Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Gabriel
That feeling I got the first time I laid eyes on Autumn—like my lungs had malfunctioned or my heart might need a nudge to restart—resurfaced every time she walked into a room. Even after four months of living together.
“You look so pretty, Autumn,” Bethany said.
“Beautiful,” I added as Autumn twirled around, the ruffles on her very short dress lifting as she moved.
“You promise to be good going to bed tonight,” Autumn said. She bent and kissed Bethany goodnight.
“And when I wake up, pancakes?” she asked.
“Pancakes for sure,” I replied.
“But Autumn will make them with blueberries.”
“Yes, I’ll make them,” Autumn replied, shooting me a glance that said Your daughter understands your lack of skill in the kitchen.
I gave the sitter my number again and headed out, taking Autumn’s hand as I did.
“She didn’t seem to mind,” Autumn said as we climbed in the cab. “That we were going out together.”
“Why would Bethany mind? She loves you.”
“I just wondered if she thought it was weird. What did you say when you told her?”
“I just said that you and I were going out to dinner.” Autumn and I had been careful not to show any obvious affection for each other when we were both with Bethany.
We hadn’t had a conversation about it—it had just been an unspoken agreement.
We never slept in each other’s bed. We never kissed each other good morning.
It was time that changed.
I wanted to take Autumn out to dinner—not to her sister’s house but dinner, just the two of us.
I didn’t want to fuck her on the kitchen table anymore.
I wanted her bent over a bed or naked in the shower.
I still had a daughter I didn’t want to confuse.
But I also had Autumn, who I wanted to spend time with.
I slid my hand up her bare leg. “You’re stunning. ”
“It’s a little short,” she said. “But I’ll take Hollie’s hand-me-down Balmain any chance I can get.”
“It’s gorgeous on you. You heard it from Bethany.”
“Then it must be true.” She sighed and tightened her grip on her bag.
“You nervous?” I asked.
“Not exactly. I just was worried how Bethany would be. And it’s a relief she’s not weird about it.”
“She was never going to be weird.”
She shrugged. “Anyway, where are we going?”
I put my hand on her thigh, pulling her closer to me. “The Savoy,” I said.
“Oh, I like it there. How weird is it that I’ve been to the Savoy before?” She shook her head. “I’m getting a little too used to the good life.”
“You deserve regular trips to fine hotels. You deserve everything good in life.”
She looked at me and tilted her head. “You’re wonderful.”
Her words filled me up. I hadn’t realized the size of the hole inside me until Autumn had come along. She’d filled it and I was overflowing. I wanted to lock in what we had now. Freeze time and spend the rest of my life like this, with Bethany and Autumn.
But tonight, I’d settle for the Savoy. I had an entire evening planned. And dinner was just one part of it.
When we pulled up, one of the doormen opened the cab and helped Autumn out.
“Mr. Chase,” one of the staff said as we entered the hotel. “Let me show you to your suite.”
“What’s this?” Autumn said. “I thought we were going to dinner.”
“We are,” I said as we headed to the lifts. “A private dinner.”
When we arrived on the top floor, the butler assigned to us opened the door to the royal suite and began to show us around. There were various seating areas, a bedroom, a dining room, and a bar. The table had already been laid, ready for our meal.
“When would you like to eat, sir?” the butler asked as he opened the bottle of champagne on the bar.
“Give us thirty minutes,” Gabriel said.
“Make that an hour,” Autumn added. “I want to enjoy this view before we eat.” She looked directly at me, not taking in the London skyline at all.
I knew that feeling. As much as the city lights were beautiful, nothing matched watching Autumn.
The butler left and Autumn looped her hands around my neck. “You got this entire suite just for dinner?” she asked.
“Well not just dinner,” I said. “I just wanted to be with you. I love my daughter, but I wanted to have some time with you that wasn’t stolen or hidden or tucked away.”
That unintended pout of hers parted. “I like that idea.” She dropped her hands and stepped back.
She reached under her dress and shifted her hips, pulling down her underwear.
The black lace landed on the thick carpet and she stepped out of it, tilting her head before she said, “Wanna take in the view from the balcony?” She held out her hand.
Instantly I was straining in my trousers, desperate to be inside her.
I slid the balcony doors open and stepped toward the edge of the terrace. The wall separating us from the city was waist height, and I wrapped my arms around Autumn as we looked out onto the city. Impatiently, she ground her arse back into my crotch.
“Out here?” I asked. She turned around and looked me in the eye as she nodded. “You want me to fuck you in front of eight million people?”
She reached for my fly, but I turned her back around.
“Hands on the wall.”
She groaned, turned on by my words as she always was.
“I know you’re so wet that my cock is going to slide so deep into you,” I whispered into her ear as I unzipped my trousers.
“And I barely have to lift up this dress to get inside you. It’s so short.
Is that what you were hoping?” I nudged at her entrance and she pushed back.
“So impatient for me.” I pushed her hips back a little and pressed her forward from the waist before sliding my hand onto her shoulder to keep her in place. I thrust in hard and deep. Wanting to give her what she wanted and wanting to have her as quickly as I could.
It wasn’t New Year’s Eve, but I swear fireworks burst into the sky at the perfect pressure of her pussy around me.
“Gabriel,” she cried out.
She was right. It was so good. So fucking amazing.
Her heat, her breath, that scent of almonds was all exactly how it should be.
I pulled out deliciously slowly, before thrusting up hard and fast. And again.
And again. And again. Jesus, I wanted to do this forever.
I wanted to fuck this woman until I was ninety and barely able to stand.
“All those people out there in the city. You think anyone can see us? You think anyone knows how wet you are? How my cock is driving into you over and over and over?” I wanted everyone to know.
I wanted to take a full-page ad out in the Times.
Write it in the sky for the entire city to see.
I reached around to her clit and slid my fingers between her folds.
Her legs buckled. This is how I loved Autumn—weak with need for me.
“I love fucking you,” I whispered into her ear. “I love making you tremble, making you weak, making you scream.” I loved being with her. Seeing her with Bethany. I loved sitting with her and talking. I loved . . .
“I love you fucking me too,” Autumn said breathlessly. She turned her head, looking up at me as if I were everything to her. And I wanted to give everything I had to her. She should have everything she ever wanted. And more.
I groaned, shoving deeper, clamping my hands over her hips to hold her still so I could get closer.
She reached back, at nothing in particular—she wanted more.
I grunted, trying to hold my orgasm off and give Autumn what she needed.
I fucked harder, deeper, faster. On and on I drove into her, ignoring the clamoring of my climax rattling my bones, wanting to be let out.
She froze as she reached the precipice and then began to shake as she fell over the edge, falling into my arms as she collapsed.
I stilled and bent over and held her. We just stood there, London as our backdrop as our heavy breaths evened out.
I wasn’t ready for it to be over. I wanted her to know how I felt.
I wanted her to know how I wished I’d met her before.
Before I’d been married. I wanted to have shared our entire lives.
I wanted her history. Since the instant sizzle of our first meeting, it had felt as if we were destined.
As if resistance was futile, because she’d been made for me. And I existed just for her.
I straightened and she turned in my arms. I lifted a leg and pushed into her again. I started to fuck, just small, intense movements, claiming her in front of the entire city. In a weird kind of way, I hoped people could see. Everyone should know we were together.
“You’re so beautiful,” I said, slowing. “Gorgeous.”
She looked at me, her face turning serious for a second as she pushed her fingers into my hair. “So are you. Inside and out.”
She tipped her head back and I clamped my mouth down on her delicious skin, wanting to consume her.
I trailed my teeth down to her collarbone and sucked and bit every exposed inch, like I needed to make up for the time we’d not been together.
How had I lived without her for all the years that came before her?
I wasn’t sure I could even remember my life clearly without her.
Wasn’t sure what it was like before I had something to come home to at night when I’d missed my daughter’s bedtime.
She tightened around my cock as my teeth sank into her throat again.
And I slipped my hands over her silk-covered breasts, squeezing her hard nipples.
She shuddered against me and this time the pressure on my cock, the friction, the drag of her perfect heat was too much, and I exploded inside her with a groan.
I held her against my chest as we recovered our breath.
“Gabriel,” she sighed, her voice so soft it faded in the noise of the city. “My Gabriel.”
I was glad she knew it. I was hers.