Storm Redemption

by Magda Alexander

  “Now please return to your duties.”

  “With all due respect, Mr. Storm,” Jonathan says, holstering his weapon. “I’m not leaving until Mrs. Storm tells me she’s not hurt.”

  I take a cleansing breath. “I’m fine, Jonathan. Sorry for the disturbance. Please do as Mr. Storm says.”

  Glancing over their shoulders, they straggle out, leaving Gabriel and I alone once more. God, what a mess. So much for hoping no one would overhear our argument.

  How did we get to this? Where did we go so wrong? “Gabriel.” I reach for him, wanting to comfort as well as be comforted by him, but he steps away. Clearly, he doesn’t want anything to do with me.

  “You’re wrong. Dead wrong about Sebastian and me. And I’m going to prove it to you.”

  Andrew’s cries sound in the distance. It’s time to feed him, but I can’t go to him. Not now when my marriage is falling apart.

  “And how are you going to do that?”

  There is only one action I can take. But it will cost me the one thing I’ve fought for for so long. My job. Maybe at some point in the future he’ll realize how important my career is to me. Maybe I can work somewhere else. But for now, it’s the only move I’ve got left. I grab my phone from my slacks pocket, push a direct dial button.

  A deep voice answers. “Hello.” I put the call on speaker so Gabriel can hear every word.

  “Sebastian.”

  Gabriel’s brows climb up.

  “Elizabeth? Anything wrong?”

  “No. I’m calling because—” My breath hitches. Am I really going to do this after I’ve worked so hard for this job? “I’m sorry to give you such short notice, but I’m turning in my resignation.”

  For a beat or two, there’s dead silence from his end. “Did Winterleagh put you up to this?” Winterleagh, his name for Gabriel.

  “No. He didn’t. It’s my decision. I think it’s for the best.” I bite down on my lip to keep it from trembling.

  “Elizabeth. I want you to think carefully about this. You have a bright future at my company. Trevor thinks the world of you. He’s never seen a mind as sharp as yours. Last night you convinced the owner of one of the best boat building companies in the world to partner with us, all in the space of one evening. I’m begging you, please, to reconsider.”

  “I’m sorry, Sebastian, my decision is fi—”

  Gabriel snatches the cell from my hand. “Ravensworth. Gabriel Storm here.” His arrogant voice is back. “Please disregard my wife’s phone call. There’s been a slight misunderstanding. She’ll be at your office bright and early tomorrow morning. Oh, and such a brilliant mind deserves a raise, don’t you think? If you want to keep her, that is. She’s considering another offer at the moment.”

  “Whatever it is, I’ll double it.”

  “Good to hear. The two of you can discuss the exact amount in the morning. Good night.” And he clicks off.

  To say I’m dumbfounded is an understatement. “Why? What?”

  “Quitting your job is not a solution to our problems.”

  I’m devastated. I played my last card and it’s not good enough. “I don’t know what else to do to prove to you he doesn’t mean a thing to me.”

  “There is another way.”

  “What?”

  “Come back to me, to my bed. Where we can make love. Every single night. For as long as we both shall live. That’s the vow you made. Remember? Well, it’s time to prove you meant it. Come back and stay. Forever. That’s my offer. Take it or leave it.”

  Andrew’s cries become strident, giving me the excuse I need to go somewhere and think about the offer he’s made. “I have to go feed Andrew.”

  “Go. But don’t come back unless you mean to stay.”

  Chapter 24

  ______________

  Gabriel

  SHE WON’T RETURN. I’ve driven her away. And this time for good. The idiocy of giving Elizabeth that ultimatum boggles my mind. When she phoned Ravensworth and quit her job, knowing how important that is to her, and how she was willing to give it up for me? My heart turned over in my chest. And I saw with blinding clarity.

  The fool I’ve been.

  Somewhere deep inside I knew she wasn’t fucking Sebastian. She’s too true, too honorable to cheat on me. But my damn Storm pride got in the way. I couldn’t accept the fact that she doesn’t want my money, nor does she care for the social standing I can provide her. And who can blame her? Why would she want all the baggage that comes along to being married to the mighty Gabriel Storm? God.

  What an idiot I’ve been.

  With Elizabeth gone there’s no reason to go to bed so I strip off my slacks and throw a robe over me. Wound up as I am, it will be hours before I fall asleep.

  Fool. Idiot. Cretin.

  I could have charmed her into my bed, and she would have come. All it would have taken was a soft touch, a heated kiss, for us to reach paradise. Instead I’m standing here in the center of my bedroom with only memories of what was and the impossible dream of what can never be.

  My hand throbs with pain, from the cuts, from the pummeling it took. The wounds did not come solely from the shattered mirror. But also from where I punched the wall. If Elizabeth were to find out, she’d probably insist on an x-ray and putting my arm in a sling. So I mean to keep that particular bit of news a secret.

  Maybe some alcohol will relieve the pain, give me peace. With my uninjured hand, I pour myself two fingers of the Macallan and step into the balcony. The cool air will do me good. The first swallow goes down easy, burning some heat into my aching body. God, what a disaster my life has become. And I have no one to blame but myself.

  The sliding door opens behind me. Her scent envelops me and I harden in an instant. Has she come to say a final goodbye? Or to torture me with her nearness? I don’t think I can take it. Not anymore.

  I knock back what remains of the scotch. “Forgot something?” I ask, without turning around. I don’t want her to see me like this.

  “Yes.”

  Her fingers skim along my right arm to pluck the empty glass from my hand. She places it on the small metal table beside me. Her hands climb to my shoulders, hook the edge of my robe and slowly strip it from me. My back to her, I stand naked and aching, longing for something that cannot be. With my emotions fraying at the edge, I cannot control my voice. “What the bloody hell are you doing?”

  “Shhh.” A rustle behind me and she’s pressing her body, her very naked body, against mine. When her hard nipples drill into my back, I swallow back a groan.

  “Elizabeth.” I croak out. “What are you doing to me?”

  Her hand curves around to my chest, roams down my belly, to my randy cock. When she curls her hand around its girth, my head rolls back and I groan. This feels so good. So bloody good. Needing to touch her, kiss her, I twist in her direction, but she stops me.

  “No, don’t turn around.”

  Surely, she doesn’t mean to jerk me off and leave me wanting for the taste and feel of her. As she strokes me, I grow longer and harder in her hold. “Why?” My voice gravels, even as I fist my hands to keep from reaching for her.

  “Because there’s something I need to say.”

  “Could you—” I gulp “—could you stop touching me then?” I can’t believe I’m asking her this. “Otherwise, I don’t think I’ll hear your words.”

  She laughs against me. The vibration of her laughter reaches inside, melting the core of ice deep within me.

  “As you wish.” She releases my cock, but keeps our bodies connected, skin to skin. Several seconds elapse as we breathe together. The full moon illuminates the balcony shading everything with its soft, blue light. She caresses my chest, setting my skin on fire. Well, at least it’s not my cock.

  “I want you, Gabriel. I’m tired of sleeping alone every night in Brianna’s apartment. I toss and turn half the night. Can hardly sleep knowing you’re only one floor away.”

  I let out a small sigh as tension flows ou
t of me.

  “We’re miserable apart, you and I. And the distance is making things worse. If we have any hope of saving our marriage, we need to have sex, and lots of it.”

  I close my eyes and send a prayer to whatever divinity helped her make that decision. “Does that mean you’re coming back to my bed?”

  “Yes.” She breathes in, out. “I can’t promise forever, though. Too many things we need to work out.”

  “Such as?” Shut up, you fool. Haven’t you learned anything?

  “You keep too many secrets from me.”

  “So do you.”

  “I know. We’ll need to work on that, trust each other to do the right thing.”

  No time like the present to test her intentions. “Why are you training with Jonathan?”

  “Because of Brian Sullivan. In D.C. he insulted me, bullied me when he found out I carried your baby. I’m not sure I can trust him. Not after that bit of intimidation in my office.”

  I grit my teeth. “I’ll pummel the bastard into the ground.”

  “No, you won’t. You promised you wouldn’t. If he tries anything, I’ll pummel him into the ground.”

  The thought of her fighting off Brian Sullivan is like a punch to the gut. He’s almost as tall as I am, with a strong built. She might be training in Jujitsu, but she’s no match against him. “Please release me from my promise.”

  “No. This is something I need to do.”

  I breathe hard but finally accede to her wishes. “You make it very hard to be your hero.”

  “You don’t need to pummel Brian Sullivan to be my hero. You do that simply by taking care of our son, taking care of me, loving me. But Gabriel? No more secrets.”

  “But I—”

  “No buts. Promise me.”

  “Very well. I promise. Any conditions to your coming back to our bed?”

  “None.”

  With my good hand, I pick her up, lay her down on the balcony’s chaise lounge. She’s so beautiful in the moonlight. Kneeling in front of her, I worship her skin, kissing my way across her jaw, down the valley of her breasts, to her mons. The scent of her when she’s excited is enough to drive me to the brink.

  Her hand curls around my neck, draws my face up to hers. She licks my lips, nibbles on the bottom one. “Fuck me, Storm.”

  Even though my body screams to do just that, now that she’s capitulated, I want to enjoy her, take my time. “In a minute, love.”

  I circle her clit with my thumb, and she groans and writhes beneath me. Her eyes gleam in the moonlight as she fixes her gaze on me. “You love to torture me, don’t you?”

  My lips twist in a grin of pure wickedness. “The longer the wait, the sweeter the cum.”

  I press my thumb right over her most sensitive spot, and her body arcs. “Damn you, Storm. Just once, I’d like you to fuck me fast and hard.”

  “Your wish is my command.” I rear up and in one long slide enter her, grab her ass and give her the ride of her life. Her screams of ecstasy fill the night as I pound hard and sure into her. “Yes, yes, yes.” If anybody’s listening they’re getting an earful, but I don’t care. Let them hear.

  Finally, the crisis hits and I spill my seed into her. Afterward, I lie spent and satiated in her arms, listening to the sound of her heart beating.

  “Is it supposed to hurt this much?” she asks.

  What the—? I uncurl my body from around hers and cradle her face in my hands. “Was I too rough? Did I demand too much from you?”

  “No.” She smiles softly as she cups my cheek. “You were magnificent as always.”

  “Then what are you talking about?”

  “Love. It hurts, right here.” She points to a spot over her heart.

  “Me too,” I say dropping a kiss on her lips.

  “Is that normal?”

  I wrap my good arm about her. “I don’t know. I’ve never loved anyone before. But if loving you means pain, bring it on.”

  Her laughter rumbles through me, hardening my body.

  “God! What a pair we are, Storm. You can’t tell that I love you, and I don’t know what love is like.”

  I tuck her close to me, right next to my heart. “Maybe that’s why we’re so perfect for each other.”

  Chapter 25

  ______________

  Elizabeth

  A MONTH LATER, I walk into my office to find a message from Sebastian waiting for me. He’s wondering if I have time to talk. What can I do but say yes.

  When I arrive, he’s fiddling with his espresso machine. “Good morning, Elizabeth. Would you like some coffee?”

  “Yes. That would be perfect.” I’d spent the morning calming a fussy baby which meant I’d skipped breakfast. And missed the caffeine.

  When he hands me the cup, I breathe in the aromatic brew before taking a sip. Nothing like a hit of fresh strong coffee to put the heart back in you. Feeling much more enervated, I gaze expectantly at Sebastian.

  His lips quirk. “Good?”

  Am I that transparent? “Umm, yes.”

  Dressed in a dark suit, bespoke unless I miss my guess, he’s the ultimate businessman—professional, focused, goal oriented. And devastatingly handsome and charming. I can see why women fall for him right and left, even though he does nothing for me. I have my own devastatingly handsome charmer at home.

  “How are things?”

  “Great. Trevor’s assigned me some great projects.” As I’ve proved myself to the head of legal, he’s handed me more and more complex assignments. Something I’m thoroughly enjoying.

  “Trevor sings your praises every time I talk to him. He can’t say enough good things about you and your grasp of international finance. Brilliant and hard working are only two of the many superlatives he’s expressed. From what I’ve seen, I quite agree.”

  “Thank you.” Every word he utters is music to my ears. I’ve worked so hard to get to this point and look forward to more of the same.

  “So I wanted to talk about your plans for the future.”

  “Well, as you know, I’ve been accepted by King’s College and my school back home’s dual degree program. I’ll be traveling to D.C. this fall to finish one more semester and then I’ll return to London to start my studies at King’s College in the spring.”

  “Splendid.” His smile quirks up on the left side of his mouth. “Once you’re back, we’d like to make things a bit more permanent. We’d like you to take on even more responsibility. Maybe even put you in charge of a small project. Of course, we can’t make you a full time counselor until you’ve passed the bar. But given the way things are going, you can expect a very lucrative offer once you do.”

  “That would be . . . wonderful.”

  “Have you thought about working in New York City?”

  I choke back a gasp. “New York?”

  “Yes. The head of legal there could use someone with your financial expertise. And if things work out, you could take over once he retires in about five years or so. He wants to spend time with his grandchildren.”

  “I don’t know, Sebastian.”

  “Obviously, that’s a big decision. Something you’d need to discuss with Winterleagh.”

  “Yes.”

  “How is he, by the way?”

  And now we’re in dangerous territory. I can’t mix my family life with work. But it’s a fair question. “Fine.”

  “I was sorry to hear about his hand.”

  It had made the news, Gabriel’s injured hand. “Yes. A silly accident.” We’d circulated the story he’d cut it while splitting an orange with a kitchen knife.

  “He’s . . . changed, you know. He never cared two snaps about other women. But you? Well, we saw what happened at his brother’s welcome home dinner.”

  My face heats up. We’ve never talked about that night. Until now. “I’m so sorry that happened, Sebastian. Gabriel is quite . . . possessive when it comes to me. Not that he has anything to be jealous about. You’re not attracted to me.”


  He stabs the desk with the pen he’s been playing with. “Oh, I wouldn’t go that far. If you weren’t so much in love with your husband, I’d make a run at you.”

  Totally surprised, I gulp. “But you don’t have liaisons with married women.”

  “True. But I’d make an exception in your case.” His focus lands on me, and for the first time I experience the power of that heated gaze. Oh, my. Thank God I love Gabriel. If I didn’t, I’d be awfully tempted by Sebastian Payne.

  “Well.” He stands holds out his hand. “Think about what I said. Talk it over with Winterleagh. No need to make a decision about it right away.”

  What remains of the afternoon and early evening, I spend thinking about that strange conversation. On one hand it’s the opportunity of a lifetime to be offered the head of legal at his New York branch. But I can’t move to New York. Can I? And then the other half of the discussion, when we practically told me he’d love to seduce me. If only I weren’t married. If only I weren’t in love with Gabriel. Yeah, I’m keeping that little tidbit to myself. If Gabriel found out? I shiver. Not knowing what he might do. No. I know exactly what he’d do. And this time it would land him in jail. Nope. Not sharing. That’s one conversation I’m taking to the grave.

  Especially since things have been going so well since I moved back into his bed. We’re feeling our way to each other, both of us trying so hard. The sex as always is great, but everything else? Some things we agree on. I accompany him on social outings even though I strongly dislike them, mainly because I feel like a bug being scrutinized. Afraid of making the slightest mistake, I copy everyone around me. What fork goes with which food? What glass did they drink out of first? But I do it for him, for us, because that’s what’s expected from the Countess of Winterleagh. And that’s what I am. Whether I like it or not.

  So far I haven’t committed a major faux pas. And the whole thing with Sebastian and him blew over to be replaced by another scandal. So we’re no longer a daily item in the news.

  That evening after feeding Andrew, I join Gabriel in our bedroom. Now’s the time to bring up Sebastian’s proposal, when things are winding down for the night.