by Leigh James
“That’s self-defense. Don’t worry about what those assholes made you do.” Bethany shook her head. “You need to rest. I’ve never seen you like this before.”
I shrugged wearily. “I’ve never seen three people get killed before.”
“I’m sorry.” She patted my shoulder. “But your patch launched. That’s great news. How did you manage that while you were trapped in Menlo Park?”
“I had a team I trusted. I asked them to do it.”
Bethany raised her eyebrows at me. “A team? Or a person?”
“Who’ve you been talking to?” I asked flatly. “I know you already know. That’s one of the things you taught me, remember? One of your lawyerly tricks? Never ask a question that you don’t already know the answer to.”
“You’re right—I do know the answer. It’s Gabriel Betts,” she said, smiling a little. “I would say congratulations on your launch and on your hunky new boyfriend, and console you some more about what you just went through, but I have several bones to pick with you.”
“Can’t they wait?” I asked miserably. All I wanted was to check in with my people. And then I needed a hot shower, some food, and to see Gabe. Not necessarily in that order.
My attorney’s eyebrows arched again. “Hannah filled me in. She told me you’re moving in with him, and you’re partnering with Dynamica. These are two things you should have already shared with me, so I can protect your assets.”
I rolled my eyes and made a mental note to chastise Hannah for gossiping about me. “You don’t need to protect my assets, Bethany. Gabe’s got his own money. He doesn’t need mine.”
She patted my back and started herding me to Paragon’s doors. “All right, all right. Is it so bad that I want to protect my favorite client?”
“Of course not.” I smiled at her warmly, glad she was there. I’d hired Bethany after she’d represented my sister. Hannah needed to sell off some real estate holdings from our parents’ estate, and she wanted to get on with it quickly. I’d attended the closing, which Hannah had just wanted to breeze through. But Bethany hadn’t let her get away with that. She’d made sure Hannah had understood every word of every document she was signing. A transaction that could have closed in one hour instead took three. But she hadn’t put up with my sister’s moaning and groaning, and since then I’d never seen her take any shit from anybody, including me. Bethany hadn’t attended Stanford or Harvard Law, graduating instead from the California state program. But she was brilliant and had a singular devotion to her work. Whenever I’d needed her help, she’d pulled through for me.
I could see a crowd gathered inside the doors. I took a deep breath, preparing for the onslaught of attention, concern, and cheers.
Bethany shot a quick look inside the lobby, taking in the commotion. “Are you ready for this?”
“I’ll be fine,” I said. “This is what we’ve all been waiting for.”
She nodded. “Okay. Congratulations on your launch.” She patted my back. “But I’m warning you, if you’re getting married, we’re doing a prenup. I don’t care how much you love the guy. Good prenups make good marriages.”
“Jesus, Bethany. You’re relentless.”
She grinned at me. “I know. That’s why you hired me.”
We went through the doors to where my entire staff was assembled—Eva, Finn, Stephanie, Leo, Dave, Eddie, Timmy, everyone. They were all clapping and cheering. There was an enormous Congratulations sign hung across the lobby. I saw Hannah and Gabe, and I ran to them, enveloping them both in a hug, vowing silently to never let them go.
“Jesus, Lauren. Our post-fake-breakup sex might be even better than our makeup sex.” Gabe reluctantly slid out of me and flopped over onto his back.
I stretched luxuriantly, my limbs loose from spending the afternoon in bed with him. “I’ll say.” A wide grin spread across my face as I blushed, thinking of some of the things we’d done. We’d spent the last few days holed up at his house, only dragging ourselves from bed to eat or check in with our respective offices.
He pulled me onto his chest and played with my hair. “You did it. I’d say I was surprised, but I’ve learned not to underestimate you.”
I snuggled against him, feeling the thrill that only the warmth of his body could give me. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
He smiled at me, his dimple on full display. He’d finally shaved his beard even though I’d loved the scratchy feel of it…against my thighs. Along with other places…
Gabe’s face turned serious. “I never would have agreed to let you go to Li Na. But when you asked me to take over the launch, I knew you were putting your full trust in me. So I put mine in you. And Timmy. Thank God for Timmy.”
“I feel so bad about Timmy. The poor guy probably never expected his cushy civilian detail to end up the way it did.”
Gabe shook his head. “Timmy did the right thing, and he knows it. Even if he wasn’t your paid guard, he would have shot those men to protect you. They were mercenaries, babe. They would have killed you both without a second thought, just to get a paycheck.”
I buried my face in his chest. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
The fact was, I couldn’t get that day out of my mind. My nights were haunted by horrible dreams about the events surrounding our escape, and the men who’d lost their lives that day. Gabe had woken me up each night since we’d been home, saying that I’d been screaming in my sleep.
He wrapped his arms around me protectively. “We’ll get through this. You’re going to be okay, Lauren. Everything’s going to be okay now.”
I nodded against his chest, wanting to believe him more than actually believing him. “Tell me about the launch again,” I said, changing the subject.
“You’re like a little kid with a favorite story. This is, like, the thousandth time I’ve told you. But, since you insist…” Gabe chuckled indulgently. “Once upon a time, I was smuggled into Paragon in a food crate bound for the cafeteria.”
“I wish I could have seen that.” I laughed, my mood lightening.
“I had to be concealed,” Gabe said. “Eddie came up with the idea. I came in on a truck and was wheeled down to the kitchen. Not the most glamorous moment of my life. Then I headed down to the lab with Eva and Finn. We followed your directions and got the launch ready. Eva said I was a natural.”
He laughed. “She didn’t know that all I’ve been doing since I met you is following your damn directions, but I didn’t bother to enlighten her.”
“How did Hannah do?” I asked.
“She was a pro. She handled all the press leading up to the launch, and when we were ready, she organized an Internet blitzkrieg. Every news outlet was running the story. How are the domestic sales?”
“Amazing. We earned back all of our investments within the first twenty-four hours. How are the international numbers?”
Gabe smiled. “Amazing. Li Na is probably cursing you and crying into a bottle somewhere.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think she’s the crying kind.”
“What’s the latest from Agent Marks?”
“He said that they’re looking into Jiàn Innovations, and that the NSA had opened an investigation. But in terms of actually prosecuting them…he said it was difficult. He said the Chinese government was notoriously uncooperative with cases like these.”
“We’ll have to see how that plays out.” Gabe was quiet for a minute, stroking my hair. “She really thought she was going to win, didn’t she?”
I sat up and studied his face, which was, for the first time in weeks, relaxed and happy. “She didn’t count on you.”
“What do you mean?”
I stared out of the bank of windows at the mountains. The sun was starting to set, casting a hazy glow over the rugged terrain. “She said my weakness was my ‘singular brilliance.’ She didn’t think that I would have been able to trust my launch to someone else. She didn’t think I was capable of that, I guess.”
> I could feel Gabe watching me. “It was a big step for you. I’m honored that you trusted me.”
I turned to look at his handsome face. “I’m honored that you stuck with me through all this, and that you were there for me when I needed you. That was amazing.”
He pulled me protectively against him. “It’s called a commitment, babe. It means I’m here, and I’m never going anywhere.” A grin broke out over his face. “Except away. With you.”
“What do you mean? Are we going back into the hot tub?” I asked hopefully.
“Maybe.” He looked very interested in the idea. “But that’s not what I meant. Although I might take ten minutes out of our itinerary to have my way with you in there before we go.”
“Before we go where?” I wailed.
Gabe grinned at me. “To the island I rented. In the Caribbean. With your bikinis. And your sister. And her boyfriend. And about twenty security guards.”
“Bikinis?” I asked as if that were the most ridiculous part of what he was saying.
“That’s what I said.” The devilish grin was still on his face. “If I have to drag you there…oh, never mind. I’ll just do it anyway. You deserve it, and probably a good spanking too.”
He stood up and held me by the hips, picking me up as if I were a sack of flour—a precious one, but still—and threw me over his shoulder. He stalked out through the kitchen and toward the hot tub, carrying me. “Relaxation and bikinis, here we come.”
I’d never heard him sound quite so gleeful. Oh boy, was my sister going to hear it from me. Again.
Chapter 30
The sun’s warmth was magnificent even through the responsibly wide brim of my hat. Gabe sat on the chair next to me, his fingers laced through mine. I could hear Hannah and Wes nearby, playing paddleball or something sporty as they splashed in the water.
Wes was there in the capacity of Hannah’s boyfriend and bodyguard. I’d tried to fire him, but both Gabe and Hannah had shut me up before I’d had a proper chance. Three days into our trip, I’d discovered that Wes was nice and obviously devoted to my sister. He and Gabe seemed to have hit it off as well, going to the gym together each morning and drinking bourbon each night.
Still, as promised, I’d given my sister an earful. It just hadn’t worked out the way I’d planned. “I don’t have time for a double-date vacation,” I hiss-whispered to her as we’d boarded the private plane. “I have a new product to manage. And I’m not wearing a bikini.”
Hannah arched an eyebrow at me. “I’m guessing that you’re wrong about that. Gabe seemed pretty excited.”
I looked at her, crestfallen. “About the bikini?”
“About the whole trip, Lauren.” She shook her head in exasperation. “You’ve been putting that guy through the wringer since you met him. Maybe you could relax and do what he wants for once. He did just save your company while you were off almost getting killed. Is it too much to ask that you go lie on a beach and drink fruity drinks? You act like we’re asking you to drink castor oil from a jail cell. Which reminds me—didn’t Gabe go to jail for you too?”
“Yes,” I admitted under my breath.
“Then wear the bikini and shut up for once,” Hannah snapped. “Sheesh.”
Fast-forward three days, and I was wearing one of the many bikinis my sister had packed for me. I had my mouth shut, and I was holding hands with my boyfriend.
My boyfriend. A little thrill went through me every time I thought of him that way. Actually, a little thrill went through me anytime I thought about Gabe in any way, or looked at him, or touched him, or caught him looking at me appreciatively.
It had been a thrilling couple of days. Even I had to admit it.
I hadn’t let myself think about what, if anything, my enemies had planned for us going forward. I’d only gotten one text from Li Na since the launch. Congratulations on your launch, it read. Don’t forget about me while you celebrate.
I shivered when I read it. As if I’d be so lucky as to forget her.
I hoped she was done with me, that she’d given up. For the first time in my life, I wanted a future. It wasn’t that I hadn’t wanted one before, but I’d never given it a lot of thought. It had always been the next thing—the next trial, the next idea, the next test. Now the desire for a future with Gabe was so powerful and clear that it was overwhelming.
I tried not to think about her, and to focus on our vacation, instead. The private island was beautiful. It had an enormous, luxurious house in which we were all staying, and a guesthouse for the security team Gabe had insisted on bringing. There were miles of white-sand beaches, and we were surrounded by turquoise water. The house had multiple decks that boasted hot tubs, infinity pools, and any luxury I could have ever imagined, had I been inclined to think about such things.
“We should come back here every year,” Gabe said.
I startled. I’d thought he was asleep. “That would be nice, wouldn’t it?”
He opened one eye and looked at me. “I would do just about anything to keep you in a bikini,” he growled. He moved my hand over the top of his swim trunks, and I felt his growing erection.
I snatched my hand away. “Hannah and Wes are right over there,” I whispered, mortified, motioning toward the water.
He got up unselfconsciously and reached for my hand, pulling me with him. “Then let’s go for a walk.”
I threw my wide-brimmed hat on my chair and followed him down the beach.
We walked for a half-mile, our arms wrapped tightly around each other, until we reached a little cay. We were hidden from Hannah and Wes’s sight, and hopefully from the security guards. Gabe leaned me up against a tree and kissed me deeply, making my whole body burn. He teased the strap of my bikini top down and kissed my shoulder. “So beautiful,” he said. “I don’t know how I got so lucky.”
I looked up at him, my eyes swimming in his. “It wasn’t luck. You were persistent. Stubborn, even.” I grinned at him.
He grinned back. “You’re calling me stubborn?”
I pulled him to me. “Stop talking.”
He kissed me deeply. I lit up under his touch. He ran his hands reverently down my sides as I clung to him. Before I knew what was happening, he was out of his swim trunks, his erection against me. My gaze greedily raked over his glorious, naked body. His light tan accentuated every line of every muscle.
He took my bikini off and hung it on a low branch of a tree, then kissed me hotly. “Turn around and hold onto that.” He motioned to the tree. “Lean over.”
My breathing turned to panting. I immediately did what he said—not so much to be obedient, but in anticipation. I leaned over and spread my legs a little, my sex open and exposed before him.
He knelt down and licked me from behind, taking my already wet, throbbing nub in his mouth. His tongue plunged into my slit, making me cry out.
My hands gripped the tree. As my world began to spin, I noticed my knuckles were turning white.
I hoped we were far enough away from Hannah and Wes because I kept moaning in ecstasy as he lapped at me. I bucked against his mouth, but then he suddenly stopped, standing up behind me. “I need to be inside you.”
He grabbed my hips and then inched his cock inside me, filling me the way only he could.
I whimpered as he entered me, craving the fullness his body gave mine. He gathered my hair in one of his hands and wrapped it around his palm. Then he thrust into me, using my hair to pull me back against him.
“Oh fuck,” Gabe said. There was no other word for what we were doing. He was driving in deep, claiming my body.
Because he was mine, and I was his. And we belonged together. I’d been fighting it for so long, but my body had known from the beginning what my mind was running from. Gabe was my first, and as I’d promised him, he’d be my last.
I braced myself against the tree and felt him thrust all the way in me, loving me only the way he could. “I love you. So, so much.” I started to shatter around him, sooner than I
wanted, but my orgasm wouldn’t wait.
He gripped my hips and pumped himself into me as my body clenched around his cock, greedily keeping him deep inside me. The edges of my vision blurred, and I held on to the tree for dear life as my orgasm hit me hard. “Lauren!” he cried out as his orgasm chased mine. He shuddered against me, his hips rocking. I felt so full of him, so satisfied, that I almost cried. After we’d both stilled, he turned me around, pulled me up against his chest and held me as I trembled in the aftermath.
“I love you,” I said again, clinging to his warm, powerful body.
“I love you too, babe. I couldn’t live without you.” Gabe pulled me closer. “And now that you’ve moved in with me, I don’t have to.”
“It…scares me.” I swallowed hard. “Before, my life was just work. I’ve never wanted something like this before. A life. A normal life. With you.” It was ridiculously difficult for me to admit the full breadth of my feelings to him even though he’d told me—and shown me—over and over again that he felt the same way.
“Me either.” Gabe kissed my nose. “It’s nice to know I’m finally not alone.”
I smiled up at him, safe in his arms. “Me too.”
“See? You should listen to me more often. I knew we were meant to be together. I’m always right.”
“You’re not always right,” I protested.
“Face it. I’m usually right. I knew you were going to like flaunting yourself in that bikini in front of me, I knew you were going to like my push-button fireplaces, and I knew you were going to like my cock. A lot.”
I felt my face redden. Of course, he’d been right about all of it.
“Let’s go swimming.” He picked me up caveman-style and threw me over his shoulder, wading into the turquoise water, not waiting for me to say no.
Later that night, we lay together in bed, the stars visible from our window.
“When we get back home, we have another trip to take,” Gabe said.
I looked at his face in the darkness. “Another one? I thought we were going to get back to work.”
