Gabe

I scrambled from the cab and followed Scarlett into the hotel. “Wait up!”

She wasn’t listening. Panic gripped me as she made her way over to the elevators.

“Leave me alone, Gabe,” she said as soon as I stepped up behind her.

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

Good question. I didn’t have an answer for her except that I couldn’t leave things like this.

She shook her head and turned to face me when I didn’t answer right away. “Look, you’ve fulfilled your obligation as my escort tonight.” She averted her gaze and waved her hand in the air between us. “If you want me to give a good review to your boss, I can have my assistant make a phone call—”

“Stop.” I grabbed her wrist as the elevator doors opened. She tried to pull away from me, but I held firm. “Scarlett, look at me.”

She slowly raised her head and met my gaze. I could see the pink on her cheeks, flush from the outside air. Her breathing was irregular, and her eyes shone bright with unshed tears.

Then I remembered what I had realized back at the mansion. Not only was this Scarlett’s first time at a murder scene, but the victim had been close to her—intimately close. While the thought of her and that ass together made me angry enough to see red, I knew that this wasn’t the time or the place for such things. She was hurt and scared, perhaps more than she wanted to admit.

“I’m sorry.” My voice came out barely louder than a whisper. “I forgot that this must be new to you.”

She yanked her wrist from my grip and raised her brows. “And I suppose you see dead bodies of your exes every day in your line of work.”

I had managed to stick my foot in my mouth again. Normally I was much better at my cover than this. There was something about being around Scarlett that made me forget I was supposed to be pretending to be someone else. To her, I was just a male escort, her old high-school friend, and she needed to keep thinking that way.

“How can you be so calm about all of this?” she asked.

I cleared my throat and slipped inside the elevator behind her.

“I served in Afghanistan, remember?”

She crossed her arms and made a low, feminine sound of disbelief. Scarlett had always been smart, and I knew that she was starting to put things together. If she continued this line of thinking, it wouldn’t be long until she figured out that I wasn’t really an escort. I needed to give her something, a partial truth that would prevent her from walking away.

I leaned my shoulder against the elevator wall. “How much have you heard about the Escort Killer?”

She thought for a moment and shook her head. “I’ve only heard about it in passing. I’ve been rather busy preparing for Mystique, so I haven’t kept up with the news.”

I glanced up at the numbers above the elevator doors and knew that I had only a few precious moments to get back on her good side. Once those doors opened, Scarlett would walk out into that hall, and quite possibly out of my life. I couldn’t let that happen, not only for the sake of the case but for the sake of my sanity. I had already lost her once. I wasn’t ready to lose her a second time.

“There is a killer on the loose in Miami. It seems as if he has been targeting male escorts.”

She widened her eyes and leaned closer. “You’re kidding.”

“I wish I was. In the past six months, five of my coworkers have died.”

She placed her hand at her chest. “All from the same agency?”

“Four from Cox Escorts, one from a rival.”

“Anyone you knew?”

“Some of them, yes.” If by “knowing” she meant “had studied their case files,” then yes, I knew them. I probably knew more about those poor souls than their closest relatives.

She crossed her arms, and I averted my gaze, hoping she didn’t read more into my expression than she should. I hated telling her half-truths, but it was necessary to keep my cover. I had put too much time into this cover to have it crumble now.

“I’m so sorry,” she said as she put her hand on my arm. “I didn’t know.”

“I’m not telling this to you because I need your sympathy, Scarlett.” I placed my hand over hers, holding her close as the elevator doors opened.

“Then why . . .”

“Because I want you to know I understand.” I glanced down at our joined hands. “Perhaps better than most.” While none of those escorts were close friends, I did have a family member die once. I understood her hurt and confusion. She’d need time to come to terms with such feelings. Unfortunately, time wasn’t something we had much of at this moment.

I nodded toward the doors. “We’re here.”

“What?” She glanced out at the hall. “Oh.” She tugged her hand from mine and stepped away. Every fiber of my being screamed at me to follow her, to reach out and pull her back toward my chest where I could keep her safe. I forced myself to hold still, however. As much as I needed her, I wouldn’t force myself into her personal space. The choice needed to be hers.

“Do you . . .” She moved her hand to her throat, closing the V opening in her dress. “Would you like to come in for some tea?”

Relief rushed through me as I schooled my features into a bored expression. I didn’t want to seem too eager.

“Sure.” I slid my arm around her shoulders as she turned toward her room. The elevator doors closed as we walked, shutting off the outside world and keeping us safely cocooned inside.

“Henri . . .” She cleared her throat and kept her gaze away from mine. “It was a messy breakup. I can understand why the cops would think that I had something to do with his murder. I just hope that whoever did this to him doesn’t decide to come after me, too.”

She stopped in front of her door and pulled out her key card. Before she could slide it through the slot, I took her hand. “Scarlett.” I waited until she turned to face me. “I won’t let anyone hurt you, I promise.” No matter what happened, I wouldn’t let anyone harm her. This was about more than my job. This was about us.

Heaven knew I didn’t deserve her trust, but I wanted it. As she looked up at me with those large, hazel eyes, I knew that my words were, at least, taking a small portion of her fear away.

She glanced down at my clothes, then dragged her gaze back up to my face. “You’re going to protect me, eh?” She tugged her hand from mine and twisted her lips into a half smile. “And tell me, Mr. Boyfriend-for-Hire, how do you plan on doing that?” She turned her back to me and slid the key card through the slot by the door.

“Oh, you’d be surprised.” I pushed open her room door and steered her inside. “We escorts tend to be fiercely territorial.”

“Really?” She tossed her purse and her key on a nearby end table. “Didn’t think it was part of the job description.”

“It is.” I stepped forward, forcing her back against a nearby wall. “It’s our number one rule: protect our date at all costs.” Leaning my head down, I inhaled her sweet breath and dropped my gaze to her mouth.

“Funny, I never thought that escorts would be territorial. Do you have a database or something? I mean, how would the other escorts know to stay away from certain patrons?”

“We mark what belongs to us.” I inched forward. “Like this.” I tilted my head and pressed my lips against hers.

Scarlett gasped against me, allowing me to slip my tongue into her mouth. She tasted like sweet sunshine and innocence, with just a hint of champagne. It was the taste I had been craving over the past several years but had never been able to find. I groaned and pressed forward, deepening the kiss as her tongue brushed against mine. All thoughts of the case slid from my brain as I tried to determine the quickest way to remove Scarlett from her clothes.

Thankfully, Scarlett and I were on the same wavelength. She reached for my shirt, tugging it from my slacks and sliding her fingers up over my spine.

“You need to take this off,” she whispered.

“Yes, ma’am.” As I pulled the shirt over my head, she moved against me, grinding her hips into my cock until it pressed against the zipper of my pants.

I loved how responsive she was to my touch, and wanted more than anything to push myself inside her center. I had to remind myself that she had been through a tough day, and she probably wouldn’t appreciate being ravaged at the door.

After a long moment, we pulled back for air. I glanced down at her clothed body and slid my lower lip between my teeth. There were so many possibilities, so many positions.

She shifted her legs, and the scent of her arousal drifted up between us. Suddenly I knew exactly what I wanted to do to her. I only hoped that she’d let me.

Dropping to my knees, I slid my fingers up her outer thighs, enjoying how her muscles trembled under my touch. I didn’t look up, but instead focused on the job in front of me. As I hooked my fingers under her panties and pulled, the details of the case faded away. There was no longer an art show, or a dead body. There was no broken past or lonely future. There was only here and now, and the amount of pleasure I could give to the woman before me.

I tugged on her panties, pulling them down her legs and letting them slip to the floor. “That’s it,” I whispered. “Good girl.”

She reached for me, but I ducked my head under her skirt before she could grab my hair. Her aroma was so tempting, so sweet. I kissed her inner thigh and savored the taste of her skin. There was nothing that tasted quite as good as Scarlett. Nothing.

She slipped her fingers over my shoulders and upper back as I caressed her with my tongue and hands. I listened to her groans and whimpers, learning where she liked to be touched. I inched closer to her center, then pulled away. She wiggled against me and tried to direct my movements, but I was having none of it. When she started whimpering, I knew I had her right where I wanted her.

“Gabe.”

I loved it when she said my name. Moaning, I slid my fingers around her hips, spreading them out over her ass.

“Oh God.” She inched away from the wall, pressing her mound closer to my eager lips. I lightly kissed her skin, just enough to stimulate, but not enough to satisfy. She curled her fingers into my shoulders and groaned as the air heated around us.

For several moments I tormented her, bringing her close to the edge and then dragging her back. She said my name twice more before I slid my hands back down her legs and lifted one into the air. The position opened her center to me, and I flicked my tongue over her glistening folds. She moaned as I placed her leg on my shoulder, then leaned her head back with a soft groan.

“Yes.”

I eased my hands over her ass and squeezed as I flicked my tongue over her folds. She tightened her muscles and tried to drag me inside of her. I wanted that, too, but forced myself to remain at her opening. Inching forward, I pressed her clit with my tongue, then drew small circles around the sensitive nub. She gasped and let go of my shoulders as I pushed her dress up around her waist.

“Let go for me, Scarlett,” I whispered against her skin. “I want to feel you come on my tongue.” Before she could reply, I shifted my head and pressed into her opening.

Glancing up, I saw her grab her breasts and knead them through her dress. I fluttered my tongue across her opening, and her feminine groan was like music to my ears.

Her skin was so soft, so sweet. I continued to tease her body as I inched my hands around the globes of her ass. She leaned her shoulders against the wall and pushed her hips toward my eager mouth, allowing me to slip my fingers inside her backside. I toyed with her opening, running my finger along the outer rim. She whimpered and moistened her lips at the new sensations.

“Gabe, please.”

I knew what she wanted. Hell, I wanted it, too. My cock was tired of the confines of my slacks and wanted to come out to play. I remembered how her mouth felt on my cock and hoped that I was giving her, at least, a fraction of the joy she had given me back at the party. I wanted to please her, to worship her. More than anything, I wanted her to fall apart in my arms.

I pressed my finger just inside the opening in her backside and was rewarded by her breathy moan. She pushed her pussy closer to my mouth and I thrust my tongue deeper into her center. Her inner muscles contracted, trying to pull me deeper. I retreated and thrust again, this time being careful to brush her inner walls.

In and out, then up and around her clit. I repeated the movements again and again as her breathing became more shallow. After a long, tense moment, she started to thrust against my mouth. I used the opportunity to work my finger into her backside, slowly inching deeper as she moved against me. The intrusion seemed to heighten her desire, and I kept my gaze locked on her face as the tension around us increased.

I could sense that she was close, could feel it in the quiver of her thighs. I adjusted my hands, then plunged both my tongue and finger as deep as they could go. She cried out my name and arched her back as she fell apart, and I swear I had never seen anything so beautiful in my entire life. I slowed my thrusts, then lengthened them, trying to make her pleasure last as long as possible.

When the last threads of her orgasm finally faded away, I retreated and placed a chaste kiss on her outer mound.

“That was amazing,” I whispered as I straightened.

“You’re amazing.” She wrapped her arms around me and brushed her lips against mine.

My cock ached as I lifted her away from the wall and carried her to the bed. Once I placed her down, I began to undress, and she watched as more and more of my skin came into view.

“Do you like what you see?” I asked when I was in nothing but my boxers. I kept my voice even but realized that her answer was important to me. I wanted her to like my body as much as I liked hers, I realized. Never before had such things mattered. I cared what she thought, and the knowledge made me feel a tad bit vulnerable.

“Yes,” she whispered as she rose to her knees and reached for my arm. “Come here.”

I moved until I stood before her. She reached out and slid her fingers over my stubbled jaw, then my chest.

“No one ever did that for me before.”

“No one?” I slid my fingers over her elbows.

She looked up and shook her head. “Henri was always very controlling in the bedroom—and in life I guess. He was always in charge of everything.” She dropped her fingers down over my stomach and brushed them against my boxers. My cock immediately responded, reaching out toward her like a kid eager to come out and play.

“You must have been in charge of something.”

She shook her head. “He controlled every aspect of my life, from my job, to my friends, to my social engagements . . .” She pulled my boxers down over my hips and ran her fingers over my cock. “To what happened in the bedroom.” She slid her hand over my length, then collected the bead of moisture forming at the tip. “Sex was always about his needs, his pleasure.” She glanced up at me and offered a shy smile. “He had taught me a lot about pleasing a man, but had never indicated that it could work the other way, too.”

“Scarlett—”

She brought her fingers up to her mouth and slid one past her lips. I watched in awe as she closed her eyes and moaned as she tasted me. This woman was completely fascinating. I couldn’t get enough of her.

“He was a selfish man, then,” I whispered as she opened her eyes. “Sometimes there is more pleasure in giving than in taking.”

“I know.” She turned her body and pushed on my arm. I let her lead, and as soon as my back hit the mattress, she was next to me, running her fingers over my skin. “And tonight I want to experience both.”