14. Gabriel
GAbrIEL
I’D NEVER BEEN so focused on the time in my life.
As someone who was told where to go and where to be for most of his existence, I never really had a need to keep track of the time throughout the day. And if I didn’t show, someone would always come and remind me of my tardiness—namely, my brother.
But not today. Today I’d been hyperaware of the ticking hands and just how slowly they moved.
Throughout lunch. An afternoon tour of Solterra’s private wine collection.
During my meeting with several important someones who all had something to say, none of which I remembered because I was too fixated on the clock hanging above the enormous stone fireplace mantel, counting down the hours, minutes, seconds, until I was allowed to go to Alejandro.
Go to him, and make him mine.
It was pure torture, and if I hadn’t been witness to Alejandro’s own growing frustration over the day, I might’ve thought he’d done this on purpose.
By eleven fifty-five I’d showered twice, paced my room countless times, done about a thousand push-ups, and changed so many times I was now back to square one in black pants and a matching button-up.
I glanced at the clock again as I stood in front of the mirror carefully rolling my sleeves up my forearms. Not that it mattered what I wore, because I didn’t plan to be in clothes for very long.
Still, I wanted to look so hot that Alejandro would be dying to get me naked, and fast.
I took a step back, giving myself a thorough once-over.
Not bad at all, I thought as I ran my fingers through my hair. Extremely fuckable.
One more look at the clock told me it was finally time.
I shoved a few pre-lubed condoms into my pants pocket and headed out the door.
Security was posted at both ends of the hall, and I gave them a nod before heading toward Alejandro’s bedchambers.
The guard closest to his door beat me to it, pulling it open with a low “Your Highness.”
Looked like Alejandro had tipped them off to his late-night visitor—or maybe they were just used to a nightly parade of men.
Worked for me either way.
I slipped inside, and the massive room that greeted me was a feast for the eyes.
It was the opposite of mine in every way, a mix of rich reds and burgundy, dark wood, brass, and cream linen.
The scent of Alejandro’s cologne lingered, along with the salty sea air coming in from the open doors that made the candelabra that lit the room flicker.
My gaze settled on the enormous bed draped at the head with heavy crimson velvet curtains. It was a centerpiece begging to be used, and I’d fully expected to see Alejandro naked and waiting on top of the perfectly made bedspread.
But he wasn’t there. Was this a trick?
The sound of a splash nearby had me looking out the open doors.
Unlike my room that opened out to a balcony, his led out to a private terrace where bougainvillea climbed the stone archway.
I followed the sound, and sure enough, there was Alejandro, leaned back against the edge of his private infinity pool waiting for me.
Moonlight reflected off the water onto his handsome face, and for a moment I could only stand there staring at the incredible picture he made. His body was a work of art, every muscle in his broad shoulders and chest clearly defined, tanned and glistening.
He made my mouth water and my cock throb, and that was without knowing if he was wearing anything else or if he really was as naked as I’d hoped he’d be.
God, he was stunning. It wasn’t fair that such an arrogant ass was so damn good looking.
Alejandro flicked his fingers over the top of the water, sending a spray in my direction.
“Take off your clothes.”
I arched a brow. “No hello? No ‘Gabriel, you look devastating’?”
His eyes roamed over me in a way that made me wish I had shown up in nothing at all, because that look was scorching. I probably would’ve melted right then if he hadn’t opened his mouth again.
“I can see devastating,” he said. “I’m still waiting for obedient.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. I leaned a shoulder against the stone archway and dragged my eyes over him with the same shameless attention he’d given me. “You think I came here to be obedient?”
“No.” He stretched his arms out along the edge of the pool, looking so inviting I almost jumped in fully clothed. “I think you came here because you’ve been thinking about me all day.”
I hated that he was right. That I was so obvious.
Deny, deny, deny.
“I think you’re confusing yourself with me,” I said, strolling closer to the edge of the pool. “I had a very full day.”
Alejandro cocked his head to the side, and this time when he spoke, it was slower, like maybe I hadn’t understood him the first time. “Take off your clothes.”
“Impatient, are we?” I smirked, but I couldn’t deny I was ready to get out of these clothes and get this night started. I toed off my shoes and began to unbutton my shirt, and with each inch of skin that came into view, Alejandro’s eyes darkened.
Oh, I was gonna enjoy this.
“See something you like, Your Highness?” I said, letting my shirt drop to the terrace floor.
“Nothing of interest. Yet.” But his face told a different story. And then one of his hands dipped below the surface of the water…
Fuuuck, he was going to kill me, and I’d barely gotten my pants unbuttoned.
I slipped my fingers under the waist of my briefs and slowly pushed them and my pants down my hips, giving Alejandro the view I knew he was dying for.
I straightened and kicked my clothes off to the side, and the look on the prince’s face didn’t disappoint. His tongue slicked along his lower lip and his hand clenched into a fist.
He could try to deny it all he wanted, but the Solterran prince was hot for me, and I planned to take full advantage of that tonight.
“Still not interested?”
Alejandro’s eyes flicked up to mine, and the fire there made my blood heat. “No, I’m definitely interested in that. If you know what to do with it.”
Fucker was still trying to bait me. “Only one way to find out.”
I strolled to the steps, aware of Alejandro’s gaze tracking my every move. But I knew I looked as good from the back as I did the front, so let him look.
Look and fantasize.
I slipped my foot in the pool and made my way into the crystal-blue waters. My eyes found his across the surface, but when I went to move in his direction, Alejandro held a hand up and wagged his finger at me.
“Uh uh. I think it’s best you stay over there for the moment.”
“I’m flattered you think I’m big enough to reach from there, but…”
Alejandro chuckled. “Smartass.”
“You’ve called me worse.”
“That I have. But before this goes any further—”
“This?”
“You know, the more you interrupt me, the longer it’s going to be until your dick is anywhere near me.”
“And that would be a shame for you or me?”
Alejandro lowered his eyes to the water, imagining exactly what I’d revealed to him seconds ago. Then he dragged his teeth over his lower lip.
“Both of us.”
I liked that answer.
“But I think we need to establish some ground rules.”
Rules? What was he talking about? We were going to fuck. Who put rules in place for that?
“I don’t like rules. Never been really good at following them.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“If anything, I’m known for breaking them.” I went to push off the wall when Alejandro stood, and the water sluiced over all that tanned skin and lapped dangerously low on his waist.
“If you want to get closer to me, this, then you’ll listen.”
“And stay over here?”
“Exactly.”
I stretched my arms out across the edge of the pool, gripping the stone in an effort to stay put. But it was hard—as in I was hard—and he knew it.
“Okay, rules. I gotta say, this would’ve been easier to concentrate on if you were wearing clothes.”
“Maybe,” Alejandro said, and sank back down into the water. “But not half as fun.”
“I see. You get off on the tease. The foreplay?”
“Don’t you?”
“Of course. But my foreplay usually involves my hands, mouth…cock.”
“Color me shocked.” Alejandro’s eyes shifted to my hand where it gripped the edge, and I stretched my fingers, letting him see how long they were—how deep I’d get inside him. “You don’t exactly strike me as the cerebral type.”
“Don’t act like that bothers you. If you wanted a librarian, you would’ve had one delivered to your room tonight. Instead, you invited me, the man you know will fuck you so hard your imprint will be on that big bed of yours in the morning.”
Alejandro’s hand snuck back down under the water, and I smirked.
“Like that idea, do you?”
His dark eyes glittered at me as his arm flexed. “Rule one: no dates.”
“Dates? Oh, you mean, like, fencing together? Stomping wine? Eating on a rooftop—sorry, being poisoned on a rooftop—together?”
Alejandro’s lips twitched, and so did my dick, when his hand moved again.
Up…
Down…
“No dates,” he repeated, and I nodded.
“Fine. No dates. Wait, does being told a place and time constitute a date?”
He raised a brow, and I nodded.
“Got it, no. Being told where to be for sex. Not a date. What else?”
“No flowers.”
I snorted and looked around the terrace, where the bright bougainvillea blooms climbed the trellis and walls. “Says the man surrounded by flowers.”
“It’s not that I don’t enjoy them, but—”
“It’s too personal. Got it. I doubt I could compete with this anyway. Don’t worry, Your Highness. I understand what’s happening here.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. You want to fuck and be fucked. Luckily for you, I want the exact same thing. I believe when two people don’t like each other but get a hard-on anyway, it’s called hate-fucking. I’m not going to fall in love with you.”
“Good, because that’s another rule. No jealousy and no falling in love.”
“Check and check.”
“That simple, huh?”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t particularly like you.”
“That’s because you haven’t touched me yet. But when you do”—Alejandro pushed off the side of the pool and glided in my direction—“you’ll fall in love.”
He stopped directly in front of me and straightened, putting all of that smooth, wet skin on display.
“It always happens.”
I moved to my feet then and closed the couple of inches separating us, then whipped an arm around his waist, bringing his body close to mine—and fuck, he was as naked as I was.
“Not this time, Your Highness.” My cock jerked against his as I lowered my eyes to his mouth. “I’m going to give you exactly what you want, and at the end of it walk away. As long as you don’t fall in love with me, then I’d say we have ourselves a deal.”
Alejandro wrapped his arms around my neck, threading his fingers in the back of my hair and twisting hard.
“Deal.”