by Lynn, Sandi
Placing my hands in my pockets, I began to head towards the elevator when I heard her call my name.
“Gabriel?”
“Yeah?” I stopped with my back turned to her.
“My name is Kate. Kate Harper.”
A smile crossed my lips. Turning my head, our eyes met, and I gave her a slight nod before leaving the terrace.
Chapter 12
Kate
Telling Gabriel my name felt right. I’d never told anyone who I really was. If I wanted my freedom, I’d have to gain his trust, and his trust was what I needed right now. But I’d have to be very careful because trust wasn’t something he had of mine.
He rolled the serving cart onto the terrace and set the table for dinner. Walking over to the cocoa brown wicker patio chair, I took a seat and placed a napkin in my lap.
“This looks really good. Thank you.” I gave him a small smile.
“You’re welcome,” he replied as he poured some white wine into a glass and set it down next to my plate.
He took a seat across from me and picked up his fork.
“Who taught you how to cook?” I asked.
“My housekeeper, Grace. In fact, you’ll be meeting her tomorrow.”
“Can’t wait,” I spoke with sarcasm as I sipped my wine.
“Do you have any family?” he asked.
“Yes, and I’m sure they’re very worried about me.”
“Is there someone you’d like to call?” He pulled his phone from his pocket and held it in front of me. “I wouldn’t want them to worry.”
Shit. He knew I was lying.
“Go ahead. Call them.”
I took the napkin and wiped my mouth as I looked down at my plate, breaking our eye contact.
“I’m going to assume you lied, and you don’t have anyone at all. The lies are going to stop, Kate. Do you understand me?” he commanded. “Are you even capable of not lying to someone? Or have you been doing it so long that you don’t even know the difference between lies and the truth anymore?”
“That is not true!” I slammed my fist down on the table before getting up and walking over to the railing.
“Then tell me one piece of truth about yourself!” he shouted.
“My name is Kate Harper, that’s the truth. I’m twenty-four years old and I’ve seen more shit in my life than a person my age should have. My mother died a day after giving birth to me and my father raised me. We moved around from state to state and I never had any friends. I couldn’t get close enough to anybody because the minute I did, we’d move. Children grow up with best friends, Gabriel, but I’ve never had a best friend. I was too afraid to get close to anyone.”
“Why?” he asked.
“Because I knew if I did, somehow or some way, something would happen, and I’d have to leave them. That was my life. That is my life.”
“It doesn’t have to be, Kate.” He walked over to me and placed his hand on mine.
As much as the touch of his hand felt incredible, I couldn’t allow it. Not yet.
“You don’t understand, Gabriel.”
“Then make me understand.”
I took in a deep breath. “If you’re going to keep me locked away here, then I’m going to need some of my clothes from my apartment. Can you take me?”
The suspicious look in his eyes told me that the answer was no.
“I’m afraid I can’t let you out of this house. You’ll run and I can’t allow you to do that.”
“Jesus Christ.” I walked away, throwing my hands up in the air. “What are you, an FBI agent or something? Handcuff me, then. I don’t care. You know my real name. If I run, you’ll call the cops and they’ll track me down. I’m not stupid, Gabriel. All I want are some clothes, so I don’t have to keep wearing the same thing. Unless you want me to walk around naked?” I arched my brow.
“Fine,” he spoke. “Go get your shoes and I’ll meet you downstairs.”
“Thank you.” I gave him a small smile.
I headed to my room and put on my shoes, went downstairs, and waited for him. I could do this. I could escape. I had one passport hidden under my mattress with about three thousand dollars in emergency cash. I heard his footsteps coming down the stairs, and when I turned and looked at him, he walked over to me and slapped a handcuff on my wrist.
“What the fuck, Gabriel?” I shouted as he slipped the other one on his wrist.
“You seriously didn’t think I could trust you? Did you?” He smirked.
Well, there went my escape plan. I took in a deep breath to try and calm the anger that rose inside me. He led me outside where two security men dressed in black stood guard at the front door and Carl stood holding the door to the limo open.
“Watch your head,” Gabriel spoke before I climbed inside.
“I’m not stupid,” I sneered.
“I never said you were.”
The ride to my apartment was silent until I had a question I needed answered.
“So you just keep handcuffs lying around your house?”
“Yes.” He smiled. “I keep them in my bedroom.”
I narrowed my eye at him. “You’re sick.”
“Somehow I don’t believe you really think that. Are you seriously going to tell me that with all the guys you’ve been with, you have never been handcuffed during sex?”
“No. I haven’t.” I stared out the window, for I was telling the truth.
“Then I feel sorry for you. You’re missing out. Maybe I can show you sometime how good they can be.”
I tightened my legs at the thought. I could picture the whole scene in my head. Lying on my back with my hands cuffed together behind my head. His muscular body hovering over me, doing things to me that only he could. His tongue sliding over every inch of my bare skin, teasing me until I orgasmed. Shivers ran through me like a brisk wind on a winter day. I inhaled a sharp breath as I could feel the wetness form in my panties.
“Not going to happen,” I spewed.
He chuckled as Carl pulled up to my apartment building. Gabriel climbed out first and carefully helped me from the car. Throwing his coat over our wrists, we entered my building and took the elevator up to my apartment.
“Can you at least un-cuff me so I can pack?” I asked.
“Hmm—No.”
“Gabriel, come on!”
“I said no, Kate. You’re staying cuffed. I don’t trust you.”
“And I don’t trust you!” I shouted.
“Okay then. So we’re just two people who don’t trust each other. Now get packing so we can go home,” he commanded.
“I am home, you idiot. Your place is far from home to me.”
“I’m not discussing this any further. You can either pack your shit and come back with me or go to jail. The choice is yours, sweetheart.”
“What the fuck is the difference? Either place is jail!” I spoke with an attitude as I threw my suitcase on the bed.
I never should have fucked him. Okay, yes, I should have because he was sexy as sin, but I never should have taken his damn watch. How the hell did he know it was me? I’d done the test before and none of the others had a clue I was the same person. I threw my things in the suitcase and shut it.
“Here. You can carry this. I have something else I need to grab,” I spoke as I walked back into my closet and grabbed my guitar case, pulling Gabriel along with me.
We climbed back into the limo and drove back to his house. As I stared out the window in silence, I felt the handcuff unlock. When I looked over at him, the corners of his mouth slightly curved upwards. With my other hand, I rubbed my sore wrist.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he spoke as he uncuffed himself. “You can end all of this and go home.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You say you don’t have the money to pay me back, but I know that’s not true. You con people, Kate, for financial gain. Do you really expect me to believe that you don’t have any money?”
<
br /> “Don’t believe me. I don’t care, Gabriel. I don’t have thirty thousand dollars to give you.”
“Then what the hell did you do with all the money you took?”
I took in a deep breath and stared out the window as we approached his house.
“I had things to pay off.”
“What types of things? Or is it none of my business?”
“I can’t talk about it right now. So please, just let it go. I’ll figure out a way to get your money. I can do one last job and then you’ll never have to see me again.”
We climbed out of the limo and he lightly grabbed my arm.
“I will not take stolen money,” he spoke in an irritated tone. “Go to your room. I’ll bring your bag up later.”
Grabbing my suitcase from him, I held it in one hand and my guitar case in the other.
“I can carry it up myself.” I turned my head and headed towards the elevator.
Chapter 13
Gabriel
Shaking my head, I walked over to the bar and poured myself a bourbon. It was late and I was tired. She moved around a lot. But why? She said her father wasn’t in the military, but that was all the information she offered. I had the feeling she had to be secretive her whole life and that was why she wouldn’t tell me much about herself or her childhood. I needed to figure out what I was going to do with her and how I was going to get my money back. I still didn’t believe she didn’t have any money, and judging by that apartment of hers, she was paying a pretty penny.
I threw back the rest of my bourbon and headed upstairs to check on her and lock the door before I went to bed. When I reached her room, I lightly knocked, and she told me to go away. Rolling my eyes, I opened it and found her lying across her bed on her stomach, propped up on her elbows and reading a magazine. She was in a purple satin two-piece short set and she looked sexy as hell. Her long blonde hair was wrapped up with a clip in the back securing it. I took in a sharp breath as my cock started to rise.
“I didn’t invite you in,” she spoke as she turned the page of her magazine.
“It’s my house. I don’t need your permission to enter this room.”
“What do you want, Gabriel?” Her piercing blue eyes looked up at me as she asked in irritation.
“I was just checking to see if you needed anything before I went to bed.”
“I’m fine.”
“Okay, then. Good night.”
“Night.”
I shut the door and when I went to insert the key into the lock, I stopped. Fuck it. She didn’t need to be locked in there. If she tried to escape tonight, she wouldn’t get past the porch. So I put the key in my pocket and headed to my room.
I awoke out of a sound sleep at one thirty a.m. My throat was dry, and when I went to reach for the bottle of water on the nightstand, I found it was empty. Sighing, I climbed out of bed and headed to the kitchen.
“Can’t sleep?” I asked Kate as she stood with the refrigerator door opened.
She jumped.
“Shit, Gabriel. You scared me,” she spoke as she placed her hand over her heart.
“Sorry. I just came down for a bottle of water.”
“And I came down for some food. I’m hungry.”
Seeing her standing there in her pajamas was wreaking havoc on my cock. All I could think about was how good it felt when I fucked her that day.
* * *
Kate
When I looked at him, I caught his eyes raking over me from head to toe. I could tell he wanted to devour me. He stood there in his black pajama bottoms. His six-pack shredded, chest puffed out, biceps that were perfectly sculpted, and the hint of a V-line that I found so incredibly attractive. I already knew what he sported underneath those pants, and as much as I hated him for what he was doing to me, I still wanted him inside me again.
He reached over to grab a bottle of water and his arm lightly brushed up against my boob. I gulped. Our eyes met for a brief moment and then he turned and began to walk away.
“Gabriel?”
“Yeah.”
“How did you know it was me?”
He set the bottle of water down on the counter and invaded the small space around me. Bringing his hand up to my cheek, he spoke, “Your smile.”
The look in his eyes was serious and it sent me spiraling down a slope so fast I could barely catch my breath. I reached up and brushed my lips against his. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into him as our kiss became deeper. My hands raked through his hair as his tongue slid across my neck and I could feel the hardness of his cock as he pressed up against me. His fingers slipped around the thin straps of my pajama top, sliding them off my shoulders and letting it fall to the ground. His hands groped my breasts before moving down my torso and slipping down the front of my pajama shorts. A gasp escaped me the moment his fingers touched my most sensitive and aroused area. I heard the sharp inhale of his breath as he felt the wetness that escaped me.
“We have to go upstairs,” he spoke with bated breath. “I don’t have any condoms down here.”
I couldn’t wait until we got upstairs. I was so turned on and horny that it didn’t matter to me whether he used a condom or not.
“I’m on birth control,” I whispered.
His mouth smashed into mine as his finger dipped inside me. My knees went weak, causing me to lose balance. My entire body was engulfed in pleasure by the man who held me prisoner in his home. I’d already had him once and I wanted him again.
He tightly gripped my ass with both hands and lifted me up. Wrapping my legs around him, our lips tangled with pleasure as he carried me into the living room and laid me down on the floor in front of the fireplace. After he flipped the switch on the wall and the fire brightly started, he bent down, removed my shorts, and slid his tongue along my slick opening, causing me to cry out in ecstasy. The skillfulness of his tongue penetrated me in ways I’d never felt before, bringing me to the brink of an orgasm. My heart was racing, and my breath hitched as my legs tightened around his head and I let out a howl as I came.
“Beautiful. Just beautiful.” He smiled as slipped off his pajama bottoms and hovered over me.
As amazing as that orgasm was, I knew the best was yet to come. His lips brushed against mine before traveling down to my breasts where his mouth wrapped around my hardened nipple and his tongue moved around it in circular motions. He took hold of my wrists and brought them over my head, interlocking them with one hand while he used the other to guide his cock inside me. The first thrust was slow and sensual as his eyes stared into mine. I took him in, his entire length, and gasped at the contentment that took over my body. He moved in and out of me with long deep strokes as he held onto my wrists and his free hand groped my breast. His head dipped and our lips met once again. After a few invigorating thrusts, he rolled over on his back and pulled me on top of him. My hands planted themselves firmly on his muscular chest as my hips moved back and forth, grinding against his hard cock, sending my body into overdrive. His arms clutched around my back as he sat up, forcing my legs to wrap around his waist. I slowly moved up and down and then back and forth as moans escaped both our lips and they tangled to the same rhythm of our movements.
“God, you feel amazing,” Gabriel whispered.
“So do you. I’m going to come again,” I panted.
“Try to hold off and wait for me. I’m close.”
Moans escaped us simultaneously while we moved together, bringing us to the heightened state that we both desperately needed. I was there, my body was ready, and there was no holding back.
“Oh God.” I threw my head back as my legs tightened around his waist.
He held me down and moaned as he strained to push every drop of come he had inside me. Our bodies relaxed and my head lay on his shoulder while our heart rates fell back into normal range. The anger I had kept inside me for him started to dissipate. He broke our embrace and pushed my hair from my face, giving me a smile that sent shivers down my s
pine.
“We better get some sleep,” he spoke.
“Yeah. I think we should.”
“I’m not so sure sleeping in the same bed is a good idea.”
“Probably not.” My eyes stared into his.
I climbed off him, slipped into my pajama shorts, and then went into the kitchen to retrieve my shirt. When I walked back into the living room, Gabriel was standing there in his pajama bottoms with his arm held out. Placing mine in his, we headed up the numerous flights of stairs. He stopped on the fourth floor and I continued up one more flight to my room.
I felt like I was in a daze, as if the world around me stood still; a feeling that I’d only felt once before in my entire life. That day at the airport when we were together. But I quickly let it go because I knew I’d never see him again. Now I would see him every day and I wasn’t sure how I would be able to handle it. I was happy he wanted to sleep in separate rooms because if I was there, in his bed, wrapped around his sexy and warm body all night, I didn’t think I would be able to go through with my plan. I needed to keep my emotions out of this and at a distance. It was something I had mastered a long time ago, but Gabriel was different from any other man I dated or had sex with, and it scared the shit out of me.
Chapter 14
Gabriel
I climbed into bed, her smell still lingering all over my body and the taste of her still on my lips. Rolling on my side, I stared at the empty spot where she should have been lying. But I couldn’t allow it, because if I did, I wasn’t sure if I could let her go once all was said and done. I needed to remember what kind of person she was. Kate Harper conned rich men for their money. She used them, made them fall in love, and then stole right out from under them.
The next morning, after I showered and got dressed for the office, I went downstairs to the kitchen, where Grace was preparing breakfast.
“Good morning, Gabriel.” She smiled.
“Morning. Is she up yet?” I asked as I made a cup of coffee.
