’re on your knees sucking his cock?”
My face flames. I’m at a complete loss for words.
Laurene smirks. “At least you didn’t insult my intelligence by denying that you’re fucking my fiancé.”
I frown. “He’s not y?—”
“Anyway, I didn’t come here for him.” She shoves past me into the house, her heels tapping sharply on the marble floor as she struts down the hall like the queen of the castle.
I have no choice but to follow her.
Her blond hair is flawlessly cut and highlighted, glistening like strands of golden silk. She’s wearing a designer sheath dress that probably cost more than my undergraduate tuition—all five years. A towering pair of Manolos accentuates her perfectly toned calves, and a diamond-studded fuchsia Birkin hangs from her elbow.
She strides into the sitting room and walks slowly around, reminding me of a shark circling her prey before she strikes. “So how was Kauai?”
“It was amazing,” I say quietly. “But I’m sure you’d rather not hear the details.”
“Oh, please,” she says with a dismissive snort. “You think I care that he whisked you away to Hawaii for the weekend?”
“You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t care.”
“I don’t care,” she snaps.
I stare at her perfect face, seeing the hurt beneath her hostility. “He never took you, did he?” I say with dawning comprehension. “You were engaged for six months and he never took you to his home in Hawaii.”
She skewers me with such a scathing glare it’s a miracle I don’t disintegrate into a pillar of salt. “I don’t need him to take me anywhere,” she hisses furiously. “I’ve traveled all over the world, stayed in royal palaces, partied with movie stars. Unlike you, I’m filthy rich and can afford my own goddamn vacations.”
I say nothing, which seems to further antagonize her.
“Did he tell you that his family adores me?” She makes a show of running her finger along the marble fireplace mantel, checking for dust. “Every time we visit them in Dallas, his grandparents fawn over me, and his mother and I go on shopping trips and get massages together. We have so much in common, so we always have lots to talk about. It’s wonderful.”
I swallow, feeling a sick knot in my stomach.
“Gunner’s family thinks I’m perfect for him. And they’re right,” Laurene says with a viciously smug smile. “ I’m the kind of woman he belongs with. Not some unsophisticated rube from Steel City USA.”
Her words strike a raw nerve, but I refuse to let her see it. “If you were so perfect for Gunner, you’d still be with him. But you’re not.” Pause. “I am.”
She lets out a harsh, cutting burst of laughter. “Silly little girl. Do you actually think he’s going to commit to you? Put a ring on your finger? You’re nothing more than a diversion to him. A convenient piece of ass. He’ll never take you seriously. The only reason he’s not with me is because I broke up with him, not the other way around.” She gives me a contemptuous once-over and smiles with chilling satisfaction. “Gunner loves me. He asked me to marry him because he wants to spend the rest of his life with me. No matter how many blowjobs you give him, you will never, ever replace me in his heart.”
I flinch at her words. A hard slap across my cheek would have hurt less.
“Thanks for stopping by,” I force the words out. “As much as I’m enjoying our little chat, I have far better things to do.”
“Like what?” she taunts derisively. “Do you need to go wash Gunner’s underwear? Scrub his toilet? Drop off his dry cleaning? Does playing house with the lord of the manor make you feel like his wifey?”
I lift my chin and look at her head-on. “I’m sorry you were so triggered by the tabloid pictures that you felt the need to drive over here to—what? Insult me? Intimidate me? Threaten me? What exactly did you hope to achieve?”
She walks right up to me, a malicious gleam in her eyes. “Let me clue you in on something. Gunner is a Type A personality. He works himself to the bone and uses sex as a stress reliever. Right now you’re serving that purpose. But your young body and tight little pussy won’t satisfy him forever. He has a ravenous appetite that craves variety. When he gets bored with you—and he will—he’s going to send you packing.”
I dredge up a cool smile. “In that case, I’d better enjoy him while I can. Maybe if I’m really lucky, he might actually fall in love with me. Crazier things have happened, right?”
Laurene’s eyes narrow, and for just a moment her confidence wavers, doubt flickering across her features.
I wait tensely, arms folded.
She leans into my face. “Don’t get too smug, Marlowe the merry maid. Your expiration date is coming sooner than you think.” She tucks her handbag into the crook of her elbow, slides on her sunglasses and smirks at me. “Tick tock, bitch.”
Before I can respond, she struts past me and out the door.