Chapter Twenty
Rachel loved dressing up. It reminded her of pretending to be a princess when she was a little girl. And even though she was going in at least a partially professional capacity, she was also excited to get to wear a beautiful dress. Her emerald silk gown with an organza overlay on the bodice wrapped around one shoulder and fell smoothly to the floor. She’d put her hair into a French braid that wrapped around one side of her head before being pinned up into a bun. As she looked in the mirror, she thought she looked good. She hoped Gabe would think so as well.
He was due to pick her up any second, so she spread some tinted gloss on her lips, grabbed her silver clutch, and went into the living room to wait. His timing was impeccable because she heard a knock at the door as soon as she made it through the short hall.
Smoothing her hands down her dress, she took a deep breath before opening the door. Her jaw dropped as she took in the sight of Gabe in a tailored, dark gray suit. Underneath, he wore a crisp navy shirt that he left open at the collar so a hint of his bronze skin showed. He was seriously smoking hot. “Wow,” was all she could say.
“Wow to you too,” he said with that sexy smile that always made her clit throb. He leaned it to give her a kiss on the cheek and then whispered in her ear, “I can’t wait to peel that off you.”
Even more heat rushed south as his words sent a shiver through her. “Maybe we should do that now,” she said, her voice husky.
But Gabe, the bastard, pulled back and shoved his hands in his pockets, which made his suit jacket rise and his pants tighten across the front of him. “Good things come to those who wait.”
“I’m perfectly able to come without waiting.”
Gabe barked out a laugh. “I have no doubts about that. But still, I have a car downstairs, and I’m looking forward to showing you off to everyone.”
His comment was classic, sweet Gabe, and there was no way she could refuse it. “Let’s go then.” She acted put-out, but she was excited to go.
The car ride was relatively quick since the party was being held on one of the upper floors of the football stadium, which was close to where Gabe lived. She was amazed that they could fit such a large, glamorous space inside of a stadium, but there it was—all crystal chandeliers and linen-covered tables. They found Jace quickly, and Rachel was introduced to his fiancé, Alessandra, who was sweet in a slightly awkward way that Rachel found thoroughly endearing. The four of them mingled, with Gabe and Jace introducing the women to countless people—many of whom Rachel either knew or at least knew of. Alessandra looked uncomfortable though.
“You okay?” Rachel whispered to her as they stood at a high-top table and the guys talked to a few other men about the new turf the stadium had put down.
Alessandra jolted a little at the sound of Rachel’s voice, but smiled shyly. “Yes, I’m fine. I’m just not much of a people person.” She chuckled in a self-deprecating way that made Rachel like the beautiful doctor even more.
“Honestly? Me neither. But I have to fake it for my job,” Rachel said. That wasn’t entirely true. She did like meeting people, but she also needed a serious recharge afterward. Crowds often overwhelmed her though, and a lot of her calm composure was a façade that she’d perfected over years of attending events like this.
“Yeah, I’m fine if I’m in my own element, but this,” Alessandra gestured around the room, “is decidedly out of my element.”
“Maybe we’ll stumble across a team doctor for you to chat with,” Rachel offered with a smile, which Alessandra returned.
“Maybe.”
“Want anything to drink?” Gabe asked her.
“Sure. White wine is fine.”
“Great. Want anything, Aly?”
“I think we’re going to take a walk over to the appetizers,” Jace said as he put an arm around Alessandra’s waist.
“Fat bastard,” Gabe taunted.
Jace patted his flat stomach with his hand. “You know it.”
“You want to come with me or wait here?” Gabe asked her after Jace and Alessandra walked away.
“I’ll wait here and save our table.”
“Okay, I’ll be right back.”
She watched Gabe walk off before she let her eyes glance around the room. Taking in the diverse crowd, she allowed herself to enjoy existing on the fringe for a minute. Rachel was an observer through and through, and people-watching was one of her favorite pastimes.
But when she saw a man surreptitiously hand a recent draftee a card, her entire body tensed. She watched them speak for a moment as the player slipped the card into his pocket and the two men shook hands. Her eyes tracked the movements of the man who’d handed out the card. He was tall and lithe, his black suit hugging his frame. His blond hair was mussed in that intentional way that made it seem as though he’d just been riding in a convertible with the top down. He approached another young athlete and repeated the process all over again.
“Here ya go,” Gabe said as he put her drink down in front of her.
Rachel felt like she’d nearly jumped out of her skin, but Gabe hadn’t seemed to notice. “Thanks,” she said as she lifted the glass to her lips. Gabe stood next to her, his hand on the small of her back and his thumb caressing her over the fabric of her dress as he made small talk. She hated that she wasn’t fully in the moment with him. Hated that she couldn’t stop her brain from thinking about who the man might have been and how she was going to get close enough to him to figure it out.
Gabe, unbeknownst to him, gave her an opportunity. “Hey, I’m going to run to the restroom. You want me to track down Jace and Aly for you, or are you good here for a few minutes?”
“I’m good.” She felt like she’d said the words too abruptly, so she willed herself to calm down before continuing. “I actually might mingle a little. See what stories I can sniff out.” She said the words with a smile that she hoped hid the fact that she was serious.
“Sounds good. I’ll find you in a few minutes.”
“No worries. I’ll be fine.”
Gabe leaned in and gave her a soft kiss. “I know.” With that, he went off in the direction of where she assumed the bathrooms were.
Rachel gave a quick look around. She’d lost sight of the man who’d handed out the cards, so she had little choice but to wander around and hope she stumbled upon him. She walked around, becoming more disappointed as time passed. She figured he must have left already, the dread of the missed opportunity weighing heavily on her. But as soon as she’d had the thought, the man materialized in front of her.
“Excuse me,” he said with a gleaming smile as he tried to slide past her.
“No problem.” She extended her hand toward him, unwilling to let him get away again. “I’m a reporter with All Access Sports.”
The man’s smile grew in response, and he grasped her hand in a firm shake. “Chad Weller. Nice to meet you.”
She nodded. “It’s a beautiful event,” she said as she looked around the room. “Lots of great athletes.” Rachel was desperately trying to think ahead as she spoke, to come up with some way of finding out more about Chad.
“Yeah, it sure is. You came down here for the draft? Isn’t All Access based out of New York?”
“I’m down here on a story,” she answered. “What do you do?” she asked, wanting to steer the conversation back to him.
“I’m an agent.”
Her heart sank. “Oh.” Forcing a smile, she continued, “Bet you’ve found plenty of prospective clients tonight.”
“Yeah, I’ve handed out my fair share of cards,” he said as he returned her smile. He pulled one out of his pocket and handed it to her. “In case you’re ever in need of an agent’s services.”
She took it, unsure if his comment was genuine or laced with innuendo. Deciding it wasn’t worth hanging around to find out, she quickly excused herself and went off to find Gabe.
With every step she took, Rachel did her best to quell the frustration she felt. At least now she could stop obsessing and focus on having a good night with her date. She made her way off in the direction in which Gabe had walked. Her eyes settled on him a minute later, and a smile automatically spread across her lips. Yes, she could definitely enjoy the night with her man.
Except, as she approached, she saw Gabe talking to two football players who played in the very stadium she currently stood in. And Gabe was handing them each a small, black card.
***
“We’re having an event tomorrow night to celebrate the end of the draft, if you guys are interested.”
Patrick Reardon and Lamar Tannis nodded solemnly, letting Gabe know they were taking him seriously.
“And no one is permitted in without an invitation from me. So don’t spread word around about where you’re going. You follow the rules, and we’ll get along just fine.” Gabe internally laughed at this persona he had to put on in these instances. It was so unlike him in every facet of his life besides moments like this. He felt like a complete imposter.
“We understand,” Lamar said as he held out his hand to shake Gabe’s. “We won’t say a word.”
Gabe shook each man’s hand firmly. “Then I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.” He gave them each one final nod before he turned around. And came face-to-face with Rachel. Plastering on a casual smile, he approached her quickly and began ushering her away from Lamar and Patrick. “Hey. Been having fun?”
“Yeah. I’ve been networking. How about you?”
Gabe slung an arm around her shoulders. “Yup. Just welcoming a few of the new guys to the city.”
“They must be excited,” she said. She felt a little stiff as they walked. He wondered if her feet were hurting or something.
“Yeah, I think so. A couple of us volunteered to take them out on the town tomorrow night. Show them all that Philly has to offer.” The lie came to him out of nowhere, but he was thankful for it. It would give him an out to go to the club the next night without her being suspicious.
“Oh yeah? I bet they were thrilled with that.” She looked up at him with a full smile. He wasn’t sure if she was teasing him or not, but her smile seemed genuine.
“They seemed into it.”
Rachel tucked herself into his side. “Where are you guys going to take them?”
To a club I own and can never tell you anything about. “Not sure yet. We’ll probably figure it out as we go.”
They chatted more as they did another loop around the room. They met back up with Jace and Aly, and the two couples spent some time on the dance floor. As Gabe held Rachel close while they swayed slowly to the music, the movement quickly became a kind of foreplay.
Gabe trailed his fingers down her spine and sucked on her earlobe. Finally, he whispered, “You about ready to get out of here?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” she replied.
Gabe gave her temple a soft kiss before pulling away and grabbing her hand. They said quick goodbyes to Jace and Aly, who also looked ready to spend some time alone together. Then Gabe whisked her out of there, into the car, and back to his place.
They’d barely made it inside before Gabe had her pressed against a wall, trailing kisses down every shred of bare skin. They were naked soon after. As he laid her back on his bed and pressed inside her (and the kittens scurried out from their hiding spot), Gabe knew that he could do this forever. Not just the sex, but all the rest of it too. Going to events, sitting at home watching TV, having a quiet dinner with friends. He could see himself doing all of it for the rest of his life. As long as Rachel was the one he got to do it with.
As they both frantically chased their orgasms, their chests heaving, fingernails grazing across skin, their kisses consuming each of them, he knew that Rachel was right there with him. She would be the last girlfriend he would ever have. Of that, he was sure.
And as they both climaxed, first Rachel and then Gabe seconds later, for the first time in a long time, Gabe felt like he was exactly where he was supposed to be.