“No,” I said quickly. “W-why?”
Karin shot me a sidelong glance that told me I didn’t fool her in the least.
“That’s weird,” she said, “’cause he called me last night to ask me some reeaallyy strange questions about you.”
“He did?” I took a casual sip from my glass and hoped my face didn’t look as hot as it felt. “What kind of questions?”
Karin polished off her first eclair and helped herself to another.
“Oh, just things that told me he totally has a crush on you,” she said airily.
Wine went up my nose.
“A what—” I choked.
Karin began checking off her fingers on her free hand.
“Let’s see. He asked what kind of movies you liked, where you grew up, what sport you played in high-school. I told him nada, obviously. Then he asked if you were seeing anyone or had a boyfriend, and I said it’s none of his business because either way it isn’t him.”
My stomach swooped like I was on a rollercoaster.
“He did?” I managed, feeling lightheaded.
“Yep, and Gabriel would never ask something like that unless he’s interested.” Karin chewed her lip. “I thought last night that he was being his annoying, cheeky self as usual, but now I wonder…” She gave me another sidelong glance that made me swallow hard.
My mind chose that moment to replay Gabriel’s husky voice in my ear.
“Lena… God, you taste so damn good…”
I shook my head in alarm, trying to chase his voice away. He was only fooling around with me that night. We both knew there was nothing more to it.
“Gabriel has a type,” I finally said, “and it isn’t me.”
Karin pursed her lips doubtfully. “I think he’s into you.”
“He’s not,” I said more firmly this time, to convince myself just as much as Karin. “He wasn’t being serious, and nothing’s happening between us.”
“Hmmm,” Karin narrowed her eyes suspiciously—but her brows cleared a moment later.
“Then it’s his loss,” she declared. “You’re the kindest, sweetest person I know. Even if you don’t ever tell me anything,” she added pointedly.
I wanted so badly to tell my friend the truth then, but my tongue just wouldn’t move. My fingers grew tighter and tighter around the stem of my glass until Karin gave my arm a light squeeze.
“Whenever you’re ready,” she assured me with kind grey eyes, and I loved her even more for giving me time and space.
I wondered for a moment if Gabriel might be here, and just the thought of seeing him again after what happened between us the night before made my heart speed up.
But he wouldn’t be here. From what I knew of him, Gabriel thought of art as high-brow and boring. Clubs and parties were his preferred entertainment of choice.
“There you are.”
My heart leaped to my throat. I spun around and there Gabriel was, three feet in front of me like I’d conjured him up from my daydreams.
He looked as handsome as ever in a casual navy suit tailored to his frame. He’d gone without a tie and left his collar unbuttoned, and he wore his trademark smile.
He had, however, addressed his statement not to me but to Karin.
Karin swatted at his arm. “What are you doing here? You didn’t tell me you were coming.” Then her gaze softened. “How are you holding up? They’re not giving you a hard time, are they?
The press release. My startled gaze darted to Gabriel. This was his first public appearance since the news broke.
Gabriel grinned like he hadn’t a care in the world, flashing the dimple in his left cheek.
“It’s a fucking circus, so I thought I’d bring some coverage to your art show.” He looked around. “But I see now there’s no need for it. Well fucking done, K.”
“Thanks,” Karin beamed brightly. “And I’m sure your throng of fangirls had nothing to do with your decision to show up.”
I glanced around to see a group of girls waiting by the perimeter of the area we were in. Their eyes were on Gabriel as they whispered and giggled. The most beautiful of them was trying her best to look nonchalant and cool, but there was no doubt in my mind that she had her eyes on Gabriel too.
An ugly feeling clawed up my chest, and I noted gloomily that it was jealousy.
Gabriel grinned, looking thoroughly amused. “Yeah, well. I thought I’d become a pariah once the news broke, but I must be in the twilight zone or some shit. The girls are practically swarming me now.” He frowned. “I can’t figure if that’s a good thing or not.”
Karin arched a brow. “You’ve just earned yourself a reputation for being a bad boy. They want you even more now.”
Gabriel burst out laughing, catching the attention of even more people.
“If that’s true, that’s the most fucked up thing I’ve heard,” he remarked. “I’ll never get you girls.”
Karin scoffed. “Stop acting like you’re not a player, it’s not a good look.”
“It’s not a good look either way.” Gabriel threw her a wink. “I just can’t win.”
As I watched Karin and Gabriel bickering good-naturedly like a pair of siblings, the unease in my chest grew.
So far Gabriel had not looked my way even once.
My heart kicked anxiously. Why was he pretending not to know me? Had something changed since that night?
Karin must have noticed me stiffening, because she said pointedly, “You remember Lena, right?”
“Of course.” Gabriel turned to me for the first time, and my breath hitched as his dark eyes gazed directly into mine.
“How are you?”
Was it my imagination, or had his voice lowered just a little when he said that?
“Good.” I managed a smile. “And you?”
“I’m holding up fine.” He tilted his head, still watching me. “Though recently I’m finding it hard to sleep at night.”
My voice came out faint. “What’s keeping you up?”
Gabriel’s gaze burned into mine, and I regretted wishing that he’d pay me attention. There was no way Karin wouldn’t guess what had gone on between us.
“Unfinished business, mostly,” he murmured.
I was thankfully saved from Karin’s reply when her friend called out something to her then.
As Karin turned away to reply, Gabriel excused himself, giving me a polite, cool nod as he turned to leave.
My heart gave a painful kick. Our first meeting since that night had gone as if we were strangers.
But as Gabriel passed me, his hand touched my waist ever so lightly, the moment so fleeting that no one could have seen it. I felt his heat all the way to my toes.
“Meet me in the back,” he murmured, his voice low and for my ears only.
Then he was gone.
Noise and air flooded back into my space, and I blinked as I remembered to breathe again.
Meet me in the back, he’d said. I wasn’t naive, I knew what it would mean if I went to him.
Was I ready for it?
My hands trembled, and I closed them into fists. I felt like I was standing on the edge of a precipice, one step away from the scariest plunge I ever took in my life.
I had daydreamed before about the kind of guy I’d fall in love with.
He was nothing like Gabriel. Instead, he was quiet and shy, just like I was. He might wear glasses, and he liked to read. We would spend our weekend mornings in bed just talking, and sometimes we’d be content to not talk at all and just enjoy each other’s nearness. He would get me in a way no one else did, us against the world.
But somehow, somewhere along the way, the man in my fantasies started to take on Gabriel’s features.
A dimple in his left cheek, a devilish grin.
Dark hair with a hint of a wave, a thick lock flopping carelessly over his forehead.
A mischievous glint in his brown eyes that turned to patience and kindness when I most needed it.
I had n
o illusions about Gabriel. What he had in mind for us was physical. I wanted more—what Allie had, and what Karin had, I yearned to have for myself too.
But I also knew I couldn’t keep locking myself away from the world until I found that love. For the first time in my life I wanted to take that step without looking. I wanted to lose myself in Gabriel’s arms. Maybe then I’d even find a bit of myself.
“I’m holding you back from your friends,” I told Karin when she turned back to me.
She waved her hand. “There’s lots of time still, and I hardly see you nowadays.”
“Don’t worry about me,” I assured her. “Besides, won’t there be buyers who’ll want to speak with you?”
Karin sighed.
“Theo’s already planned to outbid all of them.” She gave me an encouraging smile, knowing how much I dreaded socializing. “Come with me?”
I shook my head. “I think I‘ll take a look around at the other exhibits.”
Karin was surprised but pleased. “Alright, knock yourself out! There are so many amazing artists tonight, and of course, there’s bacon and chocolate.”
“Got it. I’ll be fine, K.”
Karin seemed more reassured at my smile, and I watched as she went to her friends who welcomed her into their fold with smiles of genuine affection, a social butterfly who was loved by everyone. I felt lucky that she had befriended me, but I had never felt left out even when she had her other friends. I had always been happier alone.
But just for tonight, I wasn’t going to be.
I glanced around again, but there was no sign of Gabriel. His group of fangirls were looking around in disappointment.
“Meet me in the back.”
I wondered fleetingly if perhaps I shouldn’t go. I could pretend that I hadn’t heard him and make my way home. Within an hour I’d be in my bed, curled up with a good book and a mug of coffee, safe in my solitude.
But tonight, I didn’t want solitude. I wanted to feel, and Gabriel made my heart race. He made me exhilarated and reckless, and with him I found myself daring to do things the old Lena Hastings would have gotten a panic attack over.
I recalled his scalding hot kisses, his urgent hands on my body, the way he had held himself back even as he’d been desperate to take me…
And I found my feet taking me in the direction of the back of the hall where he was waiting for me.
A strong arm hooked around my waist when I turned the corner outside the back entrance. I gasped as it pulled me further down the deserted and darkened stretch beyond, separated from the brightly lit hall I’d just come from by a soundproof wall.
My eyes widened as Gabriel hid us in the secluded corner and put his finger over my lips. His dark eyes danced in the dim light.
We were in a temporary storage area of sorts, hidden behind a rack of framed paintings that were as wide and tall as a wall. Beyond us, a line of uniformed waiters strode past with trays of appetizers balanced smartly on their palms.
“You almost got us found out,” Gabriel accused when they were out of earshot.
“You’re the one who chose this place,” I whispered back, enjoying this even with my worry of getting caught. “Are you sure we’re supposed to be here?”
“Of course not, but that’s what makes it fun isn’t it?”
“I think I know what you mean.” Then my smile faded a little.
“You were like a stranger back there,” I said quietly.
Gabriel tilted his head, watching me with an inscrutable look. “What are you thinking?”
I paused. I knew how clingy my questions would sound, but I also knew that I deserved to know what was going on in Gabriel’s mind. I was not going to be his plaything if that was what he intended. I’d be devastated if that was really what he thought about me, but I’d also recover, because I deserved more.
“I’m wondering what I am to you,” I said quietly. “What we are.”
Gabriel’s face hovered over mine, so close I could see the individual dark lashes framing his brown eyes.
“You haven’t been paying attention, have you?” he murmured. “We’re bound to happen, Mouse, that’s what we are.”
His hand came to take my chin, moving slow and gentle like I was a deer that might suddenly bolt. His thumb caressed my lower lip, his skin hot and rough against my sensitive flesh.
“I wanted to keep you safe,” he said in a low voice. “I didn’t want you to be hounded by the press. I know how bad it can get and I figured you’d rather stay on the down low, given how private you are. It’s not worth going through that shit because of me.”
“I wouldn’t mind,” I said softly. “I think I could deal with it somehow, if it’s with you.”
Gabriel’s breath caught as he stared down at me.
Then his gaze took on a sudden possessive gleam and his arms tightened about my waist. His demeanor turned predatory as he grabbed me to him, my entire body flush along the hard length of his.
I opened my mouth to say something, to tell him how I’d been going out of my mind thinking about him, but Gabriel’s mouth came crashing down over mine before I could say a word.
Every thought I had promptly went out of my mind. I tangled my hands in his thick hair, pressed my lips harder against his as I kissed him back the way I’d been fantasizing about ever since that night in the changing room.
He wants me too, I realized giddily. He’s thought about this just as much as I have.
Gabriel crushed me back against the wall as he searched my mouth with his tongue, tasting me in rough and demanding strokes. Low ragged groans came from the back of his throat as I meshed my mouth eagerly against his, letting him take as much of me as he wanted.
He broke his kiss abruptly.
“Come upstairs with me,” he breathed against my lips.
My mind was foggy. “Upstairs?”
“Hauser Musée has suites for artists to prepare before a show,” he said in a low voice. “And full disclosure Lena, I got us a room.”
My breath caught.
“You can say it’s presumptuous of me, but Lena, I wanna be clear about what I want.” Gabriel’s eyes were sharp and clear as he gazed into mine.
“I want you,” he said in a low voice. “All of you. I came here tonight with one agenda on my mind, and that is to take you, and then take you home with me. Not necessarily in that order, but we can work something out.”
I blinked hard several times as I tried to think of a reply to his blunt statements.
Gabriel’s lips quirked, though his expression remained serious. “You have questions.”
“A few.” I swallowed. “Where are we going?”
He understood that I wasn’t asking about a physical location.
“I can’t say,” he admitted. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before, so I don’t know what comes next. It’s lust, that much is obvious, but there’s something else I can’t put a finger on. All I know is that I don’t want you looking at another man.”
Gabriel’s hand came up to take my chin gently, allowing me to look nowhere else but at him.
“I want your eyes to be on me only,” he said. “Your attention on me only. I want to be the first thing on your mind when you wake and the last thing right before you fall asleep.”
“Can you do the same for me?” I whispered.
Gabriel brought his forehead to mine.
“I can’t seem to stop,” he confessed. “I don’t know what’s next for us, but I’m not gonna sit by and let someone else snap you up while I figure that out. I want you, and only you. That much is clear to me. Is that good enough for you, Lena?”
It was, but a perverse part of me wanted him to beg. Gabriel declaring his desire for me was a heady feeling, and I found that I was already addicted.
I brushed my lips against his fleetingly.
“I’ll need a little more persuasion,” I whispered.
Gabriel kissed me back, hard and punishing. I gasped and let him in, and he ki
ssed me until my legs couldn’t hold me up any longer and I clung to him for support. He kissed me until there was nothing else on my mind but him and how badly I wanted to give myself over to him.
“Say the word, Lena,” he breathed. “I won’t make my move until you do. So say it already and put us out of our misery.”
I breathed against his lips, “Yes.”
***
We didn’t make it to the bed. Gabriel pinned me against the door the moment we got into the room, his large hands roaming urgently as he took my mouth with his.
He wanted to touch me everywhere, first cupping my face as he kissed me, then running his hands over my bare waist under the hem of my sweater shirt, then roaming under my skirt, squeezing my ass to him in a punishing grip.
I nipped him eagerly, and in a moment of boldness I cupped the bulge of his erection in my hand.
Gabriel groaned in pleasure, letting his head drop against the door.
“Fuck,” he breathed, thrusting into my hand in movements that were raw and uninhibited.
I squeezed him again, working him through the fabric of his jeans. I was inexperienced, but whatever I lacked in know-how I was determined to make up for in enthusiasm.
Gabriel thrust helplessly against me, groaning as he reached for the aching spot between my thighs.
I jumped when his fingers brushed the sensitive flesh on my inner thigh.
“You’re not the only one who gets to play,” he murmured, dark eyes glinting in the dim light of the room.
I gasped as he moved his fingers in maddeningly slow circles, tracing the edges of my underwear and teasing the sensitive skin there.
“Gabriel,” I said unsteadily.
“Yeah?” His gaze could have belonged to the devil. “Tell me what you need, angel.”
I moaned softly as my head fell back. “Touch me,” I whispered.
“Where?”
I swallowed. “Right there.”
“Here?” He eased aside the fabric of my underwear, baring me to the cool air. His fingertip brushed one side of my slick lip, and I gasped.
“More.”
Gabriel was relentless. His lips parted in a slow grin as he stroked my other lip. “Like this?”
Charming (New York Heirs #3) Page 13
