by Leah Brooke
“Oh, it’s possible, but I don’t ever want to tame you completely.” Sitting back, Gabriel picked up his fork again. “It’s very satisfying to turn a spitting tiger into a purring cat.”
Her clit tingled. Frowning to hide her excitement, Kelsey frowned. “I don’t purr.”
Gabriel threw back his head and laughed, a deep rumble that seemed to vibrate right through her. “Yes, my pet. You definitely purr.”
Chapter Seventeen
To Kelsey’s surprise, instead of going back to the room after dinner, Gabriel suggested another walk on the beach. Darkness had fallen, and with the beach deserted, it felt like they were the only two people in the world.
Watching him out of the corner of her eye, and struck once again by his presence—the combination of raw sexuality, gracefulness, and power—she realized that she always felt safe with him.
Safe, with the most dangerous man she’d ever known.
You’ve never done things the easy way, Kelsey.
They walked far enough away from the hotel that they couldn’t be seen, but close enough that the lights from the hotel lit their way. She kicked off her shoes, a little surprised when he did the same.
Without a word, Gabriel took them from her, placing both pair on one of the large rocks before moving toward the edge of the water.
A sigh escaped at the feel of the warm water lapping at her feet, her toes sinking into the wet sand. She felt so sensual here, feeling more than she could ever remember feeling before.
The warm breeze.
Her hair blowing over her shoulders.
The silky material.
The sand. The water.
Everything felt incredibly real.
She noticed things that she’d never even noticed before.
Even the food tasted amazing.
Taking her hand in his, Gabriel led her a little farther down the beach. “Part of a Master’s responsibility is taking care of his sub, both physically and mentally. Something’s been bothering you. I can see the worry in your eyes, and sometimes you go quiet and stare at nothing. What is it?”
She’d thought he’d been too preoccupied with his work to notice that she’d been distracted by thoughts of him, and her confusion at her growing feelings. Her steps faltered, and thankful for the darkness that she hoped hid her burning cheeks, Kelsey shook off Gabriel’s hand and looked straight ahead.
“Nothing. Well, nothing other than wondering what you’re thinking, and what you’re planning for me next.”
The pregnant pause that followed filled her with unease.
Reaching out a hand, he gripped her arm and pulled her back against him. Keeping his back to the hotel, he reached around her, unclasped her top and hung the fabric over her shoulder. He cupped her breasts as he nuzzled her neck, his hands warm and firm as they moved with a gentleness that melted her resistance. “You were deep in thought on the plane ride here before we even discussed any of this. You kept frowning and sighing like you have a problem. Tell me what it is. I can tell something’s eating at you. I’m worried about you.”
Dropping her head back against his shoulder, Kelsey moaned as his hands worked their magic. Her arousal built gradually, the slow, firm caress of his hands lulling her into a sensory state that made it difficult to focus on the conversation.
It also relaxed her, and made the silence of the night even more intimate. The darkness emphasized that intimacy.
With a moan, she leaned more firmly against him and closed her eyes. “Nothing important. Just…things.”
Scraping his teeth over her shoulder, Gabriel continued his slow, tantalizing massage. “Tell me.” His lips caressed her ear, his voice low and intimate.
“I’ve spent a lot of time with you over the last several months. Even when you were trying to ignore me, I was studying you. I’ve gotten to know you better than you think, and I’ve learned to judge your moods. When you get that look in your eyes and chew at your lip, you’re weighing your options. You’d already made the decision to come here, so that wasn’t it. Talk to me, sweetheart. You can depend on me. For anything.”
Love for him and the desire to be everything to him made her stomach clench painfully, and made her insides feel funny.
Unused to sharing her problems, she moaned and gripped his forearms. “Just a business problem. It’s nothing like the kind of thing you deal with and something I just have to work out for myself.” She could only imagine how trivial her problem would seem to a man who had business interests all over the country. Forcing a laugh, she looked up at him over her shoulder. “Or are you going to try to convince me that you would want to talk about one of your business problems with me?” To her surprise, Gabriel stilled.
“I’d like nothing more than to have someone to talk to—someone who would be honest with me and who I could trust to keep our conversation private. Sometimes just saying it out loud helps.”
Stunned, Kelsey swallowed heavily to avoid choking on the lump in her throat. “You’d trust me with something like that? You’d talk to me about your businesses?”
“Of course.” Tightening his arms around her, he began to rock her. “Talk to me, Kelsey. Maybe saying it and hearing it out loud will help you see things clearly.”
She didn’t know if it was the intimacy and affection in his tone, the feel of his body wrapped around hers, or if the warm, sultry night had anything to do with it, but Kelsey found herself confiding in him.
Blowing out a breath, she straightened. “I’m thinking about selling the coffee shop.”
The silence lasted only a second or two before he bent to touch his lips to her hair, gently pulling her back. “Why?”
Smiling, Kelsey leaned more heavily against him. “Of course you would get right to the heart of the matter.”
His chuckle rumbled through her. “I prefer the more direct approach.”
Turning her to face him, Gabriel ran a hand over her shoulder. “Has someone made you an offer?”
Kelsey sighed. “Yeah. Gina, my manager, made me a good one.”
Gabriel’s brow went up. “It sounds like you’ve already decided to take it.”
Surprised to realize he was right, Kelsey frowned, not quite ready to commit to anything. “I don’t know. Maybe.” Turning slightly away, she looked toward the hotel, her heart racing when he pulled her closer, pressing her shoulder against his chest, while massaging the other.
“Do you want to keep it?” Taking the hand she held out to him, he pressed it to his chest and gathered her closer. “Talk to me. What’s holding you back? If you don’t want to sell, you don’t have to sell. Is someone pressuring you? Is there something going on that I need to know about?”
Amused at the steely anger in his tone, she dropped her head against his chest, glancing up at him briefly before looking toward the hotel again. She felt as though a weight had been taken from her shoulders. “It’s nice that you care. Thanks for that.” A bubble of relief erupted in a laugh. “No one except you has the balls to try to intimidate me.”
The laugh she’d expected didn’t come. Instead, Gabriel ran his fingers up and down her spine, his casual caress soothing. “So what’s the problem?”
A week ago, she would have laughed at the idea of confiding in Gabriel, but now it seemed natural. Warmed by his presence and feeling closer to him than ever, she sighed, arching in the hope that he would caress her breasts. “And then what?”
“I see.” Accepting her invitation, he slid a hand to her breast and began a gentle caress, one that seemed more comforting than sexual, somehow arousing her and strengthening the invisible bond between them at the same time. “What do you want to do, my love?”
Smiling, she shook her head, her heart pounding furiously at the endearment. “You always seem to understand me. It can be scary, you know?”
“You have no reason to be afraid. I understand you, Kelsey. You’re avoiding the question. Tell me what you’re thinking.” His velvety tone lulled her, a tone perfect for
the balmy night on the beach.
“I don’t know. The offer came out of thin air.” Blowing out a breath, she kept her voice at just above a whisper, not wanting to break the intimacy. “I hadn’t thought about selling until then, but when I got the offer, I thought—hell, I can finally get out of here.”
“Surprised you, did it?”
“That’s putting it mildly.” Because of the night, and the warm feel of him against her, she found herself admitting something she knew she shouldn’t. “After meeting you, I started feeling restless.”
Gabriel tugged her nipple, tightening his grip on her as if anticipating her jolt. “Imagine that. The same thing happened to me.” Turning her to face him fully, he ran his hands down her back and pulled her closer. “You and I belong together, Kelsey. I know it scares you.”
Stiffening, she let her eyes flutter closed. “Please, Ga—. Please, I can’t—”
Gabriel shifted slightly and her sarong fell away, leaving her standing naked in his arms. “I want you to say my name.” His hands slid to her bottom and squeezed gently. “I like the sound of my name on your lips.” Taking her hands in his, he lifted them to circle his neck. “I also like when you touch me.”
Shocked, pleased, and a little nervous, Kelsey glanced up at him. “No more Master?”
“I think things are changing between us, don’t you?” He placed his finger over her lips, effectively silencing her instinctive objection. “Enough for now. Why don’t you tell me what you want to do if you sell the coffee shop?”
Delighted in the freedom to touch him, Kelsey slid her fingers through his dark hair. “I don’t know, Gabriel.” She loved saying his name—loved being naked in his arms. Smiling as she remembered the promise he’d made her to let her experience the feeling of being exposed without actually letting anyone see her, she rubbed her breasts against his chest. “I wish you weren’t wearing this shirt. I want to feel you naked against me.”
“You will as soon as we go back to our room. I have some plans for you tonight, my love.”
With a grin, she rubbed against the cock pressing into her stomach. “Do you? What kind of plans?”
In a move too fast for her to anticipate, he hooked an arm under her stomach and lifted her, leaving her dangling over his forearm. In a show of strength that surprised her and earned new respect, he held her there despite her struggling, slapping her ass before pressing a finger against her puckered opening hard enough to make it sting. “Something that involves an ass hook, a vibrator and a lot of screams.”
Lifting her higher, he kissed her hair. “That should take your mind off of your troubles tonight, don’t you think?” Hugging her close, he squeezed her ass. “It’ll also make up for what you did back at the restaurant.”
Chapter Eighteen
Kelsey trembled with excitement and no small amount of trepidation as Gabriel closed the door of the playroom behind him. On shaky legs, she made her way to the center of the room, her steps slow, and her heart pounding nearly out of her chest. Aware of his rapt attention, she scanned the room for any changes he’d made since the last time she’d been in the room, hoping to get an idea of what he had planned for her.
Her steps faltered when she noticed a strange contraption positioned over the padded table, but before she could get a good look at it, an arm came around her from behind. “Hmm, I’ve got you right where I want you. You ready to play, my pet?”
He’d made a brief trip to the bathroom and now she knew why. Producing one of the scrunchies she usually wore, he gathered her hair in a high ponytail, securing it before running his lips over her shoulder. “I’ve got some devious plans for you, some that have kept me awake at night.”
Releasing her hair, he ran the tips of his fingers up and down her arms in a slow caress that sent erotic currents through her that seemed to zero in on her nipples. “You’re going to be mine. The thought of that fills me with the kind of satisfaction you can’t even imagine. My heart pounds every time I’m near you. The scent of you, the sound of your voice, the feel of your soft skin makes my blood boil.”
A moan escaped, a shiver of delight going through her at the feel of Gabriel’s warm, hard body pressed against her back as his words sparked a fire inside her that grew swiftly out of control.
She’d never known feelings like this. She’d never known this kind of intensity, or that it was possible to feel so close to one person. She’d never been wanted this way, or been so hungry for a soft word from him, or even the lightest touch.
She’d never taken the time to appreciate the small things that combined into so much more. Unable to hide her desire, she pushed back against him. “You make me feel so much. You make me want so much. It’s like I waited all my life for this.”
With slow deliberation, Gabriel undid the clasp the clap between her breasts and tossed the material aside. He ran his hand down her side to unclasp the other, his lips warm on her shoulder as his hands slid up to cover her breasts. “So do you, Kelsey. You fit against me as if you were made for me. I’ve waited a lifetime to feel this way, and I’m not about to let it go.”
The cock pressing hard against her lower back filled her with longing, the hunger in his tone and in his touch freeing her inhibitions. He held her there for several long seconds, pulling her back against him and running his hot hands over her breasts, his unhurried movements so decadent and loving that she arched her back, giving herself over to his touch.
With a hard arm wrapped around her waist, he urged her forward. “And now we play. Now I show you just how suited you are to this kind of loving.” Guiding her across the room, he never stopped caressing her. “I lowered the table for this. I put that mirror over there so I can see your face the entire time—even when I’m behind you, but also so you can see yourself. I want you to watch.” Lifting her to the table, he positioned her on her knees.
Bending low, he leaned over her, meeting her gaze in the mirror, a slight smile playing at his lips. “I want you to see your face. I want you to see mine. I want you to see what we do to each other. I think you’ll be surprised at what you see.”
Shocked at the intensity of his lovemaking, the planning, and his determination to experience everything to the fullest so that they couldn’t even hide their reactions from each other, Kelsey could do nothing but follow his lead.
His mastery over her, and his total commitment to every aspect of their lovemaking both thrilled and alarmed her.
She’d never experienced anything that could even compare to the way she felt with him—as if nothing else in the world mattered at this moment.
Trembling with need and anticipation, Kelsey arched into the hand he ran down her back, a moan escaping as goose bumps broke out over her skin. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from the mirror, mesmerized by the sight of Gabriel’s hand sliding over her. Her gaze followed the movement, watching him as she’d watched the Dom in the movie, and the feel of his hand moving over her doubling the pleasure and excitement.
The need to see his eyes proved even stronger now than it had when she’d watched the movie. She lifted her gaze, anxious to see if Gabriel’s need matched her own, her breath catching when her gaze met his in the mirror.
His eyes narrowed on hers, the glitter of possession and need in them even more intense than the Dom’s had been in the movie.
It took her breath away, making her insides quiver with something much stronger than desire. Moaning at the feel of his fingers trailing over her belly, while his other hand moved over her bottom with deliberate purpose, Kelsey sucked in air, every breath becoming more ragged than the last.
She sucked in another breath at the feel of his fingers tracing a pattern between her breasts, releasing it on a groan of frustration when he deftly avoided touching her aching nipples. Lost in sensation, and in the incredible closeness she felt with him, she breathed his name and let her eyes flutter closed. Her breath caught as his hand moved higher to close around her neck, his fingers light and caressing a
s he tilted her head back.
His warm breath brushed her cheek as his fingers tightened on her neck, the combination of softness and icy threat sending her senses soaring and keeping her even more off balance. “Open your eyes, Kelsey. I want you to watch yourself in the mirror. I want you to see your passion, and watch what I do to you. Don’t you dare look away from that mirror.”
The hard edge of authority in his tone sent little pinpricks of delight dancing over her skin even as it sent a chill through her.
Obeying him without hesitation, she opened her eyes, her gaze flying immediately to his. She found herself more attuned to him than ever, intensely aware of the smallest shift in his touch, the smallest change in his tone.
Wiggling against the hand he skimmed over her ass, she couldn’t hold back a smile as she met his gaze in the mirror, searching for signs that she pleased him. “Yes, Master.”
Reassured by his affection for her, and having already witnessed his formidable control, she grinned playfully and wiggled her ass at him.
She hadn’t thought the pleasure could get any better, but the bond she felt with Gabriel added an intimacy that made everything even more intense, so intense that it would have been overwhelming if not for the connection she felt with him.
Narrowing his glittering eyes, Gabriel slapped her ass, the sting of it igniting a heat between her thighs that made her pussy clench and leak moisture. “I detect a note of sarcasm in your tone. You’ll have to pay for that, of course.” He tapped her inner thigh in a silent command for her to spread them.
Wiggling her hips, she obediently spread her thighs, bucking her hips as his hand moved up again and caressed her bottom. “I’m counting on it.” Her voice didn’t sound as steady as before, the threat in his firm touch and the memory of what he’d promised to do keeping her on edge.
She couldn’t look away from the erotic intent on his face, watching him hungrily as he moved to stand behind her. Positioned a little lower than waist high to him, Kelsey rocked her hips, her pussy clenching with the need to have him deep inside her. Stilling at the feel of his hands on her hips, she watched them move on her, once again struck by how feminine and delicate she appeared next to his strong masculinity.
