“You fat bitch!” The words burst from Paul’s mouth at an ear-shattering volume.
Gabriel tucked Anne against his side and eased away from Paul and Rochelle. Everyone in the room turned to stare. Gabriel allowed his mask to slip. He wanted Paul to see the rage he felt for Paul’s blatant disrespect of Anne. Gabriel pointed one finger at Paul. “You abused her enough during your marriage. I’ll not permit it to continue any longer. You will keep a civil tongue in your head, or you and I will have a problem.” He smoothly steered Anne toward an open door that led to the terrace outside. “Let’s get some fresh air.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Anne felt as though she’d just stepped off a tilt-a-whirl. She clung to Gabriel’s arm as he led her into the warm fall air. The sounds of the party faded, and she could hear the chirp of crickets. The humidity was mild. The air was warm and filled with the scent of cut grass and wood smoke from a distant fire pit.
“Are you all right?” Gabriel murmured once they’d left the drama behind.
Anne recalled that the meandering path they were following eventually led to the tennis courts. She slowed her pace as they approached a copse of trees and a secluded bench.
“Anne?”
“I feel as if I don’t really know you.”
He stopped walking and spread his hands in front of his body. “I’m the same man I’ve been since the day we met.”
“Is that right, Sir Gabriel?”
“It’s not a title I ever intend to claim.”
Anne thought of Dr. Harris’s words. “What did he mean by the unfortunate incident?”
Gabriel’s sigh could have felled the trees around the bench. “I told you about Franny, remember?”
“Yes.”
“The part I didn’t mention was that she was caught with her lover in a broom closet of the church on our wedding day.”
There weren’t words to express the horror Anne felt as she absorbed that piece of Gabriel’s past. “Who caught them?”
He took a seat on the bench and put his face in his hands. “I did.”
“What happened?”
He lifted his head and stared at the darkening sky. “The ceremony was nearly ready to start. I thought she was getting ready with her bridesmaids, and I wanted to see her before the ceremony.” He made a noise somewhere between a snort and a moan. “I wanted to hear her say that she was certain we were making the right decision. I’d only just come back from Kandahar, and we’d been engaged such a short while before I left. The only time we spent together as an engaged couple was while I had leave between tours.”
“Did you suspect anything?” Anne thought of her own experience with Paul, of knowing beyond doubt that he was screwing around behind her back.
“I think I did.” He gazed down at his hands, rubbing the ring on his left hand with the index finger of his right. “There were signs, but I never expected to open that bloody closet and find her with her wedding dress hiked up around her waist and one of her”—Gabriel used exaggerated air quotes—“‘friends’ with his bellend in her twat.”
Anne smiled a little at his colorful vernacular. The way he put his words together was just one of the million or so things she loved about Gabriel. He slipped into a brooding sort of silence, and Anne noticed again that he was fiddling with the rings on his middle fingers. She’d never noticed them before, but they looked oddly similar to the ones Alex and Emory wore.
She reached for his hand and brushed her fingers across the Celtic design etched into the shimmering black carbide. “Where did you get these?”
“I bought two sets from a jeweler in Huntingdon. One for Alex and one for myself.”
“I’ve never noticed them before.” She lifted his other hand to compare the two. The designs were identical.
“That’s because they’ve been in a case in my room for years.”
“Why?”
He slid them off his fingers and held them up. “Alex always thought they were meant to symbolize our commitment to the bachelor life, freedom and choice and all that rubbish.”
In the remaining light, Anne could tell there were words engraved on the inside of each ring though she couldn’t read them. “What did they mean to you?”
“They reminded me to be true to myself.” He held up the left. “This is veritas, and the other is libertas.”
“Truth and freedom.” The sting of tears caught her by surprise. Jessa had told her to find a man who understood the price of cheating just as much as Anne did. Not only did Gabriel comprehend the price, he’d paid dearly. Truth. Freedom. No man who’d paid so much would ever want to be tied down to a long-term relationship. Even she could understand that much.
“Don’t cry, my love.” His tone was rough, but the hand he placed on her cheek was anything but. “I look back at what happened with Franny, and I’m not sorry anymore.”
She gazed into his handsome face, wondering at the strength of this man. “Why would you say something like that? She betrayed you on the one day that should’ve been the best of your life.”
“But if she hadn’t, I never would’ve come to the States. I never would’ve met you.”
She took veritas from him and slipped it back into place on the middle finger of his left hand. Then she looked at libertas and put it on the middle finger of his right hand. “You deserve your freedom, Gabriel. I’m not going to deny you that.”
“The only thing I’ve ever wanted was a woman to want me just as I am.” His tone was gentle. “I heard what you said to Paul before you knew I was there.”
“What do you mean?”
“You told him that you were seeing someone and that he worked as a bouncer in a bar downtown.”
Anne frowned, confused. “It’s the truth.”
“I always thought you preferred Stewart over me because he had a career that would be more acceptable in your world.” He gave a self-deprecating chuckle. “I judged you for that.”
Anne thought back to some of their interactions and realized they’d both been horribly off target with their assumptions. The idea gave her hope. “If I’ve ever seemed to prefer Stewart it’s only because I was afraid I was inflicting myself on you.”
“Inflicting?”
“Look at me, Gabriel.” Anne gestured to her full figure. “I’m never going to be slim and sexy. I hated the idea that you were spending all this time with me just because you felt sorry for me. You said you wanted someone to want you just the way you are. Well, I’ve been waiting my whole life for that same thing.”
Gabriel wondered if the word ninny would suddenly appear on his forehead. He’d never in his life expected to hear his own secret desire uttered by someone else. He wanted to speak. To revel in this feeling of understanding and connection with another person, but his vocal chords seemed frozen.
“I love you, Gabriel,” Anne whispered. “But I love you enough to know that I can’t force you into some Prince Charming mold. If loving you means I need to let you be a free agent, then that’s what I’ll do.”
Like hell.
The words wouldn’t come, but Gabriel knew of only one way to imprint himself so strongly on this woman that she would never again think that she didn’t belong to him or that he didn’t belong to her body and soul.
He reached out and drew her to him in one solid pull. Her hands settled on his shoulders, her body wedged between his spread legs as he sat on the bench. He stabbed his fingers into her soft hair and drew her mouth down for a hungry kiss.
Anne sighed softly at the first contact. The sound inflamed Gabriel. He thrust his tongue into her mouth, tasting her again and again. Their lips met and molded as they kissed until Gabriel had no breath left in his lungs. Still he couldn’t get enough.
He slipped his hands beneath her skirt. Her bare skin was warm, but the barrier of her panties frustrated him. Using his thumbs, he twisted the sides until they ripped.
She broke away from his kiss, staring down with a bemused expression on her beauti
ful face. “You’re going to owe me a whole lot of new underwear at this rate.”
“Or you’ll take the bloody hint and stop wearing knickers.”
Her hands moved from his face to his hair. She tangled her fingers in the strands before cupping the back of his head and devouring his lips in another delicious kiss.
Gabriel kneaded her ample backside with his hands, tugging her forward until she got the hint and climbed astride his hips. Her knees settled on either side of his body. The heat of her seared his cock through the fabric of his trousers. Blood rushed to his groin. His fly was strangling the massive erection growing between his legs. He squirmed and hissed at the uncomfortable restriction. He wanted to be free to sink his full shaft into the softness of Anne’s slick pussy.
“Can we do this here?” she whispered against his mouth.
“I bloody well don’t give a damn.”
He reached around her hips with both hands and sank his fingers into her hot slit. She gasped and arched her back. Her breasts were sorely tempting him to get rid of her jacket and blouse, but he was wary of exposing her in this wide-open space. If they’d been at the Phoenix he’d have had already had her naked in a back corner.
Nuzzling her full breasts, Gabriel blew a stream of hot air across each covered nipple. They plumped and puckered beneath his attention until she was making high-pitched noises and undulating against him.
Her nails scored his scalp. “Gabriel, please.”
“Unfasten my pants and touch me, love. Show me what you want.”
Her hands fumbled at his waistband before managing to free his cock. He groaned at the sensation of soft touch. She stroked him from base to tip and let his fingers glide sexily through the precum dribbling across the crown.
“I want you, Gabriel.” She met his gaze with her dark eyes, the need reflected there singeing him with its power. “I want all of you. Now.”
“Then take me, love. I’m yours.”
Her fiery center of her sex throbbed against the head of his cock when she helped him penetrate her body. Her ass cheeks clenched in his hands, and he held on to keep her spread wide open. He tunneled inside, inch by inch, until her welcoming depths caressed his full length.
“I love you, Gabriel.” Her voice was a promise, a blessing to his soul.
She began to grind against him, rocking in a slow rhythm that sent heat sizzling over his nerves. He felt every muscle inside her channel flex and release as she began climbing steadily toward orgasm. Creamy fluid engulfed him until the friction crested in a wave he could not deny.
“Anne.” His voice was an animalistic growl. “I can’t hold off any longer. You’re pushing me over the edge.”
Her lips brushed his forehead. “Take me with you.”
The plea unraveled what was left of his control. He surged into her body, holding her hips steady with each stroke. She cried out, a broken sound punctuated by a soft whimper that told him she’d reached her peak. She clenched tight as he poured his seed into her depths.
Anne had never expected to feel this connected to another person. It was as if they were two halves of the perfect whole. She was confident and sure of herself with him. There was no other possible reason she could feel utterly comfortable while having sex outside at a country club. Anne Roquefort-Paul didn’t do those sorts of things. Until Gabriel. He’d changed everything.
He is everything.
“So perfect.” He kissed her lips, her face, and her neck. “I love you, Anne. I never thought I could feel this way about another person.”
She laced her fingers with his and drew his hands up until she could see the rings on his fingers. “What about veritas and libertas?” As much as she craved her happily ever after, she wanted no part of pushing Gabriel into something he wasn’t ready for.
He held up his left hand, the silver Celtic design glinting in the dim light cast by outdoor lights of the club. “You are my truth,” he said after a moment. “I’ll wear veritas every day and remember that fact.”
He slipped the thick ring from his right hand and slid it over the middle finger of her left hand. It was loose and heavy against her knuckle. She couldn’t see the detail of his expression, but his love enveloped her without question. Anne was almost afraid to breathe, as if she would wake up and discover the whole night had been a dream.
“Libertas belongs to you, Anne. Because my freedom is worthless if I don’t have you by my side.”
“Are you sure?” The whispered words slipped out before she could check them.
“More sure than I’ve ever been about anything in my life.” He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. “I was running away when I came here, but I never realized that I’d be running toward the only thing in the world that matters.”
“Since you’re Sir Gabriel, I suppose I’ve finally found my knight in shining armor.” Anne giggled, feeling almost punch-drunk with happiness.
Gabriel’s laugh blended with hers, making a perfect sort of music. “As long as you don’t expect me to wear armor in the bedroom, love, I’ll be your everything.”
~ About the Author ~
Kaitlin Maitland is an avid reader and a rabid horse enthusiast with a love of drama in everyday life. She began writing at the age of twelve after growing tired of waiting for her favorite authors to write sequels. Now she’s scrambling to write her own sequels while keeping up with a variety of exciting new characters and settings. Kaitlin makes her home in the Midwest and while she has yet to travel to a distant planet, she finds plenty of story-inspiring drama close to home.
Discover more about Kaitlin Maitland here
Website: http://www.kaitlinmaitland.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/KaitlinMaitlandEscapes?ref=hl
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KaitlinMaitland
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3306004.Kaitlin_Maitland
Blog: http://kaitlinmaitland.blogspot.com/
~ Also by Kaitlin Maitland ~
The Phoenix Trilogy
Phoenix Rising
Phoenix Trilogy Book One
Kaitlin Maitland
With sex hot enough to burst into flames, what will rise from the ashes?
Jessa Kincaid is done with men. After nineteen years, her cheating executive husband has left her for his younger, sexually adventurous mistress, and Jessa can't even seem to care. She's been stuffing herself into the mold of the perfect wife for so long, she can't even remember who she is. Feeling adrift, she finds herself inside a downtown bar in the middle of the afternoon, pounding black and tans like a college kid--had she ever been a college kid?--and letting herself wonder what it would be like to be the kind of woman who went to bars like Phoenix Rising. Or slept with that amazing bad-boy bartender who looked like he could break her in half...or maybe even make her feel...
Connor Archuleta is done with women. His last relationship ended in betrayal, broken bones, and jail time. But when the shrinking wallflower enters his bar, he can't tear his gaze away. He can practically smell her sexual repression, but intrigued, he makes it his mission to teach her everything he knows about embracing the wilder side of sex. It doesn't take long for Connor to realize she has just as much to teach him.
Phoenix Burning
Phoenix Trilogy Book Two
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Innocence can burn like wildfire unleashed…
Emory Banks is perfectly happy running her flower shop in the historic downtown area. She wants nothing more than to settle down like any normal girl. Unfortunately she's packing more emotional baggage than she knows what to do with—her abusive father has left her unable to enjoy a man's touch.
Alex Dalesio is more than just a catch. Phoenix Rising's bartender has the sexual prowess to melt the most skittish lover. The no-strings-attached love affair has always been his relationship of choice until he meets an innocent florist who makes him want more. Sex between them burns hotter than the Phoenix, and Alex just might have met his match
. But when the Phoenix Rising comes under fire from a mogul bent on taking over downtown, everything may wind up buried in the ashes. Not only does Donovan MacIntyre want the Phoenix, he wants Emory. And Alex isn’t about to give up either without a fight…
Mr. Wonderful Lies
Kaitlin Maitland
Sometimes the only wonderful thing about him is his lies.
Megan is tired of dating players. Despite the misgivings of her two closest friends, Megan finds her new Mr. Wonderful on the Internet. But the better things get with Mr. Wonderful, the worse things get with her friends, especially her friend Jared, the biggest player of them all. When things start to unravel, she can’t quite tell who’s playing whom, or just what to expect when Mr. Wonderful lies…
Verifiable Intelligence
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When betrayal has a price tag, whom can you trust?
Dayne Castille is just like any other businesswoman. She provides her clients with a valuable service; they pay her a lot of money. She works alone, and she likes it that way. For a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, being a contract killer has its perks.
When a casual trip to the library lands Dayne in the middle of a kidnapping, she finds herself on the wrong end of someone else’s scope. And face to face with rival assassin Callum McKay, the only man who’s ever made her think twice about being a loner.
Phoenix Flying Page 17