some face, I guess.”
“I wouldn’t have said no, if you had called.”
“Chloe said I need to take control of my fate, to ask for what I want, go after it. I’ve always been good at that professionally. Not so much on a personal level,” she confessed, taking a deep drink of her wine.
“Hmm. Why don’t you tell me now? Tell me what you want,” he said, dropping his voice, changing the tone of their conversation to a different kind of intimacy. One he could handle much more easily.
She started to say something, then stopped. Her expression was intrigued, but reluctant. Shy. Gabe wanted to show her, again, how sexy she was.
“How much privacy do we have here, Della?” He leaned in to kiss a spot behind her ear that he knew drove her wild. Her breath caught and a tremble that moved through her limbs was his reward.
“Lock that main door and we’re completely alone for as long as we want to be.”
It was exactly what Gabe wanted to hear.
* * *
D ELLA STOOD WATCHING as Gabe jogged up the aisle to close the door and then turned back, slipping off his loosened tie as he returned. She was rooted to the spot, her entire being vibrating in anticipation, desire thrumming through her, wiping out any vestige of exhaustion or tension from the day.
He threw his tie on the blanket, and his coat, too. Then he rejoined her, sliding his hand up into her hair, cradling her head gently as his eyes moved over her face.
“What do you want, Della?” he repeated.
Everything
, she thought. Her imagination was wading into perilous waters, the ones that existed far past “just sex.” She had no business there.
“Kiss me.”
He pulled her into his arms, kissing her like his life depended on it. Her need met his on exactly the same level, returning his passion with all of her own. As if he had been as hungry for her as she was for him.
“I want to touch you,” she said against his mouth, finding the second request easier.
His arms left her, and he started unbuttoning his shirt, but she stopped him.
“Let me,” she said, planting a soft kiss at the base of his throat as she pushed his fingers away and worked the buttons herself, removing the dress shirt from his shoulders. She loved the masculine look of the white T-shirt he wore underneath. The soft cotton teased the backs of her fingers as she slid her hand up underneath it, making him groan and his muscles tense.
She lightly drew her nails down his chest, experimenting, watching his reactions. It
was
magic, she thought as she noticed the pulse in his throat, to make a man’s heart beat so quickly with only a touch.
“You make me lose my mind, Della, with one kiss, one touch.”
Peering up at him from under her lashes she smiled. “I’m glad I’m not the only one.”
Bolder, she pushed the shirt up over his head and then trailed kisses down his pectorals. Then the tip of her tongue landed along the light trail of hair that led to the band of his trousers. When she unbuttoned them, and let the back of her hand run along his prominent erection as she lowered the zipper, he let out a hissing breath, his hands closing into fists.
“Della,” he gasped as she removed his pants, leaving teasing licks up the length of his strong thigh.
“Shhh,” she admonished, focused on her goal, enjoying this seduction. “This is what I want.”
She took him into her mouth, experimenting to find what made him tense or arch closer, clench his hands or groan. He touched her gently, as if needing to keep touching her.
His breathing deepened, his muscles taut, but Della took her time. She set about discovering what he liked in great detail, memorizing every contour and every response. To her delight, some of her reading and research in such things ended up paying off, driving him nearly over the edge.
“Della, please, stop,” he begged raggedly, reaching down to pull her up next to him. She met his eyes with a sense of wonder.
She
had put that look of raw desire and
“I wouldn’t have said no, if you had called.”
“Chloe said I need to take control of my fate, to ask for what I want, go after it. I’ve always been good at that professionally. Not so much on a personal level,” she confessed, taking a deep drink of her wine.
“Hmm. Why don’t you tell me now? Tell me what you want,” he said, dropping his voice, changing the tone of their conversation to a different kind of intimacy. One he could handle much more easily.
She started to say something, then stopped. Her expression was intrigued, but reluctant. Shy. Gabe wanted to show her, again, how sexy she was.
“How much privacy do we have here, Della?” He leaned in to kiss a spot behind her ear that he knew drove her wild. Her breath caught and a tremble that moved through her limbs was his reward.
“Lock that main door and we’re completely alone for as long as we want to be.”
It was exactly what Gabe wanted to hear.
* * *
D ELLA STOOD WATCHING as Gabe jogged up the aisle to close the door and then turned back, slipping off his loosened tie as he returned. She was rooted to the spot, her entire being vibrating in anticipation, desire thrumming through her, wiping out any vestige of exhaustion or tension from the day.
He threw his tie on the blanket, and his coat, too. Then he rejoined her, sliding his hand up into her hair, cradling her head gently as his eyes moved over her face.
“What do you want, Della?” he repeated.
Everything
, she thought. Her imagination was wading into perilous waters, the ones that existed far past “just sex.” She had no business there.
“Kiss me.”
He pulled her into his arms, kissing her like his life depended on it. Her need met his on exactly the same level, returning his passion with all of her own. As if he had been as hungry for her as she was for him.
“I want to touch you,” she said against his mouth, finding the second request easier.
His arms left her, and he started unbuttoning his shirt, but she stopped him.
“Let me,” she said, planting a soft kiss at the base of his throat as she pushed his fingers away and worked the buttons herself, removing the dress shirt from his shoulders. She loved the masculine look of the white T-shirt he wore underneath. The soft cotton teased the backs of her fingers as she slid her hand up underneath it, making him groan and his muscles tense.
She lightly drew her nails down his chest, experimenting, watching his reactions. It
was
magic, she thought as she noticed the pulse in his throat, to make a man’s heart beat so quickly with only a touch.
“You make me lose my mind, Della, with one kiss, one touch.”
Peering up at him from under her lashes she smiled. “I’m glad I’m not the only one.”
Bolder, she pushed the shirt up over his head and then trailed kisses down his pectorals. Then the tip of her tongue landed along the light trail of hair that led to the band of his trousers. When she unbuttoned them, and let the back of her hand run along his prominent erection as she lowered the zipper, he let out a hissing breath, his hands closing into fists.
“Della,” he gasped as she removed his pants, leaving teasing licks up the length of his strong thigh.
“Shhh,” she admonished, focused on her goal, enjoying this seduction. “This is what I want.”
She took him into her mouth, experimenting to find what made him tense or arch closer, clench his hands or groan. He touched her gently, as if needing to keep touching her.
His breathing deepened, his muscles taut, but Della took her time. She set about discovering what he liked in great detail, memorizing every contour and every response. To her delight, some of her reading and research in such things ended up paying off, driving him nearly over the edge.
“Della, please, stop,” he begged raggedly, reaching down to pull her up next to him. She met his eyes with a sense of wonder.
She
had put that look of raw desire and
Similar Books
