“You didn’t have to upgrade me. My previous room was perfectly fine.” I’ll be working out in Dominic’s gym. Would I run into him there? Would he be all hot and sweaty from his workout? Would we—
Get your mind out of the gutter, Gabby.
“It was the least I could do,” he replies. “Let’s talk about something else. I looked you up on the Karpis website. Your focus is soccer players, right?”
He looked me up? That’s sort of flattering. “Soccer players and musicians, actually. They tend to make up the bulk of my work.”
“When you branch off on your own, have you ever considered doing PR work for casinos?”
I give him a wary look. I don’t want him to wave his hands and make things easier for me. Yes, the Grand River probably has a large PR budget, and yes, I’m sure I could bill them for some work. But it doesn’t feel right. I don’t want Dominic to manufacture some work because he wants to sleep with me. “Dominic, I’m not going to work for your casino. We slept together once. It’s not—”
“Not my casino,” he cuts in. “Of course not. I wouldn’t hire you. I want to sleep with you; there’s no way I can be objective about your work under the circumstances. But I’ve lived in Atlantic City all my life. If you’d like, I can open some doors for you.”
He wants to sleep with me.
“Why?” I ask bluntly. “Why are you offering to help me?”
He sets his glass down. “Why not? I want you to succeed. Besides, all I’m doing is making a couple of calls. After that, you’re on your own.”
“Why do you want me to succeed?” I persist. “I mean, this is just about sex. It ends when I head back to the city.”
He leans forward and holds my gaze. “I’m thirty-four,” he says. “One of the advantages of growing up is the realization that you don’t have to sleep with people you don’t like. I like you, Gabriella. What might happen between us is most likely temporary. I get it, I’m a realist. You live in New York, and we live in AC. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. In my world, friends help each other.”
I don’t have the best track record with guys. Not in London, and definitely not in New York. My first instinct is to be cautious. To push back and tell Dominic I can do it on my own. I don’t need him to help me.
It’s easy to protect my heart from people like Stan and George. Nice guys are a lot more dangerous.
Carter hasn’t said anything during this exchange. Now, he reaches for the decanter. “Another drink, Gabriella?” he asks, his green eyes resting on me. “Shall we move to the couch?”
They’re already permanently etched into my memories. If I sleep with them again, I have more than a sneaking suspicion that I’ll be taking a knife to my heart.
Then again, if the events of the last week have shown me anything, it’s that I’m a gambler.
I drain the contents of my glass. “My friends call me Gabby.”
Carter notices the second I make up my mind. His lips curl up. He gets to his feet and walks over to the couch. Sinking down on the velvet, he pats his lap. “Come here, Gabby.”
Hell, yes.
13
Dominic
When I broached the idea of calling some people on her behalf, she’d been so wary. Gabby wants to start her own company, but she doesn’t want things handed to her.
I can relate. I’ve been working at the Grand River since I was twenty-one, and still, when my dad died, I wasn’t sure if I was qualified enough to take his place. Carter started with nothing and has earned everything in his life. If I were in his shoes, would I have done as well as he has? I don’t know; I will never know.
Gabriella moved countries to run away from that feeling. From the snippets she’s let drop, she lives in a tiny and expensive studio apartment that she struggles to afford. She desperately wants to make it on her own, and, as tempted as I am to sweep every problem out of her way, I warn myself to hold off on that urge.
But when it comes to wanting Gabriella, all caution goes out the window. I’m irresistibly drawn to her. The chemistry is as strong as it had been that fateful night, almost seven months ago. I’ve tried to forget her, and it hasn’t worked. I’ve tried to bury myself in work, telling myself that it’s ridiculous that a one-night stand has such an impact on me, but that hasn’t done anything to wipe the memories from my mind.
And now she’s in my home, wearing a sundress that screams summer, the thin cotton fabric revealing a hint of her lush curves. This feels like the kind of dream I don’t want to wake up from. I want this, and Carter wants this, and Gabriella wants this too.
She smiles at me, a slow smile that makes my heart pound and my cock harden painfully. “Are you planning on joining us?”
“Yes.” I rise to my feet and move toward her. My fingers trace a path up her bare arms. Goosebumps break out on her soft skin. “In time.” I press my lips to the curve of her neck. She smells like jasmine and roses, with an undertone of earthy sandalwood. I breathe her in, filling my senses with her.
I kiss her again, this time, my mouth open, my teeth grazing her skin. She inhales sharply. “Yes,” she whispers. “Please.”
Carter’s watching the two of us, his eyes hooded. I lace my fingers in her hair and pull her mouth against mine, biting her lower lip, sliding my tongue into her. She presses her body against mine, her soft, full breasts pressed up against my chest, grinding her hips against my painfully hard erection. She kisses me back, no games, her desire as potent as mine.
I love every second of it.
Two thin ties hold up her dress. I grab the end of one between my thumb and forefinger. “Yes?”
Her lips are swollen. Her eyes are hazy with lust. “Hell, yes.”
I tug, first the one tie, and then the other. The straps come undone, and the fabric slides to her hips. Her magnificent breasts come into view, the dark nipples just visible under her pale-yellow bra.
Fuck me, she’s gorgeous.
Turning her around so Carter can watch, I cup her plump mounds with my hands, squeezing lightly. She whimpers, and her nipples harden to erect peaks. I graze them through the thin satin, and she throws her head back against my shoulder.
From the couch, Carter sucks in an audible breath. “You’re monopolizing her, Dominic,” he rumbles. He pats his lap again. “Come here, sweetheart.”
I let her go, and Gabby walks over to Carter on shaky legs. She sinks onto his lap, her back against his chest. Her teeth nibble at her full lower lip, a move that sends another sharp shard of lust straight to my groin. God, she’s beautiful. A sultry temptress.
I can’t get enough of her. She snuck out of my hotel room seven months ago, and as much as I wanted to find her, I’d respected her decision to leave. This time, I don’t know if I can be that strong. She’s only here for a few weeks, and then, she’ll return to her life, and we’ll return to ours, and—
Fuck. I want so much more of her than I can have. Sleeping with her now is a terrible idea.
But she’s looking at me, her eyes dark with lust. Her nipples are dagger points of desire, and when Carter spreads her legs and drags her dress up to her thighs, my self-control shatters. Common sense flees the room. I don’t have the power to resist her. Not now. Not after wanting her for what seems like forever.
“Kiss him,” I order. “Show me how badly you want both of us.”
14
Gabriella
I’m grinding on Carter’s lap, staring at Dominic, my self-control shattering into a thousand sharp shards under the force of their intent stares.
I want them. There’s no hiding it. Self-preservation has long flown out of the window, and all that’s left is raw need. This might not be the smartest idea in the world, but I want them. I ache for them. I need them inside me. Possessing me, taking me. Filling me with their thick cocks, their large hands squeezing my breasts, spreading my thighs, holding my wrists in place…
Oh God.
Carter nudges my thighs apart with his knee even
as he presses a hot kiss against my neck. “You like this, don’t you, Gabby?” he murmurs, his breath hot against my skin. He nips my earlobe and snakes his tongue in the shell of my ear, and I whimper and shift on his lap, my toes curling. A thrill shoots through me. “You like him watching you writhe on my lap. See the way he’s looking at you? He can’t wait to rip your dress off your body. You know that, don’t you?”
Each hot, dark word is whispered into my ear, and each dark, sinful word makes me tremble and quiver. My breathing is ragged, and my brain is going to short-circuit. It’s impossible to come just from listening to Carter, right? It’s impossible to climax just based off the pure lust in Dominic’s eyes.
And yet… I’m so, so close. If one of them as much as brushes a finger across my clit, I will explode.
My insides clench painfully.
Dominic walks toward me, slowly, deliberately. He undoes his cuffs and folds up his sleeves, and oh dear God, his forearms. He moves to stand between my spread legs. His gaze sears into me, and a fresh burst of desire ignites my core.
I’ve had two glasses of wine, maybe three, but this isn’t the alcohol. This is them. This is me remembering the hottest night of my life. This is Dominic’s cock, thick and bulging against his fly. This is my body, stretched taut with anticipation. This is Carter’s hands on my knees, spreading me wide open, exposing me to Dominic’s watchful gaze.
“Carter’s going to take off your bra.” Dominic’s voice is deep and firm.
“Yes,” I pant. I’m so ready for this. I’m past pretending.
A smile flickers on his face. “Tell me what you want, Gabriella. Do you want to play it safe, or do you want to live dangerously?”
Crap. Is he saying what I think he’s saying? I decide to ask before I jump to conclusions. “Is ‘living dangerously’ a metaphor for ‘I’m not going to use a condom’?”
His head jerks up. “What? No, of course not.” He grimaces. “That’s not dangerous, that’s just foolish.” He undoes his tie and dangles it from his fingertips. “We’re definitely going to use condoms. A blindfold, maybe some light kink, that was what I was talking about.”
Ooh. Anticipation winds through my insides at the thought of being blindfolded, not being able to see them, having to rely on my other senses. “In that case, I’m completely on board.”
Carter chuckles. “I like your enthusiasm.” He closes his hand around my throat and pulls me back against his chest. “It’s so fucking hot.” He brushes my hair out of the way, and then presses a kiss on the side of my neck. His stubble rasps my skin, and the sensation is delicious. “You’re so fucking hot.”
Two gorgeous guys, telling me how much I turn them on. This is going to go to my head. A girl could get used to this.
Dominic stalks closer. I tilt my head up and survey him, my breathing uneven, my nipples hard as diamonds. “Close your eyes,” he orders.
I swallow hard and obey. His fingers brush my cheeks as he blindfolds me, wrapping the tie around my head. The world goes dark, all light snuffed out, and my pulse leaps, nerves mingled with anticipation. My heart is in my mouth. This feels dangerous in the best kind of way. The same feeling you get the instant before the roller-coaster plummets. When you go skydiving and it’s time to jump. The second before you go all-in on a poker hand. The poker analogy should cool my ardor, but it doesn’t. The truth is, I’m a gambler. I’ve always been. I live for these pulse-pounding moments.
“Can you see?” Dominic asks, his voice silky.
“Not really.” Honesty compels me to add, “If I look down, there’s a sliver of light.”
“Don’t look down then,” Carter says. I can hear the smile in his voice. “Hands behind your back, Gabby.”
Why are these orders turning me on? Why do my nipples perk up, why does my breathing quicken, why is my skin breaking out into goosebumps? Every calm command sends my arousal sky-high. Every murmured demand sets my nerves alight.
I shift forward, still perched on Carter’s lap, and then clasp my hands behind my back. Carter closes his fingers around my wrists. “While you’re here,” he says, his voice dipping suggestively. “Perhaps you could…”
“Feel you up?” It’s my turn to smile. “I thought you’d never ask.”
I tease my fingers over Carter’s thick erection, feeling his hard length through the fabric. Anticipation shivers through me, and I rub his shaft, trying to encircle it with my fingers. His trousers get in the way, and I growl with impatience. “Get naked.”
Carter unclasps my bra. The garment falls forward, and cool air teases my overheated skin. I almost whimper. Then Dominic pinches my nipples sharply, and this time, I can’t hold back. I gasp, a wave of heat washing over me. “You seem to be under a misapprehension about who gives the orders,” Carter whispers in my ear, his fingers winding in my hair, tightening his grip ever so slightly. “Who’s in charge, Gabriella?”
I grip his cock and he groans out loud. I love it. He’s making no effort to hide his desire. His raw, uninhibited desire. Fresh heat engulfs me. “I don’t know,” I purr. “Tell me, Carter, who is in charge?”
Dominic pinches my nipples again.
“Get up,” Carter orders gruffly.
Dominic lifts me up and I teeter forward, wobbly on my feet, the blindfold affecting my sense of balance. He is instantly there, steadying me, pulling me into his body. My hands fly to his shoulders. I feel hot, almost light-headed as he tips my chin up. His fingers stroke my cheek, gently, meditatively, and his mouth comes crashing down on mine.
I swallow a gasp as he sucks my lip into his mouth.
I feel his kiss everywhere. My toes curl. My insides coil and twist, and my nipples ache. His tongue dances with mine. His hand cups the back of my neck, his fingers gripping my hair.
My breasts feel hot and heavy with need. My nipples chafe against his linen jacket. Dominic must notice, because he transfers his attention to them. He sucks one into his mouth, flicking the engorged nub with his tongue, grazing it with the tip of his teeth. His fingers toy with my other nipple, just hard enough for me to gasp again.
He pauses. “Too much? Too hard?”
“Hell, no. Don’t change a thing.”
He obligingly moves his mouth back to my nipples. I wind my fingers in his hair, gripping it tight. He growls deep in his throat, and a tendril of pleasure winds through me. It intensifies when Carter’s hands lock around my hips. He tugs my dress down and my panties with it. My sundress falls to the floor. “Sit back down, Gabriella.”
I lose my bra before sinking back down on Carter’s lap. As soon as my skin makes contact with his, I suck in a breath. He’s naked. While Dominic was kissing me and lavishing my nipples with attention, Carter was getting undressed.
I wholeheartedly approve. In fact, there’s only one more thing that would make this perfect.
“I’m naked,” I tell Dominic. “Carter’s naked too. Unless you took some clothes off in the last ten seconds and I missed it because of the blindfold, you’re the only one still dressed. That seems like a problem.”
“Your concern is touching.” Dominic sounds amused. “Also, unwarranted. I’m doing exactly what I want to.”
Then he puts his mouth on my pussy.
Oh, fuck.
His touch inflames me. I’m burning up. Desire punches me in the gut as Dominic licks me, swiping his tongue between my folds. I lean back against Carter’s chest and arch my hips, silently encouraging Dominic to do more. Harder. Faster. Maybe add a finger or two or even three, stretch my aching muscles…
“So needy,” Carter rasps in my ear. His big hand wraps around my throat, holding me close. “So hot. You desperately want him to go faster, don’t you, Gabby? Hands behind your back again, sweetness. You know what to do.”
Oh, fuck, yes. I reach behind my back for Carter’s thick cock. It’s hot, throbbing. I stroke up and down his velvet coated steel shaft and reach lower to gently cup his balls in my hands. He groans, the sound raw and ragged. “
Fuck, Gabriella.”
Dominic’s tongue circles my clit. I instinctively clamp my thighs together, but they’re having none of it. Carter’s hands move from my throat and my waist to my thighs.
Oh. My. God. He’s holding me open so his friend can tongue-fuck me. It’s so wicked and dirty and unbelievably erotic.
I squirm in Carter’s lap and concentrate on fisting his cock. Drops of pre-cum have beaded on the tip, and I swipe my thumb over the head of his erection, spreading that slick wetness over his smooth head. I squeeze and I stroke, all while Dominic’s tongue plunders my pussy. I can’t see through the blindfold, and it just heightens all my other senses. I’m acutely aware of the way Carter’s fingers grip my hips. The rasp of Dominic’s stubble over my inner thighs.
He licks me, lavishing my clit with toe-curling attention. Again and again, his tongue swipes through my folds. Hot arousal knives through me. I move my hands faster on Carter’s cock. Throw my head back, whimper out loud in sheer need—
Carter puts his thumb in my mouth, and I suck it greedily, wishing it were a cock instead. His other hand moves to my nipple. He pinches the already tender tip, just as Dominic slides two fingers into my pussy. He curls his tongue around my clit, and he twists his fingers inside me, searching for my g-spot.
“Harder,” I beg Dominic. “And just a little to the left.”
Dominic cooperatively licks the indicated spot, and I can’t hold back my whimper. It was good before, really good. But now, with his tongue hitting just the right spot with just the right amount of pressure… I can’t take it. Desire shocks up my spine. Fresh heat floods through me. My body is ablaze with sensation. Blood pounds in my head.
“Like this?” Dominic asks.
I can hear the satisfaction in his voice, but I can’t get offended; he’s earned it. “Oh, fuck yes,” I moan. “Don’t stop. Whatever you do, don’t stop doing what you’re doing.”
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