22. Gabriel
TWENTY-TWO
Riley”s tryingto hold it together, taking measured, deep breaths and not meeting my gaze here in the back of the limo. But she”s doing a terrible job of it.
And frankly, so am I.
Back there, in the darkened hallway at the party—I hadn”t planned on that. Hadn”t plotted to kiss her silly and finger her until she was dripping wet. No, I”d merely been worried when she was gone so long. For some irrational reason, I thought something awful had happened to her, and that sent me into a frenzy. Then I thought she might have left, and that made me feel even worse.
That was when I went down the hallway myself. When she came out, looking so beautiful, almost lost, I had to kiss her.
Had to touch her. Had to tease her.
And oh my, she was so fucking glorious. Wet and willing, begging and wanton. Something about her desire was also lacking in calculation, like she hadn”t planned any of it. I”m sure she hadn”t, because I hadn”t planned all this either.
But I”m damned glad it”s unfolding the way it is.
The sensation of her wetness remains on my fingers, her taste in my mouth. And all I can think of is what I”m going to do when we get home.
The car pulls away from the curb and we ride in silence for a few long beats. I”m lost in thought, in that fog of foreplay, hard as a rock.
”Gabriel?” she says, still looking out the window.
Her hand is on the seat between us, and I cover it in mine. ”Yes?”
She twists to face me. ”I know I”m not your usual type.”
This rips me out of my fantasy. What is she talking about? ”I don”t have a usual type.”
Her eyes take a slow roll. ”Sure. I”m certain you do. Virgins, most likely.”
A chuckle slips from my mouth. ”Where do you get these ideas?”
”I”ve read things.”
I lift her hand to my lips and kiss her fingers. ”Tell me about these things.”
”Men like you prefer younger women.” Her tone sounds wounded, and all I want is to soothe her concerns.
I gently bite her knuckle. ”Hmm. I wouldn”t say that”s true, but in your particular case, it is.”
She makes a harumph sound, an adorable squeak of indignity. ”And I”ve read that powerful men like virgins. It”s an outdated, sexist notion that an untouched woman is pure and preferable. I need you to know that I”m not a virgin.”
”I guessed that from the way you kissed.” I fight back a smile and trail my lips up her hand, toward her wrist.
”I”m experienced.” She lifts her chin and stares at me haughtily.
”Good,” I say in between kisses. ”I like that in a woman. I”m not here to teach, and I”d much rather learn something from a woman who knows what she”s doing.”
This seems to stump her, and she”s silent while I kiss and nibble at her skin. She shivers under my touch.
”I”m also not Italian.”
”I know. That”s fine with me.” Preferable, in so many ways. My lips are on her forearm now and I”m scooting closer.
”I”m not wealthy.”
”Okay. No problem.”
”Or famous, like Lexi.”
”I can handle that.” I”m at her neck and my nose is skimming along her soft skin. Somewhere in the back of my mind I wonder where she gets the notion that I want to date someone famous, like Lexi. That”s a discussion for another time.
”Why do you want to fuck me?” she whispers.
I nibble on her earlobe. Thank God the stylist put her in a necklace and not earrings, like I instructed. There”s nothing more that I hate than a mouthful of metal.
”I could ask the same about you.”
She lets out a sigh. ”I don”t know. I”m not sure what this is. What”s happening between us. Or why it”s happening.”
”Do we have to analyze it right now?” I slide my hand to her neck and pull her toward me into a kiss.
”Maybe not.” She kisses me once, softly. It”s such a sweet kiss that my normally cold heart melts a little.
”Good girl,” I murmur against her lips. ”Now, show me how experienced you are and kiss me.”
She does. It”s a deep, passionate kiss that makes my blood pound and my cock stiffer. I draw her closer and slide my hand up her thigh, under her dress. I want to touch her pussy again, but we”re in the car. Usually I don”t do this kind of thing when I”m being chauffeured, but then again, I don”t normally finger women at charity events, either.
No, I need some restraint. I can”t do this in front of my driver, no matter how much I want to. A darkened hallway where no one”s around is one matter. This is entirely different. She whimpers when I remove my hand from her leg.
”Why?” she whispers. Her hand snakes out and clutches my thigh. I stop her before she reaches my cock.
”Tease,” she says, but the corners of her lush mouth are turning up. Clearly she enjoys this game.
”You can wait until we get home.”
I deepen the kiss and fist her hair, needing something to hold on to as I taste her. Her lips are sweet as honey, but there”s nothing innocent about the way she”s kissing. Her tongue seizes mine, so I suck on it and make her moan.
”I love it when you sound like that. I”m going to make you moan all night long, Riley.”
She lets out a little mock growl. ”You”re evil.”
”You don”t know how evil.” Grabbing her loose blonde hair, I tilt her head to the side and bite her neck.
She sighs and gasps. I bit her with a little force so there will probably be a mark on her unblemished skin later. Good.
”What the fuck are we doing?” she hisses.
I don”t want to analyze this. I want to revel in it.
I glance out the window as I”m soothing the sting of my bite with a kiss. We”re close to my house now. She tugs at my hair and we”re kissing again. She”s consuming my lips, sucking on my tongue like it”s my cock.
”I can”t wait to get you naked in my bed,” I growl.
”Evil,” she repeats.
”How wet are you right now?” I tease, not allowing her to kiss me again.
”Touch me and find out.” Her eyes flash with the passing streetlamps, and her expression is defiant.
I”m out of breath, too aroused. The air in the back of this car is hot, heavy with our breath. I need to collect myself for a few moments until we can get inside.
”You”re going to have to wait a few minutes.” I sit upright, back in my proper seat.
”Wait,” she commands.
”Yes?”
”One more kiss?” She sticks her bottom lip out into a mock pout.
”You”re fucking irresistible, you know that?” I”m not normally a fan of kissing in the back of a car, but her lips are magical. I”m not letting that opportunity pass for a second. ”Get the hell over here.”
We kiss, long and lingering, then break apart.
The anticipation of this ride home is about to slay me. I need to be inside her, now. In the dark hallway earlier, I was smooth, teasing, coaxing her to the brink of orgasm just so I could draw it out longer.
But I don”t know if I can do that once we”re in my home. My instinct is to take her over the edge quickly. Pound her so hard she”ll think I”m punishing her. Determine who”s boss in this relationship.
She adjusts her dress, demurely pulling the gathered, black fabric over her knees, and resumes looking out the window. Her hair is disheveled, and I can”t wait to see her further defiled and messy in my bed.
It”s all I can think about, and we ride the last few blocks in silence, the sexual tension invading every molecule in the air.
At my house, the driver opens Riley”s door first, and I climb out on my own. I stiffly thank the driver and clasp Riley”s arm as we walk toward the front door, which is already opened by Andre. Bless him for staying late on a Saturday to work.
”Did you have a nice evening?” he asks.
”I did, thank you,” I respond.
Andre stands aside so we can enter. I sense he wants to speak with me about something because he”s clearing his throat repeatedly.
The three of us stand in the foyer. Riley looks impatient, which makes me smirk. She wants to fuck as badly as I do, except she”s not hiding it as well. She taps her foot.
The idea of making Riley wait, of teasing her even more, is so deliciously appealing. So I turn to Andre and smile. ”Is everything okay? Is there something you”d like to discuss? We should do it now before Ms. Murphy and I continue our discussion for her article.”
I sneak a glance at Riley, whose face is flushed pink. She swallows hard and shifts from foot to foot. ”I”m so sorry,” I say to her. ”Business has to come first, you know.”
Obviously I don”t give a fuck about business right now, but I love watching her squirm.
”Actually, yes, there is something I”d like to discuss with you, sir,” Andre says in a nervous, quavering voice. ”Alone.”
Ah, hell. He”s actually in work mode. Because he so rarely sounds this edgy, I know it”s something important.
”One moment,” I say to him, and step to Riley, ushering her to the bottom of the stairs, out of earshot from Andre.
I put my lips to her ear. Her long hair brushes against my face, and her scent—that of vanilla, coconut, and a hint of sex—threatens to make me ignore Andre.
”I need to speak with him for a few moments.”
”I”ll wait in the kitchen. Or my room. Or on the terrace,” she says.
”No. I want you to go upstairs to my room and wait for me on the bed. Take everything off, even your heels. I want you naked. I know you”re already ready for me.”
Her mouth parts in shock. I lick my lips at the thought of her on my bed, touching herself.
”Your bedroom?” she repeats softly.
”I know you can find it, since you did earlier today.” I smile.
”Fuck you.”
I pull her even closer. ”And one other thing. Don”t start without me. I”m going to be the first one to give you an orgasm tonight.”
She inhales deep through her nose.
”Go.” I point toward the stairs.
To my surprise, she walks slowly up, her sexy ass swaying as she does. I can”t help but watch, then turn back to Andre when she”s out of sight.
”Please make this quick.” I don”t need to elaborate to Andre what”s going on.
”Of course. I”m not sure how to say this, but?—”
”Spit it out. I”m extremely busy tonight.” I stuff my hands into my pockets, hoping to hide my hard-on.
”I received a call from one of our private investigators tonight. James Doyle was found dead, a single shot to the forehead. His body was found in a swamp in Georgia. I was also told that the feds could be coming here to question you on Monday. Or sooner.”
I nod once, taking in the information. This complicates things, but only a little. I”ve got alibis—real ones, even—for the past two weeks. Including the beautiful Riley, who”s been at my side for the most of the past day. Then I grin at Andre, who has seemingly broken out into a cold sweat.
”What would you like me to do, sir?”
I strip off my bow tie and toss it on the giant table in the center of the foyer, then walk a few paces toward the office. I don”t give a flying fuck about the FBI, or James Doyle right now, but this is something I need to deal with, if only for a few minutes.
”Let”s get the lawyers on the phone. Fast. I don”t have a lot of time to spare tonight.”
Andre hustles into the office and begins dialing. I”m itching to get upstairs to Riley, and am supremely annoyed that I have to pause to deal with bullshit that”s not even of my making.
We leave messages for the lawyers, and I walk out of the office. ”I”ll want an update in the morning. In the meantime, I don”t want to be disturbed unless the FBI is on the other side of that door.”