He nodded, but crossed his arms against his chest and waited for her to answer his first question.
“In his office, I was surprised that he flirted with me, but I told myself not to take it seriously. We discussed business, and I knew my plan was a sound one, but he was more interested in the people I would be hiring than the money he was risking. But when he kissed me, I felt something shift between us.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” Lucian replied.
“I think it would be unwise to reveal to anyone what I feel about him.”
“You used to tell me everything.”
“I can’t,” she whispered.
“Bec, how do you feel about Gabriel?” Lucian grumbled.
She took a deep breath and looked at her brother, the truth written on her face.
“I see.” Lucian smiled at her and her shoulders relaxed.
“I don’t,” Gabriel growled from the doorway.
Her eyes found his and even with the scowl on his face, he still made her heart kick in her chest each time she laid eyes on him. Her eyes took in his charcoal-gray suit with a bright blue tie, but when they moved up to his face, she noticed that he had more than a day’s growth of hair on his face and there were dark circles under his eyes. Despite her sense of dread that he was upset because of the discussion he walked in on, her worry overrode her fear and she wanted to take care of him.
“I’ll see you later, Bec,” Lucian said.
She had forgotten her brother was in her office the minute Gabriel walked in the room. She cast an apologetic look in his direction, but at least she was able to stand on her shaky legs to give him a hug good-bye. He waved off her concern, and draped his coat over his arm, before he reached for his briefcase and left without another word.
Her eyes moved back to Gabriel and watched him as he marched toward her, taking the time to unbutton his suit coat. Everything about his appearance since he walked in her office could only be described as controlled anger. But as she opened her mouth to ask him why, a short shake of his head had her words dying in her throat. Hands flashed out and gripped her shoulders, whipping her around until she faced him.
“What was it that he saw, that you couldn’t tell him?”
When he was up close, she could see the tired lines around his eyes and his lips were pinched, as if he were in pain. Her hand reached out and traced her fingers over his cheeks.
“Why do you look so tired?” she asked, concerned.
“It’s been three days since I’ve seen you. I haven’t been sleeping well. Don’t change the subject, Bec. I want to know how you feel about me.”
Her heart clenched in her chest and her throat closed, unsure whether this would be the last time she would see Gabriel.
“Is it that hard to tell me?”
She shook her head. “No, no. It’s not hard at all. I love you, Gabriel.”
A look of surprise crossed his features before he gripped her shoulders tighter and pulled her into his arms. She was surrounded by his warmth and the familiar smell of wood and spicy citrus. She leaned her head against his chest, listening to the rapid beat of his pulse against her ear, and relaxed into his embrace. He was home, everything that she ever wanted when she dreamed of finding the perfect man.
He was quiet for so long that she started to get restless. She shifted from one foot to the other when she felt a tremor in his arms and pulled back, confused that he hadn’t spoken in several minutes.
“Are you okay?”
He swooped down and when his lips pressed against hers, she opened in surprise. He took advantage and slid his tongue inside to taste her, shivering as her hands roamed his back before she draped them over his shoulders and pulled in closer. She was panting by the time he lifted his mouth from hers. He placed his forehead against hers and tightened his arms, pulling her closer to his body.
“I thought I’d never hear you say the words.” He looked at her with a stunned expression.
“You had to have known. I’m surprised it wasn’t written on my face. Lucian saw through me when I avoided his eyes.” She caught his gaze. “I do love you, Gabriel.”
A giant shudder passed through his body, and he buried his face underneath her hair and brushed a kiss against her neck. “I will never tire of hearing that.”
“Well, I’ll never get tired of telling you.” She smiled.
As much as she had dreaded this moment, it was a wondrous feeling that he now knew how she much she loved him. He wasn’t displeased by her announcement, and the way he held her, it seemed as though it was freeing for him as well.
He pulled back and cupped her face in his hands. He searched her eyes for doubt at her declaration but after a few moments, he brushed a kiss against her mouth and smiled.
“Can you please put me out of my misery and live with me? I can’t wake up another morning without you.”
She laughed and hugged him close. “I would like that.”
“I should’ve demanded it after our first weekend together, but I didn’t want to upend your life.”
“You could never do that.”
“Let’s go home.” He hugged her close as they walked out of the office.
Chapter Thirteen
Gabriel glanced down at his watch for the tenth time in as many minutes, and willed Bec to walk through the door. To release some of his pent-up energy, he had been pacing near the front door. But as he blew out a breath and ran his hands once again through his hair, he knew he hadn’t succeeded. He wanted the night to be perfect, and despite his planning, it all hinged on her reaction to make him either the happiest man in the world, or the most miserable.
Since the night two months ago when Bec confessed to loving him, his craving for her had grown. He’d never been this nervous in his life, not when he started his company or any time since then. But she was more important than anything in his life and he didn’t want to screw it up. He’d been wrong about his feelings for her. At the time, he thought that getting her out of his system would be easy. He thought that she wouldn’t affect him. He had never been more grateful in his life to be wrong.
While their personal lives have become intertwined, Liaison had become a well-known upscale dating service, and the addition of the escort service had the company skyrocketing. She now employed over thirty escorts that were booked months in advance, but with her delegating duties to the proper departments, she had time to spend with him, and they had taken advantage of it. They’d taken a vacation, his first one since starting his investment firm, and kept Bec in the hotel room for most of the trip, and the more time he spent with her, he knew that she was his future. When they had gotten back from their trip, he started planning.
His head whipped to the door when he heard her key in the lock, and without waiting for her to let herself in, he opened the door and pulled her into his arms. He shivered as he heard her laugh against his chest, and he loosened his hold so he could see her face. He kissed her, just a light kiss, before he leaned back.
“Hi, sweetheart.”
“Hi,” she breathed.
Her eyes sparked and all the plans he had for the night disappeared in an instant. He reached for her briefcase and tossed it aside before he pressed her against the door.
“I need you,” he groaned.
“I need you, too.”
He unbuttoned her blouse and kissed a trail from her neck down to the top of her breasts, loving the feel of her nails biting through the shirt he wore. He took his time caressing her soft skin, from her soft belly to her back, while his mouth found hers again. He lifted her into his arms and stumbled to the bedroom, his mouth never leaving hers until they tumbled into bed.
She opened for him and when she surged up to brush her core against him, he blew out a deep breath and willed himself to go slower. Tonight was for her, and her alone.
“You’re so beautiful.”
She lifted her head and he watched her eyes widen as she took in the vases scattered around the room, f
illed with orange blossoms. He had lit candles and it gave him enough light to see the blush that brushed her cheeks as she scanned the room. He had wanted to do something that would show her how much he cared for her, and he had something special planned for her. But once he touched her, all other thoughts disappeared.
“Thank you for the flowers,” she whispered.
“You’re welcome, sweetheart. You know I would do anything for you.”
Her fingers teased his hair as she brought her mouth to his. After several minutes, her hands moved underneath his shirt and he hissed in her mouth, loving the feel of her touching him. She moaned his name and he knew what she needed.
Mindless with need, he flicked her nipple with his tongue, through her bra. He laved both, taking his time and when he lifted his head a few minutes later, her fists were clenched against the sheets and her breathing was ragged.
“Please,” she begged.
Despite her pleas, he undressed her slowly, revealing each inch of skin in a way that teased both of them. His lips touched the skin where she was most sensitive, where he drew out the sensations that had her begging him for release. The smooth skin of her stomach, her thighs, and even her calves, had him straining for completion, but he sucked in a breath to get his desires under control.
He wanted the night to last, and though his need almost drove him to strip her and plunge into her without another thought, he wanted her pleasure more. When he had her naked, they were both panting and there was a fine sheen of dew on their bodies. As he kissed his way back up her calves, to her thighs, he opened her with his large shoulders before his tongue darted out and licked her clit.
His body jerked as she breathed his name.
He suckled and explored her, something he would never get tired of, and within a few moments, she laced her fingers in his hair and held him to her as she moaned her release. He inserted two fingers and groaned against her as she pulsated around him.
It took her several minutes before her body stopped shaking from her intense orgasm. The entire time he watched her face washed in pleasure, but groaned aloud at her gasp as he removed his fingers from deep inside her, licking the moisture from them and then her lips. She tasted so sweet, so his.
He pressed his lips to her belly, her breasts, and then kissed her with all the love he felt for her. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, holding him close as though she was worried that he would leave her.
He couldn’t have pulled himself away from her; she was his everything.
As his tongue met hers, he lowered his hips. He growled into her mouth as her wetness coated his cock. As he inched inside her, he knew that she was the one woman he had been waiting for his entire life. From the moment he touched her, kissed her, she had been the one for him, but he didn’t realize it right away. He would always chastise himself for waiting so long. She was perfect, in every way, and after tonight, he hoped that she would be his.
“Harder,” she moaned.
“No, sweetheart. Tonight I’m going to make you come apart in my arms. We have all the time in the world.”
His thrusts were slow and deliberate; each stroke drew out more and more pleasure until she arched her back and screamed his name, his kiss absorbing the sound of her screams. His tongue stroked her lips and moved down to her neck as she fought to catch her breath.
He gritted his teeth to control his need that threatened to overwhelm him, but in the next moment, he was taken by surprise when she pushed him onto his back and sat on his stomach, holding him down with her hands on his shoulders. She leaned against his chest and kissed his chin.
“Your turn,” she whispered.
She reached back and cupped his cock in her hand. She lifted herself on her knees and slid backward until she hovered close. He clutched the sheets as she had done, and threw his head back as she lowered herself on him.
Instead of the slow torture he expected, she rose on her knees and slammed herself down, driving him deep inside her. She moaned and he watched as her beautiful body drew out the most exquisite pleasure that he’d ever felt. His chest expanded with a love that he couldn’t even begin to describe. He wanted this moment to last forever, but soon he felt heat lick up his spine and his body tensed, ready to explode.
He reached between their bodies, and his thumb flicked against her clit; she threw her head back and breathed his name at as she came. He gripped her hips and drove up one final time before he emptied himself deep inside her. Her nails bit against his skin, and he groaned her name until she shivered and tumbled onto his chest.
His heart constricted as he held her hard to his body, listening to her ragged breathing as they both fell from heights that amazed him.
“That…was…” she mumbled against his chest.
He rolled to his side and reached for her, bringing her flush against him. She shivered as the evening temperatures cooled their bodies, and he pulled the sheet over her before he enveloped her in his arms.
“That wasn’t what I planned for tonight.” He sounded disgruntled.
She stiffened in his arms, and he ran his hand over her naked back until she relaxed against him.
“I had dinner ready for you, and then I was going to ask you a question. But the moment I kissed you, I couldn’t help myself.”
“We can have dinner now.” She kissed his chest before she snuggled into his neck.
He laughed. “God, I love you.”
Her head snapped back and she looked at him with wide eyes. “What?”
“Is it that surprising, sweetheart? It killed me to let you go home that first weekend we spent together, but I kept telling myself that you’d grow tired of me and leave. I couldn’t sleep after having you in my bed. All my concentration went to shit and I wanted to drag you home and make love to you until you agreed to stay with me, but I didn’t want to take away your choice. When you told me you loved me, that was the best day of my entire life, and still I couldn’t tell you because I was scared of the power you had over me. But tonight, I wanted it to be special, but I couldn’t stop touching you.”
“I fell in love with you the moment I met you, and have every day since. That’s never going to change,” she whispered.
“I love you, so much,” he choked out.
“I love you, too.”
He reached behind him to the dresser drawer and pulled out a black box. He opened it and watched her reaction as she looked at the white gold ring, the band surrounded by diamonds with an emerald in the center, the color that reminded him of every moment she looked at him with love in her eyes. After a short glance at the ring, her eyes met his and her look was filled with such love, it took his breath away.
He reached for her left hand and kissed her palm before taking a deep breath.
“I love you more with each moment that we’re together, more than I could ever tell you with just words, and I promise to love you each day for the rest of our lives. Rebecca Jocelyn Cole, will you do me the tremendous honor of marrying me?”
She lunged and wrapped her arms around him, and despite the tears he could feel on his chest, she was laughing with delight. She lifted her head and kissed him. “I would love to marry you.”
He kissed her and when she laid down on the pillow to look at him, he took the opportunity to slip his ring on her finger.
He dropped another quick kiss on her lips. “When would you like to get married?”
“Well, I was thinking that we could get married soon, with a few guests. Anywhere you want.”
“Thank God. The sooner I can make you my wife, the better.”
“Good. Now you can feed me.” She laughed.
It took them a while to get dressed, but when they were seated and enjoying their dinner, she smiled at him.
“What kind of flowers do you have in the bedroom?” she asked.
“Orange blossoms. They signify eternal love.”
“When did you become such a romantic?” she asked.
They became swept up in
another kiss, and when he pulled back, he told her the truth.
“The moment I met you, sweetheart.”
The End
The Mistaken Escort’s Pleasure (A Liaison Novel) will be available at all major ebook retailers in September 2016.
About the Author
Valerie resides in Denver, Colorado with her husband and their dog, Maddie. While she had been interested in writing a romance novel for years, it wasn’t until she wrote her first book that she really became hooked, and now she can’t stop. She has notebooks full of ideas, and she plans to write most of them in the years to come.
When she’s not writing or learning about the craft of writing, she can be found surfing the internet way too much, watching Investigation Discovery and thinking that her neighbors are up to no good, and finding new ways to get her husband to laugh.
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Her Perfect Match (Liaison #1) Page 8
