“I’ll be fine.”
“I think he’s more worried I’ll run you off.”
Startled, Azure looked from Gavin’s retreating back to Gail who eyed her speculatively. “Why would he think that?”
“Because he’s paranoid.”
It’s not really paranoia if someone’s out to get you, ran through Azure’s head, but luckily not through her lips. This wasn’t exactly how she pictured the evening going. “I don’t think he has anything to worry about.”
“Not easily scared?”
“I don’t run.”
Her comment seemed to please Gail. “That’s what I like to hear. When he told me he was bringing you by, I have to say I almost had a heart attack. The first thing I did, of course, was to pull your site up on the computer and get as much information about you as I could.”
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to meet the woman who made my brother smile again.”
“Again.” Azure’s brows rose in confusion. “I don’t recall not seeing a smile on his face.”
“Really?”
“Honestly. He seems like to me one big ball of fun.”
“He used to be, that’s for sure.” There was a far off lilt in Gail’s voice, making Azure wonder if she even wanted to know what was going on.
“Look, I think you might have the wrong impression of what’s going on here. Gavin getting me in to see the Gardens was a favor. Actually he was returning a favor, sort of.”
“The bathroom thing, right? He’s told me about it. Countless times.”
“He has?”
“Yes.” Gail smiled. “I’m not going to bombard you with questions or anything, I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Now I see.”
Azure was glad someone saw, because she was confused as hell. “Okay.”
Gavin quickly made his way back towards them.
“We’ve had a few cancellations recently. I’ll email you the dates this evening, and you can let me know if any of your clients might be interested in them.” Gail offered.
It was more than she’d ever dreamt for. In fact, it was almost too good to be true. “And in return?”
“In return nothing. Consider it my way of thanking you.”
“For what?”
“For that.” Gail gestured to Gavin who stopped next to them with a smile on his face. “Now, never let it be said I don’t know when I’m not wanted.”
Gavin snorted. “It’s been said, now shoo.”
“It was very nice to meet you, Azure. I look forward to seeing you again.”
“I as well. Thank you for allowing us to take a tour.”
“It was my pleasure.” With that, Gail exited as quickly as she had joined them, leaving Azure more confused than ever.
Handing her a glass, Gavin gestured after his sister with a sheepish look on his face. “Sorry about that, my sister is a bit annoying.”
“All sisters are, just ask my brother.” They laughed politely before lapsing into a comfortable silence, content to just stand in one another’s presence.
Soft music beckoned from afar, and without speaking, they began to walk towards a veranda where couples danced under the evening sky. Azure was happy just watching, but Gavin was of a different mind.
“Let’s dance.” It was more of an order than a request, but since it was on a par with Azure’s own desires, she gladly gave in. Being held by Gavin was not a hardship, especially because they seemed to fit together as if made from the same mold.
They danced in silence for a few minutes. Both moving as if one to the same seductive beat. His chest felt like granite under her cheek, but the steady beat of his heart comforted her like nothing else had before.
Gavin brushed his chin against the top of her hair, nudging her gently as he asked, “Did she hook you up with any dates?”
Azure pulled back, pausing in mid-step. “You didn’t ask her to, did you?”
“No, but I would have if she hadn’t.” Gavin pulled her back to him, picking up the beat as if she had never stepped away.
“Gavin.” Azure sighed. “You really didn’t have to go through all this trouble. Don’t get me wrong, I really really appreciate it, but I don’t want you to think you had to.”
His chuckle resonated like a wave against her. “I don’t do things because I have to, Azure. I do them because I want to.”
“Do you always get what you want?”
“I sure as hell hope so, because I want you.”
Chapter Four
From the looks of things, Azure was well and truly stunned by Gavin’s statement. Not exactly the reaction he’d been hoping for. But hell, from the moment he pulled her into his arms, all he could think of was kissing her, touching her, making love to her.
Breathing in her sensual scent, Gavin tried his best to keep his hormones in check. “You look unbelievable, by the way.”
“What, this old thing?” The teasing tone in her voice made him think there was more to that than she was saying. “You don’t look so bad yourself, although I do notice the lack of a tie.”
“Well, it wasn’t so much the lack of tie, as much as it was the lack of a collared shirt to wear it with.”
“You don’t own a collared shirt?”
Gavin had the grace to look a bit embarrassed. He had hoped she wouldn’t notice he wasn’t wearing a tie. “Yeah, I was a bit surprised by that too.”
“I’m staggered. You mean Metallica doesn’t have their own business line yet?” Azure smiled.
“I’m surprised you know who Metallica is.” Gavin spun her out, loving the way she laughed in surprise, before he pulled her back into his arms, where she so obviously belonged.
“Don’t get too happy, I don’t think I could name a song or anything.”
When the dance ended, Azure made to pull out of his embrace, but was stopped short by Gavin’s hand on the small of her back.
“No, not yet.”
She seemed surprised and a bit amused by his actions. “We can’t stay here and dance all night.”
“Why not?” Gavin couldn’t think of any place he’d rather be.
“Because I’m wearing heels and I have to work tomorrow.”
Not good enough. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
“I don’t doubt that at all.” Azure stopped dancing and looked up at him regretfully. “Gavin…”
“I like the way you say my name.”
“No,” Azure whispered.
“To what?” Gavin asked, smiling.
“To everything you’re saying and to everything you’re not saying.”
Instead of replying, Gavin chose to ask Azure a question which had intrigued him since the moment they met. “What made you let me in that day?”
“When I figure it out I’ll let you know.”
Gavin didn’t say anything, instead he watched her, waiting for her to continue. To his utter regret Azure gave a little shrug, as if that was it. She looked as lost as he was on the matter.
“One more dance,” Gavin insisted. Without waiting for her to reply, he pulled her into his arms, unwilling to believe this was it. The slow melody spun around them in a sensual haze as he caressed the small of her back, pulling her as close to him as the laws of decency would allow.
It wasn’t enough. And the feel of her hardened nipples against his chest proved that it wasn’t enough for her either. Gavin maneuvered them to a darkened corner, wanting just a few minutes away from the bright lights of reality. He didn’t want to think about doing the right thing.
Which was a startling first for him. Gavin didn’t think it was in him to want to feel something, anything for a woman again. Outside of having sex that is. But Azure was different. She’d been on his mind since day one, and despite his stirring erection, it wasn’t just sexual interest. He was interested in knowing more about her.
“Azure?” He whispered her name like a question. A question that only she had the answer to.
Her sigh spoke vol
umes and the look she sent him, filled with desire and need, was all the answer he needed. The heat in her eyes was nothing compared to the fire burning inside of him. Time slowed and sexual tension floated between them like a thick billowy cloud of lust. A glass shattering behind them broke their eye contact but not the mood.
“I should be going.”
Gavin wasn’t a fool. Should be going was a far cry from wanting to go. Her confusion was written all over her face. The tell-tale signs were there. Azure wanted to stay, she wanted to be with him, but her own personal devils wouldn’t let her take the next step.
He would never understand the way of women’s minds. Even after his short marriage, Gavin was still as clueless when it came to women as he had been the day he first hit puberty. The one thing he did know though, was he couldn’t make this decision for her. He could only let her know what he wanted and abide by any decision she made. No matter how much he disagreed.
“All right, I’ll walk you to your car.”
Azure nodded her head in agreement and turned to walk away, but was brought up short by Gavin’s hand on her arm. She peered up at him, confusion marring her pretty brown eyes, until he slid his hand down her arm to take her hand into his.
Azure didn’t comment, merely smiled. They walked hand in hand in blissful silence all the way to the parking lot, taking in the sights and scenes around them. The cool night breeze moved around them, filling his head with her stimulating scent. When they reached her car, Azure paused, seemingly at a loss for words.
Gavin released her hand, regretting it the instant he did. He knew the minute she got into her car and drove away he would never see her again. Her desire wasn’t stronger than the walls she had barricaded around her heart, and if he didn’t move fast, he would never get the chance again.
Gavin waited till she began to unlock her car, before he stepped up behind her. “Was the tour everything you expected?”
“Everything and more.” Her words eased around his skin like silken fingers, caressing his feverish body, fanning his already over-inflamed desire.
“Are you happy?” he asked. Gavin moved his hand down her arm, and took the keys out of her limp hand.
“Yes, I think it will turn out great.”
“I kept my end of the deal, didn’t I?” Gavin turned her around so she faced him.
“What deal?” Azure’s voice came out in a shaky whisper.
“Not to go over the line.”
“Yes.”
“The tour is over. There is no line.” Pocketing her keys, Gavin stepped forward, moving her back against her car.
He could see from the look on her face that she was struggling to move past the attraction that had pulled at them from the moment they met. Being next to her all night, breathing in her enthralling aroma and not being able to make her his, was one of the hardest things he had ever had to do. If she wanted to go, he wouldn’t stop her. But she wouldn’t go without him having tasted her once.
“This is a mistake.” Even as she protested, Azure moved her hands around his waist. Instead of pushing him away, or saying no, she wet her dry lips with her tongue.
Principles, pride, and morals all slipped away. There was no more fighting. Azure wanted him as much as he wanted her.
“I promise to be the best damn mistake you’ll ever make,” Gavin whispered, sealing his words with a kiss. A deep soul-searching kiss.
The first taste of her lips against his was electrifying. It was like Christmas, birthdays and the Spice Channel all rolled up into one. Pushing against her, Gavin nudged her lips open with his tongue, drinking in the first taste of her mouth. Her warm tongue slid over his as she accepted him into her, and he kissed her like he had wanted to do from the moment he first saw her.
Yet it wasn’t enough. He wanted to feel more, to taste more.
Gavin moved his hands down her body until they came to rest on the gentle swell of her hips. Gripping her tightly, he picked her up, and made the few steps to the rear of her car, depositing her on the trunk, all without breaking away from her mouth.
Her mouth. The sweet, soft fullness of her lips was going to be the death of him. Never before had he been so lost in the gentle slope of a woman’s lips. And he wasn’t alone. Azure kissed him back, demandingly, as she urged him on, with soft mewing sounds and wandering hands.
The sexy skirt that had shown off her generous curves all night now gathered between her legs, lying like a guardian at her gate of paradise. He couldn’t get close enough. Gavin slid his hand down the smooth satin of her skirt with one goal in mind. The material was no match for his overwhelming libido, and in seconds, he had it bunched up in his fist and halfway up her thighs.
With his goal in sight, Gavin moved between her thighs, and pressed the hard, hot heat of his bulge against her covered center. The only thing separating them now was the flimsy material of her skirt, their mutual underwear and a zipper, all easily fixable in his mind. One swift move was all it would take to sink inside her hot center.
He was seconds away from ridding them both of their clothing when a bark of laughter sounded out. Azure froze in his arms as reality came crashing down.
An animalistic growl tore from his throat as he jerked away from her tempting mouth. The gentlemen in him demanded he step away and allow them both time to compose themselves, but the savage Neanderthal lurking inside him insisted that he continue with what they both so obviously wanted.
Unable to separate himself entirely one way or the other, Gavin held her to him. His pounding heart in tune with her own. A need like nothing he had ever felt before bore into his soul urging him on.
“Azure.” He lowered his mouth to her neck, his lips, his tongue, his breath, marking every inch of skin he could find. “I want…I need to taste, touch, feel every inch of you.”
Her shaky laugh was nothing compared to her tattered pulse tattooing against his lips. He wasn’t the only one who had been lost in the moment. It was impossible to reach the ripe age of thirty-three without realizing when a woman welcomed his touch.
She responded, she opened, she took him into her, all with a welcoming moan, yet still something held her back.
“You don’t believe in wasting time do you?” she teased.
“No, I don’t.”
“You move at lightning speed.”
Gavin pressed his hips forwards firmly against her. Azure’s nails tightened ever so deliciously in his side as she groaned in pleasure.
“Tell me you don’t want me, tell me that you don’t want the same thing and I’ll walk away.” Limp away slumped over would be more like it. “Tell me that you don’t want to finish what we’ve started.”
“What you started.”
“That you loved.” As much as he wanted to bury his cock deep inside of her, Gavin pulled away, his body protesting with every step he took.
He needed room to breathe and she needed room to think. “We both know what I want. I think I have an inkling what you want, but I can’t make the decision for you.”
Azure slid down off the car, straightening her skirt with shaky hands in the process. A slight breeze blew through her hair, forcing the soft ebony strands to fly into her face. Gavin curled his hands into fists to resist reaching out and stroking her hair back into place. He knew if he touched her now, he would pull her back into his arms, and to hell with whoever walked by and saw. Just the thought of having her in the moonlight had him hard and aching.
Hell, who was he kidding? He’d been hard the moment he first held her in his arms.
“You know…” Azure gave a weak smile as she nervously brushed her hair behind her ear. “The right thing to do would be to shake your hand and call it an evening.”
“Right for who? Better question, says who?”
“Right for me for starters. I just met you the other day.”
Gavin tilted his head to the side and studied her. She was fighting hard to come up with a reason that this was wrong. Since he couldn’t think of a si
ngle one, he wasn’t going to be much help to her. “Does the lack of time really matter all that much to you?”
“It should.” Azure smiled, answering him more completely than she probably realized.
“But it doesn’t.” It wasn’t a question. It was a fact.
“This is going to sound cliché as hell, but I’m not the type to have a one-night stand.”
“Who said anything about this being a one-night stand?” Gavin crossed his arms over his chest, doing everything in his power not to reach out and pull her into him.
“We just met…”
“I could probably break it down for you in hours and minutes how long ago we met, but it won’t change how I feel, or how you feel. This is about you and me, Azure. The rest of the world be damned. Tell me what you want and worry about all that other shit another day. I want to be with you. I want to take you home and make love with you all night.” Ignoring what he’d promised himself earlier, Gavin stepped forward and took her trembling hand in his. “What do you want?”
“I want you.”
“Then that’s all that matters.”
Chapter Five
This was a mistake. Azure hardly knew Gavin. She was being irresponsible and so utterly not like herself that it was frightening. Then again, despite knowing all of that, she couldn’t help the way her body reacted around him, or the way her heart responded to him. They had only met a few days ago, but intuitively, Azure knew this was going to be more than just a one-night stand.
That thought alone boosted her morale on the drive to her house, and propelled her to the front door when her nerves would have held her prisoner in her car.
Why the hell am I acting like this?
“Did you change the locks?”
Startled, Azure turned around and peered into Gavin’s mocking eyes. She had been so lost in her own topsy-turvy thoughts that she hadn’t heard him approach. “No, of course not.”
“Then why haven’t you unlocked the door?”
Azure looked down at her hand in surprise. She had the key firmly gripped yet she hadn’t made a move to actually unlock the door. Only God knew how long she’d been standing there. Apparently long enough for Gavin to notice in any case.
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