Closer_To_You

by Reana Malori

  “Fine, Gabriel. Although, I don’t know what you mean when you say you’re going to show me your world. Why now? You’ve never wanted to show me before.” Petty words, yes, but it was true. Maybe there was a small part of her that believed some of the things she had said about him to Bettye.

  “Because I heard what you said to Bettye. I didn’t like it.”

  “Gabriel, you know I was just trying to deflect her. I told you how she is. You know that woman will gnaw on something until she gets the answers she wants. It doesn’t matter what the truth is.”

  “I didn’t like it.” Turning away from her, he looked deep in thought for a few seconds, “Is that what you really think of me? Have I been a selfish lover?”

  “No! Furthest from that. You are always so giving when we’re alone.”

  “Ah, keyword. Alone. That’s what I thought. Let’s head out to the car. It’s out front. Let’s go.” Grabbing her hand, he began walking through the lobby, seemingly without a care in the world, and exited the building.

  Penelope had no idea what the man had planned, but she decided right then and there that she was up for anything. She may be a little annoyed with him, but she had finally come to the realization that she loved him.

  With that realization, it was like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. At this point, she might as well go out with a bang and go for broke. Walking over to the sleek black car, she climbed into the waiting vehicle and got settled. Finally situated on her side, she watched as Gabriel climbed in after giving the driver instructions.

  “Where are we going, Gabriel?”

  “I haven’t been fair to you. And I need to change that. I’ve been busy with a special project the last few weeks. It’s not quite ready yet, but after the events of today, I think it’s time for me to show you.”

  Giving him a look of confusion, she wondered why the hell Gabriel was talking in circles. “What’s going on with you today? You’re acting odd and I’m not sure I like it.” When Gabriel reached over for her hand, she allowed him to intertwine their fingers. The contrast of their skin tones were so alluring and quite sexy. “Are you upset with me, Gabriel?”

  After a pause, he raised their joined hands to his lips and kissed her fingers. “No, sweetheart, I’m not mad at you. This time with you has meant everything to me, but things are changing for us. You shouldn’t have to lie to your colleagues or boss about us and I intend to change that.”

  Gabriel knew that he had thrown Penelope off with his behavior, but he knew something had to change between them. They had been seeing each other for almost two months now and while things had been good, he wanted more. Much more than he ever would have thought.

  The fact that he was head of the company trying to take over hers was always a bone of contention between them. There were times he wanted to share things with Penelope and couldn’t. That bothered him to no end. When the negotiations were going particularly bad, he would want to talk with her and just discuss some of the thoughts running through his head, but couldn’t. As soon as he would bring up the topic, she would cut him off and remind him that they agreed that their day jobs were off-limits. It was a smart rule and he knew why they had instituted it, but in all honesty, he was tired of it. This woman had him tied in knots and he wanted more from her than she knew. It was time for him to lay his cards on the table.

  “Do you even know how I feel about you, Penelope?”

  The shocked look on her face told him all he needed to know.

  “What do you mean?” Her eyes were downcast as if she did not want to face the conversation they were about to have. Too bad he wasn’t going to let her off so easily.

  Reaching over to her, he grasped her chin in his hand and lifted her face so that she had no choice but to look in his eyes. After spending so much time with her during the past two months, he knew exactly what that look meant. Hope and disbelief.

  “Answer a question first.” He was treading in dangerous waters, but he needed to gauge her response.

  “Okay. Ask me anything.” She bit her lip, nervousness coming through in that one motion. Yes, he knew this woman better than she thought he did.

  “If I wasn’t GT Banks, if I wasn’t the owner of GTB Technologies, would you still want to hide our relationship?” Watching her closely, he saw the fire blaze in her eyes at his question.

  “I’ve never wanted to hide our relationship. That has always been you. I agreed, Gabriel, but only because of how it would impact this deal.” Clenching her hands in her lap, she continued, “I thought you were ashamed of being with me. I’m just regular, normal Penelope Lucas and you’re...well, you’re who you are.”

  “Baby, look at me. You have never been just regular or normal to me. You are unique. Since I’ve met you, my days and nights have revolved around you. Around us.”

  Grabbing her hands, he loosened her fists and rubbed the crescent moon marks that her nails had made on her palms. “Gabriel. What are we doing?”

  Looking at her chocolate gaze, “Whatever the hell we want, baby.”

  Leaning in toward her, he capture her lips with his. Placing his hands on her hips, he pulled her toward him and lifted her slightly, “Come over here. I need you.”

  “We’re in a car, Gabriel,” she said in between kisses. By the laughter in her voice, he knew she wasn’t upset with him, just a bit shocked. “I know exactly where we are.” Grabbing her close to him, he caught her gaze. “See, baby, here’s the thing. I listen to you. Even when you don’t think I am. I want to fulfill every fantasy you have.” One night when they had finished making love, she had told him that one of her naughty fantasies was to have sex in the backseat of a car. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to not only distract his woman, but to also check this fantasy off of her bucket list.

  Gabriel was a smart man, but he knew that he was also a cynical bastard. Giving his all to a woman was never something that interested him before he met Penelope. Being with her made him want more. Actually, it made him want everything. He would be damned if he wasn’t going to try everything in his power to get it. Hearing her talk about him so casually with her friend had made him really think about what they were doing with each other.

  She may have thought he was mad at her, but he wasn’t. The feeling her words had invoked in him was anger at himself, not her. Had he ever truly made her feel that he was in this only for himself? Yes, he was a selfish man, but that is what got him to where he is today. He took what he wanted and damn the consequences. But with Penelope, it was different. He could be himself with her and he enjoyed that. When they were alone together, he never had to worry about being GT Banks, he was just Gabriel and that was always enough for her.

  Situating her across his lap, she cradled his face in her palms as she dipped her head to kiss his waiting lips. “You already fulfill my fantasies, Gabriel.”

  Clutching her body tightly in his hands as her legs straddled his hips, he glanced to the side and ensured the glass partition was closed. The driver had instructions regarding where to go and their destination was more than thirty minutes away. It would be plenty of time to make sure he pleased his woman in every way possible.

  Capturing her lips with his, he poured every bit of passion he could muster into that one kiss. His tongue dueled her hers and his cock strained as her body writhed on top of his, molding her hot core against his steel rod. He wanted to be inside of her. No, he needed to be inside of her. His woman. This woman rocked his world and turned him inside out every single time they were together.

  Breaking their kiss, so that they could catch their breath, he pulled her even closer to him. Needing her near him more and more every day, he knew that he was tired of hiding what they shared from the world. Looking into her hooded gaze, he nibbled the side of her mouth, unable and unwilling to break contact for even a few seconds. The smile she bestowed upon him made his heart stutter. Damn, he loved this woman. Now, he just needed to prove it to her and make sure she didn’t let o
utside reality get in the way. “Well, get ready, baby. Because we’re about to fulfill some more of your fantasies and take care of a few of mine in the process.”

  Chapter Nine

  Penelope was still trying to catch her breath as the car pulled up to the house in the Northern Virginia suburbs. “Where are we, Gabriel?”

  “We’re at my home. Our home.”

  Startled at his words, she pulled back quickly and almost brained herself on the roof of the car. “What do you mean ‘our home’?” Craning her neck and looking out the windows of the vehicle, she couldn’t help but gasp at the view in front of her. They were in what was commonly referred to as ‘horse country’ in Northern Virginia. Pulling back to look at Gabriel, she questioned him again. “What are we really doing here, Gabriel?”

  She tried moving away from him, but his hands wouldn’t allow her to move off his lap. The fact that he was still inside of her was not the troubling part. That would never concern her. No, she was more worried about what the hell was going on in his head to make such a statement.

  “I want more, Penelope.”

  Thinking he meant he wanted more of the mind-blowing sex they had been engaged in for the last few months, Penelope laughed a little and kissed him lightly on his lips, “Oh, baby, you can have more of that whenever you want.”

  He must not have gotten the joke, because his face in no way looked as if he were laughing. “You know that’s not what I’m talking about.”

  “It’s not? Okay. Then first off, maybe let’s get out of this compromising position and step out of the car.” They had a serious stare down for a few minutes before he released her and she climbed off his lap. Taking a few minutes to get their clothes situated, Gabriel was silent as she fixed her clothes as best she could. Giving her a once-over, he tapped the window and the door opened. Stepping out first, Gabriel looked as if he had truly simply taken a ride out to country. How could that man still look so damn GQ even after their adventure in the car?

  “Come on, baby. Get out of the car.”

  Pursing her lips at his high handedness, she climbed out of the car and looked up at the grand home. “This is your home?”

  “Our home. Yes.”

  “Since when?”

  He turned toward her and reached out his hand for hers, “Since a few weeks ago. I was tired of living in that hotel. Negotiations are going well and we should be wrapping up this acquisition soon. I need a home. A real home.”

  Mouth opened in shock, Penelope’s stomach began to tie up in knots. He had bought a home, but what did that mean for her? For them? “But why buy this home? It’s too large for just one person.”

  Grabbing her close, he began to make his way up to the large porch as he pulled a key out. “Yes, I know it is. One day, I hope to have a family to fill it with me.”

  If he had turned to look at Penelope’s face at that moment, he would have instantly known that she had mistaken his words. But he didn’t look back and Penelope schooled her features so that the hurt no longer showed. Stepping aside, Gabriel motioned for her to step inside.

  “What do you think? Can you see yourself spending time with me here?”

  Her heart was breaking, but she was confused. There was something rattling around in her brain, telling her calm down and just let things flow, but she couldn’t. After only a couple of months, Gabriel had come to mean so much to her. It no longer mattered how they met and who he was. But his words. His words implied that he was for the here and now, not for the long-term. This is what being impulsive got her. She had jumped in with both feet and threw caution to the wind, and now she would pay the price for her reckless behavior.

  “This is a lovely home, Gabriel.”

  He turned to her as if confused by her words and she knew her tone had turned frosty. In light of the heat they had just shared in the car, she knew he could tell the difference.

  “Baby, are you okay?” His eyes searched her face, as if trying to understand why she was acting so odd all of a sudden.

  Pasting a smile on her face, “Yeah, I’m fine. Want to give me a tour?” Holding out her hand, she grabbed hold of the man who held her heart, but who probably had no idea about the extent of her feelings for him. He had no idea that she loved him with every breath inside of her. Trouble was, she had no idea if her feelings were returned. Gabriel was not a man known for the softer side of life. Even in the bed, he was a combination of power and finesse, overwhelming her senses until she had no choice but to allow him free rein. Over time, she had come to accept him for the man he was and she would have to be okay with that.

  Loving a man, even as much as she loved Gabriel, did not automatically mean she would be with him for the rest of her life. Maybe he never wanted to get married. They had never discussed the future and whenever she brought it up, he seemed intent on distracting her with kisses and lovemaking. Looking around, she allowed the truth of the situation to sink in, this was his future home with his family and she had no illusions that it would be her. Fuck! Why did she have to go and fall in love with a man who would never love her in return?

  Making it up to the upstairs area, Penelope’s heart was near to bursting. If she had to pick her dream house, this would be it. The kitchen was amazing and had everything she wanted, so that she could make all of her favorite meals and dishes handed down from her mother and grandmother. There was an office with a “his and her” setup, with one side boasting a bookshelf that was as tall as the ceiling. While she loved her e-reader, there was nothing like holding a book in her hands and smelling the scent of the pages. The woodsy aroma always made her nostalgic for when she was growing up and had to get her books secondhand. Visions of her sitting there reading while Gabriel worked bounced through her mind.

  Even the backyard was a dreamland. It had been landscaped to look like the perfect oasis, just waiting for a weekend escape. Her feet itched to walk barefoot through the lush, green grass. Her body ached to lie down and relax on the lounge chairs that graced the lawn, situated perfectly under several shade trees.

  If she didn’t know better, she would have thought Gabriel had actually purchased this home for her. But that couldn’t be the case. It had to be a fluke that he had chosen the one home that she could see as hers. His next words brought her attention back to him.

  “And this is the master bedroom. Tell me what you think.”

  Walking inside, she stopped cold as she took in the view. Mahogany furniture graced the large room. A sitting area graced one side of the room, with a marble fireplace situated in the far corner. It was surrounded by a loveseat, two high back chairs and a coffee table. The bed itself was a large four-poster behemoth that sat so far above the floor that a small footstool sat on each side to assist whomever was climbing into the bed. As she looked around, her feet took her all over the room, her hands lightly brushing over the pieces as her thoughts and dreams came crashing down. Would she really only ever be a guest in this house? Why would Gabriel show her all of this, only to pull the rug out from under her?

  Something was wrong. She had to be confused. Nothing was making sense. Lifting her gaze to find Gabriel, she saw him leaning casually against one of the bed posts, his hands in his pockets. “Why am I here, Gabriel? Why are you showing me all of this?”

  “Because I want you to know what can be ours. This is my life. I can buy whatever material things I believe will make you happy.”

  Sighing, she had hoped their relationship, or whatever this was, would never focus on his wealth. “I don’t want your money, Gabriel. I’ve never cared about your money or who you are. You must know that by now.”

  “I do know that, baby. Which is why I want to make sure you have everything you desire.”

  “But this is not why I’m with you.” Turning around the room, she took in everything she saw and came to a decision. “If you think the only reason I’m with you is because of who you are and what you can offer me, then maybe you don’t know me very well at all.”

&nbs
p; “No, Penelope, I know you better than you think. Remember that first night we met and the conversation we had in my hotel room?”

  Laughing slightly, she thought back to that night so many weeks ago and still could not believe what she had done. Going back to a hotel room with a strange man was so unlike her, but that one decision had given her the man standing in front of her. She would never regret that decision. “I remember everything we talked about, Gabriel.”

  “One thing I said to you was that sometimes I lost myself in the chase. That the business had become all-consuming and sometimes I wished for the days when I could just be myself. Do you remember that?”

  Thinking back on that night, she nodded in remembrance. At that time, she assumed it was the same babble that all corporate types spouted off. Of course, now that she knew him better, she could understand exactly what he meant by the statement. During the course of the past two months, she had seen him in action and he was not a man to be trifled with. The man and persona he portrayed in the office was nowhere close to the man he was when they were together. It was like they were two different people. “I remember, Gabriel.”

  “Exactly. With you, I’m just Gabriel. Just a man. I’m not GT Banks, I’m not the founder and owner of a GTB Technologies. I’m not someone that you simply see as an ATM machine. When I’m with you, I’m just me. Gabriel.”

  Wanting so badly to reach out and touch him, to connect with him, to simply be closer to him, she held back. Somehow, she had the feeling that he needed this moment. “That is who you have always been to me. Who you will always be to me.”

  Standing up straight, he seemed to change moods, “Are you afraid of being with me, Penelope?”

  “No.”

  “Then stay here with me tonight. Tomorrow, when we go back to the office, we go together. As Penelope and Gabriel and we tell the world to fuck themselves if they don’t like it.”

  Shock flowed through her at his words. He couldn’t mean what she thought he meant, “Excuse me? What do you mean?”