“I wonder what’s taking so long,” she murmured. “I hope they haven’t lost my car.”
When Gabe stood beside her, she felt the warmth of his body. He pointed to the sky. “Look at those stars. Diamonds in the sky.”
She stared heavenward and her breath caught at the dazzling display of stars. “Beautiful.”
“Y’know, when I was a boy, I wanted to be an astronomer.”
Candace couldn’t stop the giggle that escaped her lips. “Really?”
“Yeah. Is that so crazy?”
“I can’t see you as a nerdy kid with your eyes glued to a telescope. Most boys want to be police officers or firefighters.”
“Well, what did you want to be when you were little? I know you didn’t say to yourself, ‘When I grow up, I wanna flip houses’.”
She laughed again. “No, but I was constantly redecorating my Barbie Dream House.”
Gabe’s chuckle echoed in the air. “Now, you’re making others’ dreams come true.”
“I hope to be—if we can meet this deadline.”
He stroked her cheek. “We’ll make the deadline. You worry too much.”
“I’ve had a lot to worry about in life.”
“Not tonight. Tonight, you’re hanging with me.”
“Excuse me?”
“C’mon.” He grabbed her hand as the valet pulled up in a sleek, black Ford truck. “My Lady, your chariot awaits,” he said.
Her mouth dropped. “What happened to the Sanford & Son truck?”
He cocked his head to the side. “What was that?”
Damn, I can’t believe I said that aloud!
“Um, I mean your red truck. What happened to it?”
“I gave it the night off.”
Candace paused as a man in a black valet uniform held the passenger side door open for her. “I can’t,” she protested. “My car is still parked here.”
Gabe tipped the valet. “I’ll drop you back here to get your car.”
“I don’t think…”
His fingertips stroked her languidly from elbow to shoulder, sending a spark of desire through her. “Candy, I’ve enjoyed myself more with you tonight than I can remember doing in a long time. I’m not ready for it to end. And neither are you. Let me take care of you tonight. I promise I’m worth it.”
“Well, when you put it like that, how can I say no?”
# # #
Gabe’s idea of taking care of her was both terrifying and thrilling. Candace wasn’t afraid of heights, but she didn’t go out of her way to get airborne either. So, when Gabe drove to a heliport and parked in a nearby parking spot, she wasn’t sure how to react.
“Why are we stopping here?” she asked.
“I want to show you something that can only be seen from the air.”
She stared, open-mouthed at the chopper looming in the distance. Imposing blades perched like enormous, metal fingers atop its roof. “Wait a minute. You know how to fly that thing?”
“So many questions, woman. Don’t you ever just relax and let others do all the planning?”
“No.”
He laughed and shook his head before coming around to the passenger side to open her door. “Well, that’s just too bad. If you want to hang with me, you have to do exactly as I say.”
Thirty minutes later, Candace was strapped into the back seat of the spacious helicopter. Gabe sat beside her, his fingers entwined with hers. The pilot, whom Gabe had made prior arrangements with, sat up front and executed a perfect vertical takeoff. For almost forty minutes, they hovered above the skyline, with Gabe serving as the perfect tour guide, pointing out landmarks and other special sights. Seeing the city lit up at night and from an aerial view gave Candace a new appreciation for Miami. Gabe pointed out the Seaquariaum, the American Airlines Sports Arena, Freedom Tower, and Jungle Island Zoo. The glittering lights made everything seem so magical.
“Look Gabe! I can see Biscayne Bay.” At thirty-five miles long, the moonlit preserve was visible even from thousands of feet in the air.
“Lemme see.” He leaned over and peered over her shoulder to the bay below. He was so close the clean smell of his cologne tickled her nostrils. Jeez, the man looked good and smelled good. “Incredible,” he whispered against the back of her neck. “Almost as incredible as the woman sitting next to me.”
Staring out the window, she closed her eyes and savored the sound of his deep voice. He said such beautiful things.
The gentle kisses he dropped on her bare shoulder practically made her melt. “You look so stunning tonight I can’t take my eyes off you, Candy.” He punctuated his compliment by nibbling a trail of kisses from her shoulder to the nape of her neck.
“Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself.” She really wanted to tell him he looked damn good in all black, but she couldn’t think straight with his lips doing such wickedly delicious acts.
His long fingers cupped her breasts, lovingly fondling her nipples through the fabric of her dress. She was ashamed when the buds immediately pebbled to life. The staccato of her heartbeat increased as she turned to stare at him.
She darted a nervous glance at the pilot’s back. “What about him?”
“Don’t worry about him. He’s hearing impaired. He won’t hear your whimpers of delight.”
The space between her legs pulsed at Gabe’s words. “Is he sight impaired too?”
Gabe leaned forward and closed the dark, privacy curtain that separated the passenger cabin from the cockpit. “He is now.”
Candace felt better. The cabin was enveloped in darkness except for the neon lights of downtown Miami twinkling outside the window. She convinced herself that the noise from the chopper blades would drown out any sounds coming from the back of the cabin. Yet still, the pilot must know something kinky was going on behind the curtain.
Gabe unbuckled her seatbelt and pulled her into his lap. “Now, where were we?” he coaxed.
“You were going to make me whimper with delight.”
“Oh, yeah.” His lips descended on hers and she tasted faint vestiges of coffee as his tongue swept across hers. Candace sighed into his mouth. The man’s kisses were recipe for disaster. If they kept this up, she would be laid out flat on the helicopter floor. As if proving her point, Gabe cradled her in one arm while his other hand slid up her thigh, wrinkling her silk dress in the process. The material would be rumpled, but who gave a damn? Gabe’s touch was pure ecstasy. Quivers of excitement launched deep in her abdomen as his strong fingers dipped beneath the scalloped edge of her lace panties. She spread her legs to allow him uninhibited access. When he slipped a finger inside her, she gasped with pleasure.
“Ssh,” he cooed. “Remember the pilot. No noise.”
She struggled to speak. “I thought…you said he was hearing…impaired.”
“I might have exaggerated a bit.”
“Wha—” Her response was cut off when he pushed his finger deeper inside her. Any further distractions were forgotten as she succumbed to the erotic rhythm of Gabe’s touch. He muffled her mewls of passion by covering her lips with his. He overwhelmed her senses. The taste of him. The smell of him. The sound of his rapid-fire breathing. The feel of two of his thick fingers sliding in and out of her slick wetness. She wantonly bucked her hips back and forth against his fingers, squeezing the walls of her pussy with each motion. A white-hot heat spiraled through her, setting her whole body on fire. She’d barely known Gabe three weeks, yet she was allowing him to finger-fuck her in a helicopter. As she surrendered to a mind-numbing orgasm, guilt was the furthest emotion from her mind. She could only admit that Gabe had been right about one thing: he had made her whimper with delight.
# # #
Gabe stood with Candace on the balcony of his suite on the thirtieth floor of the Eden Roc Hotel. No matter how many times he stayed here, he never failed to be amazed by the view of the ocean. He could think of no one he wanted to share this with more than Candace. The restaurant below was lit up and the black ocean stretched f
or miles. As Candace gazed at the scenery, the ocean breeze lifted the ends of her blonde bob.
“This view is gorgeous,” she said.
He watched her face as she marveled at the ocean-front view. Her lips were kiss-swollen from his inability to keep his hands off her. Not for the first time tonight he felt the stirrings of arousal in his trousers.
Thank goodness, he had the foresight to reserve a room. But it hadn’t been totally by accident. All of this was planned. He’d also paid the valet to delay getting Candace’s car earlier. The extra moments had given him time to convince her to go on the helicopter ride. He didn’t know what had gotten into him. He’d never been that conniving when it came to women. Candace was special. For some reason, he couldn’t get her out of his system.
Sitting across from her at dinner had been torture when all he wanted to do was strip that sexy dress from her luscious curves and bury himself inside her. And when he’d touched her in the helicopter, she was wet and ready for him. All for him. The fact that he turned her on made his confidence skyrocket.
As she watched the rolling tide of the ocean, Gabe stood behind her and nibbled her ears and neck. Her head fell back and he feasted on the column of her neck. He pressed the growing hardness in his trousers against the cleft of her buttocks, letting her know just how much he desired her. His fingers gently tugged on the zipper at the back of her dress. Unhurried, he unzipped the garment slowly, kissing each inch of her back as it was exposed to him.
She trembled beneath him.
“Cold?” his lips murmured against her.
“No. Excited.”
His heart pumped hard upon hearing those words. He turned her around and stared into her eyes. “That makes two of us.”
He sucked in a breath as her nimble fingers began working the buttons of his shirt. A cool breeze whispered across his chest as she parted the material. When her hands brushed over the hard planes of his chest and landed on his nipples, heat coiled in his abdomen. He fused his mouth to hers, plunging inside and sucking her tongue with bold strokes. He could get lost in her mouth. She was so warm and wet. He nibbled the corners of her lips, and gently pulled on her bottom lip with his teeth.
“Mmm,” he murmured. “I wonder what your other lips taste like.”
She braced her hands on each side of his face. “There’s only one way to find out.”
He led her to the suite’s spacious bedroom and placed her in the center of the room. “Stay right here,” he told her.”
Within seconds, he’d extinguished every lamp in the room. Candace’s body was illuminated by the glow of the half-moon spilling in from the terrace. The room was bathed in a white, ethereal haze. They could see out, but no one could see in.
“Strip for me, Candy.” She did as instructed, letting the already unzipped dress slide from her voluptuous figure onto the floor. He drank in the sight of her, his eyes roaming her nude body from head to toe. “Baby, your body is beautiful.”
He liked the fact that she had a little meat on her. He’d never been attracted to women who were all skin and bones. Candace’s body was the prototype of what a woman should look like. Gabe shrugged off his open shirt. He approached her wearing only his trousers.
“Oh, no,” she taunted. “You’ve seen mine. Time to show me yours.”
Gabe chuckled. From the moment he saw her strolling down the aisles at Sampson’s, he knew Candace would be feisty. He did as she commanded. He had his trousers off quicker than she could blink. When he pulled his boxers down, his erection sprang forth like a flag on a windy day.
“Damn,” she whispered under her breath. “You said you were going to take care of me. By the size of your equipment, I guess you were telling the truth.”
“You guess?” He stepped forward and caressed her luscious breasts. “I can’t have you guessing. I’ll have to leave no doubt as to my talents.”
Her fingers wrapped around his dick, massaging the length of him. Her hands were magical, expertly kneading the head and stroking his balls. He reined his ardor as Candace used her hand to pump his erection. Good Lord! If she didn’t stop, he would come right here in her hand.
He moved back from her reach and then dipped his head low to pull one of her nipples into his mouth. He lavished it with attention, swirling the dark bud around his tongue. He licked it mercilessly, sucking the areola and tenderly biting the nipple.
“Umm,” she purred. “The other breast is getting jealous. You don’t want to create a rivalry between the two of them.”
“Baby, I’m an equal opportunity lover.”
He moved to the other breast, feasting like a starving man. Candace’s moans filled the air, begging him not to stop. He was just getting started. He trailed kisses from her breasts down her abdomen. He dropped to his knees and cupped her buttocks. He faced the dark patch of hair between her legs. Candace was all woman. No Brazilian wax for her. He loved a natural woman.
Using one hand to gently part her pussy lips, he licked slow, languid strokes with his tongue. When he kissed the delicate nub of her clitoris, she gasped aloud. His pride surged. This was his area of expertise. He knew how to bring a woman to orgasm through oral sex.
He nudged her legs wider. His tongue darted in and out of her delicate folds, licking, sucking, and kissing. Her tangy taste filled his throat and nostrils. She dug her fingernails into his shoulder blades, and he welcomed the pleasurable pain. He grabbed her hips and increased his tempo, plunging his tongue in and out to an erotic rhythm.
“Yes! Yes!” she moaned, cradling his head in her hands. “Don’t stop.”
He had no such plans. He was taking Candace all the way to the edge tonight and dropping her over the cliff of ecstasy. He would make sure she never forgot this moment. He mercilessly licked her until her demands turned to begging. His stroke became bolder, harder, faster, until she cried out and he felt the tremor of her orgasm in his mouth. He waited for her to float down from her cloud before he tenderly wiped his mouth on the inside of her silky thigh. Then, he stood and swept her into his arms and carried her to the wingback chair. He sat down and pulled her onto his lap so that she straddled him.
He gave her a minute to get adjusted and then pulled her onto his hard shaft, thrusting to the hilt. Her hot pussy wrapped around his dick like a snug glove. He dug his fingers into her hips as she rode him. She took charge, rocking back and forth creating a slick trail of friction. Her breasts jiggled above him, tempting him to lick the big, dark nipples—which he did. As Candace increased the tempo, he rode the wave of pleasure with her.
“Fuck me, Gabe,” she commanded. “Fuck me hard.”
Gabe complied, thrusting, pushing, and penetrating her with his rock-hard erection. Their lovemaking turned frantic, their bodies becoming a tangle of desperate groping and urgent fondling. Sweat poured from him, mingling with the salty ocean air and dripping down the bridge of his nose. Still, he didn’t stop—couldn’t stop. He was lured by the powerful pull of Candace and her slick wetness grinding against him. She threw her head back and tensed. Her whole body stiffened and he knew she was coming. He pumped harder and seconds later, a red-hot heat coursed through his veins, seizing hold of him and snapping his control. Spasms racked his body as an orgasm so fierce gripped him, he growled like an animal against the hollow of Candace’s throat.
His eyes fluttered as Candace clung to him, sagging against his sweaty torso. As his thundering heartbeat ebbed and he returned to Planet Earth, he replayed the evening in his mind. He’d never had such intensely powerful sex with any woman. He’d dreamed about those long, brown legs for so long. Now, they were wrapped around him. It was hard to believe. He shook his head. What was it about her? Why was he so drawn to her?
He carried her to the massive bed and dragged the coverlet atop their naked bodies. As their spooning figures lay exhausted, Candace spoke. Her voice was barely a whisper. “A nurse.”
“What was that?” Gabe asked.
“You asked me what I wanted to
be when I was a little girl. I wanted to be a nurse.”
“I think you would have made a terrific nurse.”
“How can you tell?”
“You just gave me some great sexual healing.”
She smacked her lips. “You and your jokes, Mr. Hunt.”
Gabe smiled and hugged her to him. He’d found a woman who was sexy, smart, passionate, and who enjoyed his off-color sense of humor. Life didn’t get any sweeter than this. Perhaps Candace Jones was a keeper.
NINE
Candace used her potholders to pull a cookie sheet overloaded with white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies from her oven. She hummed as she worked. She wasn’t the best baker, but now that the flip was virtually complete, she had some extra time on her hands. Things couldn’t have turned out better. Six weeks ago, she was worried that her career was over. Today, she marveled at how everything had fallen into place the way it was meant to be. Finally, she was getting a break from the hectic spiral of craziness she called her life.
She turned to find Toye standing in the doorway to the kitchen. She almost dropped the cookies on the tile floor. “Shit. You scared me, sneaking up like that.”
Toye pursed her lips. “If you wouldn’t have been humming so loud, you would have heard me. What is the deal with you? You’ve been whistling and prancing around. And yesterday, you were singing that song, Love Under New Management.”
Candace laughed out loud. “Stop playing, Toye.”
“No, Cuz. You stop playing me. Tell me, what’s going on?”
Candace started mixing the next batch of cookies, adding chocolate chips this time. “I’m just happy the flip is complete.” She was having dinner in two days with a representative from Leap of Faith Industries to seal the deal.
“I’ve known you for too long. Something else is up.” Toye squinted. “You’ve got the hi-pro glow.”
Candace laughed again. She remembered the old commercial for dog food. She would admit her skin was glowing. Her mood was exceptional. She was on top of the moon. And she owed it all to Gabe. Ever since their freaky sexcapade in the helicopter three weeks ago, they’d been seeing each other practically every night. During the day, they maintained their professionalism at the site of the flip, working beside each other and never giving any indication of the steamy nights they shared in each other’s arms. Gabe had a wicked fetish for making love in public places. The stock room in back of Sampson’s. The bathroom of an upscale restaurant. The back row of a movie theater. In the dark shadows of a comedy club backstage. At first, she thought he had an aversion to bedrooms, but then she invited him to her house. In three weeks, her king-sized bed had seen more action than a mattress store during the holidays.
Man at Work Page 6
