“Relax. I promise I won’t hurt you.”
She shook her head. “I’m not worried about you hurting me,” she told him. “I’m worried about…” she bit her lip, still trying to wiggle away. “I’m worried about embarrassing myself.”
Once again, he was floored by her honesty and leaned forward, kissing her stomach softly. “I think it would be hot as hell if you let yourself go and trusted me.”
She bit her lip, shivering when his fingers trailed down her hip. “I don’t know if…”
His fingers caressed her wet folds, startling her. “Trust me,” he repeated.
She stopped fighting, not because she trusted him, but because what he was doing with his fingers was magical. He could tell she liked it because he could feel the liquid heat of her body, his mouth watering for a taste of her.
With that in mind, he lowered his head, pressing gentle kisses along her delicate skin, inching closer to his goal. As his mouth finally moved over that throbbing nub, he slid a finger into her heat at the same time. He twisted his hand so that one finger teased her from the inside while his mouth and tongue lashed her from the outside. Too soon, he felt her body tighten, her mouth opening in a silent scream as her muscles convulsed, her climax ripping through her and her fingers tightened in his hair, letting him know when her climax peaked, then slowly subsided.
While she recovered from that first orgasm, he reached over and grabbed a condom, rolling it over his erection, then moving back between her legs.
For a long time, he just kissed her, teasing her breasts with his hands until he felt her come back to him. Savannah wrapped her legs around his waist as he pressed into her, filling her up and groaning as those tight muscles clenched around his shaft.
When he was finally embedded in her heat, he held very still, waiting. Watching. When her eyes fluttered open, he asked, “You okay?”
“Yes!” she gasped, rolling her hips gently. That was all the permission he needed. Thrusting into her, he pressed deeper and deeper. Moving slowly at first, he increased the tempo as he felt her inner muscles clench around him. She felt so damn good! So hot and slick and amazing! It took all of his concentration to hold off until…!
She screamed out loud this time, the passion flowing through her. Her movements were so erotic Gaelen couldn’t help being swept up and away in it with her. With a roar, he let himself go, emptying himself into her as he held her as gently as possible.
Chapter 8
Savannah woke up slowly, stretching muscles that complained of overuse. As she shifted, Savannah felt the warmth of Gaelen against her and smiled, remembering last night. But she knew that morning was approaching. She had to get moving. Monday mornings weren’t terribly busy at the diner, but she still needed to be there early to help Cindy open.
Checking the clock on the bedside table, she realized that it was a quarter to five. She had only about forty-five minutes until she had to report for work. She also had two final exams this afternoon. Fortunately, she didn’t need to work tonight and maybe…she glanced up at Gaelen, still sound asleep. Would he want to see her tonight?
Probably not, she thought with a pang of wistful sadness. He was a busy man and would most likely need to attend meetings or…whatever it was that he did. He’d said that he manages his family’s money, but she wasn’t sure what that meant. Was he an investment broker?
Slipping from the bed, she tiptoed around the bedroom, gathering her clothes. She held them in front of her as she snuck into the bathroom, then hurriedly dressed, feeling…happy! Goodness, she hadn’t felt this happy in a long, long time. If ever!
Getting out of the suite was an issue though. She went down one hallway only to come to a dead end. Turning around, she located the living room, but it took her several more minutes to find the door. As an interior designer, one would think she’d be able to find the exit more easily. Savannah laughed at herself as she slipped out of the door and into the elevator.
When she got to the lobby, she was startled to find two men standing in front of her, blocking her way. They looked annoyed and…vaguely familiar.
“Excuse me,” she said, adding a tentative smile as she tried to step around them.
“We will drive you home, Ms. Harmon.”
She looked up at them, startled that they knew her name. “I’m sorry?” she asked, stepping back, then looking around at the lobby to see if there was someone who might help her. These men looked menacing.
“We work for…” the man hesitated briefly, “…your man.”
Savannah backed away, gauging the distance to the exit. “Well, that’s very generous of you. But I can make my own way home,” she said. Stepping around them again, she looked at the men with fear in her eyes. They didn’t know Gaelen’s name, but they wanted her to believe they worked for him? Um…no! She wasn’t getting into any car with men who didn’t know their employer’s name. No way!
“Please, don’t be afraid,” the other man said. “Gaelen asked that we ensure your safety.”
Savannah was only slightly mollified by the use of Gaelen’s name. He sounded sincere, but she still didn’t buy it. “That’s very kind of him, but unnecessary. I’m fine.”
She made her way out of the hotel, but the two men followed her. She’d planned on taking the subway, but when she realized the men weren’t leaving, she walked right over to the doorman. “I need a cab. Fast!” she whispered, then glanced back at the two men who were waiting patiently several feet away.
The doorman followed her gaze and saw the two men. “I’ll take care of you, ma’am,” he said, tipping his hat slightly. He stepped to the curb and lifted his hand, blowing his whistle. Immediately, a cab driver that had been parked less than a block away moved forward, stopping right in front of the doorman. The doorman leaned down to say something to the cab driver while Savannah stepped into the back. She turned and watched with panic as the two men hurried over to a black SUV that had been parked at the curb.
“Please hurry,” she begged.
The cab driver nodded to the doorman, then glanced at Savannah in the rearview mirror. “Put your seatbelt on, lady!” he assured her with a grin. “Those guys won’t be able to keep up with me. I’ll take care of ye!”
Before she could get her seat belt on, the driver tore away from the curb, turning the corner on the next block so sharply, she suspected that they were only on two wheels. He turned right and left then right again, heading down strange roads that she’d never seen before. After only a couple of minutes, the black SUV was gone, unable to keep up.
“You’re safe now, honey,” he told her.
“Thank you,” she sighed with relief, then relaxed back against the cushions of the cab. She gave him her address and closed her eyes, thinking back to the previous night and all of the wonderful ways that Gaelen had touched her and made her scream out with pleasure. He was truly a master at the art of lovemaking and, no matter what happened in the future, Savannah was going to keep last night’s memories safe in her mind. Not even the creepy men in the lobby could tarnish last night.
She paid the cab driver, cringing at the expense, but relieved to have arrived safely at her apartment. After showering and changing into jeans and a tee-shirt, she grabbed her bag with all of her books, made sure that her project for her final assignment was still in her big portfolio tote, beaming with pride at her project, then grabbed her keys and headed for the subway.
As she made her way into the bowels of the subway system, she thought she saw the black SUV again. It didn’t move from its parking spot as she hurried past, not wanting the men to know that she was sneaking away. She’d have to talk to Cindy, get some advice on that SUV and the two men. She didn’t want to have to be sneaking around, worried that men were going to kidnap her as she went about her day!
When she emerged a block away from the diner, she hurried down the street and through the entrance, looking over her shoulder the whole way. Savannah breathed a sigh of relief when she stepped into t
he warm, bright diner and spotted Mickey and Cindy already there, starting the opening chores.
“You okay?” Cindy called out, hefting a tray of salt and pepper shakers, which she put on each of the tables
“Yeah, I just feel a little creeped out. I think some men were following me.”
Immediately, Mickey came out from the kitchen and peered protectively through the window. “What did they look like?” he asked.
“Intimidating,” she replied. “Dark hair, dark eyes. Suits.”
The door to the diner flew open and Gaelen burst inside. As soon as he saw her, he pulled her into his arms. “You’re safe!” he breathed, burying his face in her hair.
“Gaelen?” she whispered, pushing against his shoulders so she could see his face. “What’s going on?”
“You ran from my guards, then they told me that a cab driver took off with you!”
She frowned thoughtfully, understanding starting to form. With a cringe, she explained, “Oh. I was trying to get away from the scary men!”
He didn’t get it. “What do you mean?”
She placed a hand on his chest, leaning into his warmth. “I left your…” she glanced behind her, realized that Cindy and Mickey were watching attentively, “your apartment this morning and, when I stepped out of the elevator, two grim looking guys stopped me. I asked the doorman to get me a cab. He said something to the driver. All three of us were trying to get me away from your guards who looked…scary.”
He sighed, pulling her close again to hug her. “Savannah, I assigned two body guards to watch out for you. They were supposed to drive you around town.” He chuckled, realizing that they’d had the opposite effect. “Apparently, I put your life in danger by forcing you into a taxi driven by a maniac.”
Savannah looked up at him, still pressed against his chest. “You did what?”
He kissed her. “Please don’t be upset. I have a lot of enemies. I don’t want them to hurt you to get to me.” He pulled back and looked at her, his hands on her arms. “Let my guards drive you to class today. Okay? And then they’ll bring you to me afterward. Come back to me when you’re finished for the day.”
A glow of happiness suffused her with his words and she nodded. “That would be lovely.”
He kissed her, fast and hard, and the caress made her heart skip a beat. “Good. I’ll see you tonight.”
Savannah sighed as she watched his broad, powerful shoulders duck into the back of another black SUV. As soon as he pulled away, she spotted the two men she’d seen in the lobby of the hotel. They were sitting outside the diner in the vehicle, watching her.
“Okay, that’s creepy,” Cindy commented as she and her husband moved to stand beside her, all three watching the guards who were watching Savannah and the diner.
“Agreed,” Savannah replied with a groan. “I’m just relieved that those two aren’t out to kidnap me.”
For the rest of the day, Savannah worked hard. It was a slow morning, so she was able to go over her class notes one more time. The final exams weren’t as hard as she’d anticipated, and her professor was impressed with her project.
When she left after her last exam, there was a bounce to her step and she beamed brighter than the surrounding sunshine. “Just a few more weeks!” she whispered.
Chapter 9
“Hey, have you seen Talia lately?” Gaelen asked as soon as Amit picked up the phone.
“No. She told me that she was with you in New York,” Amit replied. Even from thousands of miles away, Gaelen heard the concern in his voice.
“She was with me for a few days, but I haven’t seen her for a while.” He rubbed the back of his neck, his concern rising right along with his brother’s. “But you haven’t heard any concerns from her security team, right?” he continued, referring to her guards that followed her everywhere.
“I haven’t. They would have alerted me immediately if she were in any danger.”
Gaelen knew that was true, but his intuition whispered something was wrong. “I’m worried she’s hiding something,” he finally admitted. “I can’t tell you what exactly, but…”
“She’s pretty open about most things,” Amit pointed out when Gaelen trailed off.
“Yeah. You’re right.” He tried to pinpoint what his concerns were. “She asked me for advice about men.”
There was a long silence, then Amit muttered a curse. “What did she ask?”
Gaelen thought back. He’d been more focused on Savannah and hadn’t paid as much attention to Talia as he probably should have. “Not much. I had other things going on at the time. I’d just started the formal negotiations with that ass, Santos. There were some other issues going on as well.”
Amit didn’t ask what those other issues might be. He knew that if they were important, Gaelen would discuss them. “So, where is she now?”
“I don’t know. I’m going to call her head guard and find out.”
“Good. Let me know what he says. I’m a bit concerned now. But she’s pretty sensible. After Orella’s death, Talia wouldn’t do something thoughtless.”
Gaelen agreed, but then he remembered the excitement on her features. “I’ll let you know what they say.”
Several minutes later, Gaelen wasn’t sure if he should be amused or irritated. “She’s where?” he demanded.
The lead guard on Talia’s security team sighed. “Your Highness, she insisted on staying in her own hotel instead of with you. I don’t know why. But she’s very safe. We’re watching her carefully.”
Gaelen hung up with the nagging sensation that there was something significant he should be aware of, although he wasn’t sure what that might be. Talia was safe, but staying in a different hotel? Why the hell would she stay in a hotel that the family didn’t own? He looked around at the suite that was reserved for his family’s exclusive use, then shook his head.
She knew! Damn it, Talia knew that he’d been seeing Savannah and had cleared out of here in order to give him some privacy. Allaena! He didn’t want her to feel like she had to leave.
And yet, he felt a spurt of gratitude. She’d done this for him, he realized. With a smile, he lifted his phone and texted a message to Amit. “She’s fine. She’s staying at another hotel in order to give me some privacy.”
A text appeared almost immediately. “Is it serious?”
Gaelen frowned at the words, not sure how to respond. His initial instinct was to reply “Yes!” But would that jinx what he felt was slowly developing between himself and Savannah? He didn’t want to lose her. Hell, he hadn’t even given her his title and real occupation for fear that she’d back off. Everything he did lately was a tentative step closer to…what?
Marriage, he thought, startled. Marriage? What the hell? Was he really contemplating marriage to a woman he barely knew?
The answer was absolute. Yes!
With a chuckle, he texted back, “Yes.” That was all he’d say, even though he knew that his brother would want details. Tough, he thought. Amit would just have to wait until he had Savannah more completely enamored of him. If Amit thought that there was another marriage imminent, he and Harper would fly over here and interrupt what was quickly becoming a pretty intense romance. He didn’t want to disrupt what was happening between himself and Savannah.
Soon, he’d have to tell his brothers and Talia. But for right now, he kept his feelings and intentions to himself.
Chapter 10
Savannah pensively chewed her lip as she stepped through the door to the penthouse suite.
“What’s wrong?”
She swiveled, looking over as Gaelen approached. “Wrong?” she squeaked. “Nothing’s wrong.”
His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he pulled her into his arms. “Something is wrong. Tell me.”
Quickly, Savannah went up on her toes and kissed Gaelen, then stepped away from him and looked out at the skyline, not sure if she should give him the ticket or just…let it go.
“Savannah, what’s going on?�
� he asked, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. “You look worried. Something is obviously on your mind.”
She smiled, leaning back against his chest. Goodness, she loved him! He was such an attentive lover and so very kind. Boyfriend? That term seemed so inadequate. He was too big and too muscular, too masculine to be termed a mere “boy”.
They’d been together every night for the past three weeks. He’d tried to convince her to quit her job at the rooftop bar, but she’d refused, explaining that she still needed to work there until she started at her job with the design firm. “Once I have my first paycheck, I’ll relax a bit. But for now, I need the income.” He’d offered to cover her hourly wages as well as her tips, but she’d refused. That had almost become their first argument, but she’d been adamant that she’d make her own way in the world. She’d paid her rent and her school tuition ever since she’d moved out of her father’s home and she wasn’t going to stop now.
But this…this was different. It wasn’t monetary, it was much more important than money.
“Savannah, talk to me. What’s wrong?” he asked, turning her around so that he could see her face.
Biting her lip, she debated asking him for several more seconds. In the end, she decided to just go for it. She wanted him there! If he said no, then he said no. Savannah knew that…well, she just knew that she’d really love to see Gaelen out in the audience when she walked up onto the stage to get her degree.
Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth, “I’m graduating next week.”
His eyes widened for a moment, and then he grinned. “That’s wonderful! So, you’re finished?”
She nodded, stepping out of his arms and crossing her own over her chest. “Yes. I…” she stopped, then shook her head with a sigh. “Never mind. What did Stacy cook for dinner tonight? I’m starving!”
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