Gareth took a step toward me, and placing his hands on my waist, he pulled me to him. I fell on his chest rejoicing at the feeling of having his arms around me, feeling the warmth of his breath falling on my face.
“You are a very special person, Aubrey. I want you to know that,” he murmured before he leaned his face toward me.
I closed my eyes, and my heart skipped a beat. I clutched him tightly. There were butterflies in my stomach. And then our lips met. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening. That his tongue was slipping into my mouth, that I could taste him now, feel the craziness of the adrenaline in my veins. It was almost too much to bear. I felt like I would collapse right there in his arms.
We sank into each other with that kiss. It was a slow, soft buildup, and I saw our whole future flash before my eyes. I didn’t know what kind of courage inside me was making me trust him again. I was taking a leap of faith, and I was doing it gladly.
Our lips slipped and slid as we kissed, and we held on to each other tightly. I felt safe and warm with him, like I could kiss him forever.
When we finally pulled our lips away from each other, Gareth stared into my eyes, and there was a smile on his face.
“Thank you, Aubrey, for giving me another chance,” he said and kissed me on my forehead. I felt my cheeks flush, and I couldn’t stop smiling either. He looked up from me and around at my studio.
“What is this place?” he asked with a laugh.
“It’s my studio. I’ve been hard at work! Do you like it?” I asked, and he wrapped an arm around my neck. I held on to his back as we stood looking around the room.
“It’s amazing. I love everything in here. But it’s not as nice as your apartment in New York,” he said, and I looked over at him with my eyebrows arched.
Gareth was grinning.
“I’m happy to work with your cousin, but I won’t be happy if you ask me to move to Brunswick to be with you!” he said, and I rolled my eyes.
“Nobody is expecting you to move to Georgia,” I exclaimed, and we kissed lightly again.
“So, does that mean you’ll be moving back to New York?” he asked, and I took in a deep breath as he stared at me expectantly.
“I have to admit that I’ve missed New York, and I’ve missed Ira,” I told him, and I meant it. I had only been fooling myself these past two months by telling myself that I liked living in Brunswick. The truth was that once I had a taste for New York, nothing was going to be good enough.
He reached for my chin and pressed it affectionately.
“And maybe now, you’ll give me a chance to introduce you to some people I know, maybe get you your first show? I promise you, I won’t buy anything you make, not even anonymously,” he said, and I laughed.
“Let’s see. Let’s take it one step at a time. Right now, I still have the money left over from the previous sale to survive. I’ll ask Ira to work on my website and jazz it up a little more. I’m feeling optimistic,” I told him as we started walking out of the studio together.
Out in the garden, we held on to each other. I placed my head on his shoulder, and he snuggled me warmly in his arms. I still couldn’t believe how natural and comfortable this felt. Like we were long-lost lovers uniting. It didn’t seem like we were new to this, that neither of us really knew each other that well.
He kissed the top of my head, and I looked up at him, squinting my eyes against the harsh Georgian sun.
“I don’t want to force you away from your home, Aubrey, if this is where you want to be,” Gareth said, and I shook my head. He had no idea how he made me feel. No place was ever going to be good enough for me if he wasn’t in it.
“Brunswick doesn’t feel like home anymore. I don’t know if New York does either, but I want to give this a try. I’ve wanted to give us a try since I first met you,” I said.
We were kissing again. His fingers were in my hair, my breasts were pressing into his chest, and slowly, he lifted me up from the ground.
I was being carried into the cottage by Gareth in his arms, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. His eyes had darkene; there was a more intense look in his eyes now, and we both knew what was going to happen.
“I’ve missed you, Aubrey Fort,” he said, as he kicked the door of the cottage open with his foot. I bit down on my lip and smiled at him.
“I’ve waited for you, Gareth Gray,” I replied, and in the next minute, he was carrying me upstairs to my bedroom.
Everything was going to be fine now, I could feel it in my bones. I had found the man who I was going to spend a lifetime loving.
Chapter Twenty-One
Gareth
I stood up from the chair when I saw Aubrey approaching, and I had to stop my jaw from dropping. It wasn’t just that Aubrey looked astoundingly beautiful and I felt like the luckiest man alive, but she had also planned a surprise that I wasn’t expecting. She weaved around the tables toward me, in a beautiful white gown, the same one she had worn to the summer ball. I thought that dress was ruined for good!
We had been apart for over a week since I’d visited her at her cottage in Brunswick. It had taken her a week to get rid of the place, pack everything up, and move back to New York. She was back to living with her old roommate again, and I had planned out an extravagant first-date dinner at Cavali’s, the most exclusive new Italian restaurant in Manhattan.
Aubrey had warned me over the phone that she had a surprise planned for me. I hadn’t predicted the dress.
One week had been too long. I couldn’t wait for her to get here, to see her again. We had already spent too much time apart, but now she was here, and now we could begin to live our lives.
She was wearing a smile too, along with the way she had done up her hair to match the exact look from that night at the ball. This was the best surprise she could have given me. This was how that first night should have panned out. Instead of locking ourselves up in a public bathroom and having sex, I should have asked her out to dinner and got to know her.
This was our first official date, even though I had already decided that she was the woman I wanted to be with. I was imagining a life with her already.
I held the chair out for her, and we kissed lightly before she sat down.
“How did you manage that?” I asked, sitting down across from her. She looked beautiful, the most beautiful woman in the city. Seeing her in that dress again brought back a flood of desire, the same as I had felt that first night. I had to do everything I could to keep my hands off her.
I reached for her hand over the table and stroked her fingers.
“Ira seems to know the best launderers in the city. It took them some time, but they got the mess off,” she said, and with a smile, she surveyed the restaurant.
“This place looks amazing!” she said, and I was pleased to see that she was happy.
“I’m glad you like it because otherwise we’d have to leave,” I said. Aubrey rolled her eyes comically. I wasn’t joking. Nothing less than the absolute best would suffice for my woman. I didn’t want Aubrey to spend another day in our lives being dissatisfied with anything. I wanted her to be happy, and to be happy with me. This was going to be my first real relationship, and I was determined to make it my last. Just like at business, I was not going to be beaten at love either.
I was falling in love with her, and I knew that I had been falling in love with her since the first time I’d seen her. Her face was flushed, her eyes were bright, and she seemed jittery as she sipped on her glass of white wine. This was a woman I could spend an entire lifetime getting to know.
I raised my glass up for a toast, and so did she. There were so many things to celebrate, her art and her growing career for starters.
“To new beginnings,” I said, and Aubrey smiled. I decided to keep it simple; I wasn’t one for making big speeches.
“To new relationships,” she added, and we took a sip of our drinks.
We were holding hands over the table, and neither of us were in a h
urry to place our orders yet. That dress looked amazing on her, but as crazy as it seemed, I was already imagining putting a diamond ring on that finger I was holding.
Aubrey would look good in diamonds, I thought. She was a woman who deserved diamonds. How soon was too soon to confess that I was already in love with her?
Epilogue
Brandon
My recent acquisition was hanging over the brick fireplace in my den, and finally, after a day’s hard work, I had the chance to sit down in front of it. I poured the whisky from the decanter into the crystal glass and took a sip from it.
I sat back in the plush leather seat and threw an arm over the back. It was a fine painting. It was an insightful and unique work of art. A girl looking down at a dog, who was looking up at her. The only colors on the canvas were brown and black ink, but there was something deeply meaningful and personal about the piece.
The more I looked at it, the more I realized that I was happy with the purchase. Would I have bought it if she hadn’t painted it? I couldn’t be sure of that. I wasn’t an art collector—this was the first painting I had personally purchased even though there were several pieces hanging around the rest of the house.
The other ones had been bought and placed by a decorator. This was the first one I had bought myself, because buying her painting was the first step. I wanted to own something she had created, that she had touched. I wasn’t sure yet what the second step was going to be, but I wasn’t going to stop till I had possessed her too.
I stared at the painting as I sipped on my whisky.
What else did I know about the beautiful Aubrey Fort, other than the paintings I had seen? Nothing. The only thing I knew was that I couldn’t stop now. I was obsessed.
The End
Touch Me (Preview)
The Billionaire’s Secrets Book 1
Kayla C. Oliver
Chapter One
Heidi
These ten-minute breaks were the only times in the day when I could breathe a little. Not that I didn’t constantly feel blessed that I could run my own café in the heart of the tourist district. I was indeed lucky and every day I counted my blessings. My parents couldn’t afford cooking school and for the four years that I apprenticed with Chef Dunphy in Los Angeles, I could only dream of one day running my own place.
But I got lucky. I’d never heard of Brunswick before, and even if I had, Georgia was never a state I had visited in my life. In fact, I wouldn’t ever have thought of visiting this town hadn’t it been for my ex-boyfriend, Jake. His grandmother used to live here, and he brought me one summer to introduce us. Now Jake was gone, getting married, last I heard and I was left behind, madly in love with this town and the proud owner of my very own café.
At twenty-eight and the proprietor of a café, I managed to turn over a profit within the first year of opening shop. I was proud of myself, but none of this would have been possible without hard work or all the years I had put into working as a baker’s apprentice. All the money, the very little that I had saved, I put into this business but I didn’t regret a second of it. Brunswick was my home now, and this was where I was going to make my life.
It wasn’t exactly a sleepy town, especially not during the summer months when its unique location for being a busy harbor town as well as its beautiful surroundings attracted a lot of tourists. This was prime time for my business to bloom. So, the ten hours a day when I wasn’t slogging away at the café, I was at home trying out new recipes or working on marketing campaigns.
Other than myself, I was able to afford two other staff, one of whom waited on the tables and the other helped me with the baking. So these ten minute breaks when I stood at the back of the café, gulping down a shot of espresso and munching on a mini muffin were extremely precious to me. I savored these moments, staring at the gently swaying boats and yachts anchored in the harbor in the distance, breathing in the fresh summer scent in the air, just thankful for life and the world’s bounty. Only when my mind wandered on occasion, did I allow myself to think about Jake and what he was doing. How could he have moved on so quickly from our relationship? He was engaged to be married within four months of our breakup. I still couldn’t wrap my brain around it.
This move to Brunswick had been good for me. I couldn’t continue to live in LA after we broke up. We were in a relationship for two years; I thought we were going to settle down. He had brought me here to meet his grandmother! But things spiraled out of control when we went back. This was when Chef Dunphy promoted me to assistant baker, over Jake who had his fancy baking school degree while I had risen from nothing.
When we broke up, I knew I couldn’t go back home to Wisconsin. I couldn’t return to my hometown feeling defeated and worn out. What would my family think of me? And neither could I remain in LA. That was weak of me. I was letting Jake win, but I couldn’t find the courage to stay there and cross paths with him on a daily basis.
I kept an eye out on Brunswick properties. The town had left its mark on me. It was peaceful, slow paced and didn’t have many cafés, even though it had quite the influx of tourists. When this commercial site came up, I looked through my accounts and discovered that I could actually afford it. I took the plunge, made my own business plan, procured the required licenses and equipment and within three months “Bread & Beans” was a fully functional café in the heart of Brunswick’s town center.
A smile flickered on my face now. I couldn’t stop replaying the past year over and over in my head. I was a successful businesswoman, and all thanks to my own hard work.
A crash of plates from inside the café snapped me out of my thoughts. With my brows crossed I whipped around to look in. I could see Lucia, standing with her mouth covered with both hands. She looked upset and wasn’t making a move to clear up the broken plates on the floor in front of her.
I gulped down the rest of the espresso and carrying the cup in my hand, I rushed back into the café.
“Lucia? What’s going on?” I said as I pushed open the door.
Our café was small, with only four tables lined up along the bay windows. But each of those tables was occupied and our patrons were all staring at the scene in the center of the café.
Two men were at each other’s throats. An older and a younger man, both glaring at each other. The older one’s face had reddened, but he was somehow managing to hold the younger one apart.
There was complete silence in the café. Everyone was staring.
“Stop that, now!” I screeched and both men turned to look at me.
I was startled, just for a moment when they turned, but I registered that sensation. The younger man’s icy blue eyes pierced right through my soul. He had spiky, dark hair and a few locks fell lazily over his bloodshot eyes. He was a tall man, towering over the older, portly one. His shoulders were wide and strained now, from the strength with which he was gripping the other guy. He had turned to look at me, and when our eyes met, he relaxed his grip.
The older man slipped away, coughing and cursing under his breath. I was snapped out of that slow-motion, hypnotizing moment and I stepped forward.
“What is going on? I will have to call the cops,” I said, planting my hands firmly on my hips.
The two men exchanged looks, and the younger one looked at me again.
“That won’t be necessary miss. We will sort this out ourselves,” he said and I noticed the way he clenched his jaw. I jutted my chin out towards him, and despite the dangerous blueness of his eyes, I met his gaze confidently.
“I don’t care about your argument. You can’t do this in a public place. You’re distressing my guests,” I hissed at him, glancing angrily at the older man who was still standing by, rubbing the back of his reddened neck.
“I said I’ll sort it out,” the younger one said and stepped towards me. With my brows crossed and my nostrils flaring, I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Please get off my property,” I said, not willing to step away from him. There was still silenc
e in the café. Not one other person had moved. The man was glaring at me now, his blue eyes were focused on my face. I noticed the way his gaze fell briefly to my breasts, my hips, and the shape of my legs. I could feel him sizing me up. I kept my chin up because I didn’t want to show any signs of weakness.
“I will, if you let me pay for the damage,” the man said abruptly and looked down at the broken plates on the floor. Now I could see that it was more than just a broken plate. A brand new vase was lying shattered on the floor as well, as were two glasses and there was water spilt everywhere.
“Please just leave,” I snapped at him and looked up to meet his eyes again.
The man’s eyes had softened. I couldn’t help but notice how perfect his jawline was; how broad that chest was. He was in dark jeans, a white shirt and a black leather jacket. This man deserved a spot on the cover of a glossy magazine. How much would women pay to see a photograph of him with his clothes off…even just his shirt?
I shook my head to drive thoughts of this guy, naked, out of my head. I was supposed to be mad at him. I was trying very hard to appear to be so.
“How much do I owe you?” he said and I saw his hand slip into the pocket of his jeans. I didn’t want his money. I wanted him gone. Those things he had broken were all replaceable, my customers were not.
“Just go, before I have to call the cops,” I said firmly and this time, I stretched my arm out, pointing to the door. The man remained standing where he was, his eyes still inspecting every curve of my body. I thought I saw a grin forming on his face. How could he possibly want to smile in a situation like this? When he had just caused a scene in my place of business! What an obnoxious, arrogant Greek god! I could feel rage spurting out of my ears.
“C’mon, let’s go,” the older man interrupted us. I was surprised to find that he was being civil with this guy. They were at each others throats only minutes ago. I didn’t understand it. I was just glad that they were finally leaving.
Desire Me Page 12
