Gabriel

by S. Cook

  I smiled as I leaned in and kissed him on the lips. His arms wrapped around my back and lifted me onto his lap.

  This was where I belonged, wrapped safely in his arms.

  I pulled away slightly and said, “I’m sorry for making such a mess of things.”

  “It doesn't matter.”

  “Yes, it does.”

  He pulled me back gently and looked at me, desire desperate in his eyes.

  “Could you just stop talking and kiss me? All is forgiven and forgotten unless you keep talking. I’ve missed you and can’t wait to show you how much.”

  I sighed and wrapped my arms around his neck. My body pressed against him. I felt like I could practically burst with happiness, something that I hadn’t felt in a very long time.

  “Lynette,” he whispered softly against my lips.

  He kissed me again, like he couldn't get enough of me. I felt the same way. He pulled me even closer, running his hand down my back. I rested my hands against him, feeling his steady heartbeat through his shirt.

  “I love you, Lynette” he said softly.

  I smiled into his green eyes, feeling safe and loved for the first time in a very long time.

  “And I love you, Gabriel. Always.”

  ***The End***

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  HOT NEW BONUS BOOK: LIAM

  I’ve also included a new bonus book, Liam inside this special edition. WARNING! Liam is a very hot neighbor. The heat level cranks up to a 10 so be prepared! Remember, I warned you.

  Liam by S. Cook

  Copyright @ 2018 S. Cook

  Cover Design by Alexx Andria

  Chapter One

  I sighed as the elevator doors slid open. I clutched the strap of my purse with one hand and a pair of stilettos in the other before stepping out. I nearly tripped over a lumpy trash bag causing me to plummet forward with my arms flying out in a feeble, unsuccessful attempt to gain my balance.

  A strong hand grabbed my elbow just in time to keep me from falling flat on my face. I took several quick steps to counter the momentum.

  A deep baritone voice distracted me.

  “Whoa, sorry about that. Didn’t get a chance to move that box out of the way before the elevator got here,” he said.

  I looked up. My heart pounded, but I was certain it was a result of having almost fallen. Not because of the dark brown eyes that met mine briefly before looking away. They belonged to a handsome man.

  I was sure I had never met him before—I knew practically all my neighbors. I would have remembered his face, the defined bone structure, the serious brows, and sexy, curved lips.

  The man let go of my elbow as soon as I regained my balance. I stepped back, realizing that now was the appropriate moment to say something-something witty, smart, and preferably funny if I could manage it.

  My years of experience as a marketing manager should come in handy at this point. Instead I was at a loss for words. I took a deep breath.

  “Shoes,” I blurted.

  The man looked at me. His lips turned down into half a scowl, his eyes narrowing. He was taller than me, even more so since I had taken my heels off before I left the nightclub an hour ago.

  I shook my head.

  “I mean—my shoes,” I stuttered. “I dropped them.” I glanced around, spotting my stilettos a few feet away.

  Before I could get to them, he bent down and scooped them up.

  “Here,” he said, practically shoving them at me.

  “Thanks.”

  I snatched the shoes from him, feeling embarrassed that he was touching something so personal. I wore my shoes on my feet, for God’s sake, and he didn’t seem to think twice about handling them.

  I stood there, expecting him to say something else. The tenants of the high-rise where I lived were usually talkative and friendly. The building had a great community feel to it with everyone knowing each other by name and doing each other favors when we needed it. It was one of the reasons I’d decided to purchase my condo.

  He didn’t say anything, only stuffed his hands in his pockets, his gaze going everywhere except toward mine.

  Usually, I would’ve taken the hint and left the man alone. But my curiosity drew me out of my shell.

  “Are you new here?” I asked.

  “Yeah.” He took one hand out of his pocket, raked it through his hair, and then stuffed it back into his pocket again. He rocked back and forth on his heels.

  “Oh? When did you move in?” Hopefully, I sounded casual and friendly, and not creepy.

  “This morning.”

  “Which condo?” I almost slapped a hand over my mouth. Crap, way to sound like a stalker.

  He didn’t seem to notice. “4B”

  “You’re kidding,” I said. “I’m in 4A.”

  “That makes us neighbors then.” He didn’t smile.

  I nodded, as if he had said something life-changing. “Welcome.”

  “Thanks.”

  More awkward silence. I should probably leave now. But the man wasn’t looking at me and didn’t make a move to indicate he wanted me to go. I took the opportunity to look him over.

  He obviously worked out often. His dark t-shirt fit snuggly over defined tattooed muscles, his arms flexing just a little as he crossed them. I tore my eyes away as I saw him turning towards me.

  “Hope you like it here,” I said, sounding breathless. “Have a good night.”

  I glanced at him and flushed when I saw the appreciative look in his eyes as they moved up my body. I sent up a silent prayer of thanks for whatever had made me choose to wear my tight, bandage dress. The mini was made of stretchy, shimmery fabric that practically molded to my skin. The last time I checked the mirror, my ass had looked sculpted and sexy, all thanks to the hours of pavement pounding over the past few weeks. For a moment, I wished I hadn’t taken off my heels after all.

  Finally, his gaze met mine. He didn’t look embarrassed for someone who had been caught checking me out.

  “Night,” he said, his voice hoarse and deep.

  It sent delicious shivers down my spine.

  I nodded and walked away. As my hips swayed back and forth, I could feel his gaze on my back. I glanced back as I rounded the corner, but he had already turned his attention back to his moving boxes.

  I hope I see him again soon.

  Chapter Two

  “Girl, when was the last time you went shopping?”

  Tammy flicked through the dresses in my closet, the hangers slamming together with a resounding slap of plastic on plastic. We were supposed to be having a girls’ night in, watching a movie, pigging out on junk food, and slathering our face with chemicals and masks, but somehow it had turned into a game of Critique My Wardrobe.

  “Last week,” I said defensively.

  “And what did you buy?”

  “Why? Does it matter?”

  “Oh, honey, it matters.” She made a face and a disapproving noise as she lifted a dress for a closer view, then shoved it away. “Answer the question.”

  I hesitated.

  Tammy turned from the closet and placed her hands on her hips, one eyebrow raised.

  “A briefcase,” I said.

  Tammy raised her eyebrows at me. “A briefcase. Seriously?”

  “I needed it.”

  “For?”

  “Work.”

  Tammy made a sound of amusement. “Maybe you ought to start thinking about other things. Life isn’t just about work, you know.”

  “Thanks for the advice, oh wise one.”

  “Don’t mention it.”

  “What sort of things should I start thinking about?” I asked sarcastically.

  “Dating, for one.”

  I sat down on my bed. “I have,” I pointed out. “And all the dates I’ve been on sucked. Every guy I’ve seen is
either a loser still living at home with his parents waiting for his internet start-up to take off, or a workaholic who’s going to end up cheating on me with his secretary in a few years.”

  Tammy scoffed. “Seriously?”

  “What?”

  “You’ve put a lot of thought into this.”

  I shrugged.

  “That’s your problem.” Tammy gestured at me. “You think too much. You’re always dissecting whether he’s the one for you, what sort of job he has, how many kids he wants.”

  I snorted. “I’m lucky if my dates have a job.”

  “You don’t give them a chance. You just judge them. You judge all over their faces before you even sit down at the dinner table. You forget that the point of dating is to have fun. You’re single, girl! Enjoy it while you can.”

  I groaned.

  I hated being single. I missed the security of being in a relationship. Of knowing that after a long day at work, I could go home to someone who loved me. Who would be willing to listen to my complaints and scoop ice cream into my mouth, and maybe smooth away the tension with a nice romp in the sack.

  I missed having someone to attend work parties with, knowing that my weekends wouldn’t be lonely, that I didn’t have to sit in a dark theater by myself.

  Most of all, I missed reaching across the bed and feeling the warm, hard muscle of my man, right before I drifted off to sleep.

  “Here’s what you should do,” Tammy said, not even noticing that this was about the last conversation I wanted to have. “We’re going to take your credit card, go buy you a slinky dress and some hooker heels, and we’ll hit the clubs later tonight. How does that sound?”

  I let my breath out slowly. “I hate clubbing, Tammy. You know that.”

  “With that kind of attitude, how do you think you’ll ever find a man?”

  I rolled my eyes. It was so like Tammy to get like this, all preachy and know-it-all, as if she had exclusive rights to my life decisions. It had been like that for most of our lives, ever since the first day we’d met in kindergarten. We knew we were destined to be friends forever.

  I loved my best friend, but at times like this, when she was lecturing me and nagging me about things, I hated it.

  “I found someone,” I muttered under my breath, my stomach clenching painfully, despite my promise to myself not to think about my ex-boyfriend. “He just didn’t want me.”

  Tammy turned around and made a sympathetic face. “Come on, honey. That’s going to bring you down.” She crossed her arms. “Besides, if that loser would rather sleep around with a bunch of sluts than commit to a real, sophisticated woman like you, he can go to hell. Good riddance is what I say. What you need is a rebound. It’s the best cure for a break-up.”

  I didn’t respond. I felt like I was starting to repeat myself with Tammy. I didn’t want a rebound—I wanted a stable relationship with a supportive, mature man. Someone who would love me, not just sleep with me and leave in the morning before breakfast.

  I had what I always wanted with Bryan.

  At least I thought I did, until the day he slept with another woman. There was no way I was going to share my man with another woman. We’d broken up, he’d moved out, and that was that.

  Now, months later, I was still alone.

  It wasn’t exactly a clean break-up. There had been arguments that lasted into the night. More than one innocent lamp was involved during the action. Afterwards, Bryan had tried to blame me for all the failings of our relationship.

  I had been too needy, too clingy, too demanding. I’d expected too much from him and overwhelmed him. I led him to cheat on me.

  Bullshit.

  I was done with all of it. I didn’t return any of his calls or emails, and eventually he got the hint.

  “Have you even been trying to meet anyone?” Tammy asked.

  “The other night at the club was not successful.” I sighed. “And online dating sure isn’t working. I feel like such a creeper, reading through all these dating profiles and judging them from behind a screen. At least on a date, I can be honest and judge them to their face.”

  Tammy went back to my closet, grabbing a dress at random. “You still have the price tag on this one,” she said. “It’s cute. You should wear it on your next date.” She pulled it completely out of the closet. “Damn. Seriously, why haven’t you worn this?”

  “It’s too fancy for a casual date. I think I bought it for Bryan’s and my anniversary. We were going to go to Vegas. We broke up before we could.”

  Tammy frowned at that. “Where else have you been looking?”

  “For dresses?”

  “No, silly. A man.”

  I shrugged.

  Tammy gave me a meaningful look.

  “Well,” I said, stalling. I knew Tammy wouldn’t back down unless I gave her some sort of a lead. “There was this one guy.”

  Tammy’s expression brightened. Her eyes widened. “What guy?” She abandoned the dress, shoving it back in the closet. “Where did you meet him? Did he ask for your number?”

  “This guy...” I said slowly. And then a face appeared in my mind, with shocking light brown eyes and sexy lips that refused to smile. “Was in the elevator.”

  “Oh my God, I love elevator sex.”

  I laughed. “We didn’t have sex. Wow.” I coughed. “You must have an amazing sixty second pitch.”

  “You know it,” Tammy said, jutting out one hip dramatically. “Tell me about this guy. Come on, quit stalling.”

  “He lives here in the building. He moved in a few days ago, and I nearly tripped over one of his boxes.”

  “Was he cute?”

  I nodded, pressing my lips together. “So cute, I was tempted to give him my sixty second pitch.”

  Tammy sat next to me. “Which apartment did he move into?”

  “Across the hall,” I said, wondering if I was now taking this exaggeration too far. I knew Tammy would never back down without a direct answer. “4B.”

  “No way.”

  I nodded.

  “That’s awesome. You should go over and talk to him.”

  I shook my head.

  “Why not? You said he was cute and obviously you made an impression on him. This is perfect.”

  “I didn’t make an impression on him.”

  “He sure made one on you.”

  “I don’t want to hit on my neighbor.”

  “Why? It’ll be the most convenient relationship ever. Think about it. You’ll always know when he’s home, you’ll never wonder about what he’s doing, and when you move in together, it’ll be right across the hall.”

  “And if it doesn’t work out, I’ll be stuck trying to avoid my neighbor for the rest of my mortgage.”

  “You haven’t even talked to the man yet, and you’re already thinking way too far ahead.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You were the one just talking about us moving in together.”

  Tammy ignored me. “Quit analyzing things. Just take him some cookies or something. Who cares if you happen to be wearing one of your sexiest outfits, wearing some damn high heels and looking like you’re ready to party.” She clapped her hands together. “You can wear that awesome dress.”

  “What dress?”

  “The one you were going to wear to Vegas with Bryan. It’ll be perfect.”

  “Tammy, come on. I can’t wear that dress and deliver cookies.”

  “Why not?”

  “You know why. Because I bought it to wear with Bryan. I can’t wear his dress to hit on another man.”

  “Bryan is in the past, sweetie. It would be a shame for you to let that dress die without achieving its true glory. Imagine—that dress was designed by a great artist. Sewn by the capable, loving hands of a seamstress.” She looked down at her spread fingers as she talked. “And made and priced and marketed exactly for someone like you. Someone who’s waiting to get it on with the perfect man.”

  I laughed. “Where do you come up with this stuff?” />
  Tammy flipped her hair over her shoulder. “That dress needs to be worn.” She beckoned with her hand. “Come on.”

  “Where?”

  “It’s about time we bake some cookies and welcome your new man to the neighborhood.”

  “He’s not my new man,” I said, but Tammy was already walking out the door. “He’s not!” I tried again.

  “Don’t care!” Tammy shouted back.

  Chapter Three

  “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” I snapped at Tammy, tugging on the hem of my dress—the dress—which felt too tight, too short...too much.

  I felt as if my ass was going to pop out at any moment and moon everyone in my building.

  What had I been thinking when I bought it?

  Oh right, I was going to wear it in Vegas. But for a normal day in Long Beach, especially for a casual knock on my neighbor’s door, it felt like trying too hard.

  Anything would have felt like too much. Except maybe baggy pajamas and a tank top, which sounded much more comfortable than the skin-tight dress I wore.

  “Stop that.” Tammy slapped my hand away. “You look sexy.”

  “Skanky is more like it.”

  “No way. Look at your ass.” She shook her head. “Damn, Bryan was a fool to let you out of his sight.”

  “Come on, I don’t want to do this—”

  “Just knock on the door and tell him you made some extra cookies and that he should try them,” Tammy said. She closed my door half-way, pushing me further into the hallway. “I’ll be waiting here. Spying on you through the peephole.”

  “Creeper,” I hissed. “This is a stupid idea.”

  “Not listening.” Tammy flashed a cheeky grin and slammed the door shut.

  Holding a plate of freshly baked, admittedly delicious cookies—all Tammy’s work, of course—I felt a bit ridiculous. Why had I stupidly allowed Tammy to do my makeup and dress me up? My heels were way too high to walk in.

  My vision seemed to blur a little as I began my journey across the hall. The three steps to the door of 4B felt like a mile of tightrope over the Grand Canyon.