Scarlett

His words made me feel cherished and loved, and boy, did I need that right now. As Gabe leaned in, I closed my eyes and parted my lips. He kissed me, just a feather-light press of lips, and desire surged through my bloodstream, making me feel light-headed. I let go of the door and leaned into his warmth, desperate for some human contact. After the brush with death this morning, I wanted to feel alive once more, and I knew that I could feel that way with Gabe’s naked body pressed up against mine.

“Stay,” I whispered as he broke the kiss.

He flicked his gaze up to meet mine. “What?”

“Stay with me for a little while.” I opened the door and stepped back into the room, dragging him with me. When I was with Gabe, I felt in control of my life. Things made sense. With everything else in turmoil, I needed to feel as if I had control of something, even if it was something small like this.

I reached for his belt and pulled on the buckle. “Close the door.”

“Scarlett.” His voice sounded strained, as if he believed the right thing to do was to leave, but he wanted desperately to stay.

“Do it,” I commanded. My voice sounded confident, which was a stark contrast to how I felt. If he walked away, if he rejected me, I wasn’t sure I could take it.

After a brief hesitation, he pushed on the door, and it closed with a bang.

I finished undoing the belt buckle and dropped to my knees. “I want to taste you, Gabe,” I said as I eased his cock out of his pants. “I want to feel you inside my body.”

“Scarlett.” He was already hard, already dripping moisture. Leaning forward, I flicked my tongue over the tip of his cock, making him shiver.

“Oh God.” He threaded his fingers through my hair as I pushed my lips down his shaft. He filled my mouth, pressing against my tongue and sliding until he bumped the back of my throat.

I groaned and retreated, then eased down his shaft once more. He tightened his grip on my hair and started controlling my thrusts, losing himself in the moment.

Glancing up, I saw him close his eyes and tilt his head back. His actions made me feel powerful, beautiful. I reached for him, cupping his balls and gently tugging them as I moved over his length. Seconds passed as I focused on my task, listening to his moans of pleasure and feeling the desire come awake inside him.

The air heated around us, and I pushed him deeper, wanting to take him as far as he could go.

“Scarlett.”

I gripped his base. Moaning, I stroked him with my fingers and mouth, determined to make him come undone.

“God, Scarlett. Wait.” He tugged on my hair, pulling me away from his body. “If you keep this up, I’m not going to last.”

“I don’t want you to last.”

He groaned and pulled me up onto my feet. “You’re going to kill me.”

Before I could respond, he kissed me, slowly sliding his tongue inside my mouth and brushing it against mine.

Desire shot through my bloodstream, and I slid my arms up around his neck. I didn’t want to think, didn’t want to talk. I just wanted to feel.

He eased his fingers around my waist and slid them down around my ass. With each squeeze, I became more needy and desperate. Slipping my hands down, I worked his shirt free from his jeans, and then slid my fingers under it. He groaned against my lips as I reached up and brushed against his nipples.

“Scarlett.”

I broke the kiss and helped him bring the shirt over his head. He leaned forward again to kiss me, but I put my hand on his torso and gently pushed him away.

“Strip first.”

He raised his brows but then did as I asked. As he worked his clothes off, I removed my dress and undergarments and slowly walked backward toward the chair next to the bed.

He was magnificent. So tall and muscular, far more muscular than I remember him being in high school. I nibbled my lower lip as I sat down in the chair and hooked one leg up over the armrest.

“Jesus.” Gabe ran his fingers over his face as my pussy came into view.

“What are you waiting for?” I lifted my head in silent challenge.

He quickly closed the distance between us and fell to his knees. Cupping his hands underneath my ass, he slid me to the edge of the chair. I grabbed his hair as he leaned forward and pressed his tongue against my center, sending a bolt of pleasure up through my core.

“Yes.” I raised my other leg up and placed it on the other armrest, opening myself up to him fully.

“You taste so good.” He curled his fingers into my flesh as he feasted on my skin. As his tongue darted in and out of my body, I held him close, loving how good he felt against my skin.

My skin heated as he worked, and tension filled the air. I could feel the desire inside of me growing, building up into a frenzy of need. He slid a finger into my core, pumping me as he flicked his tongue along my outer rim. He pushed me higher and higher, until I felt myself hovering on something vast and amazing.

“Come for me, Scarlett. Let me taste you.” He shifted his mouth up and gently rubbed my clit as he quickened the pace with his fingers. I groaned and closed my eyes, losing myself in the moment. My breathing quickened, and the muscles tightened in my core. Then he scraped his teeth over my clit, and the flash of pain was enough to send me tumbling over the edge into oblivion.

I called out his name and dug my nails into his scalp as the world fell apart around me. Pleasure poured through my body, filling every crevice and pore. He slowed his strokes, lengthening them until every last bit of ecstasy had been wrung out of my body. Then, when the last ribbons of joy faded, he stood, dragged me out of the chair, and hauled me over to the bed.

“My turn.” He placed his palm in the middle of my back and pushed me forward until my hands were on the mattress. Then he slid his damp hand in between my cheeks and pressed his finger against the opening in my backside.

“Gabe.” The word tumbled out of me with surprise.

“Have you ever been taken here?” he asked as he eased the pressure.

“No, but I have used beads.” I nodded to the corner of the room. “They’re in my bag.”

He left me and went to the suitcase. It didn’t take him long to find the anal beads and oil I usually carried with me.

He held them up to me and twisted his lips in a half smile. “Do you always bring such things with you when you travel?”

“Sometimes.” I didn’t want Gabe to think that I was obsessed with sex, but the truth was, I had become dependent on toys in the bedroom. I discovered them while dating Henri. He hadn’t always satisfied me, and I needed something to take the edge off once he fell asleep. After we had broken up, I started using them more, becoming dependent on them to relieve a lot of my tension from work.

“We’ll use them now,” he announced as he stood and walked out of my range of vision.

“You don’t have to—”

“Oh, I think I do.” He returned his fingers to my ass. This time, they felt warm and wet. The familiar lavender scent of my oil filled the air. “I want to know everything about you, Scarlett. That includes your preferences in the bedroom.”

“Have you—” I stopped myself before I asked the question. Of course, he was familiar with anal beads. He was a gigolo after all. Somehow, the thought of him doing this with another woman didn’t sit well with me. I pushed the thought from my mind. He wasn’t with another woman right now, he was with me. I was determined to enjoy this moment for as long as it lasted.

He pushed against me again, his finger sliding much easier this time because of the oil. I groaned as the familiar stretch worked its way through my core. He pumped his finger slowly, letting me get used to the sweet friction inside my body.

“God, you’re so beautiful,” he whispered as I started to move against him. “You like that, don’t you?”

I groaned in reply. He opened his hand, slapping my ass as I moved against him. The sound vibrated through the air, fueling my need. I widened my stance and moved faster as desire snaked through my muscles, winding them tight with need.

After a long moment, he pulled his hand away. “I think you’re ready.”

Before I could protest, he pushed the end of the anal beads up against my opening. I leaned back against his hand as he working first one, then a second into my backside.

“Yes, that’s it,” he said.

He moved back and forth, slowly letting the tension build as he pushed the entire string up into my body. When he finished, he rubbed his palms over my ass and bent down to kiss each of my cheeks in turn.

“How does that feel?” he asked.

“Wonderful.”

“Good.” He positioned himself at my opening. “Let’s hope that this feels even better.” Grabbing my hips, he thrust hard and deep filling my core with his large cock. I groaned as he entered, the friction pushing heat through my body like a spreading fire.

“Gabe.”

“Did I hurt you?”

I shook my head and started moving against him. As our bodies came together, the beads pressed deeper into my backside. The delightful stretching sensation shot pleasure up through my core.

“Oh God.” We moved faster, harder. As Gabe started to groan, I curled my fingers into the mattress, trying to ground myself against the rising need. The world around us faded away until there was just him, just this moment. Faster and faster we moved, thrusting with desperation as I raced toward my goal. Then I cried out his name as my world exploded, bathing me in pleasure and light.

Never before had anything felt so good, or so right. As Gabe shivered and tumbled over the edge with me, I couldn’t help but feel connected. This was more than sex, more than just a good time. He understood my needs and was more than willing to satisfy them. There weren’t too many people in my life who were as attentive, or as loving.

As the last bits of pleasure dissolved away, Gabe retreated and removed the beads. Pulling back the covers, he helped me down onto the mattress and crawled in behind me. I let out a long sigh of contentment as he spooned my body and nuzzled my neck.

“That was amazing,” I said.

“You’re amazing.” He kissed my temple. “Every time we’re together we learn more and more about you. It’s wonderful.”

As his breathing became more even, I realized that he was right. The more time we spent together, the more I was sharing of myself with Gabe. In return, I still knew next to nothing about him. There was still so much about his past that remained a mystery. I wondered if he’d ever feel comfortable enough with me to share it, or if I was going to be forever kept in the dark.

* * *

The next morning, I opened my eyes, feeling fully rested and content for the first time in weeks. Last night had been amazing. After a quick nap, we had returned to the convention so I could attend my panels and meet with prospective clients. The entire time I worked, I could feel Gabe’s hungry and possessive gaze on my body, making it difficult to think of anything besides what had happened between us back at the hotel. When I finished, Gabe insisted that he’d spend the night, just in case someone tried to attack me again. We had sex twice more and each time I had felt a stronger and deeper connection growing between us. The connection was boosting my confidence, and I had to admit that I hadn’t felt this good in a long time.

Smiling to myself, I blinked the world into focus, and that was when I noticed Gabe’s clothes on the floor. They were right there, on the ground, just out of reach. I remembered how he had pulled out his cell phone from jeans several times during the night. I knew that if I could somehow take a peek at that cell, I could figure out more about Gabe’s past.

Because he wasn’t a gigolo, that was for sure. Oh okay, he definitely had the skills to be a gigolo, but he was too smart, too well versed in police procedure and law to be just a common escort. I suppose it was possible that he had some law enforcement training in the military, or learned some things from his friend, but he seemed too calm about everything that had gone on over the past couple of days. It was almost as if he was used to such drama and risk. As far as I knew, escorts weren’t threatened every day of their lives. No, Gabe was more than he seemed, and I couldn’t help but feel that his cell held all of the answers I was searching for.

As if on cue, Gabe groaned and turned toward the other side of the bed, letting his arm dangle off the side. I closed my eyes and counted to ten, waiting until I heard the soft snoring behind me. Turning my head, I took a minute to appreciate his well-muscled shoulders peeking out from under the bedsheet and his messy dark hair on the pillow. I resisted the temptation to ruffle my fingers through that hair and call him for another round of sex, and instead slid one leg out from under the covers.

Sunlight streamed in through the cracks in the curtains. Hopefully, it would be enough light to read his cell. After waiting a few brief moments to make sure he was still asleep, I eased off the bed and crouched down to the floor.

Tossing aside his shirt and my dress, I rummaged through his pants until I found what I was looking for. My heartbeat quickened as I tried to pull the cell from his pocket. Unfortunately, the darn thing had that security measure where it needed his fingerprint. Turning my body, I eased the phone toward his hand, hoping to get a print without waking him.

“What are you doing?”

Panic sliced through my system. I dropped the cell and quickly picked up my dress. “I was looking for my underwear.”

Gabe’s masculine chuckled filled the room, making me blush. “You don’t need any underwear.”

The mattress creaked, and I glanced up to see him lean over the edge of the bed.

“No?” I asked.

He shook his head and patted the mattress. “All you need to do is to come back to bed.”

I chuckled and dropped the dress. “Nice thought, but we have that preview today.”

“Preview?”

“For Bridget’s gathering at the end of the week. I don’t want to miss it.”

Gabe groaned, rolled over on his back, and put his arm over his eyes. “Oh, the humanity.”

I hit him with the pillow. “Come on. You need to shower and I need to call Raul to bring around the limo.”

He lifted his arm and waggled his brows at me. “Are you going to shower with me?”

I forced myself to smile, knowing that any opportunity to learn more about his true identity had passed. “Maybe, but only if you hurry.”

He let out a little boy whoop and jumped out of bed with surprising speed. Before I could catch my breath, he scooped me off the floor and carried me into the bathroom.

“You’re crazy, you know that?” I said as he sat me down on the rug.

He reached behind me and turned on the shower. “Crazy for you.” He kissed away the last of my questions, and for the next hour, there was nothing but skin, steam, and sex.