9. New Year’s Eve #3
In silence, Gabriel soaked up the scene.
He had a front-row seat to something even he hadn’t imagined.
His mystery woman was revealing herself, one sexy layer at a time.
When she and Caroline were finished, Barbi’s raven hair flowed freely down her back while her thick bangs cast her eyes in shadow.
Ciao, bellissima. Hello, beautiful.
Slash exited the bathroom, pulled up beside him. “Hey,” she whispered.
He tossed her a nod.
As Slash started to move forward, Gabriel stopped her. “Wait.”
And then, Barbi put her fingers in her eye, pulled out a contact lens, repeating it on her other eye.
“What the hell,” Gabriel murmured.
“She’s beautiful, don’t you think?” Slash winked.
“Do you want to borrow something… um… more festive?” Sydney asked.
“Oh, I completely forgot,” Barbi replied.
Gone was the Russian accent, her husky voice beckoning him closer.
But he did not budge.
Barbi unzipped her baggy sweatshirt revealing a maroon sweater that hugged her in all the right places.
Nice.
“There’s my girl!” Caroline exclaimed. “You look gorgeous!”
Gabriel stepped out of the shadows. “Yes, she does.”
Surprise flashed in Barbi’s sparkling blue eyes while her cheeks flushed with color.
“It’s you,” she murmured.
He couldn’t stop staring. Barbi was a total hottie.
Sydney rushed over to him.
“Ciao, sorellina,” Gabriel said folding Sydney into his arms. Hello, baby sis.
“I’m so happy you’re here,” Sydney said. “Did you take care of things?”
“All done,” Gabriel replied as he kissed each of her cheeks. “The house looks great.”
Sydney broke away beaming. “That means a lot, coming from you. Your villa is to die for.”
Gabriel shifted toward Barbi. She stood, flicked the bangs out of her eyes. Piercing blue orbs drilled into him like a million suns. The air crackled with excitement, the intensity in her gaze sending a blast of heat through his chest.
“Hey, G,” Caroline said hijacking his attention. “I’m glad you’re welcoming in the New Year with us. It wouldn’t be the same without you.”
Gabriel dropped light pecks on Caroline’s cheeks, then broke away to face Barbi.
“You’re a surprise,” he said.
Her lips curved in a tantalizing smile.
She is smokin’ hot.
As they peered into each other’s eyes, the energy turned chaotic. He had to touch her, had to feel her flush against him, so he extended his hand.
She slipped hers into his, he snaked his other arm around her waist and kissed her cheek.
The second they connected, the never-ending mayhem fell away. She felt like home. Once a random hookup, this beautiful, mysterious woman looked so different from her Russian alter ego.
Caroline did the introductions. “This is my future brother-in-law—and the wildest Santini—Gabriel. G, this is my close friend, Halston Devereux.”
“Halston,” he murmured. “Is that what we’re calling you tonight?”
Desire burned brightly in her sky-blue eyes.
“First, you’re No Name,” he continued. “Then, Barbi. Now, Halston. Who will you be next?”
“She’s a chameleon,” Evangeline said after joining the group. “And she’s very, very good at it.”
“We meet again,” Halston said to Gabriel. “Is three times the charm?”
Gone was her thick, Russian accent. Her tone had dropped, her seductive voice demanding his full attention as it caressed his ear. She wasn’t just a chameleon, she was a master of disguise.
But his hunch had been right. Her accent had fallen away a few times during sex.
Had she done that on purpose?
“Halston and I go way back,” Caroline said.
Gabriel’s thoughts were racing with questions and possible answers.
Does she work for the CIA? Maybe undercover with NSA? Is she even working for the Russian ambassador?
“It’s time to eat,” Sydney announced.
The beef tenderloin and smoked salmon were pulled from the oven while covered dishes on the center island were revealed. The delicious aroma of both entrees had the group from the family room descending on the kitchen.
Gabriel shifted toward Halston. She was busy moving her things off the kitchen table and into a corner chair.
“Halston, we’re eating in the dining room,” Caroline called over to her, “so you can leave everything where it is.”
Halston Devereux.
“A sexy name for a very beautiful woman,” Gabriel said.
“Watch out, Halston” Teddy said. “My brother’s a lady eater.”
Sparks flew between them, the air thick with sexual tension.
Facing her, Gabriel cupped her shoulders with his hands. A zing of desire shot through him. “You’re a complicated woman. Time to uncomplicate things.”
Teddy appeared with two glasses of Santini Chianti.
Halston took one, Gabriel the other.
“How can I help?” Halston asked.
“Keep him in check,” his brother said before bolting back to the center island.
Gabriel raised his glass. “To you, Halston Devereux, until you morph into someone else.”
She clinked his glass. “To the secrets we keep and the ones we share.”
Gabriel could drink to that. His entire life had been one secret after another.
“What’s your story?” he asked as she placed the stemless wine glass to her lips, tipped the dark-red liquid into her mouth.
So fucking beautiful…
“You first,” she replied.
“You know about me.” He ran his fingers through her long strands, tugged on the end of her hair, leaned close. “I want to know about you,” he whispered.
A whisper-soft moan escaped her lips. “You make me crazy.”
He glanced at her mouth, those sultry lips beckoned.
“You know you want to,” she whispered.
“What do you want?”
“I want you to maul me, then drag me to your man cave and do naughty things to me.”
A groan shot out of him. “With pleasure.”
Teddy bounded over. “You guys hungry?”
“Famished,” Halston replied.
Teddy shifted toward him. “How ‘bout you, G?”
With his gaze drilling into Halston, he said, “Hungrier than I’ve ever been in my entire life.”
Teddy glanced from one to the other, then chuffed out a laugh.
“Time to eat.”
With a wink for Gabriel, she followed Teddy toward the buffet line at the expansive center island.
He paused to admire her curves, the sway of her hips, her silky-long hair.
I gotta have her.
Two easy strides and he caught up to her. “Not so fast. You aren’t getting away from me.”
“I wasn’t trying,” she replied. “If I was, I’d already be gone.”
Gabriel took that as a challenge. From what he could tell about the mysterious Halston Devereux, she was the perfect woman to give him one.
HALSTON
Halston’s heart was pounding out of her chest. She couldn’t regulate her breathing, and the small space between her legs was begging for attention.
She was thrilled she hadn’t bolted, grateful they’d invited a playmate for her.
There was so much food, she wondered if they’d even make a dent in it. Beef tenderloin, a large baked salmon, insalata caprese, a green bean casserole, a medley of steamed vegetables, dozens of French fries, and twice-baked garlic potatoes.
“Once you’ve filled your plate, we’re eating in the dining room,” Sydney announced as the buffet line circled around the island.
“Save room for dessert,” Caroline added.
“I would skip dinner and go right to dessert,” Gabriel murmured as he sidled close behind Halston in the buffet line.
A shock of desire pounded through her and she breathed deep to steady herself.
“We should serve dessert first like Mom does,” Sydney said.
“Have you met Kathrine and Mark Austin?” Gabriel asked Halston as she placed a piece of sliced tenderloin on her plate.
“Yes, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen them,” Halston replied. “You?”
“I know them,” Gabriel said before he leaned close and whispered, “You’re gorgeous without the disguise.”
She turned back, her enlarged pupils darkening her light eyes. “When does your disguise come off?”
He smiled. Halston Devereux was a force of nature.
As she set a serving of insalata caprese on her plate, Gabriel stepped dangerously close and curled his fingers around her waist. A whisper-soft moan escaped her lips.
“Profumi di fiori selvatici dopo una pioggia primaverile,” he murmured. You smell of wildflowers after a spring rain.
Turning toward him, she whispered, “Sei guai, pericolo e tutto ciò da cui dovrei stare alla larga.” You're trouble and danger and everything I should stay away from.
“Will you?” he asked.
She peered into his eyes, glanced at his sexy mouth, then back into his eyes. “No, I won’t.”
As they made their way around the buffet, she couldn’t help but sneak peaks at him. Yes, he was handsome, but it was the intensity in his eyes paired with his cut jawline and scruffy facial hair that sent her pulse racing. He looked wild and wicked… and perfect.
I could eat him alive.
Another hit of lust surged through her.
She watched with keen interest when he spooned garlic potatoes onto his plate. There was something about his hands. They were large with a smattering of dark hair. He looked like a man, smelled like one too.
And best of all… he fucks like one.
A growl shot out of her.
“Posso aiutarti in questo,” I can help with that.
“Non vedo l'ora,” she whispered. I look forward to it.