No Chance

by Christy Reece

  Groaning at her taste, Gabe suckled and thrust gently with his tongue, bringing her softly and slowly back to earth. At the last soft throb, he raised his head to look at her. Lovely face flushed, her blue eyes glittered with a combination of satisfaction and hunger.

  “You’re delicious everywhere.”

  Unable to stop himself, Gabe went back for seconds. He thrusted deeper, harder this time as Skye’s hands gripped his head, holding him in place, her screams of pleasure urging him on.

  Aroused to the point of explosion, Gabe surged to his feet and ripped off his clothes. About to grab a condom, he had a brief moment of shyness as he looked down at his body. He’d gained weight but was still skinny. Skye’s soft, beautiful body and his were so opposite they almost didn’t belong in the same species. He dared a glance at her face to see if she agreed. His heart hitched at her expression. Desire and heat … unbelievable acceptance. A multitude of emotions scrambled inside him … he felt humbled and invincible, powerful and awed. He was the most fortunate man in the universe. Skye loved him, was about to make love with him and was going to marry him. No man had ever been so blessed.

  He came to his senses when he heard a gasp. Following her wide gaze, his eyes went to his erection. Hard and throbbing, it stood out like a sturdy tree limb and probably scared the hell out of her.

  “Remember, Skye. If you get scared at any time, just tell me to stop.”

  The small sexy smile that lifted her mouth almost caused immediate eruption. But when she moved to the middle of the bed and held out her hand in obvious invitation, Gabe went into action.

  His entire body shook as he slid a condom on, groaning at how sensitive he was to just that thin layer. What would it be like when he got inside Skye’s heat? He crawled onto the bed and covered her, pressing his mouth against hers until she opened up, allowing his tongue to plunge deep. With a soft gasp, Skye’s tongue met and tangled with his, sucking at him, pulling him deeper and deeper into a realm Gabe had never known.

  Pulling away from her sweet mouth, he watched for any sign of fear or pain as he pushed inside. Tight, hot heat clasped and sucked at him as he slid deeper. Gabe gritted his teeth, his body stiff and tense as he fought the need to bury himself to the hilt. Though she flinched and her breath hitched slightly, he saw no hesitation, no fear … only love and acceptance.

  His body shouting at him to let go and take her hard and fast, Gabe forced words from his grimacing mouth, hoping he didn’t scare her again. “Let’s stay still, just for a moment, so you can get used to it.”

  Her heart in her eyes, Skye nodded and held him close.

  Filled with as much love as lust for the precious gift in his arms, Gabe felt her tension ease. Willing himself self-control and patience, Gabe moved inside her slightly and heard a small, soft sound. He looked into Skye’s face and saw everything he wanted and so much more. Paradise. Gabe pulled back and then thrust hard … deep. With a gasping moan, Skye wrapped her legs tighter around him.

  Bracing himself on his elbows, Gabe watched her face as he settled into a rhythm of shallow thrusts, retreat, and then deep, hard plunges. No fear, no hesitation … only hot desire and a bright shining love. Covering her mouth with his again, Gabe surrendered himself completely to Skye’s beauty. Perhaps this was why he’d survived, to love and treasure Skye for all eternity.

  Eyes closed in ecstasy, Gabe finally found peace.

  Five days later

  New York City

  “Daddy, please don’t be mad. I’ll bring him here to meet you. I know you’ll love him just as much as I do.”

  Jeremiah James shook his head as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Perhaps blurting out that she had gotten married wasn’t the best way to break the news to her overprotective father. Would she ever learn to control her tongue?

  “I just can’t believe you would do something like this without telling me first.”

  “We didn’t plan it, but it was exactly the kind of wedding I wanted. If we’d gotten married here, it would have been a media circus.”

  “Why isn’t he here with you now?”

  Hoping to disguise her nervousness, Skylar dropped down onto the sofa and held her hands clenched in her lap. He had to accept Gabe into the family. He just had to.

  “I wanted to tell you first before you met him.”

  “Did he not have enough guts to face me?”

  She was on her feet in an instant, hands on her hips. “He’s one of the most courageous people I’ve ever known. He just—”

  “He just what?”

  “The truth is, he doesn’t know about me.” She bit her lip. “I mean the famous part and stuff.”

  He snorted. “Believe me, Skylar, the man knows who you are. Why do you think he married you without your family around?”

  “I wanted it like that. Not him. He wanted to wait. And you’re wrong. He doesn’t know who I am. At least not the part the world sees.”

  He was furious and not bothering to hide it, his face almost purple with fury. Skylar tried hard not to put her father in a temper. Not that he would be abusive, she just never liked to see him angry or upset. But now it couldn’t be helped. She was a married woman and he was just going to have to deal with it.

  “I wanted to tell you, let you get used to the idea. Then you can come to the island in a few days. Or we’ll come here.”

  The tic in his jaw told her he was working to control his anger. “Tell me about him.”

  She blew out a breath, knowing the next few minutes were crucial. If she got her father on board, everyone else would follow suit. The entire world would accept Gabe as her husband. But she had to convince Jeremiah James first. She had to help him understand what an amazing man her new husband was.

  As she described Gabe, told about his family dying, how he’d worked in Africa to build homes for a small village and how he’d been held captive, she could see something shift in his eyes. Her heart thudded in an optimistic beat. Yes, she was getting through to him.

  “You should have seen him, Dad…. When I first met him, he was almost malnourished. And so very sad. He’s been through so much but he’s almost completely recovered now. Just the occasional nightmare. And he has a thing about enclosed spaces. Which is understandable after what he’s been through.” She held out her hands as she strove to describe the man she’d come to admire so much. “He’s done so much with his life. And he’s got such a good heart. I know you’re going to love him.”

  “He sounds like a fine man.”

  Okay, so the words were a bit stiff and insincere and his eyes were still burning with anger, but it was a start.

  “He’s the finest, Daddy. Just you wait and see.”

  “What does he do?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Does he have a career?”

  “Well, he’s been recovering from his ordeal in Africa, so he’s not really had a chance to make any plans. He’s talked about going back to school and getting his degree.”

  “He doesn’t even have a degree?”

  Skylar bit her lip to keep from snapping out her anger at his obvious condescension. It would do no good to shout that what Gabe had done was more important than having a piece of paper. Yes, college was important, but what he had accomplished was so much more. If she expected her father to be reasonable, then she had to behave reasonably as well.

  “He’s only twenty-three, Dad. He’s got lots of time.”

  “Maybe he’d like something with one of my companies.”

  Though she couldn’t see Gabe wearing a suit every day and working in an office, now was not the time to mention that. The fact that her father had even had that thought was encouraging, though.

  “You can talk to him about it when you meet him,” she said.

  “When will that be?”

  Skylar glanced at her watch. “I’m flying back there in a couple of hours.” She couldn’t keep the smile from her face. “We kind of wanted to continue our honeymoon
for a few more days. Then, if you want, I’ll bring him here. I promise.”

  His brows met as he frowned. “You’re leaving now? You just got here.”

  “I promised him I’d be back as soon as I could. We’ll be back in a few days. A week, tops.”

  Her father stood. “Then I guess you’d better be on your way.”

  Knowing she’d disappointed him, Skylar ran into his arms the way she used to do when she was a little girl. “I’m sorry, Dad. I know you’re angry with me, but I promise, I swear, you’ll love him.”

  Holding her close, he whispered in her ear, “I’m sure I will, sweetie. Now, go on before you miss your flight.”

  Giving him one last hug and a kiss on the cheek, Skylar ran out the door. She’d asked the taxi to wait for her. Though she could have asked her father’s chauffeur to take her to the airport, she wanted to start living like a regular person. Chauffeurs were for rich people. She and Gabe would have to live on a bud get until they both decided what they were going to do.

  Modeling and endorsements had produced a nice income over the last couple of years, but it wasn’t something she wanted to do for much longer. After meeting Gabe … seeing what he had accomplished, she realized how fruitless her life had been. She and Gabe could do wonderful things together. Working together, they could make a real difference in the world.

  She ignored the soft little voice that reminded her that most people couldn’t ask a taxi to wait for forty-five minutes. The fare would be enormous. But this was a special occasion. Sometimes you had to splurge.

  The cellphone in her purse jingled. The sound jarred her ears. This was the first time she’d even had the phone on since she’d left over two weeks ago. She pulled it out and checked the readout. Oh no.

  Holding it to her ear, Skylar tried to sound happy. “Hello, Mother.”

  “It’s about time you answered your phone. I’ve been calling you for days.”

  “You knew I was on vacation.”

  “But what if I needed to tell you something important?”

  “Do you?”

  “Well, no, but I could have.”

  Rolling her eyes, she asked, “What did you need?”

  “I want to see you. Your father says you’re back, but only for a few hours.”

  “You already talked to Daddy?”

  “Yes. He said you had news. I assumed you were coming here to tell me, but he says that’s not the case.”

  Making her mother angry at a time like this was not a good idea. Though her parents had been divorced for years, if there was one area where Carole James still had influence over her former husband, it was Skylar. If her mother thought Gabe was good for Skylar, chances are her father would, too. Maybe she should have gone to her mother first. Overoptimism was another flaw of hers. She’d been silly to think her dad would just jump on board about her marriage to man he’d never met.

  Biting her lip, Skylar glanced at her watch again. She would miss her plane if she didn’t get to the airport within the next hour. There was another one tomorrow night, but she’d wanted to get back to Gabe as soon as she could. However, getting her mother’s approval would make everything else so much easier.

  “How about I delay my plans for another day and drop by to see you?”

  “That sounds wonderful, darling. I’ll have Henri make something special for dinner.”

  “I’ll see you in about an hour then.” Skylar closed the phone, then leaned forward. “Can you take me into mid-town Manhattan? Twelve Sutton Place South.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Blowing out a long sigh, she slumped back into the seat. She desperately wanted to call Gabe. She’d told him she would be back as soon as she could, but she hadn’t given him a definite time frame. Just told him probably no more than two or three days. She’d said she needed to take care of some family business. He hadn’t asked her any questions but she’d seen them in his eyes.

  Suddenly exhausted, Skylar closed her eyes. First she had to make her mother promise to talk with her dad to accept Gabe into the family. Then she had to go back and do the hardest job of all. Apologize to Gabe for not telling him the truth. She only hoped he loved her enough to forgive her.

  For the tenth time in as many minutes, Gabe checked his watch and then looked at the clock on the bedside table. She’d said she might not make it back today. He should have gone with her, but she’d looked so nervous and upset when he’d made the suggestion he’d backed down.

  Unable to stay in the small room and just pace, Gabe went out onto the balcony. It was still small, but at least it was outdoors and he’d didn’t feel as though he were smothering. He wished he could take a run on the beach, but he wanted to be here in case Skye surprised him and came in tonight.

  She was telling her family about him. He knew she was. She hadn’t said, but she’d made mention more than once that her father was ultra-protective of her. Since Gabe felt very protective of her himself, he couldn’t fault the man for wanting to take care of her. Skye was special.

  It was still hard to believe they were actually married. If he’d been told three weeks ago that he’d leave the island a married man, he would’ve laughed. No way in hell did he figure he’d ever marry. But now he couldn’t wait to start married life. They had so many things to talk about. Lots of important decisions to make. For the first time in years, he was actually glad to be alive.

  Skye had not only made him fall in love with her, she’d given him his life back.

  How he had found the one perfect woman for him, he didn’t even bother to question. Maybe after all his bad luck, fate had finally given him a break. Only, he didn’t feel like this was a break. This was beyond anything he’d ever fantasized about. Skye was everything he could have wanted and so much more.

  A knock at the door had him back in the room in a second. She was back!

  Gabe swung the door open, his smile of welcome freezing on his face as he looked at the hard-faced middle-aged man glaring at him.

  “Can I help you, sir?”

  “Yes. You can damn well leave my daughter alone.”

  Skylar perched on the edge of the worn-out taxi seat. She just couldn’t seem to relax or stop worrying. The ride from the airport back to the resort had never seemed so long before. An odd anxiousness had built up inside her, and the only thing that could calm her was being back in Gabe’s arms again.

  Getting back to him had been a nightmare. First the flight had been delayed for bad weather. Then customs had been short-staffed, slowing everyone down. She had considered using her name to get special treatment but couldn’t make herself do it. It was time she started behaving as if she meant to go forward.

  But the wait was killing her. For some reason, the minute she’d stepped out of the cab in front of her mother’s apartment building, she had felt the need to turn around and get back to Gabe as soon as possible. She just had the oddest thought that he needed her.

  She had forced herself to keep going. Getting her mother on board was crucial. Unfortunately, it hadn’t worked out the way she’d hoped. Not only was her mother appalled that she’d married without telling the family, she couldn’t believe Skylar had married a man with no money or social standing. She’d acted as if her daughter had committed a major crime.

  After an explosive exchange of words, Skylar had ended up leaving the apartment in tears and going to the airport, hoping to get a connecting flight somewhere that would get her back to the island sooner. She had failed. Instead, she’d spent a miserable night at an airport hotel.

  She could have called Gabe. Stupid not to, but if she did, she would cry. And then he would be upset, too. Though she wasn’t usually an overemotional person, being in love had brought all sorts of tumultuous feelings to the surface. Breaking down over the phone with her new husband wasn’t something she wanted to put either of them through.

  Besides, she still had her number one major worry to deal with. What would Gabe say when she told him who she was? It coul
dn’t change his feelings for her. He might be disappointed in her for not being entirely truthful, but Gabe loved the real Skylar James. Not the fake one she showed the world.

  “Here we are, ma’am.”

  Grateful that the interminable trip was finally over, Skylar grabbed the door handle before the driver had a chance to open it. She bounded out of the car, handed the man more than enough to cover the fare, along with a giant tip, and then, moving as fast as her feet would carry her, headed to Gabe’s bungalow.

  Skylar ran up onto the small porch, burst through the door, and faced an empty room. She blew out a half sigh, half sob. After all that worry, he wasn’t even here. He must have gone for a swim or run.

  She turned to go outside to look for him when a movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. A small piece of paper on the dresser fluttered from the breeze of the open door. An odd sort of dread filled her, turning her legs to lead, as she made her way slowly to pick up the note.

  Her hands shaking, she read the scribbled words.

  By the time you read this, I’ll be gone.

  Clutching the note in her hand, Skylar whirled around and ran for the door. Her heart, her very being, crying in denial, she stopped on the porch and screamed, “Gabe!”

  three

  New York City

  Present day

  By the time you read this, I’ll be gone.

  Skylar James sank down onto the edge of her chair. The last time she’d read these words, her world had fallen apart. An ominous darkness … that feeling of dread she knew all too well … swept over her. Something dire was about to happen.

  Most people would laugh if they knew one of the wealthiest and most photographed women in the world relied on such mumbo jumbo to make decisions for her. She didn’t care. These feelings had never failed her. She’d ignored them once and had paid an enormous price.

  Her eyes went back to the email.

  I know you don’t think this is the right thing for me, but this might be my only chance for something this wonderful. Don’t be mad. I’ll call you as soon as I have some news.